[Natural Health ~ Meditation Reflections] Get Ready: From Winter To Spring!

March is here... one of my favourite time of the year! I did my first chakra meditation workshop this year over the weekend in trendy Shoreditch, Central London. I wanted to share the topic we went through! It was a lot of fun!

Get Ready & Tune in: From Winter To Spring!

There is a lot of new energy to take in these days… I can’t help but notice how the timing works out with our first Mercury Retrograde of 2013 happening right now (Feb 23rd – Mar 17th in Pisces) and this week’s full moon energy on Monday … some may say that is a bad sign lol! 

Mercury represents how we communicate and interact with others. Whenever Mercury goes Retrograde (or backwards) there is a tendency for all properties of this planet to go haywire. Mercury rules computers, cars, cell phones, travel, travel schedules and all things related to how we communicate and utilise these methods of communication. This is a time where things in this area seem to go wrong… you may already be feeling some frustrations in this area over the last week, before this event?

Fear not! 

This is a good way to end the Winter because we are now gently moving our energy upwards, from the lower chakras of Autumn/Winter into the Higher chakras from the Solar Plexus to our Crown… and the area to work on during the Mercury Retrograde is our communication throat chakra.

Take a huge step back!

Breathe deeply. Be patient and observe. Take this moment to notice how you are communicating with YOUR SELF first… especially when frustrating situations arise around you.

Our communication chakra is not just about how we express our Self to others and our outer world… it’s also a tool to re-connect with our own inner dialogue… the thoughts we have in our mind in our every day life.

The throat chakra is connected to the releasing process… exploring our feelings through words, creative activities and anything that will help channel our inner energy outwards. This way, we can channel any negative thought processes in a healthy way… instead of an unhealthy way (for example: through emotional eating, smoking, alcohol etc)

Each challenge you face during this Mercury Retrograde is an opportunity to really check-in and watch your instant re-actions… there are no rights/wrongs here, just  observe your Self in the next few weeks.

Questions for reflection & meditation work:

When I am confronted with a miscommunication with another person, do I …Take the time to listen/understand/find out the reasons behind it first? …Jump in with my own  assumptions/opinions/reactions?

When something negative confronts me, do I …Find it easy to let go? …Get caught up in my emotions, even long after the situation has passed?

When I am alone, how much of this time do I spend ...Enjoying the moment? …Worrying? …Giving my Self positive feedback? …Being creative? …Doing thing I love? …Planning for the future? …Thinking of the past?

Exercise: Shut Your Monkey Mind!

Mind monkey or monkey mind, from Chinese xinyuan and Sino-Japanese shin’en 心猿 [lit. "heart-/mind-monkey"], is a Buddhist term meaning “unsettled; restless; capricious; whimsical; fanciful; inconstant; confused; indecisive; uncontrollable”[Wikipedia info]

For this exercise, we will focus on the power of affirmations!

Steps:

• Get a piece of paper – or use this as part of your journal work.

• Split the page in 2 halves – by drawing a vertical line down the middle.

• On the left hand side, write down the top 5 regular negative thoughts you hear your Self saying in your mind.

• On the right hand side, next to each negative thought on the left, write down a positive affirmation that will turn this negative thought around.

For example:

Left hand side, negative thought – “I don’t feel good enough. “

Right hand side, positive affirmation: “I love and appreciate my journey as I grow and learn.”

• Now, every time you find your mind chatter saying any of these negative thoughts, quickly replace it with the positive affirmation. Say this affirmation a few times if you like. In time, this will re-program your thought patterns.

Other areas to work on as we slowly transition to Spring:

Get out!

In Autumn/Winter, the colder weather often gives us an opportunity to go into semi-hibernation and enjoy more nights-in and indoor life in general. As the days start to feel lighter and longer, maybe it’s time to slowly change your social routines too – by making more time to go out – by your Self or with friends/family. Wrap up warm if it’s still cold and get out more lol… even if it’s just to take a walk around your neighbourhood.

You might like to slowly increase your physical activity, even if you already go to the gym or work-out in other ways. Exercise is an awesome releasing and grounding tool! 

Simplify!

Indoor life can mean that we get attached to comforting stuff at home… a good way to shift the energy in your home life is to slowly simplify these things… an early Spring clean or an energy space clearing will allow new things/energy into your personal space – read more about this here!

Introduce more fruits into your diet

The colder seasons usually offer some great veggies – but as we gear towards the warmer times of the year, slowly add more fruits into your daily diet. More fruit smoothies and fruit salads are great 

Lighten up!

Colours have a powerful effect on us and in most parts of the world, Winter tends to be a much darker season – and this can often translate in our clothing! Slowly transition into brighter clothing and colours – let your colours be an expression of what you feel! Read more about this here.

Set new intentions for the Sun months

Spring/Summer/Sun months is about expression – moving from our inner world to our outer world, showing up and expressing all the inner work we have been doing during the Autumn/Winter/Moon months. Again, this is strongly connected to our throat chakra.

Set your intentions for what you would like to bring into this new time of the year…How can you express YOU in everything you do and show your inner light?

For March and throughout the Sun months, let’s March forward with some positive energy