From Winter to Spring
During the year of 2020, we were all asked to rest, to reset and to take on the sense of wintering (getting dormant, quiet and still) for an entire year! While winter seems dull and bleak, so much is often happening below the surface. This quote from Wintering by Katherine May (a great, easy read) perhaps says it all, “We have seasons when we flourish and seasons when the leaves fall from us, revealing our bare bones. Given time, they grow again.” In winter, our leaves have fallen, our bare bones have been revealed and we wonder what next? Beneath our bare bones lies the answer. The earth from above seems as though all life is gone from our gardens and flower beds. However, the roots deep below are taking in nourishment becoming something new and waiting for the right time. In the time of spring all the energy that was conserved and reserved pushes that growth out of the soil and into sunlight and fresh air. For us, it is the same.
As we emerge from our 2020 wintering, we begin to burst forth into the sunlight and fresh air. But what growth has happened beneath our surfaces? For me, it was a time to get to know who I really am as the mother of my children, the owner of Greenville Yoga, a time of clarity for my hopes and dreams and the legacy I hope to leave behind. For others it was time to percolate on this precious human life and what they wish to do that will bring joy and a full heart. For many in my circles, I have seen a clarity come; a decisiveness of who they are, who they are not. Clear boundaries are being set. Relationships with themselves and others are being healed. There is a reason therapists are overbooked right now- in our wintering we saw our own shit and we asked ourselves, “So now what?”
This is where yoga comes in! When we are seeking, it is often difficult to unearth what is needed and necessary. The yoga practice invites us in. It is sneaky- we contort our bodies into shapes, we breathe and move, and we get still and quiet. In that quiet, wide open space we can listen in and know what is next. Several of our teachers are heeding this call. Our sweet Lynn has decided to grow her own yoga from her home leading private and small group sessions. This is her new calling. Our dear Lene is heeding the call to return to family and loved ones in Germany. (We will miss these ladies terribly.) And our wild, wonderful Kimmie has taken on a coordinator role at Community Tap and is leaning into her new call. (She isn’t leaving us, just taking Sundays off to be with her loving husband.) The spring invites us to emerge replenished, strong roots to withstand the spring winds of change. On top of our teachers, our students have done some powerful winter dreaming. One deep seed is bursting through the surface this season and I am honored to share their story with you in the next blog article.
What did your wintering show you? Did you slow down enough to listen? Is there something more calling you? If you missed the quiet whispers of winter, take a breath, move your body, get still and listen in. We will be here for you whether it’s your season of winter (time to listen) or if you are ready for spring (time to emerge). You deserve this. Welcome to Greenville Yoga.
With love ~ Liz
