Joanne Preece
Canadian Yogi Editor
At the equinoxes, the length of day and night is equal. They are a time of balance between light and darkness and by extension symbolic of the balance between all opposites– unconscious and conscious, receptive and active, internal and external, Yin and Yang. The equinoxes can move us to examine our own dance between opposites and inspire us to bring balance into to our lives.
In the Northern Hemisphere, the spring or vernal equinox is celebrated as the first day of spring. The seasonal movement is towards light with the power of the sun increasing, the days lengthening and the nights shortening, bringing increased energy and warmth from now until the midsummer solstice. It is the beginning of a new growth cycle, of fertility and birth, of renewal and new life.
Spring is, in many ways, spiritually transformative. Many religions and cultures around the world celebrate with holidays or festivals at this time of the year. Here in Canada, with our long, dark, cold winters, whose spirit doesn’t lift with the promise of warm weather, sunny days, and a landscape shifting from black, white and grey to shades of green and the colours of spring blossoms?
A new season with new beginnings is upon us. With the arrival of spring, we shift from the hibernation or cocooning of the winter months to a period of new growth. With the return of sunlight and warmth, seeds sprout, plants send down roots, shoots and buds appear and an active new growth cycle begins. We can’t help but respond to all this new vitality by feeling restored, more energetic, more alive.
Using Spring’s Energy
Whether we walk in the woods or past city gardens and parks, spring is a time when we become sharply aware of nature and the part of the natural cycle that moves from potential into manifestation. We connect to the earth as, all around us, things that have been dormant expand and burst with new life.
We can harness this energy to create opportunities for positive change, both in ourselves and in our world. We too can emerge and grow, using the energy and passion of the season to move forward in directions that we may only have contemplated in the winter months.
In the Northern Hemisphere, the spring or vernal equinox is celebrated as the first day of spring. The seasonal movement is towards light with the power of the sun increasing, the days lengthening and the nights shortening, bringing increased energy and warmth from now until the midsummer solstice. It is the beginning of a new growth cycle, of fertility and birth, of renewal and new life.
Spring is, in many ways, spiritually transformative. Many religions and cultures around the world celebrate with holidays or festivals at this time of the year. Here in Canada, with our long, dark, cold winters, whose spirit doesn’t lift with the promise of warm weather, sunny days, and a landscape shifting from black, white and grey to shades of green and the colours of spring blossoms?
A new season with new beginnings is upon us. With the arrival of spring, we shift from the hibernation or cocooning of the winter months to a period of new growth. With the return of sunlight and warmth, seeds sprout, plants send down roots, shoots and buds appear and an active new growth cycle begins. We can’t help but respond to all this new vitality by feeling restored, more energetic, more alive.
Using Spring’s Energy
Whether we walk in the woods or past city gardens and parks, spring is a time when we become sharply aware of nature and the part of the natural cycle that moves from potential into manifestation. We connect to the earth as, all around us, things that have been dormant expand and burst with new life.
We can harness this energy to create opportunities for positive change, both in ourselves and in our world. We too can emerge and grow, using the energy and passion of the season to move forward in directions that we may only have contemplated in the winter months.
Spring Cleaning
Spring has also, traditionally, been a time when homes were given a good cleaning and things that were no longer needed were tossed away or sent on to a new home. In keeping with that tradition, it’s a good time of year to do some internal “spring cleaning”, to take a good, honest look at our lives and see what needs to go and what we need to keep or add. Getting rid of the junk that no longer serves us makes space to expand ourselves and to prepare a “field” for elements that will bring us closer to our dreams.
Planting Intentions
Spring is a good time to plant the seeds of our intentions for the coming year, to choose what we want put out into the world and what we want to get back. What brings us balance, peace, contentment, joy? What really matters to us? Bringing these things into focus, stopping to remind ourselves of what they are is the first step to seeing them grow.
It’s also a good season to remember that whatever we bring our focus and energy to will grow. We need to use our energy wisely and in ways that cultivate that which is important to us.
On or off the mat, yoga is a path to explore these intentions and direct that energy.
Spring has also, traditionally, been a time when homes were given a good cleaning and things that were no longer needed were tossed away or sent on to a new home. In keeping with that tradition, it’s a good time of year to do some internal “spring cleaning”, to take a good, honest look at our lives and see what needs to go and what we need to keep or add. Getting rid of the junk that no longer serves us makes space to expand ourselves and to prepare a “field” for elements that will bring us closer to our dreams.
Planting Intentions
Spring is a good time to plant the seeds of our intentions for the coming year, to choose what we want put out into the world and what we want to get back. What brings us balance, peace, contentment, joy? What really matters to us? Bringing these things into focus, stopping to remind ourselves of what they are is the first step to seeing them grow.
It’s also a good season to remember that whatever we bring our focus and energy to will grow. We need to use our energy wisely and in ways that cultivate that which is important to us.
On or off the mat, yoga is a path to explore these intentions and direct that energy.
Asanas for the Spring Equinox
In yoga studios around the world, the spring equinox is celebrated by doing 108 Sun Salutations. This ritual is performed 4 times a year, at the start of each season. The practice acknowledges the changing seasons and the changing world around us.
Other asanas in keeping with the spirit of spring include those that cleanse and refresh:
Asanas that embody the balance represented by the equinox are also good additions to a spring practice– Navasana (Boat), Ardha Chandrasana (Half Moon Balance). Virabhadrasana III (Warrior 3), Vkrsasana (Tree), Garudasana (Eagle), Natarajasana (Dancer).
Joanne Preece
Editor
In yoga studios around the world, the spring equinox is celebrated by doing 108 Sun Salutations. This ritual is performed 4 times a year, at the start of each season. The practice acknowledges the changing seasons and the changing world around us.
Other asanas in keeping with the spirit of spring include those that cleanse and refresh:
- Twists for cleansing and detoxifying our bodies– Ardha Matsyendrasana (Half Lord of the Fishes), Marichyasana III (Marichi’s Pose), Parivrtta Utkatasana (Twisted Chair)
- Inversions that stimulate our circulatory, digestive and lymphatic systems to get rid of toxins and wastes– Salamba Sarvangasana, Salamba Sirsansana, Adho Mukha Vrksa (Shoulder, Head and Handstands), or milder inversions such as Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward Dog) or Prasarita Padottanasana (Wide Legged Forward Bend)
Asanas that embody the balance represented by the equinox are also good additions to a spring practice– Navasana (Boat), Ardha Chandrasana (Half Moon Balance). Virabhadrasana III (Warrior 3), Vkrsasana (Tree), Garudasana (Eagle), Natarajasana (Dancer).
Joanne Preece
Editor
