This week I got to hang out with some of my extended family in Florida. While not the kind of Spring Break that the Florida government has been bracing for, I suppose we went “bar hopping” in our own way…

My 12-year-old nephew knows what’s good for him – MOVING – and he kept the rest of us on our toes. After a bunch of “grown up” activities, he got to choose our next outing and wisely selected a trampoline park. Just what the doctor ordered.

My teacher Dr. Lad always encourages “jumping, jogging, and trampolining” when kapha gets aggravated, as it is prone to in Spring with its heavy, moist, and sticky qualities. I always thought “trampolining” was a funny inclusion in his standard recommendation – “how quaint,” I thought.

Well – I am a convert. We had a literal field of trampolines to jump across, a dodge ball court, a diving board, and a foam pit under a ninja obstacle course. I was struck by how hard it was for my brain to do a simple trust fall, being rather out of practice throwing my body around in this way. And indeed, Dr. Lad was right – it was good medicine! The novelty and exhilaration lit us all up.

In a funny juxtaposition , we later went to a museum exhibit about the evolution of women’s sporting attire over the last two centuries. It featured such “sports” as promenading, picnicking, and cheering, as well as swimming and tennis – along with the surprises of motorcycling and “piloting.”

I was struck by how many more sporting choices we have today, male and female alike. What creative explorations of bodily movement us humans have come up with (and some truly  “quaint” fashion to go with it! Although I really want to see this ingenious changing contraption back in production for my next trip to the beach.)

Our final stop of the day was the amazing Cummer Museum garden where spring was in full bloom. A resident mockingbird reminded me of the nearly irresistible impulse to sing on such a glorious day – the visceral joy of opening the lungs and letting your voice fly. 

Again, nature shows us how to stay in balance with the energy of each season. In Spring, we’re invited to move our bodies in exuberant ways, to expand our lungs fully, to circulate lymph and blood, to burn off the stagnation of late winter.

I highly recommend a visit to your nearest trampoline park, or exercise your lungs in the nearest glorious garden. Another great option: join our Spring Digestive Reset – enroll today and start the wheels moving, or sign up for our free Information Session on Tuesday, March 26, 7pm ET.

And don’t forget – the Early Bird Discount is expiring April 1 for the Ayurveda Kitchen Wisdom Retreat on the North Carolina coast!  We had a cancellation, so there is ONE ROOM still available. Is that a sign that YOU are meant to join us???

Take good care of yourself this spring – go ahead, try trampolining, singing, or piloting today and move that Kapha!