the arrival of spring

With this week's vernal equinox, spring has officially begun - which had me pondering the nature and significance of the equinox. It's a time that has been celebrated throughout all of history. It's not coincidence that Christianity celebrates the resurrection of Christ at a time when the world is experiencing its own rebirth. (Likewise, it's not coincidence that his birth occurs very near the winter solstice... the light of hope when the world is the darkest). It's wonderful to go outside again and experience the warmth in the air. Every day new life appears and color returns to the sky and the ground. The grey winter slowly gives way to new life.

But even more important, I think that the balance of the equinoxes is an important reminder in our lives. I recently returned to yoga after a little over a year away. (It's amazing how many things got disrupted when I "moved to India"...) The practice consists of many things but if I were to center on three it would be - Balance, Flexibility, Breathing. Within each practice there is tension and release, exertion and relaxation. Just like the earth comes into its own balance, so we must come into ours. It is much to easy to become unbalanced in our lives, but life is happiest when balanced. Too much of a good thing can become a bad thing.

This is why I love the Equinoxes. I love the balance of life that they show. Cool nights. Warm days. Grey and rainy days paired with endless blue skies, bringing life back to all that has laid dormant. Life is in balance. Life is good.

Take some of these warm days and breathe them in.