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A Season Within a Season
Written By: Ashby Underwood - Yoga Highlands | Issue: 2020/09 – September
Seasonal wellness is at the core of Therapeutic Yoga. We can all agree, the focus on Covid-19 has been a focal point this summer, a season in which is rarely known for illness.
Why are we rarely ever ill during the Summer months? We usually associate colds and flu with Fall and Winter, and Spring has a reputation for allergies.
In these mountains we are gifted with four distinct seasons of the year, yet there is another season within a season that is valuable in the self-healing paradigm that we don’t want to miss.
The warm days in Fall, often referred to as “Indian Summer’ or Native Summer, are the time when indigenous tribes would hunt or gather before the winter days.
In our Yoga Therapy practice, I use this as a time to help my clients focus on personal health. This season is a time for realignment of our resources into what is known as a “foodway.”
We dedicate time for a “Fall Cleanse.” When a cleanse is done well, we harmonize with nature’s invitation this time of year to reset our habits, increase our metabolic rate and empty the toxin load in which viruses thrive.
As Yoga Therapy is holistic and addresses the body, emotions, and thinking of the whole person, one may not expect that such a variety of imbalances can be handled with a guided cleanse. These include extra body weight, hypothyroidism, excessive tendency to worry, inability to follow a thought, clumsiness, and no pleasure experience.
Food-based healing is older than our current medical system, strengthens our immune system, and responds to the investments we now make headed into uncertain health requirements with Covid-19 awareness.
Simple remedies to set the stage for a cleanse: Devote at least 20 mins to each meal; Chew until solid food is liquid before swallowing; Relish the mundane and make each meal sacred; Be predictable, eat at the same time each day; Set your table beautifully; Eat mindfully – doing another activity while eating diverts your focus;
Remember – You can pay the farmer or pay the doctor.