With the coming of spring, I am calm again. ~ Gustav Mahler
I know that for many, it has been a cruel and long winter. I know I have nothing to complain about but we had quite a few cloudy and rainy days and that means a lot when you live in the "Sunshine State." The sun is shining brightly and the warm air is returning - yes, it is spring!
The weather is a huge indicator of the change of seasons but I always feel like spring is a reawakening opportunity. Spring is one of those seasons where letting go seems so fitting. Cleaning out closets to clearing out all those negative emotions that we might be hanging onto - it is a wonderful time to focus on personal release.
I have been doing a lot of self practice this past month really investigating where I am holding onto tension in my body. I did a workshop a few months ago about releasing the psoas and piriformis muscles (the front and back of the pelvis/hips) and how we tend to hold onto tension in this area of our body. This part of our body partakes in a lot of functions from digestion to giving birth as well as connecting the upper and lower extremities.
In Deb Shapiro's book, Your Body Speaks Your Mind, she writes that "the pelvis is connected to security, survival, communication and relationships. As the hips are the center of movement, they also symbolize your ability to let go of the past and enter into new areas."
This type of body and mind work has always intrigued. As I have been working into my deeper lunges, pigeon pose and full splits (with a little help from a wonderful bolster) I am amazed at how relax I feel afterwards. I notice how my right piriformis is tighter than the left and I wonder why? What am I not able to release or what is it that is holding me back? I know that it is a combination of all the physical activity I do on a daily basis but also the personal worries that I hold in my mind.
These worries or stresses are many times things I have little control over or things that will take time to move through. I know that I have taken the first few steps in focusing on how my body is responding to the movements and then allowing myself to feel and let go as best as I can at this moment in time.
This is what makes yoga such a wonderful practice. The journey is ongoing and you never know what you might find at the beginning, middle or end of the practice.
I hope that your spring season is filled with enlightening moments that allow you to enjoy the season to its fullest. Remember that longer days, warmer weather and life changing opportunities are ahead for all of us.
May the light in me honor the light in you.
Namaste
