Spring Newsletter

Seasonal news round-up

Greetings Friends!

Welcome to the Spring Newsletter!

Daffodills

 

Spring is a time of rising energy and increasing yang. Look at nature! – some plants are already up, others are on their way and the sap is rising. The same is happening with us! 

In the Chinese 5 Element System, Spring is associated with the Wood element. Wood represents the stage of growth and for growth to happen there must be a strong foundation (like tree roots) to allow for flexibility above (like a bendy stem/trunk). 

The Wood stage of the cycle is where we will be inclined to plan and organise, making decisions about what to do and where to go next…get creative! After the quiet of the Winter months (Water) we are ready to move and change, come out of hibernation. We must remember the need for strong foundations as we move into this stage. A plant with a poor root system cannot grow! If our Wood element is in balance we will be ready for growth…patient, resilient, kind, motivated. If out of balance we may experience feelings of anger, irritation, or indecision. 

We may struggle to move out of the resting stage and resent the seasonal change of energy. Transitions between seasons can be challenging! The organ pair associated with Spring (& Wood) is the Liver and Gallbladder. The Liver is responsible for the smooth flow of energy or Qi in the body, mind & emotions. 

Feeling “stuck” can be a sign of Wood imbalance as can stiffness in the muscles. Healthy processing of energy and emotions is crucial at this time. I hope that you enjoy the Spring energy in 2024, and may you move forward with any exciting plans you have

Love and light

Rachel

 

Host of yellow daffodills

 

Breaking news! – Spring Mini Retreat – Sunday 14 April, 2-5.30pm Letchworth

Join me for an afternoon of beautiful Spring practices including Qigong, Yoga and Yoga Nidra. Learn more about the season of Spring and enjoy chilling out with like-minded people.

See my Events page:

workshop

 

Ways to nourish and support your Wood Element:

  • Get outside and walk in green spaces, breathe in the Spring air. Morning walks are especially good, as is outdoor qigong
  • Do some gardening, or if you can’t get out, plant some seeds in indoor pots – get some green into your space.
  • Spend some time planning your year ahead with your diary or calendar – the Liver and Gallbladder love planning and decision-making.
  • Find ways of healthily releasing anger! That might include vocalisations or speaking up if that is needed. Do notice though if your angry feelings are in proportion to what has happened!
  • Avoid alcohol! Metabolising it takes up a lot of your Liver’s energy. Remember Alcohol contains calories but no nutrients.
  • S-t-r-e-t-c-h out of Winter – this is a great time to really open the sides of the body. In our yoga we use lots of side bends at this time which can be helpful after a more sedentary Winter with (natural) accumulation of fat around the waist.
  • Detoxification – clean up your house, your garden, your diet, your life! Consider your chemical load – what cleaning products dd you use? What about skin care and toiletries?
walking shadows

 

Seasonal Eating

Love your Liver by cleaning up your diet: 

  • Eat organic wholefoods when possible and cut down your fat intake.  
  • Buy Seasonal produce which is grown as locally as possible, rather than imported products that have travelled from afar. Local products will have more life force or Qi (Chi).
  • Stick with good fats such as olive oil, coconut oil and avocado. 
  • Remember to make changes gradually to help your digestion to adjust.
  • Sour is the taste for the Liver/Gallbladder, so introduce more sour foods into your diet – Lemons, vinegar, sour apples, plums, sauerkraut.
  • Eat plenty of in-season leafy greens and sprouting seeds. You can sprout your own beans and seeds at home…one of my favourites is Mung Beans, which become super digestible when sprouted.
  • Cook foods lightly – steaming, stir-frying or lightly simmering is the order of the day.
  •  

    There are some great seasonal recipes on the Riverford Organic Box Scheme site:

    Riverford recipes

Stir Fry lunch

 

 

Online Classes 

Having spent a few months fully online during the pandemic, a few classes have remained that way:

The Wednesday morning “gentle” class is “hybrid” which means it happens both online and in person, in Letchworth 

The Thursday evening class remains largely online though we meet in person once per season which is always lovely. 

Monthly Yin Yoga remains Online – last Friday of each month, 6.30-7.45pm 

The Online Studio, with a variety of Seasonal classes including Yang Yoga, Yin Yoga and Yoga Nidras, is FREE to everyone who registers for 2 classes per week with me; and only £10 per month if you register for 1 weekly class. Access to this resource enables you to take a class with a familiar teacher (me!) as and when you want, at a time that suits you. 

Students tell me they find it especially useful when they have missed their regular class for whatever reason and also if they want to practice more than once a week. Research shows that shorter more frequent yoga sessions are more beneficial than for example a 3 hour workshop once a fortnight…

yoga online with Zoom

 

 

Yin Yoga 

We meet monthly online for Seasonal Yin Yoga – usually the last Friday of the month, from 6.30-7.45pm. 

As well as Yin Yoga the class might include a little qigong, pranayama or meditation…all carefully chosen to reflect the seasonal energy. 

Everyone is welcome – this is a drop in class – simply message me for payment details and the link, which is the same each month.

yin yoga pose

 

Course News 

Seasonal Yoga Teacher Training Course – our next course starts June 1st !

I’m very excited to say we will be running the Seasonal Yoga Teacher Training Course for the 3rd time, starting on 1st June this year.

If you can feel your interest in this course rising with the Spring energy, and you want to both stretch and grow this year, please don’t hold back and miss out. 

This is an amazing year of personal evolution whether or not you want to actually teach. We have a lovely group of trainees coming together for this journey of transformation!

Teaching on the course will be from me, assisted by the lovely Melissa Campbell, with guest appearances from the co-creators of Seasonal Yoga, Julie Hanson and Sue Woodd, and co Director and pranayama expert Marit Akintewe. 

 

For further information on the course, see our Teacher Training page here: 

https://ahimsayoga.co.uk/teacher

Or the Seasonal Yoga UK page here:

https://seasonalyoga.net/locations/letchworth-location/

 

Our second cohort finished their course in the middle of March. It has been so amazing being part of their journeys…I feel honoured to be able to pass on these teachings to others and know that the knowledge will continue to be shared.

Graduates 2024

“The success of Yoga does not lie in the ability to perform postures but in how it positively changes the way we live our life and our relationships.”

TKV Desikachar