Breathe out Winter, Breathe in Spring

Crocus, daffodils and forsythia in bloom in my back garden!

This week Gastonia, North Carolina has come alive with daffodils and forsythia, and it seems that everyone (myself included!) is bursting at the seams to get outside, plant their gardens and enjoy the Spring air. As you head outside I hope you will take your mat with you! This is the time to benefit from the energy of our Earth reawakening. Place your feet softly on the earth, raise your finger tips to the sky and drink in the wonderful prana (energy) of life renewing itself.

This is also a great time to clear out and clean up – not just closets, but energetically speaking, as well. In our yoga classes at Blissful Body Yoga this month we will be working to lighten and detoxify the body, and open the heart and mind to new abundance and possibilities. This Friday is the New Moon which carries the forward moving energy of new growth, so it is the perfect time to "plant the seeds of change" in your life. In the words of Joseph Campbell, who has so inspired my life, "Follow your bliss!"

Meditation is the way to cultivate the most fertile ground for all personal growth. Developing a meditation practice calms the "vritts," or fluctuations of the mind, and allows us to see a clear, unwavering reflection of our True Self, rather that an image that is just a distorted reflection of who we really are.

Walking Meditation

Spring is a wonderful time for walking meditation. Walk outside and take a deep breath. Take your shoes off and walk around taking care to plant your foot from heel to toe with each step. Savor the sensations of your feet touching the earth, enjoy the transfer of weight from you, to the ground, and back as you walk. Stop, close your eyes, and listen to the sounds around you: the birds, the wind, little creatures running to and fro...maybe you will even hear the petals of a flower unfolding. Let your mind unfold. Let go of the past and soak in the present moment. Let the warm rays of the sun soak your Anahata chakra (heart center) and fill it with love and compassion for your self and for all of our planet. Repeat the following affirmation three times:

Breathing in, I breath in light and love

Breathing out, I release all that is dark and negative

I am light, I am love.

I love myself, I love all of the world.

Breathing in, I breath in light and love

Breathing out, I release all that is dark and negative

I am light, I am love.

I love myself, I love all of the world.

Breathing in, I breath in light and love

Breathing out, I release all that is dark and negative

I am light, I am love.

I love myself, I love all of the world.

May your walk, and all of your journeys be fill with joy and peace. Om shanti.

P.S. I realize that much of the country and world are still under a blanket of winter cold and snow. You can still do this meditation in your winter coat and boots on a sunny day, or even in your living room in a patch of sunlight coming in the window. Enjoy!