It is Spring now, in some parts of the world more Spring-like than in others, but still undeniably, a new leaf is about to be turned.  Let us use this time of year to rejuvenate and re-ground ourselves after the cold, long, dark winter.  Welcome Spring Equinox!

First one can take stock of the recent concerns and activities in the mind, and make time to sort the necessary thoughts from the unnecessary ones.  Letting go of some burdensome things, purging one's house, body, and mind of stagnation and toxins that have accumulated.  Forgive yourself and others, move on.

One may also consider a spring cleanse - now is the perfect time to take advantage of the body's natural ability to detox this time of year.  Although in my mind making a commitment to a healthier diet and active lifestyle year-round would bring the best results, still, a short, mild cleanse would do wonders.  You may wish to do some research and/or consult with your Ayurvedic practitioner on what would suit your constitution the best - there is no single formula that fits everyone.

As a Yoga teacher, however, I am telling my students to go out into Nature and rejoice, to get your hands dirty as soon as the soil is workable, to look at all the small and profound stirrings of life around us.  It was never gone, just hibernating.

In your Yoga practice, work up some heat with Sun Salutation, and incorporate Asanas for feet and legs - standing poses are great, as well as balancing poses.  Focus on grounding through the big toe mounds.  Do Yoga outside when possible.  Walk barefoot. 

Twists help the body to wring out the toxins, so include more of them now, pick some deeper ones that allow you to stay in them for a while, and breathe into the spaces that are being squeezed.  Think of your kidneys and liver, send them some loving encouragement with your mind, and follow twists with some back bends, to round out your practice.  Finish with a long Sivasana. 

As you practice small acts of grounding daily, you may notice yourself less fearful, more secure in yourself and your place in the world.  As a society, we are generally very ungrounded, fears raging rampant.  Some people abuse our fearful nature, praying on our insecurities and spreading more fear among us.  That is because we lead very cerebral lives, completely engrossed in inner chatter of our minds.  We forget to check back into the present moment, to relish the breath in that present moment.  Ungrounding events, big or small, such as travel, loss of job or home, a move to a new place, a deadline at work, addiction to bad news in the newspaper and on TV all contribute to our sense of disconnect from the present moment.  So our biggest and most important grounding action is to learn to "be in the present."

Watch a video on Grounding your First Chakra for deeper exploration of this topic.


Namaste!