The cold winds are finally dying down and the flowers are starting to show their colors. Spring is here and the change of season seems to be all around us. But what does this mean for you? So the skies are a little bluer and the grass is a little greener… how does that affect your yoga practice? Other than not having to zip your coat up before leaving the studio, does the coming of Spring mean anything for you and your yoga practice?

Seasonal shifts and the body’s natural rhythm

For years yogis have been arguing that seasonal shifts affect the body on a deeper level than whether we’re cold or not. Recently, modern science has started to agree. In fact, a study done last year found that our DNA actually changes alongside the seasons. There’s no denying it any longer: our bodies are extremely responsive to our environment, and the seasons are part of that relationship.

Yogic wisdom along with traditional medicinal practices such as Ayurveda teach that each season has a unique influence on your body. Summer is a time of high energy and growth, autumn a time of cooling down and moving inwards. Winter is all about hibernation, self-reflection, and low-energy. As for spring, spring is a time for shaking off the old, stale leftovers from winter and bringing yourself back to life, building the energy you’ll be burning off in summer. Scheduling a spring wellness retreat is one way to kick-start this process, but it’s not the only way.

How to embrace spring in your yoga practice

So now you know what spring is all about, but what are you supposed to do with that knowledge? Here are some spring yoga tips for how you can change your yoga practice and daily life to reflect the changing seasons:

• Change your eating—Spring is a time to eat less heavy, rich, and oily foods. Instead, focus on filling your diet with fresh foods that are bitter, spicy, and astringent. These types of foods encourage cleansing of your digestive organs, blood, and liver. If you’ve ever wanted to do a juice cleanse, spring is the time to give it a try.
• Wake up with the sun—Try going to bed a little earlier and waking up a little earlier. It may be hard to get out of bed, but our bodies are naturally more energetic and alive early in the morning. Late at night out bodies get lethargic and fall back into the hibernating habits of winter. By waking up early, we can burn that laziness out of us and train our bodies to love the energizing thrill of spring.
• Get outside more—Tis the season for blooming flowers and warm sunshine! Spending time outdoors has been proven to improve mood, brain function, and more. Exercising outside is known to have all sorts of benefits. Your body is tired and heavy from spending so much time indoors during winter. Get outside and that heavy feeling will disappear in no time.
• Sweat more—Sweating detoxes the body and builds heat inside that can burn away the stale energy leftover from winter. Spring is the perfect time to swap a few of your winter restorative yoga classes for a more vigorous practice. Now is the ideal time to try out that new vinyasa class at your studio and get your body moving and sweating.
• Practice the poses you avoid—Spring is a time of growth. Just as budding flowers are starting to blossom, now is the perfect time for you to blossom as well. We all have our nemesis poses and spring is the time to challenge yourself to practice them more. Who knows, by the time summer comes around those old poses you used to avoid may be some of your favorites!

We’ve all heard the term ‘spring cleaning’. There’s a reason this is such a common thing and it doesn’t stop at your closet. These spring yoga tips will help you spring clean inside and out so that you can make the most of this energetic season. Need a little help getting the process started? Why not attend a spring yoga retreat? It’s a guaranteed way to kick your system into gear and detox anything left over from winter.

When Joshua, founder of True Nature Education and my boss, told me he would be in the Sacred Valley at the same time as me, I was shocked. What were the odds?! Of course I immediately accepted his offer to meet up at one of our stunning retreat destinations and see where True Nature Education would be holding their upcoming Peru yoga retreats.

I arrived full of excitement and I was eager to tour the thriving sacred geometry garden, the peaceful yoga shala, and the immaculate rooms, but first, it was lunchtime. The resident chef filled the table with enough food to serve 20. But I had no problem eating more than my fill. The fresh salad and Peruvian pasta sauce—all made with organic and local ingredients—left me wanting more… and more, and more.

Once we were filled to the brim we decided to work of the calories by taking a hike to the nearby waterfall. Every step of the way I was overwhelmed by the incredible views. Luscious green plant life surrounded the trail and around every corner a stunning view of Peru’s famous Sacred Valley waited to take my breath away.

When we reached the waterfall we were both in awe and decided to spend some time enjoying the incredible setting. Before long we started chatting and I realized I had never actually heard the story of True Nature Education. How did it start? Where was it going? What was at the heart of this company I had loved working for over the past few months?

