by Sarah Platt-Finger: Spring is officially here, and the transition out of winter is just as much about releasing as it is about blossoming…
There is a shedding that takes place on a physical, energetic, and emotional layer that frees us from the storage we cling to in order to feel safe. Now is the time for letting go: of patterns, of people, of beliefs, and of emotions that are no longer serving us or our highest purpose.
If we look at biology we see some of our fellow mammals hibernating underground or in caves during the cold winter months, hoarding as much food and resources as possible to carry them through the season. On a more subtle level, we as humans hoard things all the time: we cling to our belongings, our identity, our relationships, and our opinions as if they are contingent upon our survival. But the fact of the matter is, aside from food, shelter, and loved ones – much of the “things” we hold on to are extraneous.
I look at my home as a symbol of my mind. When I accumulate too much on a material level, it usually means that there is something in my unconscious that is not being brought to light. That is why spring cleaning has such a profound effect on us energetically. Matter is just consciousness on a denser level and when we clear the clutter of our physical environment we also clear the chaos of our minds.
There are many tools and techniques in yoga to “detoxify” our physical and subtle body, but I think it’s important to remember that the process of letting go needs to be a conscious one. If we are not aware of what we are storing, how can we let go of it? Start simple. Recognize either a pattern, a thought, or even a role that you have taken on that is not serving you. We cling because we are fearful. What is that fear telling you? Can you trust in the universe to provide for you if you take that leap of faith to release? The yoga and meditation practice helps us to create a sense of inner knowing. Once we have released we can connect more fully to our authentic self – the self without an agenda.
If you need help with releasing emotions or attachments that are no longer serving you, try this meditation:
-Sit comfortably on a chair or on the floor with your spine tall.
-Visualize at the base of your spine any thoughts, ideas, or emotions that are inhibiting or haunting you.
-As you happen to inhale, draw that awareness up your spine, through the heart, to the crown of your head.
-As you happen to exhale, release it out through the crown of your head into the universe.
-As you happen to inhale, silently hear the sound “Sat” for purification; purifying these negative patterns.
-As you happen to exhale, silently hear the sound “Yam”, the mantra for emotional intelligence.
-Breathing in, draw the awareness from base to the crown and vibrate the sound “Sat”
-Breathing out, release what is no longer serving you out through the crown of the head with the sound “Yam”
-Continue on your own, using the visual and the sound to purify and release negative patterning that keeps you from accessing pure potential.
-When you feel as if you have released out whatever needs to be released, sit quietly in the space of unbound consciousness, plugging back in to your true nature.
For more help with your home practice, you can preview a Kapha detox series I did with Yoga U Online by clicking here. Enjoy using it as a tool to free yourself from whatever it is that is no longer serving you. Feel free share your feedback, and happy Spring!
