Perspectives from a yogi

Time to Spring clean your health. There are many phrases that refer to this time of year and the cleansing process. ‘Spring cleaning’, ‘pruning away dead wood’ from garden trees, ‘out with the old, in with the new’, to ‘letting go’ and ‘surrender’, all in the aim of making way for new growth to occur.

Now is the time to let go of old beliefs, thought patterns, life experiences and expectations that no longer serve you well. In Oriental Medicine this is the time of the influence of a wood element on our meridians, mainly the Gall Bladder and Liver meridian. These 2 meridians will be active in Spring so letting go of excess from cleaning out cupboards to emotions is important. In yoga we call it ‘aparigraha’ which translates as non-grasping, non-coveting, non-attachment and non-possessiveness. This lesson is the 5th yama of Patanjali’s yoga sutras.

Letting go – in action

In Oriental Medicine: the focus in Spring is on the rejuvenation and restorative properties of the wood element. A Zen Shiatsu session in spring will focus on shifting any toxins, stagnation or imbalances energetically.

In yoga: allow each movement (asana) to become effortless. In meditation: find stillness by letting go of all thought processes. In life: let go of control, allow and accept life transitions, transformations and impermanence. In relationships: let go of judgement and expectation, allow for individual expression and the freedom to be unique beings.

By letting go of the ‘old’ we allow for ‘new’ experiences to enter our life.