The first signs of winter have begun to show themselves here in the UK. It’s still only October but the mornings and evenings are darker, the leaves are turning and there is a hint of unmistakable chill in the air. Not to mention the long grey featureless days of nothingness which are so typical of East Anglia from about October to March every year.

I won’t lie to you, I find the winter months extraordinarily difficult. I suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder and without my lamp that simulates sunrise I honestly don’t think I could even get out of bed in the mornings. It can be truly beautiful in England at this time of year but I always approach autumn with a feeling of dread knowing that the days will get shorter, colder, drearier. It would help of course if we had had any semblance of summer in this country over the last few years but….

To counteract the onslaught (and for me it truly is an onslaught) of winter, I allow my yoga practice to change, to slow down, to become more introspective. I focus on poses that ground me, that keep me in the here and now and that warm me. Lots of Ujjayi breath, lots of standing and balance. It helps, it is as close to hibernation as I can get.

My yoga changes with the seasons, with my body, with my mood. And thank goodness it does because until I can afford to retire to the Gold Coast it is all I have!

I have been feeling kind of numb lately. I guess that’s why I’ve not been updating that much. Since Christmas I have felt stuck in a rut, uneffected by anything, emotionless. Both my yoga practice and my teachign have felt rather jaded. I read quite a few blogs of people who are just starting out on their yoga teacher training and are filled with such excitement and anticipation and I remember that feeling and I envy them. Because somewhere along the line yoga teaching becomes a job like any other and like any job, some days I’m afraid you just don’t want to do it. But it doesn’t have to be this way. I just have to remember where to find my inspiration.

Partly it’s the fibromyalgia fog, which has been particularly bad, and partly it’s the pain, which has also been particularly bad and partly I suspect it is the time of year. January and February always seem so bleak, with so little to look forward to.

But now March is here and the crocus and daffodils are in bloom and there is hope of summer.

My epiphany happened this morning during my early morning yoga practice. The sun was filtering in through the gap in the curtains lighting up a ray of dust motes (and the ubiquitous cat hair) in the air and suddenly I realised “life isn’t so bad”. Life is not a rollercoaster of excitement, there are things I have wanted to achieve that I have been unable to do, but I do run my own yoga business and I do make a difference to my students. I need to focus much more on the simple things, the little things. And then life is sweeter.

So today I take my inspiration from the sunshine and the fresh air. From a cup of Earl Gray and a piece of fruitcake. From the simple pleasures of the world around me.

The first day of spring approaches (as does a forecast of snow as usual and the mad rush to bring the plants back indoors before they are killed by the inclemency — but that’s another story), and I find my mind turning to rites of spring, rites of passage, letting go of the old and drawing in the new.

Usually at this time of year I change my yoga practice. Through the winter I tend towards a gentle restorative practice, lots of seated and supine postures; but as the spring arrives and the energy starts to rise from the ground again I bring back sun saluations, strong standing sequences and more intense twists. It changes my perspectives on life for the new seasons, re-energising and renewing; as well as kick starting me from my sluggish, hibernatory winter coat.

This year is slightly different. I am still suffering in the back department and still under chiropractor’s orders to keep it simple for a couple more weeks before bringing stronger more classical yoga postures into my practice again. So while my practice itself won’t be changing, my attitude to it will.

The biggest change for me this spring, which really is starting all over again from a brand new bulb almost, is that tomorrow is my last day in my corporate job. After tomorrow I begin spring and my brand new life — dedicated to teaching and studying yoga.

One of the most important things for me about this, which fits in nicely with the change in the seasons, is that I will be able to change the time of day at which I practice. I currently practice, be that classical yoga or my chiropractic exercises enhanced, before bed. I’m tired, eager for sleep, dozing during savasana. From Friday onwards I will no longer have to leave the house at the crack of dawn to get the train to work and will be able to practice in the morning when the energy is ringing and I have the whole day ahead of me.

So sing out for the start of spring and all the possibilities it brings!