September Theme of the Month Classes Posted by Yoga Herts on Saturday 27 August 2022

This month we will look at the doshas. In Ayurvedic medicine one of the world's oldest holistic (whole-body) Indian healing systems, there are three doshas or energies, that run the human body and mind efficiently.

In Ayurveda, the building blocks of life are comprised of five elements: earth, water, fire, air, and ether. The three doshas — Vata, Pitta, and Kapha are based on the five elements.

The energies of the doshas are believed to circulate in the body and govern physical, mental and emotional characteristics. Each person has a dominant dosha or combination of doshas.

Different foods we eat, seasons, exercise and movement, and even yoga poses cause specific doshas to either increase or decrease.

As we evolve and go deeper in our yoga journey, we can introduce Ayurvedic concepts to develop even greater benefits. Even whilst practicing in class we can be mindful of our own nature.

Just for some fun and to get a little insight into what your dosha type could be there are many online quizzes that you could do. Here’s one that you could do and there is also a bit more info on the doshas too.

September - The Doshas

Week 1 - Introduction to the Doshas. Through our practice we will find our connection to the elements. Doshas come from the five states of matter, ether, earth, water, air, and fire. The vata dosha is associated with ether and air, the pitta dosha with fire and water, and the kapha dosha with earth and water.

Week 2 – Vata sequence. The yoga poses will bring grounding and stability to the practice and will have an emphasis on stimulating the colon and finding ease in the pelvis and low back area. Hip openers and lying down backbends are beneficial.

Week 3 – Pitta sequence. Backbends and twists will be included to help regulate pitta. Side bends poses help relieve excess heat from the internal organs. A focus too on yoga poses that work the abdominal area to facilitate smooth digestion.

Week 4 – Kapha sequence. Starting off with warming up the joints as we move into warming and challenging poses can help to balance kapha. Poses that open the chest area and stretch the abdominal muscles can be very beneficial. Week 5 – Balancing the Doshas. Through our yoga practice we can start to feel healthier by focusing on poses that support the doshas and create mind – body balance

Yoga is the settling of the mind into silence. When the mind has settled, we are established in our essential nature, which is unbounded consciousness. Our essential nature is usually overshadowed by the activity of the mind.

This Months Music

Here's the usual selection of music that Vicky has been listening to this month.