How To Create Your Own Sunshine In Winter
I'm back in Seattle, my 2.0, and I forgot a few things that I'll recall for you right now. They will be helpful to you, as you will see.
It really is that gray in the Northwest all the time. I really do get cranky because of the weather - it's a real thing. I really used to drink so much coffee - SO much coffee (one cup in the morning now, and pranayama and yoga in the afternoon). I really do need to remember to book a beach vacation anytime between February and May, like two of them! Good thing I'm going to Cuba in May and teaching at a Mexican resort in March)!
Sliding into December, we are now starting to head toward Kapha season in the Northern Hemisphere. In the Ayurvedic tradition, qualities associated with this season are heavy, damp, thick, slow, among others.
The weather is like that, and you can be too.
To balance myself from the heaviness I feel during these gray, dark, cold, and less energetic days, I create my own sunshine. Don't you know, sunshine comes in many forms!
What do you think about inviting more of this into your life in the coming months?
PLAY UPBEAT MUSIC. Music that makes you feel like a tropical vacation; I start bumpin' happy beats in class about now and I don't play any depressing, dark music in general
LAUGH DEEPLY AND UNLOCK YOUR FIRE. Hanging out with favorite people who make you laugh; abdominal engagement/pumping, deep laughter comes from the core - 3rd chakra: fire, action, personal power
GO CITRUS OR GO HOME. Roll on your skin citrus blends that are bright and cheery; Citrus essential oils are mood lifters - try Wild Orange, Lemon, Grapefruit, all the Mandarins, but especially Red and Yellow, Clementine, Tangerine, and doTERRA's Cheer, Motivate, Citrus Bliss, and Elevate blends (here's my wholesale link)
KEEP MOVING IN BRIGHT SPACES. Practice flow yoga in studios with bright colors and big windows (versus dark spaces)
WEAR YELLOW. My puffer jacket is really, REALLY, yellow and my husband calls me his little squash, which makes me smile; Happy colors are yellow, red, pink, and orange, which evoke positivity and energy
LIGHT UP SOMEONE'S DAY. Do something randomly nice for someone and light up their day with a sweet, bright gesture; You'll get a smile, which will make you smile, and so on...
BOOK A TRIP TO SUN. Studies show having something to look forward to fights the blues - a "pre-vacation high" might even be better than the vacation itself according to some docs).
That's just a list to get you started! You can make your own list of what would brighten your mood, lift your spirits or take some of these and start doing more of them today.
