Today it finally feels as if Spring has arrived…it has seemed a long time coming this year with such a cold March! But now we’ve passed the equinox there’s more light than dark and the clocks have changed. It’s lovely to see on my walk to work that the flowers are in bloom and there are hints of green leaves appearing on the trees. I’m enjoying hearing the birds singing again and feeling warmth in the sun returning.
I’ve always loved the seasons in the UK but my appreciation of them has certainly increased since beginning to practise mindfulness. I now pay far more attention to the beautiful sights and sounds around me and sensations of the sun on my skin and the breeze in my hair. Nature is such a wonderful teacher about the impermanence of all experiences. From it I have learnt to make the most of the various stages of the year because each one is so transient. I notice the buds on the trees now and have a sense of when each type of flower blooms. Previously, when I spent more time living in my mind, it closed me off from fully experiencing the world through the senses.
Spring is associated with birth, growth and new beginnings, so this is a great time to consider what we’d like to bring into our lives over the rest of the year. What are your intentions going forward from here and is there anything from the winter that you wish to shed? What would you value focusing on over the next few months? Setting intentions will be one aspect of the retreat day I’m co-facilitating on Saturday with Nikki Darling Yoga but if you’re not able to make it to that, then I encourage you to take this opportunity to spend some time reflecting on your valued directions for the near future.
In closing, I invite you to embrace all that spring has to offer too; to be awake to the smell of fresh flowers, to see the process of the buds slowly opening and to hear the detail of the birdsong.