Spring Cleaning

Here we are caught in the essence of spring.  New life, new patterns, new colors surround us. Emerging from the cold, still, grey of winter. Spring gives us a reminder of hope and change. We clear out our clutter, embark on new project and begin to migrate outside.  Several of us in the community have also committed to cleaning out our bodies.  We have made the commitment to give up processed foods, sugar, caffeine, sugar,  meat, dairy, and did i mention sugar(yes that means chocolate too). we will be eating a mono-diet of kitchari for 5 days and mainly rice and veggies for the rest of the 2 weeks.  What many of us have already began to experience or will, very soon, is our emotional connection to food.  from the first moments of life we find food as a connection of love and nurturing from out mother's breast.  In yoga we call the physical body(or food body) Annamaya. Anna meaning mother; nurture.  As yogis we should seek foods that have "prana" life force, rather than packaged, processed, foods of convenience that we ALL tend to grab much of the time.  As we detox our bodies more is happening than the physical cleanse.  We witness emotions and habitual patterns of the past floating to the surface of our consciousness.  As children we have a healthy expression of anger, sadness, and joy.  As adults we learn to put these emotions aside(for it isn't always convenient to throw a temper tantrum in the supermarket..without getting weird looks.) Our emotional connection to food is something we can't escape.  Spring, the season that is associated with the organ, the liver. And the liver is associated with anger.  As a recovering people pleaser i have always had a hard time expressing anger, it wasn't ladylike.  I now realize that by not expressing anger(in a healthy way) i was closing off a part of myself, and on the flip side felt weak and disempowered. Anger is the pressure needed for change, the way the earth gently presses on a seed to inspire growth and birth or re-birth.  By closing doors to one emotion, we close doors to receiving the benefits of another emotion.  As we make transformation in our bodies, in our homes, and in our relationships we may have to clean out a few skeletons that we forgot were in the basement, from a Halloween past, hidden behind the items we don't mind people seeing.  Awareness is the first part of the practice.  Become aware of what you are holding onto, what you are giving attention too, and what you have been avoiding, and let the new colors of springtime blossom into your life. Springtime is the perfect time to stretch your limits, to test your comfort zone, and to start something new(like trying yoga, taking a trip, starting a creative project). Take it slow and steady and remember it may not always be easy, but it will be worth it!!