Painting courtesy of artist, Martin Vogel. Click image to view his bio and portfolio.

Friday, October 11, 2013

Fall for Yoga


Lucky, (trying) twisty me.  I’ve been practicing yoga off and on for twenty years – most of that time being off.

The last seven years have been consistent and I’ve been blessed to have fantastic teachers along the way.

One of the gifts of this journey, as been to watch some amazing individuals grow as teachers, one of whom has flourished into one of the more balanced and intuitive instructors; each class taught by Samantha Sidari Tollinchi is offers a different flow, and taps into the energy of the season.

One such class left a particular impression on me – I wish that I had a microphone or video recording device for that one hour.  It was perfect class. 

I’m not kidding.

Instead, Samantha sent me the below after I asked her for a quick summary of the intentions and awareness she brought to everyone’s mat that day:

“Ayurveda is considered a sister science to yoga, both coming from the Vedic tradition in India and are approximately 5000 years old.  The word Ayurveda translates as 'the science of longevity' and includes using herbs, food, asana poses and what is known as pancha karma (purification practices) to heal and balance an individual.  All people are unique and not one prescription therapy would be used for another person.   

Currently we are in the fall season, which is known as vata season in Ayurveda. Each season has it unique characteristics that require different changes to our diet, yoga practice, etc… in order to keep ourselves in balance.  Vata is comprised of space and air and characteristics include light, dry and windy.   To balance vata, grounding is required.  Moving slower and more deliberately in yoga, eating heavy, oily, denser foods, all help to balance out the airy environment around us.   

Vata season is a natural time to deepen your spiritual work.”

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