Springtime at seven thousand feet in the Rocky Mountains is wild. Just today it was 70 degrees, then plummeted to 40. In the morning the skies were a brilliant blue and by 4 o’clock a hail storm blew in, shredding the recently budded aspen leaves.
Transformation Through Yoga
Personal transformation on the path of practice can be similarly turbulent. Whether it is healing the aches and pains of a spinal joint, or learning to integrate blustery emotions, or the spiritual challenge of opening to something new, evolution on the path can be stormy. Like the delicate buds of the lilac leaves or the fragile crocuses shooting up from the dormant winter ground, catharsis involves rupture and breakage. Surya and I feel this now when, after being parents for 18 years, we prepare for our son to go off to college this fall. Like the tender shoots of the blue grama grass shooting up through the stone pavers on our pathway, sprouting new growth feels vulnerable.
Germinating into something new always includes some element of risk. Like the flora of spring, you have to have courage and be willing to break out of dormancy despite any wild weather that may surround you. In this season of change, lean forward with a fearless heart into times of renewal.
