What Is Growing Within You This Spring?
This weekend, I went on my first yoga retreat. There were so many themes brought up over two days in the mountains that I couldn’t wait to bring back here, and I plan on teasing these out over several posts. (It’s just too juicy to smash into one!) But it makes the most sense to start at the beginning.
Before my sister and I drove up the crazy steep incline to a small guest house nestled at the top of a mountain, we received an email from the weekend’s teachers. They asked us to pause in our lives to ask ourselves: What is unfolding within you this spring? How can you nourish and cultivate those tender, tiny sprouts?
Isn’t it funny how it so often takes someone else to ask us to reflect for us to actually do it? We go from moment to moment in our lives, seamlessly moving from one thought, one action, one task to the next. At its best, life can move along smoothly like this, and at its worst, we can feel like automatons, going through the motions of our days without any heart or mindfulness.
I think this is why so many of us turn to our favorite wise souls for their blogs and books. These outside influences serve as a reminder to check in with our hearts and see what needs tending there: what do I want in my life? How can I support that desire today, tomorrow, this week, this year?
It would be lovely to have a practice of checking in with ourselves. For many of us, this is what yoga and journaling are often about. But even our regular soul-filled practices can become routine, and then we might need to fully step out of our lives to bring new attention to our intentions. I went to the top of a mountain in Massachusetts with wood stoves, wide windows, and a view that made my heart sing. There, two teachers broke my heart wide open, and I could see each little seedling growing within me, tiny green shoots of what I most value, who I love, and how I can live to best support all of that.
Retreating from the hum and buzz of our lives every now and then feels essential, but you don’t have to go to the top of a mountain to make it happen. You might walk up to the park and sit on a bench in the sun for a full hour with your eyes closed, just feeling the sweet warmth. Or close the door to the bedroom, light a candle, and give yourself the space and time to sit with what’s growing within you. And luckily, we have these friends on the internet to prod us with questions, give us the spark of creativity and desire to flourish that makes us want to answer over and over again: what is unfolding within me this spring?
Mallory: You are so often that wise soul that makes me pause and think. Thank you.1 year ago
That’s so sweet, Mallory. I don’t feel very wise, but after that weekend I do feel very, very open––in the best possible way. Feels good to bring that back here.
1 year ago
Katy: I love this post. I recently started keeping a (paper) journal again (blogging does and doesn’t count!) and love going to yoga to get the kinds of reminders you’re writing about. In fact, I’ve been considering going on my first retreat….and I think this post convinced me. Thank you!1 year ago
Amy: I love the idea of thinking in terms of the seasons—winter is about sort of hibernating and being quiet and spring is the birth of those things that were stirring then. I feel like lately, a quiet new confidence is unfolding in me, and I like that quite a bit.
Lovely post and I’m so glad the yoga retreat was awesome.1 year ago
Katy, Yes, do it. Why not, right? You might even come home feeling grand.
Beautifully put, Amy. Quiet confidence is the such a gem.1 year ago
Dayna: Thanks for being the Internet friend who prods me with important questions. Whether it’s what I want to nurture in myself or what I want to have for dinner, you tap into just exactly what I need to hear!1 year ago
Margaret: Acceptance. That’s what is poking about in all the right places this spring. A letting go, a growing up, a cherishing of the light… and a center where it’s ok to just be me, by myself! Love the focus of this post. Thanks, Sarah- and glad you are the happy conductor of this energy!1 year ago
sweetsugarbean: Your yoga retreat sounds incredible – I’m so happy you had that experience! Amy, above, mentioned a quiet confidence, and I feel that way too…lots of good things are unfolding for me, in large part because I was brave enough to try new opportunites. A girl needs a good dose of confidence!1 year ago
Sara Rose: I am so glad to read this. You deserved and needed it. I can’t wait to read more.
1 year ago
Jessi: After reading this I sat here thinking how small and simple taking time for yourself is. I think I forget that it’s not about where I am on the outside, but where I am on the inside. Thanks for reminding me!
1 year ago
Sarah J: I love what Margaret said about you being this happy conductor of energy. I wholeheartedly agree.
I turned a corner on Saturday when I ran my first half marathon. I wasn’t expecting to feel emotional about it but it really hit me that I could do something that never seemed possible before. Spring is about possibility and I want to embrace more of that.1 year ago
art and lemons: Your yoga retreat sounds like it was a great cultivator of growth. Spring getaways, near and far, are so necessary for new beginnings. Sometimes all you need is a quiet practice along with ink, paper, and time. Thanks for the inspiration.
I’ve been looking forward to fresh greens and seasonal foods and a bit of opening myself.1 year ago
I so love reading about what you are all opening to! Possibility, achievement (Go, Sarah J! Wow!), confidence, and growth. Sounds like a mighty fine spring to me! So inspiring to read.1 year ago
Jessi: As I was reading this I realized how easily I’ve forgotten just how important my journal and simple quiet moments are. It isn’t about where you are, or how big that time is, but where it allows you to be on the inside. Thanks for reminding me!
1 year ago
Catherine: Good golly, you sure know how to gently drive home a point! Thank you for the beautifully written post- it’s something that has been on my mind for months and hope to write about but just….can’t. It will come.
A yoga retreat is an awesome opportunity for growth. I need to find one! For the time being I use this wonderful little book by Judith Lasater called “A Year of Living your Yoga”. Just one or two sentences to begin each day.1 year ago
Catherine, I have that book in my Amazon queue, and I’m looking forward to getting it! I have a similar morning routine with a book called Meditations from the Mat.1 year ago
Carolyn: Sarah, I agree with Mallory, you are such a wise soul–whether you realize it or not. This was an especially lovely post. I’m so happy you had such an awesome experience on your ‘retreat’. Great word, huh? Not in the battle sense, but in the treat sense.
You inspire me–and many others, obviously. Keep up the GREAT work!!
Love you, “Aunt” Carolyn1 year ago