Spring Equinox is upon us!
This moment in time is celebrated in gratitude and joy for nature and all living things. If you’re a leader in your family, you may already be thinking of how to gather your loved ones in the coming weeks to dance and laugh beneath the sun. If you’re a gardener, you might now be riding a wave of joy with blooms in your eyes as the shackles of winter fall away. If you’re a student, we hope you’re recharging under this full moonlight and keeping to the straight and narrow. This day serves as a reminder to live in balance. Many of us are aware of the mental and physical effects of seasonal change, but what about the emotional aspect?
Spring Energy
As the energy of the days expand, we respond accordingly. U.S. American culture is fast-paced and always craving more, more, and more success. But in a corner of the mind lives the child who wants to pick up that new hobby, spend an afternoon with an old friend, or just take a nap. The mental gymnastics we perform to meet our wants and needs is exhausting! Spring Equinox is here to remind you: there’s plenty of time to work and play now. One of the many keys to living a balanced life is to remind the body and mind that emotions are valid. Did you let your feelings freeze this winter? It’s time to thaw out.
I encourage you to honor the cycles of nature today. The lifecycle of a seed is a wonderful metaphor for your life.
Spring Poem
The fruit is a child of the flower,
the flower is a child of the leaf,
the leaf is a child of the seed,
the seed is a child of the fruit.
What does this mean to you? Imagine the magnolia tree or cherry blossoms. A seed lives in darkness and springs forth in time. Eventually, there are branches and leaves coming alive and, finally, a bud arrives. What happens now? It appears to close for a length of time until it gathers the strength to fully blossom.
You can think of your emotional body within this metaphor. When you have a vision for your life there is a natural resistance that demands patience. Frustration affects the breath, or prana, and slows momentum. Self-doubt festers in the muscles which have so intensely waited for the freedom of spring. Is there a hidden strength in the core of you that wants for your patience?
Spring Emotions
On this day of transformation, know that these cyclical emotions are temporary. Courageously spring forth! Crossing a threshold may require us to soften our anxieties and cultivate a powerful forgiveness – the greatest gift to yourself. As Dr. Clarissa Pinkola Estés said, “Forgiveness is an act of creation.” In response to resistance, you can kindly say, “Tough love. I’m blossoming.” Allow peace to enter your heart as you relax with all that is.
Namaste~
Chelsea Greenfield
Yoga Instructor