Spring has a tendency to sneak up on us. One day you’re wearing a wool scarf and the next the sun feels warm on your skin and short sleeves are in order. Tiny sprouts make their way to the surface, heavy rains bring welcome relief to ground dry and cracked from the winter cold. The elements of spring penetrate our bodies, nourishing our tissues and warming our bones just as the earth is warmed and plants begin to grow. Along with renewed growth, the days begin to lengthen, the extra light lifting our moods and practically begging us to come outside and play.
In Ayurveda—an ancient system of mind-body wisdom, which originated in India more than 5000 years ago—each season corresponds to one of three doshas (Vata, Pitta, or Kapha), based on its essential elements. Fall and Winter have the qualities of Vata dosha — cold, dry, changeable. Summer is Pitta – hot and sticky. And Spring is Kapha dosha — heavy, damp and cold. This ancient science teaches us that all diseases begin at the junctions of the seasons, when the elements of one season give way to the elements of the next, and the overlap creates imbalance.
In the Western Hemisphere, we begin to see the changes in the climate sometimes as early as mid-February and in some places as late as mid-April, and it is during this season that we begin to feel the qualities of Kapha dosha, which is composed primarily of water and earth. These elements are the attributes of spring: cool and damp with new rain or melted snow; slow growth, heavy soil, muddy earth, and a feeling of fullness. Early in the season we may feel dull, inert, bloated, and congested from increased mucus and sinus pressure. As the air warms up, the mucus will begin to drain and excess water will be absorbed by the earth, supporting new growth to unfurl, and we are rejuvenated.
To thrive through seasonal changes, Ayurveda tells us to look for the opposite action in order to create balance. In Kapha season that means we want to lighten up. To beat back the cool and damp, we work to stay warm and dry; to combat the weight and slowness, we move more and cultivate new habits. There’s a reason we call it “spring cleaning”! This season is a natural time to clear away the debris to make way for new growth, and support detoxing of mind, body, and spirit.
Finding balance in Kapha season means focusing on detoxification— physical as much as mental and spiritual. Spring offers the opportunity to not only clean out the leftovers from winter, and also to create new ground to build upon for the rest of the year.
Recipes like this SPRING TEA will warm you on those still-cool days, and these spices will detox the body of the heaviness it may have accumulated in the colder winter months:
- 2 green cardamom pods slightly crushed with the back of a spoon
- 1⁄2 teaspoon coriander seeds
- 1⁄2 teaspoon fennel seeds
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
Steep the crushed pods and seeds in 3 cups just-boiled water. Strain the tea into a mug and sip throughout the day. You can add more hot water as needed. I use the same seeds for 3 or 4 cups of tea. Optional: If you have spring allergies, add 1⁄2 teaspoon stinging nettles to the mix, or drink stinging nettle tea on its own if you suffer from seasonal allergies.
Of course, our minds as well as our bodies can benefit from some “spring cleaning,” and Kapha season is a natural time to rejuvenate your meditation practice. Make time every day to breathe deeply and to center. In your practice think about investigating the dusty corners of your mind, the overstuffed drawers, those closets filled with stories or beliefs that no longer serve you. Imagine shining a flashlight into those nooks and crannies, revealing negative thoughts, unwanted emotions, things you haven’t dealt with in years. What have you swept into a corner and forgotten about? Stuffed under the bed or in the back of drawer? Now is the time to shine the light, reveal it, unpack the baggage, and sift through whatever has accumulated over the dark months of winter.
Difficult emotions can be worked through by calling them forth to examine during your meditation practice. Be curious, and gently guide your attention to whatever you have been hiding, avoiding, or stuffing down. Simply put, look for what no longer serves you and resolve to let it go. You may find that after working with a negative emotion or situation, it is helpful to allow your thoughts to flow to a more positive feeling and let them fill the space. Alternatively, you may find peace by just leaving the space empty, but filled with potential for what may come.
End your practice with a resolution to let go of what is no longer needed. Mentally wrap it up in a box and offer it to the universe. Feel the space you have created around you, and resist the temptation to fill it up right away. Rather, revel in the space. It is a place of potentiality. You will know when it’s time to fill it up again.
© 2021. Reprinted with permission. Seasonal Self-Care Rituals: Eat, Breathe, Move and Sleep Better According to Your Dosha by Susan Weis-Bohlen. Tiller Press, an imprint of Simon & Schuster.
