This episode is one I've been sitting with for a while — a synthesis of two things that have shaped my whole path: Ayurveda and yoga philosophy.

In this episode, I bring those two threads together and look at the yamas and niyamas — yoga's ethical and personal observances — through the lens of kapha season.

What we cover:

Kapha dosha is made up of earth and water. It's heavy, slow, stable, cool, and moist — and late winter into spring is kapha season. When kapha goes out of balance, we might notice lethargy, mental fog, resistance to change, a tendency to oversleep or overeat, or that feeling of comfortable-but-stuck stagnation. The medicine for kapha is warmth, stimulation, movement, and letting go — and the yamas and niyamas offer a beautiful map for exactly that.

I give a brief grounding in the eight limbs of yoga and what the yamas and niyamas actually are — not as a rulebook, but as living, breathing invitations to notice and redirect with curiosity rather than criticism.

Then we explore six practices through the lens of kapha season:

The Yamas — how we relate to the world:

Aparigraha (non-grasping) — where are you clinging, and what wants to be released as spring arrives?
Satya (truthfulness) — using honest, clear seeing to notice where we've gotten comfortable in stagnation — without judgment
Brahmacharya (right use of energy) — not about deprivation, but about noticing where energy is leaking and asking: is this giving me life or pulling me deeper into heaviness?

The Niyamas — how we relate to ourselves:

Tapas (inner fire) — the gentle, consistent showing up; kindling the fire rather than forcing it
Saucha (purity/cleanliness) — clearing physical clutter, mental tabs, and anything that's accumulating and pulling on your energy
Svadhyaya (self-study) — observing your own kapha patterns without judgment and seeking what genuinely inspires you

I also talk about my own evolving relationship with tapas — how it looked very different in my pitta-dominant twenties than it does now in midlife, and why the middle path is the one I keep returning to.

My invitation for you this week: pick one of these six practices, sit with the questions it offers, and let it be a gentle lens for seeing your life more clearly — without judgment, without pressure, just with curiosity.

Free download: Grab the one-page guide to all six practices — with reflection questions for each — in the link below. A simple, beautiful reference to keep nearby as you move through the season.

https://canva.link/yamas-niyamas-kapha

Mentioned in this episode:

Abigail Rose Clark — author and somatic facilitator, cleaning/decluttering as a somatic practice https://www.abigailroseclarke.com/store/p/k473j0h0mmmaramvp2rrrrkuib9m38

Resources:

Free Masterclass: The Alchemy of the Perimenopause Portal

Ayurvedic Dosha Quick Reference Guide

Abhyanga Self Massage Guide

Weekend Nervous System Reset

Nourished For Resilience Workbook

Find me at www.nourishednervoussystem.com

and @nourishednervoussytem on Instagram