"If you were all alone in the universe with no one to talk to, no one with which to share the beauty of the stars, to laugh with, to touch, what would be your purpose in life? It is other life, it is love, which gives your life meaning. This is harmony. We must discover the joy of each other, the joy of challenge, the joy of growth." ~Mitsugi Saotome

I shared the above quote in a post on March 20th, 2012. It is still a quote that I love and I am happy to rediscover it this year. I am also pleased that the author is Japanese as yesterday my husband and I attended a Spring Festival hosted by the Japanese Ladies’ Association of Trinidad and Tobago, Hachidori Kai. Perhaps in a past lifetime we were part of that culture as we are both drawn to the spaces, the wisdom and the food!

Today is the vernal equinox which marks the point when we begin to have more sunlight following the shorter days that the autumn equinox brings. At December’s solstice we feel the shift of energy growing but it becomes even stronger at this equinox. This day there are equal amounts of daylight and night (give or take a few minutes, and where you are in relation to the equator).

I have always felt that as we go deeper into any practice where we are developing our awareness and working on our self-transformation we also grow more aware of our connection to nature and the cycles of the space that we are in. We develop our capacity to handle that connection, to ground in our space, to harness the energy of the time.

It is a time of quickening, a time of awakening and shifting.

Over the past three months, in this time of building energy, I have shared through my Envision workshops about drishti (our focused gaze), about sankalpa (our sacred resolve). I have shared how we can use these to clarify, to hold and build our vision for the coming months through our breath, our body and activities such as journaling and the creation of vision boards.

What will you do today, to connect with this energy of Spring? In the tropics, where I am, it is the dry season - the wind is different, the patterns of rain and sun, the earth. Over the past decade I have become more concerned about the impact of climate change which is so visible here in our shifting season. It is a time for all of us to recognize our interconnection, to observe what we can and need to do in this season.

Here are some suggestions of what we can do today:

1. Wake up and watch the sun rise. Too late for that? Step outside and turn your face to the sun. Breathe.
2. Drink some herbal tea (local to where you are at this moment).
3. Go for a walk in nature. Be present. Let your feet kiss the ground with each step.
4. Watch or listen out for the birds - this is a time when they are very present!
5. Start a new project - perhaps something has been in your mind for some time? Now is the time to begin.
6. Spring cleaning, decluttering - your physical, emotional or mental space.
7. Connect with family and friends.
8. Connect to self through your yoga practice.

I will be doing some (or all) of the above!

peace,

Renee Arundhati