Happy Full Moon – Holi, the festival of colour, love and merriness that is celebrated at the end of the winter season on the last full moon ( Purnima) day of the lunar month Phalgun, which usually falls in March, sometimes in late February. The festival honours the arrival of spring in the form of a carnival of colours, where participants play, chase and colour each other with dry powder and coloured water.
Spring is symbolic of growth and renewal and nature begins to bloom and blossom in a multitude of colours.
The spring season, during which the weather changes, is also the time where we get rid of the toxicity and lethargy accumulated in Winter, often through fevers and colds. During the Festival of Holi the playful throwing of natural coloured powders has a medicinal significance: the colours are traditionally made of medicinal herbs prescribed by Āyurvedic doctors like Neem, Kumkum ( made of Saffron or Turmeric) , Haldi ( Turmeric ) and Bilva.
Tonight my offering to honour this important lunar transition from Winter to Spring ,comes in the form of a “Holi Yogic Salad” that combines the colourful and joyous spring ingredients, such as the three citrus and strawberries, with the earthy wintry flavours of Beets , Courgette and Watercress. This salad is detoxifying for the Liver ( Beets and Watercress) , rich in minerals and vitamins ( plant pigments paint a rainbow of antioxidants !) that support and strengthen our immune system in this delicate seasonal juncture.
Nature’s cycles are the most powerful regulators of our inner biorhythms. When we reflect this connection in our lifestyle and navigate in synch with the seasons, the result can only be optimal health, vibrant energy and an innate sense of happiness and contentment.
Hope you enjoy the Holi Yogic Salad… if only visually!
Namaste’
Alessandra
I will celebrate the transition from Winter to Spring with Revive, a special workshop at The Life Centre Islington.this Saturday 7th March with the live music of Dj B-sub-lime!