It only took one small question to get Joshua talking passionately about this amazing company. He told me the story of how he and a bunch of friends left everything to move to Costa Rica and start an eco-community. Before long groups were coming from all over to host events and retreats with True Nature Education and Joshua quickly realized that hosting groups was what True Nature Education was best at and what he loved most.

A few more years of trying on a few different hats led to the True Nature we know today: a holistic travel company dedicated to helping people experience authentic, life changing travel. In other words, helping people find their true travel.

Now facilitating retreats in Costa Rica and Italy, Joshua told me about True Nature’s plans to move to Peru and beyond. He painted me a picture of a world where True Nature Education is the go-to for people looking for authentic, true travel anywhere in the world.

He finished telling me True Nature’s story and in the silence that followed I could hear the powerful waterfall crashing on the rocks behind us. I gazed out at the valley as the waterfall’s mist sprayed my neck. The sun was just starting to set, painting the valley with a golden glow, and for a moment I couldn’t help feeling a bit of the magic that this country is so famous for.

It was no wonder Joshua and True Nature Education had been drawn here; Peru is teeming with life and energy and it was impossible to spend a day here without falling in love with the miraculous nature around every corner. I could imagine anything more spectacular than the Peru yoga retreats that would grace this beautiful land soon.

Still, as we watched the sun set on Peru, I couldn’t shake the feeling that it wasn’t just Peru that was filling me with magic. It was the dream of True Nature Education that Joshua had talked about—the dream of a future where travel means more than just seeing the world—a future where travel means becoming a part of that world.

“This is what the path of Dharma is like. It’s not that you have to do all the practices. It is sufficient to take just one of them, whichever one you really have an affinity with, and through practicing that one alone, for the rest of your life, you will achieve enlightenment. Whichever practice you choose doesn’t matter; they are all valid methods for achieving enlightenment—if you practice. The key is to practice with diligence for the rest of your life.”

― Dhomang Yangthang, The Union of Dzogchen and Mahamudra

I found what my Dharma in Global Travel and teaching wellness. I have found my Dharmic practice in my dedication to my yoga practice, meditation, explorations of relationship with myself and others, explorations of the world and cultures, and doing the work to maintain a constant connection with the truth of who I am. Not who society says I am, not who another person says I am, but who I am at my core.

I have found my Dharma or path through the exploration of what I love. This was not something that I was raised to know, this is something I discovered through mindfulness practices of my body, mind, and spirit. Just like body health, when I eat what is good for me, my body and mind speak in vitality. When I do what makes me happy like travel and yoga, my body, mind, and spirit are Aligned and I thrive.

When we live our truth, joy shines through us, and that is SO attractive. Just by doing what you love, you inspire others to do what they love. When we live from our heart’s deepest yearning, we are pulled by the tides to keep growing from that space! Can you imagine a life of learning, growing, and teaching what absolutely INSPIRES you on a daily basis?

When I was 23, I had a college advisor say to me, “When you do what you love, the money will follow.” At the time, I remember thinking, “Is that possible?,” but I remember feeling, “Oh, man, that feels good.” That was my first awareness of how my heart was feeling versus what my head was saying. My head was questioning possibility, but my heart was championing it. This began the journey and the battle of my heart versus my mind. My mind was conditioned to tell me that I needed to work hard towards a goal that I barely understood. My heart was telling me to live INSPIRED by everything that I did. I have been inspired by role model’s like Steve Job’s, who lived with compassion and complete abandon for what he believed in.

So as the late and great Steve Job’s said,

“Here’s to the crazy ones, the misfits, the rebels, the troublemakers, the round pegs in the square holes… the ones who see things differently — they’re not fond of rules… You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them, but the only thing you can’t do is ignore them because they change things… they push the human race forward, and while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius, because the ones who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world, are the ones who do.”

This is is why I travel globally doing what I love. This is why, no matter what other’s may say or do, I stay the course. I am followed by the feeling in my heart to take the steps that allow me to continue blossoming my flower towards my own inner and outer revolution.

These are the 3 Best Things About Teaching Yoga Globally

1. Living from the heart.

“Be honsestly and unapologetically you. Because you being uniquely YOU will allow the people you interact with to feel comfortable being uniquely them – perhaps for the first time in their lives. There is no more authentic way to
connect and no greater gift to give.”
Scott Dinsmore

I know I love to travel and I know I love spreading the message of Yoga or Union to everyone and anyone willing to receive it. If I love these things, there must bea reason for it. If I love these things, it allows me to move from a space of passion. I am passionately driven to do what I love and through this I am taken to spaces and places within my own self that lead me on a wild journey that inspires others to find what it is that THEY love to do. I get emails and calls all the time with people asking me how I live the way I do, and I respond, “I live from my heart.”

