What Will You Grown this Spring?

In the past week, we lost an hour due to the time change, the temperature has change by 30 some degrees, a full moon happened & Spring is only days away. A feeling of excitement for Spring is within us, & yet also a sense of being hesitant as Winter still has a hold on us. If you have lived in Alberta for any amount of time, just because the seasons change, that doesn’t mean the weather will be agreeable to the season, so there may be trepidation. I find right now we need an ability to hit the reset button, to help us to move forward from this point without the baggage of or past, including Winter.

I believe every time we practice, is an opportunity to reset our body, mind, emotional state…..every part of ourselves. Savasana, that is done at the end of class, I consider most important in this process. In English it means Corpse Pose which I take to mean that in this state we can let die all the things that were are holding onto that do not serve us. When we come out of Savasana, it is as if we are reborn. In this pause, we absorb what we discovered in our practice, but can also leave on the mat our stresses, judgements & difficulties, which allow us to start over from a new perspective.

We can find this renewal not only in Savasana, but if we take a pause between each pose, or series of poses, we can see what is needed next. Even taking a moment to shake, stretch or move in a simple way can reset our bodies & minds. Then we can approach the next pose with newfound awareness but without any negative residue of the one before. Now take a pause, see what the body & mind feels like now & move into the next pose from that perspective. This way we are not just going through a check list of poses, but see what movements best fit us NOW.

Pauses are so important, & we can even find a pause in our breath. It naturally occurs between the end of the exhale & before the inhale begins. In this stillpoint we are neither breathing out or in, it is a moment of stillness in which we can release completely before the next inhale fills us with breath & energy. There is also a pause at the top of the inhale, before the exhale begins. In this stillpoint we can feel the energy of the inhale expanding & creating space & energy, then the exhale happens. In a way, more happens in this moment of stillness than in the doing parts of our breath, since we are drawn into that moment of pure awareness between the doing. Its a way to allow the active parts of our breath to function more naturally & therefore deepen without effort.

With all these ideas together, we can take the excitement this time of year brings, not only to see the cold & sometimes dreariness of winter to go away, but because it’s a time of new life, new possibilities, new adventures. Just as we may do “spring cleaning” on our homes, can we do spring cleaning on ourselves to let go of the things that take up room. The pauses are a time to let the the creative seeds be planted & with nurturing will in time sprout & grow.

In the next few weeks, plant some seeds in the newly tilled soil of yourself. Then give yourself all that you need to help these seeds grow, by joining a class, taking a workshop, committing to your own practice, or just taking time to enjoy the pauses between the doing parts of our lives. To create things, we have to take a pause to let the ideas to arrise. Who know what can grow?

For a list of what & where I am teaching this Spring, go to https://www.acyoga.net

Join me for a way to get Winter off you back March 25 1-4pm go to http://www.yogamcc.com for more info or to register.