Spring whispers for us to wait and TRUST.
During a woman’s moon-cycle, the days just after her bleed and right before her ovulation phase is known as the inner “Spring,” a time between time. Her bleed or inner “Winter” is a time to separate from the world, to rest, release, and go within. The ovulation time or inner “Summer” is a time to be out in the world, to act, and bring all your ideas and creations to life. But Spring is a time between time … you are not emptying, you are not creating … you are nurturing yourself with kindness so you can be a clear channel for what’s to come.
With childlike enthusiasm, we are called to let ideas come to us, so we can curiously examine each sparkly possibility, and lovingly pick which seeds we’d like to plant. A teacher once described it to me as a time to hold tension. Your child-like eagerness wants to act right away but if you lay the ground work and give yourself the right foundation, new growth will burst forth in ways unimaginable.
This Spring the world is held in this time between time. Many people are feeling this tension between bud and blossom. New roots are being set into the ground and we don’t yet know what will come to be. We are still deciding what seeds we are picking to nurture.
If Fall is the exhale, Spring is the eager intake of breath. The trust that new waves of vitality is coming. Life will continue, the days will lengthen, the weather will warm. We are just lingering in this time between time a bit longer so we can be conscious about what we choose to grow.
Rebecca Campbell, author of Rise Sister Rise, writes:
“The intelligence of the Universe lies within you. There’s a mysterious force that governs all of life. An intelligence that tells flowers when to bloom and the tides and seasons when to come and go. That intelligence is within you, too. It was there before you drew your first breath and it will be there well beyond your last. It’s the part of you that informed every cell what to do when you were in your mother’s womb.
It’s harder to resist this force than it is to surrender to it. Because Earth is a plant of polarity and free will - it’s easy to forget that this intelligence exists within us. So often we become disconnected from the Pulse of Life and fall into the pattern of believing that we’re separate or feeling that we need to go it alone. We can feel isolated - and as if we need to figure things out for ourselves - to rely on our own strength.
You’re being called to remember the intelligence that’s within each and every one of your cells. To remember that you’re a precious child of a loving, gentle Universe.
That you have access to all of the intelligence, wisdom, strength, flow and qualities there ever were, are, and will be. And to remember that if flowers know exactly when and how to bloom, then you do too.”
Just because you are still does not mean that nothing is happening.
Just like a tree’s elaborate root system - you are making connections, gathering nutrients, and integrating the rich lessons of everything you released in Fall and Winter. Your only job is to be present for the unfolding, to be fully awake for the process and feel.
Spring whispers for us to wait and TRUST.
SELF CARE TOOLKIT
SHOULDER SHRUGS
Just like it sounds - raise your shoulders to your ears on the inhale and using the pull of gravity shrug them down on the exhale. Anchor your hands to your knees to move more rapidly, inhale up and exhale. Eyes are closed.
Your breath can be steady or you can switch to a more rapid “Breath of Fire” from the previous post. The most important bit is the drop - releasing tension with each shrug.
1-3 minutes.
Benefits: Loosens tension in shoulders, relaxes upper back. Energetically supports the throat chakra, our center of expression and truth.
Adding Breath of Fire: Increases the metabolism; purifies blood and releases deposits from lungs; increases lung capacity.
DANCE
Select any empowering song with lyrics or not. Close your eyes in a standing savasana, palms open and forward. Breathe. Find the infinity loop of breath - the inhales lead to the exhales, the exhales lead to the inhales. Scan your whole body and sense with curiosity where you are holding tension. This is the intelligence of your body telling you where energy is stuck.
Where can you send your breath?
To your jaw … to the back of your neck … to the back of your knees? Take big sweeping breaths - as if you’re taking in something sweet and visualize the spot where there is tension. Treat the exhale like an exit.
Start to move.
Rock your hips. Rotate your neck. Roll your shoulders. Start to move your arms over head like you’re moving through water or swimming. Maybe you jump and shake your shoulders and head. Or, bend forward and have your arms hang. Get primal. Get curious. What movement would release the the energy that’s stuck. Move in a way that feels like medicine.
What movement would support you in feeling freer - energetically lighter?
Start to make sound on your exhale. It could be a loud wail or a raspy dragons breath. Don’t try to make this look like anything or sound like anything. Just allow a vocal release if that’s what’s calling you.
Dance and move as wildly, as gracefully, as twirly, as shakily, as stompily, as organically as you can. Let what bubbles out of your body bubble out in whatever form it chooses to take.
When you feel complete, rest your hands on your heart and come back to infinity loop of your breath. Inhale deeply and hold. Suspend the breath for a moment before exhaling - feeling the delicious relief of letting go.
Benefits: The second (sacral) and fifth (throat) chakra are energetically connected. Our ability to create, express, and speak our truth is linked. In order to be a channel for inspiration to build all the things want to build in our lives, we need our energetic channels clear. These two exercise help unlock stagnant energy so we can tap into our most creative, innovative selves.
MINDFUL CHATS WITH MOLLY
Molly Black (@wellnesswithmolly) hosts Mindful Chats via Instagram Live on Fridays. I had the privilege to chat with her this morning about mindfulness strategies to support in shifting energy during this time of intensity. Listen in as we share some of our personal tools and strategies to stay present during this uncertain time (check it out below).
Know that while we’re going through this shared, global experience - we are all going to have our own individual, personal experience because we’re all walking into this with different energy. It doesn’t matter what tool you use - just use a tool to connect to your sensations, feel the feels, lighten your load, so you can be a clear channel for whatever you’re preparing to step towards.
