Spring is that miraculous time of year when the earth wakes up and the dreariness of winter fades, as the world turns colorful once again.
Spring naturally brings to mind “change”. An awakening of life. Gradually we notice the first tinges of pastel, the trees begin to bud, and little green shoots begin to appear under what just a few weeks ago was a mound of ice and snow.
Weren’t we all just saying “Enough! When will it end?” Well, the good news is that we made it. Once again we survived the gloominess, the cold, the endless white skies and snow. Being able to open the windows, to breath in fresh air, to comfortably go outside and take in nature can be wonderfully life affirming and energizing.
This is an excellent time of year to copy Mother Nature and allow her to inspire us to seek growth and change as well. Spring is the perfect metaphor for reawakening, rebirth, and creativity.
A really good exercise for this time of year is to allow your mind to drift and dream a little. Try giving yourself a guided meditation. Here are two ways to do this, choose the one that sounds most natural for you.
The first way is to find a quiet comfortable place to sit down. The second way is to do a walking meditation. Either way you begin by becoming aware of your breathing. Inhale deeply while counting to 5, then hold that breath for the count of 5, and lastly slowly exhale to the count of 6. Do this 5 times.
Each time you exhale, imagine yourself letting go of stress.
While continuing to breathe gently and easily, picture yourself feeling lighter, calmer, less stressed, more relaxed. Think of something pleasurable, maybe something you did yesterday or maybe something you haven’t done in a long time, or maybe even something you’ve never done that you might like to try. Do this every day for the next month and you just may be delighted to notice what comes to mind for you.
