Although the first official day of spring was back in March, our local weather has still felt a bit chilly, and you’ve probably noticed that you crave the comfort of warming foods and drink and bundling up inside. Notice, though, that as the days get warmer and longer you tend toward being outside longer and you begin reaching for cold brew coffees, fruit smoothies, and raw vegetables and fruits.
Seasons are known to impact our moods, energy levels, and behaviour; you can support the natural rhythms of each season by eating seasonal foods. If you’re new to Canada, you may not be familiar with the foods and which season they appear in. You can reach out to local connections or the internet to find out what local foods are more abundantly available in each season.
However, we all have a great guide inside of us asking us to pay attention to which foods we’re drawn to when shopping at the grocery store or local farmers’ market. Our bodies intuitively know with seasonal changes to reach for lighter, more energizing fruits and vegetables in spring and summer and to eat more raw than cooked foods to match our internal energy to the seasonal environment.
Our bodies also crave different types of movement as the seasons change.
The spring season is a great time to practice postures that open the body back up after the more hibernating winter months. Side bends are wonderful for stimulating energy movement and to begin sloughing off the heaviness of winter. Yoga’s side-bending stretch is often referred to as standing half moon or side tree bend.
With your feet together, or hip-width apart for more support, sweep your arms up over your head, bringing your palms together.
Keep your feet facing forward, inhale, and stabilize your core by drawing your navel in toward your spine and slightly up toward your heart. As you exhale, slowly bend toward the right, stopping where you feel a good stretch but are still stable. Stay for a breath or two and then, on your inhale, come back up to centre. As you exhale, repeat on the other side.
This posture can also be done with one arm down your side for added support as you build up core strength.
Until next time, keep it real and keep a spring in your step.