This Wednesday 20th March is Vernal Equinox, when the earth tilts are perfectly balanced. The earth is not leaning towards or away from the sun, so the day and night are the same length.
I feel it's important to acknowledge these seasonal markers and notice how energy can shift. It's an opportunity to zoom out and take a look at areas of our lives which feel out of balance too. It's very normal to have feelings of imbalance, being overwhelmed and wanting to purge around Equinox, as we move from winter into spring.
The Vernal Equinox encourages us to embrace new beginnings. The Spring energy will fuel growth as the days get longer and we enjoy more hours of sunshine.
The Full Moon which happens after Vernal Equinox is on 24th March, interestingly this dictates when Easter happens. Easter occurs on the first Sunday after this full Moon, (unless the full Moon falls on a Sunday then it's the next Sunday), which also reinforces the significance of this seasonal change.
Equinox comes from the Latin words aequi, which means equal, and nox, which is night. The word Vernal is an adjective for 'in, or appropriate to spring'. The Vernal Equinox is considered the first day of spring.
Many of you reading this will know I've been looking at balance, or should I say challenging balance, for several weeks. Daring to set ourselves off balance is such an important life skill because we naturally gravitate to the things which we find easier. We don't want to fall, but it's in finding that delicate area, moving outside our comfort zone where we wobble and nearly fall is when we strengthen and learn to balance better.
Yoga too means union and balance. It's worth reminding ourselves that this is an ancient practice which aligns itself with Ayurveda - the science of life. Ayurveda looks at when things are off balance and it's treatments (including yoga) are about bringing balance back. In Ayurveda 'Spring Time' is an important time to cleanse, clearing out the lethargy left from the Winter.
Here's a piece from Yoga Journal if you're interested to read more about tips to cleanse.
What I've learned over 2 decades of practicing yoga is that all this stuff takes time. There are no short or intensive routes. It takes time to find and tune into your inner self.
As quoted previously from the Bhagavad Gita, Yoga is the Journey Of The Self, Through the Self, To The Self.
We learn through consistent effort and practice to tap into a 'higher frequency'. To feel the feels more, to be more and sometimes less connected to others. Our senses become heightened.
We learn to better appreciate the important stuff, special times and moments. Lean into the seasonal shifts and flows and to embrace change. We learn to listen more to what are bodies are communicating to us. To let things go and surround ourselves with things and people who bring us joy. It's not always an easy ride, but the practice really helps.
I'll continue to look at some different flows and balances as we move into Spring, which I'm looking forward to sharing with my lovely yoga family.
Namaste
Comments