One of my fondest memories growing up involves springtime and our crab apple tree.  This tree had really unique, twisting branches.  In the spring this tree was COVERED in pink blossoms and it created a magical canopy that we (my brother, myself, and all the kids in the neighborhood) would climb up into.  It was a fantastic hiding place for hide-and-go-seek!  You would be buried in the blossoms and no one could see you!!  Being embraced by thousands of these blossoms made us feel so safe....so content....the silence within them was deafening. The aroma these tiny flowers gave was intoxicating and being enveloped within their hold created such sense of a deep, inner peace and quiet. We never wanted to climb down.  We just wanted to sit....and BE.

As we all 'patiently' wait for spring this year, this memory got me thinking.  How often do we retreat to a place that gives us that intoxicating feeling of peace and rest? It can be extravagant like an island vacation, but what I am talking about is more of a place that is available to us at any time.  How often do we seek solitude?  Many of us talk about it, but how many of us ACTUALLY SEEK it out?

The clutter of our daily lives and technology seems to keep us from ourselves as well as from others--whether that be our families or our friends.  Perhaps this spring our 'spring cleaning' should include a look at our schedules....de-clutter them!  Our minds--find solitude and learn to sit down on the inside!  We see spring cleaning as getting rid of things, making things clean or fresh, and creating space.  We should also do this on the INSIDE!

Creating space is what yoga helps us do each and every time we are on our mats.  We can be having a rock star practice where everything comes with ease or we can have a practice where we are butting heads with each posture, ourselves and our classmates.  The cool thing is that either way, no matter how our practice comes about, we create space; space within our bodies, our minds, and our hearts.  We learn to clear the space within in order to cultivate our very own space where we can just BE.  That means be alone with ourselves and with God.  No one else. Just us....and SIT. No monkey brain jumping around, no to-do list screaming at us that we behind, no schedule that creates chaos.....just the simple art of being.  It is simple yet SO VERY HARD to do.

Once we learn this art form, we will find ourselves in a very different state of being.  Things no longer seem overwhelming and when they get hectic, well, we realize it and gradually cultivate change. We no longer seek crazy schedules.  We let go of things that no longer serve us--relationships, tasks, or things that once ignited us, but are now an energy-sucker. We learn to be patient and do errands when they make sense and we group them according to geographic location.  We let go of the need-it-now mentality and embrace waiting. We learn to see people soul-to-soul and once we capture that we will never be the same; ourselves as well as those we encounter.  Technology screams at us to be busy and get going....let's all stop...breathe....and remember what life was like when cell phones and iPads were not even around. It seems that it was a slow fade to the busy-ness of life.  Let's all take the small steps back toward a calmer, more present state of being.

“We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we’re curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.”  ~Walt Disney

Even though we keep moving forward, let's make sure we are checking and aware of what paths we are moving down!! Are you with me? The Yoga Sutras teach us about planting seeds....seeds that blossom and come to fruition within each and every moment we are given as well as those we are PLANTING in each and every moment.  What seeds are you planting?  The Bible tells us we reap what we sow.  What are you reaping and what, exactly, are you sowing in each moment?

It's spring so let's get to it!   Clean by de-cluttering inside and out to create space. Plant new seeds so your inner peace and inner space keeps expanding as do your conversations with God! It sure is sweeter when you get to experience the blossoms of inner peace! Who's climbing up into my crab apple tree? 
 
Namaste &Yoga-on
Trish