2.   Constantly learning. “I’ll never forget what this 45 year old college professor from the United States, Marshall, told me one fine day in the rolling hills of Lake Katchipuri. He said, “You’ll learn a million times more traveling than you would spending a million dollars on university and graduate school. Save your money and see the world. That is where true education is.” Alana Roach

In my latest blog article for True Nature Education, I mentioned that travel was the best education for me. I learn a lot from every
moment when I am truly present. I do not take for granted the breath that I am breathing at this moment (Just by writing this I am inspired to take a deep breath now.) So if I can be that impacted by one momentary breath, imagine how teaching that breath, when taken amongst new cultures, lands, exotic animals, different languages, and in sacred spaces can revolutionize my capacity for absorbing information. I meet so many great teachers in the people, places, and life experiences I encounter abroad.

3.   Deepening my practice. I have practiced yoga in one form or another for 6 days a week, excluding moon days as is tradition in Ashtanga, for many years. With my discipline and desire for deeper knowledge in my chosen practice, I am often seeking new teachers and teachings where ever I am. I love experiencing new teachers and I am always noticing how the environment effects the yoga that is practiced. The sensuality and pulsating energy felt in Costa Rica is often matched with Tantric and Kundalini teachings, while the still, calm, and awe-inspiring mountains of Northern India seem to be coupled well with basic Hatha yoga, Pranayama, and breathwork. It is breath taking to see how these practices of the Universe are channeled through a teacher and how I am humbled to experience how they are channeled through my own vessel. I have been brought to tears teaching a class because the words that come through are simply not of my own making, but of some ancient wisdom. Everything is so connected.

This is why I love teaching yoga globally. I hope to have inspired you to cultivate the willingness to deeply listen to the inner wisdom of your own heart. What is it your love to do? I would love to hear about it. How can I support your living your Legend? Let me know.

Alana Roach  is a International Yogi currently based out of Annapolis, MD. Formerly adorned by the city lights and the busy streets of America, she was then whisked away by the illustrious path of yoga and took to traveling the world to share it with others. A few years back she started to write about the transformation she undertook by  practicing conscious meditation. She practices and teaches varied styles of yoga at Ruahstudio.com, leads international retreats, loves surfing, being in nature, and enjoys a good belly laugh. She is on Facebook , Instagram, Twitter, and can be reached by email explorationsofself@gmail.com

Years ago, when I was backpacking near the Himalayas in Sikkim, I met a man. His name was Marshall. He had been traveling for several months all over Nepal and settled near the Holy Lake Katchipuri where I was also hauled up for a week’s stay. He was soft spoken,,stuck to himself mostly, and had this sort of zen quality to him that the other guests mistook as self-indulgent, but I knew… I could feel his centered-ness and innate sense of belonging without having to put on a show for anyone else. Perhaps it’s because I was becoming that way, too. I was far away from home and yet I had never felt so at home in my life. Traveling had widened my horizons and had both beat me down and built back up stronger than ever before .

I’ll never forget what this 45 year old college professor from the United States, Marshall, told me one fine day in the rolling hills of Lake Katchipuri. He said, “You’ll learn a million times more traveling than you would spending a million dollars on university and graduate school. Save your money and see the world. That is where true education is.”

I value education, in all forms.. but what he said really resonated with me, and I continue to learn from those places and people I encounter all over the world. Travel has been my biggest and most enjoyable way to learn, both land and tongue… and I thank you, from the bottom of my swelling heart.

THIS is precisely why I chose to incorporate global travel into what I do and how I live my life. This is exactly why I am bringing my daughter,  Zya with me.  She isn’t even born yet and she has already been on a plane across the United States to Colorado and twice to Central America. I have bathed this little baby bump in the crystal waters of Costa Rica and surfed with her in the Pacific.  I can tell she already has a liking for this nomadic lifestyle because she became more active in my belly when we were traveling. I always felt really big movements from her when I was looking out at the great ocean from a bungalow at the top a peak in Santa Teresa or when I was gazing out out the mountainous horizon in Boulder, CO. There is something to be said about being out in nature in this way and the effect it has on the brain and body. Of course you can do this in your back yard if you are fortunate to have one, but most of the people that I know in this busy culture don’t take the time to relax in their home town. They are too busy with their lists and things to do. Sometimes it takes global travel to break away from the habits and our busy schedules. It is quite interesting to watch people go through this process on retreats that I have led. It usually takes a few days for them to stop grasping for their daily routine.

