We love a shift in season. Blowing out the cobwebs, unburdening our minds and bodies, and maximising opportunities for healthier, better ways of living, exercising and looking after ourselves are all possible - and there for the taking. 

Starting afresh, or making deliberate alterations to our routines, mirrors what’s happening in nature. We transition into a new season with the aim of growing and flourishing, just like the world around us. Below, we’re sharing our favourite ways of shedding our skin and emerging restored and ready for the months ahead. Get ready to feel good. 

Oils, substances and supplements

Essential oils, the foundation of aromatherapy, are said to provide energy, revive us and ‘detox’ our ambience. Individual scents and blends which capture the aromatic features and associations of spring can provide inspiration, wake us up and help us relax at the same time. Our favourite scents are peppermint, bergamot, rosemary, grapefruit, lemon, jasmine, and lavender. 

We also love an arnica bath and epsom salts to help reduce swelling, puffiness and help with physical fatigue. Combined with exfoliating, we practically feel like newborn babies when we emerge from the bathroom. 

Plants and flowers

Plants have healing powers and introduce more oxygen in the atmosphere. We need lots of oxygen to stay alert, awake and to keep us alive. In addition to getting outside more, increasing the number of plants in our house can up the oxygen content in our atmosphere and help us come closer to live-giving sources in nature. Sounds new-age, is as old as time. 

Daffodils and seasonal flowers are mood-boosting and a wonderful reminder of the change we’re pursuing, at the same time as our flora and fauna also does an ‘update’. 

Practicing ‘flow’-based yoga 

It’s important to consciously move more during the time, as well as making our movement the focus of our attention to allow us to be present. Practices which have smoother connections and sequencing between poses are also key to keep moving and help us transition from old to new. A yoga regime that is more flow-focused is perfect for spring. Using toxin-removing, calming poses can also help prepare us for change - think warrior one, camel, locust, boat, headstands, lots of wide and normal forward bends, as many twists as possible, and three legged downward dogs. 

Waking up with the sun 

Getting up as the sunrises is proven to reduce grogginess and help reprogramme our brains. Literally, we will feel lighter if we get up as the light changes (even better if there are some birds singing - nature’s soundtrack). Using the sunrise as an alarm clock (even if you still have to set an actual alarm) allows us to wake up gently and better regulate how we’re feeling and our energy levels throughout the day. 

Morning meditation

Sort of like fasting for the mind, meditation provides clarity and calm at the same time. Try 10 minutes of early morning morning meditation (this can be a yoga chant or mantra, an individual meditation, or a guided practice using an app), focusing on positive intentions and training the mind on the process of renewal. 

Fresh and seasonal food 

Eating fresh foods that are in season and harvested at this time can nourish our physical bodies and ensure our insides reflect the outside. Choosing to consume more vegetables is also closely linked with ideas of purity and unity in yoga, particularly Ayeurvedic yoga, and a vegetable-based diet is the hallmark of Buddhism, which provides the philosophical and spiritual underpinning of yoga.