Spring Meditations

Spring Cleaning: Meditation to Tidy Up the Mind

By Tris Thorp

When your room is clean and uncluttered, you have no choice but to examine your inner state." -
Marie Kondo, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up

For many of us, spring cleaning typically brings to mind images of clearing out the overabundance of
clutter in our garage, attic, home, or office, and perhaps even painting or rearranging our living
spaces to give us a new sense of freedom, openness, and expanse in our immediate environment.
Yet, rarely do we consider purging the clutter of our mind a necessary step in our annual spring
purification processes.

Marie Kondo, in her book, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, suggests an efficient process by
which we can select the things we want to keep. She has her readers filter their criterion through the
simple question, Does it spark joy? While Kondos book is primarily focused on how to tidy up
ones physical environment, her guidance can be metaphorically superimposed over the concept of
clearing out mind clutter as well.

Marie writes, There are several common patterns when it comes to discarding. One is to discard
things when they cease being functionalfor example, when something breaks down beyond repair
or when part of a set is broken. Another is to discard things that are out of date, such as clothes that
are no longer in fashion or things related to an event that has passed. Its easy to get rid of things
when there is an obvious reason for doing so. Marie invites people to ask themselves, Does this
item spark joy?

Weve all heard that if our environment is a mess, so is our mind and vice versa. A home or office
that is overwrought with clutter will likely have a similar effect on our mind, which will take on
characteristics of being overburdened. Likewise, when our minds are overrun by thoughts, ideas,
deadlines, and to-dos, our environment will usually be a mirror image of whats going on inside our
internal world. Taking the time to clear out the old thoughts and ideas from our mind is an essential
ingredient to keeping our head on straight and focused on things that are new, fresh, inspiring, and
purposeful.

In nature, spring represents the cycle of birth with the thawing of ice and budding of new flowers. It's
the beginning stages of nature waking up after a long, deep rest and stretching her arms to greet a
new season. So too, can we explore the metaphor of 'waking up' in the springtime after having
retreated inward for the past several months to rest and recharge. What thoughts or ideas in our
mind are ready to be pruned and what fresh, new ones are waiting to be birthed?

Meditation for Spring Cleaning the Mind

1. Sit comfortably in an upright position, either in a chair with your legs uncrossed and your feet flat on
the ground, or in Sukanasa on a cushion.
2. Close your eyes and begin to take slow, deep breaths in through your nose and out through your
mouth.
3. Next, bring to mind any thoughts, ideas, or beliefs that have become stagnant, non-serving, or
irrelevant.
4. One by one, or all at once, see if you can connect to what their original purpose was. Do they have a
reason for still existing? Is there something further to explore or is the energy ready to be dissolved
and returned to its purest form?
5. When you come to the realization that it's time to let go of mind cluttermuch in the same way you
would give away an old jacket that you never wear anymorethank it for having served its purpose
and take in any learning or wisdom it has to impart.
6. Next, imagine seeing it dissolve like a morning layer of fog as the sun shines through, or visualize
erasing it from a chalkboard to reveal a fresh, clean slate.
7. Once you've cleared away that which no longer needs to occupy your mind, spend some time
connecting to the open space you have created in your internal world. The space that you've
cultivated doesn't mean the mind is now empty. Rather, see it as being filled with the element of
space, which represents pure potentiality.
8. Next, invite in a new thought or belief in the form of an intention for something you would like to
manifest in the coming days, weeks, or months. Perhaps there is an old idea that you want to take
off the shelf, dust off a bit, and revisitmaybe it's finally writing that book or starting the project that's
been in the back of your mind for years.
9. Bring your new intention to the forefront of your mind and imagine planting it like a seed in the fertile
soil of your soul and then ask the Universe to orchestrate the mechanics for its fulfillment on your
behalf.
10. Then, let go of the intentiontrusting that the Universe will work out the detailsand take a few
slow, deep breaths before opening your eyes.

Any way you look at it, spring cleaning is a great time to clear out anything that is no longer serving
you so you can make way for new ideas, perspectives, intentions, and desires.

May my feet rest firmly on the ground.

May my head touch the sky.
May I see clearly
May I have the capacity to listen
May I be free to touch
May my words be true
May my heart and mind be open
May my hands be empty to fill the need
May my arms be open to others
May my gifts be revealed to me so I may return that which has been given completing
the great circle.

Terma

Every blade of grass has its angel that bends over it and whispers, Grow, Grow. ~ The
Talmud

Healthy plants and trees yield abundant flowers and fruits. Similarly, from a healthy person, smiles
and happiness shine forth like the rays of the sun. ~ B.K. S Iyengar

Transcript

1. Breathe in a fresh breath of spring.

Exhale old, stale energy.
2. Breathe in clarity.
Exhale mental clutter.
3. Breathe in calm.
Exhale emotional disarray.
4. Breathe in new possibilities.
Exhale that which stands in the way of true love.

As your lungs fill with fresh air,

and you exhale tensions and stress,
feel yourself coming into a state of relaxation
where your heart, mind and soul are aligned.

From this place, there is no conflict or worry.

And you know that letting go of things you are attached to

is sometimes the best thing you can do
to free your heart for love...
And clear your space for a new relationship.
It is time to recognize that you hold the key to transforming your love life...
**********************************************************************
******
Take a long slow, deep breath in...hold it for a moment, and then slowly
exhale.

Just allow any tension to melt away as you gradually relax more and more
deeply with each breath.

Take another long slow, deep breath in...hold it, and then exhale. Empty
your lungs completely with your out-breath.

Take a third deep breath in. Take your time. Hold it for a moment, and then
let it go.

Already you are beginning to drift into a state of deep relaxation.

