Spring Away!

On 19th March, we celebrate the Spring equinox which marks the moment the Sun crosses the celestial equator – the imaginary line in the sky above the Earth's equator – from south to north. The word equinox comes from Latin and means “equality of night and day.” So this is a day of balance when there is as much light as darkness.

Even if I will be away for 6 weeks, I would like to set an intention for us to work on till the Summer Solstice (21st June). This intention revolves around exploring both the light and darkness within us.

What are the qualities we embrace and what the faults we dislike? What are the happy feelings we seek and the difficult feelings we avoid? Which are the parts of our bodies that work well and we forget about and those which give us pain and discomfort? Who are the people in our lives who bring us joy, love and lightness and those we need to support through their struggles? ....

I would like us to bring these explorations onto the mat as we unroll it every day - even if it is for a five minute practice. Settle onto the mat, lie down and allow whatever comes up to emerge without judgement. Observe your thoughts and feelings. And then explore how you might let your practice unfold honouring both your light and darkness.

I also invite you to find balance in the way you practice: if you love a strong dynamic sweaty flow, try to slow down and add some yin to your yang. If you normally sink into a restorative horizontal position, see what it's like to add a few sun salutations. And then observe how you respond, how your body feels, how you feel.

I trust that you will be able, by being mindful, to find the right practice for you which balances action with stillness, stretching with strengthening, breathing with moving. Look around you, nature can show you ways to balance extremes. Take a day like Wednesday: joyful bursts of yellow daffodils and warm sunshine and then torrential icy rain and cold wind. I know this too well as I was out on my bike!

“Spring work is going on with joyful enthusiasm.” — John Muir

Have fun with your exploration. Be kind. Be curious. Smile. And feel blessed that you are alive and able to practice, no matter what else is going on for you.

I can't wait to come back and hear all about what you have discovered and how you have found balance.

In the meanwhile, I will send you a little something every week – what? I don't know yet. It will be a surprise for me too. ((If you would like to receive weekly notes, tips, thoughts, videos,

etc please send me your mobile number so I can add you to our WhatsApp groups - one for Restorative Yoga, one of Dynamic Yoga))

Lots of love.

B.

"I wandered lonely as a cloud that floats on high o'er vales and hills, when all at once I saw a crowd, a host, of golden daffodils; beside the lake, beneath the trees, fluttering and dancing in the breeze."

– William Wordsworth