Spring Cleaning, Yoga Style

My partner, Kevin, went off to a yoga retreat four weeks ago and left me with two small children for three days while he cleansed, purged, posed and om-ed. I can't say I was too delighted about that (I know, not very yogic of me), since I was at home doing bottom-wiping, food-cajoling and generally refereeing the sometimes tempestuous relationship between my 4 year old daughter and 1 year old son. However, when daddy returned home on Sunday night, something miraculous had happened. He was beaming as he walked through the door. Not just the usual 'pleased to see you' smile. But a beatific, glowing, beaming light that filled the whole house. Wow, I thought, so THAT'S what you look like when you get 3 days off the parenting job.

But there was more to come. In the following days I found that I wasn't being ground down by the usual endless, thankless round of household chores. Quietly and unseen, like the tooth-fairy, Kevin was lifting the burden of domestic drudgery by performing little tasks that make a big difference. When I went into the kitchen to make breakfast, the dishwasher was already empty. Without warning, Ruby was dressed and ready for preschool without the usual United Nations-style negotiations ("not the purple skirt mummy, the green one etc.") I didn't seem to be changing quite so many nappies as usual.

All this was done with a smile and the lightness of being that comes from the clarity, perspective and balance of a yoga 'spring clean'. Ayurveda, yoga’s sister-science, teaches us to live in accordance with the seasons and has plenty of tips for Spring-cleaning. Kevin had been observing many of these at his retreat:

1. EAT LIGHTLY - Eat light, easy-to-digest foods in spring and wait at least
3-4 hours between meals. Try eating less foods that increase kapha (the dominant energy in Spring that can make us feel sluggish) —dairy products, iced, cold and raw food or drinks, and fried or oily food.

2. GET YOUR BODY MOVING – Now is the time to do some vigorous yoga, focusing on the standing poses, flowing movements and twists.

3. PRACTISE DEEP BREATHING – Use ujjayi breathing as you do your Spring Practise. This deep, rhythmical ‘throat-breathing’ will help blow away the cobwebs, strengthening your breath and balancing your mind.

4. SAVOUR THE SEASON – Go out and connect with nature. At this time of year the earth is literally bursting with renewal and transformation. Tune in to the season, the earth and your inner rhythms by spending time outdoors and silently observing the regrowth and renewal all around you.

5. TRY YOGIC CLEANSING TECHNIQUES - Practises like Neti (nasal wash) and Shankar Prakshalana (colon cleanse) are excellent ways to clean out the body, thereby improving immune functioning, digestion, concentration and mood. Nasal washes can be purchased over the counter in pharmacies and a quick Google will provide instructions. However, more complicated yoga cleansing practices such as the colon cleanse should only be done under the supervision of an experienced yoga teacher.

So, next time Kevin declares he's off on a yoga retreat and leaves me holding the babies, I will be absolutely delighted. Far more that simple 'time out', a cleansing retreat offers healing and renewal for the body and mind and helps a dedicated yogi be a dedicated daddy!

www.adoreyoga.com

Diary of a Yoga Mama

Soon after my first baby was born, I looked into the screwed up face of my howling tot and declared 'YOU are my yoga practice now." And so, baby Ruby became Guru Rubyananda and the 4 years since that day have been an enlightening lesson in putting the Yamas and Niyamas into practise. The WHAT's? Well, the Yamas and Niyamas are kind of like the 10 commandments of yoga.

YAMAS
Ahimsa - non-harming/ non-violence
Satya - truthfulness
Asteya - non-stealing
Brahmacharya - moderation / self restraint
Aparigraha - non-posessiveness (simplicity)

NIYAMAS
Saucha - purity/clarity
Santosha - contentment
Tapas - austerity/discipline
Swadhyaya - self study
Iswarapranidana - surrender

In the Raja path of yoga (that's mostly what we yogis in the west are following) there are 8 limbs, or branches of yoga. Before we get to all the asana (poses) and pranayama (breathing), we need to think about taking on board these Yamas and Niyamas. When we start to put these ideas into practise, the stuff we do on the yoga mat takes on a whole new dimension.

Yoga is a type of practical psychology that uses the body to access the mind. When I first started doing yoga, I noticed how much better I felt. It wasn't just the endorphin rush of doing some exercise and it was more than the good feeling you get from straightforward relaxation. After several months of regular practice I began to notice that I was thinking new thoughts and seeing the usual stuff of daily life in a new way. Yoga was actually changing the way I think.

These Yamas and Niyamas provide signposts that help us navigate the our interactions in the world, offering us ethical ways to think about our relationships, work and connection to the world. As a mother, I battle to be mindful of each and every one of these concepts every day. Is putting up with being treated like crap by my 4 year old a violation of Ahimsa (non harming)? I might not be giving her a smack for her cheek (ie. I'm not being violent towards her), but the build up of stress that I experience when I try to turn a blind eye or laugh it off certainly causes me harm. How can I best practise Satya (truthfulness) when she throws me a curly question about death or even asks me if fairies are real?

Yoga and Parenting. That's what this blog is all about. Yoga, parenting and working. As a yoga teacher and owner of a growing studio, it's an interesting juggling act when you have a preschooler and newly walking one year old to contend with when the phone rings and student asks for help in handling a diagnosis of cancer or a teacher calls to say they can't make the class they are supposed to be teaching in 30 minutes. All great opportunities for practising the Yamas and Niyamas.

www.adoreyoga.com