Continue to breathe slowly and gently.

Relax.

Now bring your awareness to the top of your head.

Sense or imagine a feeling of relaxation beginning to spread down from

the top of your scalp....

Let the muscles in your forehead and temples relax.

Allow your eyes to relax.

Let your cheeks and jaw soften and let go of all tension.

Now this peaceful feeling flows down your neck and deep into the
muscles in your shoulderssoothing themreleasing them.

Breathe.

Allow this peaceful feeling to flow through your arms. Relaxing and
soothing...all the way to the tips of your fingers.

As your body relaxes, your mind relaxes. Your thoughts become

weightless, like wisps of clouds on the breeze.
Now the peaceful sensation flows through your chest and your stomach.
Feel how this area gently rises and falls as you breathe...slowly and deeply.
Soothing and relaxing.

Turn your attention to your back, and feel this relaxing sensation flow all
the way down your spine.

Now the peaceful feeling flows through your lower body.

Relax your buttocks...the back of your thighs...the front of your thighs. Feel
all these large, strong muscles becoming loose and relaxed.

Soothing feelings flow down through your knees, and into your calves.

Your ankles relax. Now your feet relax.

Your entire body is soft, calm and relaxed.

Now its time to leave the external world behind, and go on an inner
journey. A journey to a place of deep inner stillness.

If you would grow to your best self

Be patient, not demanding
Accepting, not condemning
Nurturing, not withholding
Self-marveling, not belittling
Gently guiding, not pushing and punishing
For you are more sensitive than you know
Mankind is as tough as war yet delicate as flowers
We can endure agonies but we open fully only to warmth and light
And our need to grow Is as fragile as a fragrance dispersed by storms of will
To return only when those storm are still
So, accept, respect, and attend your sensitivity
A flower cannot be opened with a hammer.
By: Daniel F. Mead

Surrender

In Blackwater Woods by Mary Oliver

To live in this world

you must be able

to do three things:

to love what is mortal;

to hold it

against your bones knowing

your own life depends on it;

and where the time comes to let it go,

to let it go.

This is a poem for savasana.

Savasanacorpse poseis the dress rehearsal for death. We drop the solidity of our physical
bodies, the heaviness of our mental space into the mat. We surrender all the bits of ourselves and
our lives that we love and hold dear into the earth that holds us.

And then we come back to life, rejuvenated. Savasana allows us to appreciate the weight of
everything that we have; it allows usfor a momentto lay that weight to rest.

When we pick it up again, we are refreshed.

We know its a weight we carry willingly, until the time comes to let it go.

From Root to Bloom by Danna Faulds

Sap is flowing once again
from root to trunk, from
trunk to branch, to every
leaf and bud and blossom
on the tree. The frozen days
are past Now is the season
of flowering, when the full
force of energy moves up and
up to manifest its destiny.

It is everything to me, this

new life springing forth from
ash and compost, this chance
to nurture, weed, and prune,
to patiently receive the
miracle that blooms as if
no force on earth can
turn aside its beauty.
Sweet Darkness (David Whyte)
When your eyes are tired
the world is tired also.
When your vision has gone
no part of the world can find you.

Time to go into the dark

where the night has eyes
to recognize its own.
There you can be sure
you are not beyond love.
The dark will be your womb
tonight.

The night will give you a horizon

further than you can see.

You must learn one thing.

The world was made to be free in.

Give up all the other worlds

except the one to which you belong.

Sometimes it takes darkness and the sweet

confinement of your aloneness
to learn

anything or anyone
that does not bring you alive

is too small for you.

Limitless(Danna Faulds)
Sun says, Be your own
illumination. Wren says,
Sing your heart out,
 all day long. Stream says,
Do not stop for any
obstacle. Oak says,
When the wind blows,
bend easily, and trust
your roots to hold.
Stars say, What you see
is one small slice of a
single modest galaxy.
Remember that vastness
cannot be grasped by mind.
Ant says, Small does not
mean powerless. Silence
says nothing. In the quiet,
everything comes clear.
I say, Limitless. I say,
Yes.

When I think about the words of this poem, it becomes clear to me that all the advice Ill ever
need can be gained from the insight of a tree. Trees are, in fact, one of the most beautiful
symbols of life itself, while at the same time, a perfect metaphor of it as well. When I need to
feel grounded and at peace, I look to the trees. When I need to feel adventurous and free, I run to
the trees. When I need to feel renewed and rejuvenated, I seek out the trees. When I need
someone to lean on, to whisper quiet words of advice, and to offer shade and shelter from the
harsh elements of life, I turn to the trees. When I need to be reminded that change is constant,
that change is good, that change is what allows new growth and opportunity to take place, and
that all things in life have their cycles, I return to the trees. The trees never steer me wrong.

So read on, and take a little advice from a tree. Im certain you wont be disappointed.

Advice from a Tree, by Ilan Shamir

Dear Friend

Stand tall and proud

Sink your roots deeply into the earth
Reflect the light of your true nature
Think long term
Go out on a limb
Remember your place among all living beings
Embrace with joy the changing seasons
For each yields its own abundance
The energy and birth of spring
The growth and contentment of summer
The wisdom to let go the leaves in the fall
The rest and quiet renewal of winter

Feel the wind and the sun

And delight in their presence
Look up at the moon that shines down upon you
And the mystery of the stars at night
Seek nourishment from the good things in life
Simple pleasures
Earth, fresh air, light

Be content with your natural beauty

Drink plenty of water
Let your limbs sway and dance in the breezes
Be flexible
Remember your roots
Enjoy the view!

Trees are patient creatures. They live a long, quiet time, and they know how
to stand firm through all the changes of day and night, climate and season