I love the feeling when I can finally step outside without my big down parka on and feel the palpable sense of lightness in my being. When I walk down the street I can visually see how people’s bodies are moving from a state of contracting to releasing, and how everyone seems more energetic and a little more kind.
As we move out of winter and into spring, we start to shed the layers required for deep hibernation which lightens not only the physical weight we carry in our bodies but also lessens our mental load.
I often struggle internally, however, with how I can feel light when there is so much heaviness going on in the world around us. How dare we, when there is so much suffering around us? But how can we do that considering all that is going on in the world?
Karen Walrond, author of the book, Lightmaker’s Manifesto, has a thought provoking response to this very question:
‘Never apologize for embracing joy and beauty even when the world is falling apart, because joy and beauty are our fuel for activism. We can’t do the work unless we tap into our own joy, laughter and beauty, because how do we know what we are fighting for if we haven’t experienced it for ourselves?’
This month, I’m inspired to support you in taking it all off - the layers of stress, burden, burnout, etc and bask in the lightness of your being, on and off the mat. Below I share how we will practice these upcoming weeks with this intention in mind.
Amy Owen
Yoga Instructor + Birth Coach
