Warm Greetings Dear Friends!
The season has shifted and the sun has returned to us! Spring is in full swing here in Portland, everything is in bloom and the air is heavy with the smell of fresh earth, mowed grass and the sweet scent of millions of flowers!
Springtime brings with it so much transition as birth and death cycle quickly all around us in a magical flowing dance.
I am reminded of our own natural cycles and how they align with the seasons. Springtime brings the excitement of growth and possibility! Mother Nature is letting us know that it's time to come out of hibernation and put our energy out into the world and begin planting the seeds we wish to grow this year.
I find that sometimes I also feel some stress by the fleeting nature of a season change. I feel like I'm missing out on something and not getting to fully experience it because it is passing by me so quickly...
This spring I am feeling that very strongly in moments as this little being that came to us before the flowers began to bloom is now 10 weeks old! Time seems to be moving more slowly than it ever has and somehow also on fast-forward motion as I watch her grow and evolve!
She received her first sound bath last week!
So I'm doing my best to return to the present moment as often as I can and to bring my full attention to all that is moving around me and within me so that I am here to experience it all.
Before labor I was given this beautiful piece of advice that I am coming back to again and again right now...
"Relax, breathe, feel the earth underneath you, do nothing extra."
In times like this when I am working hard to remain grounded and present I find simple visualization practices to be very supportive. I'm going to share my favorite simple practice with you here:
...Stand with your feet on the ground and imagine that roots are growing out from the bottoms of your feet and burrowing down deep into the earth.
Feel the strength of these roots, how they are anchoring you to the earth and supporting you as you stand tall.
Breathe deeply, bringing the energy of the earth up into your body, visualizing it circulating throughout your whole being.
As you exhale, feel your body softening and relaxing as you release back down into the earth all that is no longer serving you and trusting that the earth can hold it for you as it is holding your body and supporting you through your roots...
Then take a look around at the beauty of this sacred, ever-changing and fleeting moment and allow yourself to feel some gratitude for exactly where you find yourself within it...
Wishing you the scent of blossoming flowers, the warmth of the sun on your skin and the feel of the earth under your feet, and peace in every moment...
-Marissa Leigh