I am planning to lead a yoga retreat in Peru this October. My 6 month old will be coming with me. She will begin her global travel education process young. How sweet it is to think that she will be submersed in a culture that is so different than the one she was born into.  Global travel for little one’s can be an incredibly beautiful experience for all involved. To know that she will be hearing different languages and feeling the energy of such a sacred space from infancy warms my heart. Even though she may not remember this trip with her mind when she is older, her spirit will. Global travel changed me and continues to. Every time I go away I come back a different person. I am, in all ways, a much wiser and compassionate being.
I believe in the power of education through cultural immersion. Whether you are there on a student exchange or have chose to go abroad because you have a yearning to explore. In a lot of countries, the promotion of something called a, “Gap Year,” is wildly taken advantage of. It is a way for students to decompress after high school and before University. The United States is one of the only places in the world that promotes going straight to college directly  after highschool. Why? This can cause burn out! My goodness! Not to mention, going abroad introduces you to a totally different world of possibilities. I met so many students on GAP year while backpacking through India and they were so excited to be given the space to really get to know themselves and learn about a completely new culture by BEING in it.

Through talking to a lot of different travelers through out my travelers, I am always astounded to know that they speak multiple languages. Not just two but often times 3, 4, 5. There is such a diverse culture in Europe that this learning of different tongues begins from an early age.  I was astounded to hear perfect accents on 5 different languages coming from one person, not to mention their deep desire and eagerness to pick up new languages from cultures newly explored. They would pick up Hindi effortlessly because of their upbringing in a diverse culture. I would talk to Israeli’s and find out that their parent’s took them on trips abroad from a very young age for long lengths of time and how it changed their perspective of themselves and others. There is a deep need for convergence on this level. We have got to start bringing our kids abroad. We must step out of fear and into the unknown to make a difference for this next generation. This will promote One-ness and collaborative efforts to create sustainable peace efforts that will continue to effect the future generations to come!

There are challenges abroad. The language barrier can create all kind of miscommunication and frustration. I remember trying to navigate the train system with my boyfriend at the time in India. Our Hindi was atrocious, even though we were trying, and while most of them spoke English, they didn’t understand our American accents. We spent hours trying to ask a simple question and finally, my boyfriend tried on his best Hindi accent in English and they were like, “OH, NO PROBLEM, THE TRAIN YOU ARE LOOKING FOR IS RIGHT THERE!” Those are the moments we laugh about because they are priceless. You can’t make that stuff up nor can you repeat it. Every moment that passes is inherently cherished while abroad because they are all so unique.

Don’t miss an opportunity for travel. There will always be an excuse on why not to do it, but this life is meant to be experienced and if you have the ability to go experience it fully, what are you waiting for? I would love to hear how you have been educated through global travel! Please leave your story below!

I look forward to documenting my experience with Zya as she grows up. I will be starting a YouTube channel called, “Raising Zya,” where we will explore alternative ways of living in the world through travel, yoga, exploration, education, love, meditation, culture, and more!
Alana Roach  is a International Yogi currently based out of Annapolis, MD. Formerly adorned by the city lights and the busy streets of America, she was then whisked away by the illustrious path of yoga and took to traveling the world to share it with others. A few years back she started to write about the transformation she undertook by  practicing conscious meditation. She practices and teaches varied styles of yoga at Ruahstudio.com, leads international retreats, loves surfing, being in nature, and enjoys a good belly laugh. She is on Facebook , Instagram, Twitter, and can be reached by email alanaroachyoga@gmail.com

“Do you have patience to wait till your mud settles and the water is clear? Can you remain unmoving till the right action arises by itself?”

Lao Tzu

Meditation is for everyone, not just the one who desires a deep understanding of who and what they are. A desire to learn how to meditate can simply come from a desire to slow down or decompress. The paths to learning how to meditate can look very different. There are hundreds of ways to meditate. We cultivate our ability to meditate by dedicating an amount of time of practice to it. The benefits of meditation can be felt immediately but will continue to evolve, as you do, over time.

