Namaste Yogis and Yoginis,

Ah spring, glorious spring! This past February, I planted bulbs (for the first time ever) despite the fact that it was three months after recommended bulb planting season.  Actually, my goal was more to relieve my toddler’s cabin fever than to grow tulips. Sure I hoped they’d bloom, and yes I felt a bit guilty exciting William with the promise of flowers come spring knowing that we didn’t met one of the planting criteria on the bulb package. But we were having a great time digging in the dirt and I figured he’d forget about them by spring anyway. 

Well, surprise, surprise! Our weary rotten-onion-like bulbs are now busting into strong green sprouts!  William and I are observing them grow day by day.

This potential for energy to spring forth in unlikely conditions is so inspiring. In yogic philosophy, this intrinsic force is called Prana and it is known to be pulsing not only through the soil and sprouts but it is in each one of us. It is always there, even when we feel out of touch with it. This inner vitality longs to radiate out. And, when it’s stoked even a little it will begin to surge and radiate like a flower budding up through the crack in a side walk. Pranic energy intensifies in spring and as we become mindful of natures’ powerful rhythm we can better harness its transformational and healing powers.

I hope you enjoy this MEGA SPRING issue of Yogalicious which is filled with inspirations to help you flourish this spring and all year round.

With joy,
Jillian

PS. The Bright Spirit Yoga Teacher Training - 200 Hour Program begins this June! See details below.

“Just when the caterpillar thought it was the end of the world, it became a butterfly.”   back to top

By no design of our own, our 2.5 year old William initiated himself into the world of potty training. During a week of running ‘au natural’ on the beach with a band of bare-butted toddlers, William had the opportunity for some profound self-study. Removing the concealment of a diaper, he was finally able to examine the relationship between the internal urge to ‘relieve’ himself and the external action that follows. Within a few days of his revelation, he began announcing when he had to go to the bathroom. Towards the end of the week, while sitting on the bed reading William said “I’ll be right back” and took himself to the toilet. Hiding behind a wall, my husband and I peered out just enough to watch him do all the right moves (even flush!) He was pretty impressed with himself and our beaming pride further excited him. But let me stress that I really had little to do with this transformation. Of course we discussed the ‘potty’, read a few books, and offered some ‘role-modeling’, but his desire to change came from with in. And his ability to change came from the opportunity to accurately observe himself. It is much like the lesson we receive over and over again from yoga and meditation; the first step towards creating enduring changes, is to simply observe how things actual are. Through our practice, we learn to examine how we habitually react to the stimulus in our lives. In many ways, yoga and meditation practice help us strip things away, get naked, so we can see ourselves more clearly (this is self-study is called Svadyaya in Yogic Philosophy). Once we see ourselves honestly, we naturally begin to move towards health and wellbeing. As Steven Covey explains, “Between the stimulus and response is a space. In this space lies our freedom to choose our response. In these choices lie our growth and our happiness.” PS. William might say “just get naked!” _  back to top

This month’s issue of Soulful Living has lots of articles to clean from the inside out: http://www.soulfulliving.com/apr05features.htm  back to top

These uplifting ditties can energize your spring cleaning rituals.
Krishna Das - Sita Ram – on Live On Earth
Go Fish - This Little Light of Mine –on Splash
Jack Johnson – Upside Down –on Sing-a-longs
Pholyphonic Spree – Holiday –on the Beginning Stages
Bhagavan Das – Shiva Gospel –on Now
Angelique Kidjo – Babalao – on Oremi
Apache Indian – Om Numah Shivaya – on Om Numah Shivaya  back to top