Learning how to meditate can be intimidating at first. There are a lot of preconceived notions out there on how one’s meditation should feel, look, and be. I have had clients come to me and say, “Oh, I have tried meditating, and I wasn’t any good at it.” When I ask them why, they respond, “Well, my mind wouldn’t stop.” Of course! The mind was made to think and process like a computer. However, we wouldn’t be subservient to a computer, would we? Well, unfortunately, there are a lot of people allowing their mind’s to control them. Life doesn’t have to be this way. We can cultivate our capacity to recognize that we are not really our thoughts or our physical persona. Learning how to meditate can slow us down enough to become mindful of our thoughts and actions in such a way that we become the witness. That way, we can fully embrace each moment with a clarity and presence that is healing, awakening, and real.

Anytime we set the intention to meditate, matched with the action of meditating, we are doing it. It is our capacity to hold space for whatever arises to be exactly what is needed to arise in that particular session.It is our allowing of our human condition to coexist with our spiritual nature as being exactly what it is meant to be in that moment.

Even though it can be fleeting, meditation’s mantra is, “Presence.” It’s a continued willingness to show up to practice and be, here, now. Sometimes, we need assistance to find presence. There are several ways to make meditation more accessible for beginners or even the regular practitioner who is having one of those days. So whether it’s a peaceful guided imagery, a tutorial on breathing techniques to stimulate your parasympathetic nervous system, or a full body scan, we will inevitably find a meditation that catches our attention to introspection.

Here are a few guided meditations to give you an idea of the variety of ways you can practice on a daily basis.

1. Guided Imagery Staycation: This is one way to rock a busy mind to presence in an instant. The guided imagery staycation features a calming voice that carries you away to someone far away and is a gentle way to show a beginner practitioner how to meditate. I have experienced great excursions to whi te capped mountains in the himalayas, sandy white beaches, lush forests withruby encrusted temples, star dusted galaxies, other
   dimensions, past lives, and much more, right from the comfort of my own home or studio. I often feature guided imagery in my beginner meditation class, as it provides detailed cues for the busy mind to follow, thus creating a harness for the mind. Experience how to meditate with a guided nature walk right now. 

2.     Guided Breath Meditation: The breath is the first thing we consciously take when we come into this world and the last thing that is taken before we exit. It is something we do unconsciously every moment of every day and it is also something we can chose to do consciously in order to unite the mind, body, and spirit connection. I have been in a school for several years now that focuses solely on this concept. At the school, we get together, sometimes for 8-10 hours a day, and we breathe consciously. It is one of the quickest and most profound ways that I have personally found for presence-ing.
A beginner guided breath meditation might have you count the inhalations and the exhalations. It may have you hold the simple awareness that you are taking this breath in, and then taking this breath out. Another may have you focus on the breath creating a rising and a falling in the abdomen and the chest or awareness of the sensation of the breath as it comes in through each nostril and out through each nostril. A simple exercise one can practice when they notice themselves getting stressed out during the day, is to pause, and take a deep breath in, hold the breath for a few seconds, and then slowly release. Learn how to meditate with a guided breath meditation here. 

3.        Guided Body Scan: What better way to stop a running mind then to give it a body part to focus on. When was the last time you stopped to notice how the bottoms of your feet felt or better yet, the edge of your right ear? Take a moment to close your eyes and do that now having full awareness of these body parts. Continue to breathe while focusing on these body parts. Do this for a couple of minutes and then slowly open your eyes. Notice the difference in your mind and body from when you started just a couple of minutes ago. In a full body scan, you would be taken through every body part and possibly through different sensations in the body or energetic centers. A guided body scan has been used by many to reach a relaxed state from highly stressed situations. Here is a great guided body scan meditation by Jon Kabat-Zinn. 

“Your own self-realization is the greatest service you can render the world.”

Ramana Maharshi

Alana Roach  is a International Yogi currently based out of Annapolis, MD. Formerly adorned by the city lights and the busy streets of America, she was then whisked away by the illustrious path of yoga and took to traveling the world to share it with others. A few years back she started to write about the transformation she undertook by  practicing conscious meditation. She practices and teaches varied styles of yoga at Ruahstudio.com, leads international retreats, loves surfing, being in nature, and enjoys a good belly laugh. She is on Facebook , Instagram, Twitter, and can be reached by email alanaroachyoga@gmail.co