“Imagine your feet starting to giggle a bit. You know the feeling holding back laughter when it really wants to just burst out. If there’s someone else there doing the same thing like holding their laughter back, it’s nearly impossible to not laugh.” -- from Kenneth Soares meditation on Golden Violet Light Energy Cleanse.
That giggling feet feeling happens when I breathe in spring morning air. The fresh air triggers a body response evoking images of new growth, feelings of survival, new opportunities, and a lighter feeling of life. It’s in the air.
This good feeling is more than just a feeling. It’s healing energy bumping up against my nostrils and inviting me to steer this energy towards my heart, saturate my attitude and bless my wellbeing. I breathe in spring air and feel it loosen the crusty places I’ve formed living with pain and heartache. I will not get distracted and think about the pain and heartache. That would derail me from this opportunity.
I breathe in slowly and re-engage with the spring air. Using my mind, I imagine standing taller breathing in this healing energy. My face relaxes and I smile with my eyes. I lift my chin and feel sunlight warming my face. I am immersed in a sun bath.
I know my worries are there and I invite them to loosen their grip on my solar plexus. My worries will wait like dust on the floor. Now is time for me to bath in spring air energy.
I imagine my dog, Buffy, doing what she loved to do, leaving the walls of winter and plop herself down on a warm sunbaked sidewalk and rub her back kicking her feet into the air to massage her whole body. Her eyes are shut. She has that dog smile on her face and she’s bathing in goodness. With her grace, she shakes herself to reset and off she goes with a lighter step.
I am steering my thoughts. I imagine my inside space and there’s a bench to my left where I put my personal belongings. A box to hold my worries. A box to hold my heartache. Another box for my busy ego. I assure them I’ll be right back. This is my time. I’m steering this ship.
Breathe. Spring air wafts in through the cracks in the windows. I still have the hand-sketched picture my mother made years ago, which I will share when I find it. As she looked up at the sky, unfocused her eyes she was able to see air molecules floating downward. She captured the image on paper and gave it to me documenting the miracle of spring air.
This invisible world holds wonders we can’t fathom. It’s so easy to be swallowed up by heartache, worries and the constant commentary of our egos while at the same time molecules float downward, plants soak life into their roots, birds magically flit around through this energy. Wind moves air into the cracks and crevices of life. I wonder if they put worries on benches?
I breathe in fresh air and create good thoughts and good intentions. I am the author of this short, fresh air pause. My body recognizes the smells of spring. My thoughts welcome and enhance good feeling. My worries, heartaches wait patiently until I’m ready to continue forward with a lighter step.
In my dreams,
I lasso a wild steer on the first try.
I chauffeur Picasso
To meet up with Dali—
None of us is happy about this summit.
After licking my fingertips,
I play guitar masterfully.
I use index cards to make sense
Of the universe.
I discover my childhood cat in the neighbor’s tree—
So that’s where you’ve been, you little rascal.
I beg the alligator, por favor,
To make a snap judgement,
Will it be my leg or my arm?
Picture me swimming with dolphins.
Picture me with these dolphins
Sitting in lawn chairs.
I’m full of gratitude—
The lightbulb comes on
When the refrigerator door is opened.
Yes, I’m the scientist who solved laryngitis—
Now all of us howl at our own pleasure.
I get to throw a trophy from a moving car.
When I park my car,
I’m awarded another trophy—
Someone above is giving me a second chance
Participants’ Reflections:
That was the funniest poem I ever heard. I laughed and laughed. Thank you. What a great reading. I remember the smell of spring. I knew when I moved to the west coast that I would miss that smell. And I did. Now that I am back, I just love to be in that smell again. I walked in it this morning. Thank you for that reminder. I remember also learning about the universal energy that one can see shimmering against the blue sky. You just relax your eyes. Barbara Brennan talks about it in Hands of Light. I love when I can see energy like that, see it and feel it. Everything you said in the reading reminded me of those experiences. Thank you.
I was reminded, with the molecule image, that sometimes I’ll take a picture and see orbs. The camera is picking up on something that my eyes did not. We have such an awareness of seeing more than our eyes can regularly see. This week, my daughter-in-law came to visit and she was feeling fragile. She lives in an area where there are no signs of spring. But where I live, there are daffodils and forsythia and crocuses. She was so enlivened, her spirit was lightened up by spring being here. She was naming this gift. Right now, days are cold but the sun shines through. A week ago, I volunteered at a place called the Light Center, a place of welcoming. I went outside and did thirty minutes of Qi Gong barefoot on the springtime soil. My head turned up to the sun, receiving blessing by being there. Thank you.
Thank you. I loved the smiling part, the smiling with your eyes. We’ve learned how to do that with the masks on. My meditation started with lots of whimsical things that made me smile. As far as noticing, I have to be open and receptive. I can be outside and not notice. The other day, there were four white birds flying. Each one’s stomach looked luminous in the sunshine. It was amazing, like a miracle.
I dare say that spring will sound more like Christmas to us than Christmas in terms of gifts everywhere, under trees, above trees. Your meditation brought to mind a few things. When my choir rehearsed in person, for a warmup, the director would ask us all to start laughing. Sometimes, I didn’t feel like doing it. But then I’d hear someone’s laughter and before I knew it, everyone was laughing including me. It was a lot of fun to do that. I also thought of something from high school. We were asked to write about spring and Easter. The first thing that came to mind was how seeds and plants and trees and flowers resurrect. My teacher was so proud of my writing that she submitted it to the newspaper. When it was published, I got some funny looks from my parents when they read it. I remember feeling almost afraid of them reading it, but the comparison was clear to me. I guess my apple fell a little bit far from the tree.
Reminds me of the power of laughter yoga. Thank you.
I was thinking blessings during the meditation. I’ve been having difficulty walking and sometimes it’s hard to stay up with a group. Especially when one works 10 hours a day. I have a group of friends I walk with. They took me on a gorgeous walk along a babbling brook. Each and every one said they didn’t mind walking a little bit slower. It was such a blessing to hear that.
Nature is such a gift. I find it natural, how does one not notice? My daughter doesn’t. She doesn’t appreciate or take notice. I remember driving through the mountains of New England to see the foliage. I called her at her college in the Berkshires and mentioned how beautiful it must be where she is. She said, “Oh, I’m not sure.” She walks outside but doesn’t see. It blows my mind. I wish I could give her the gift of opening her eyes to see it and appreciate it and love it. She pays no mind to it.
Yet. She will someday.
Last night, when I got home, it was warmer and there was a beautiful breeze. As I was walking towards my porch, I had my eyes closed, listening to the wind. I started to say a prayer. The beauty of the moment. I saw a couple of crows and talked to them. If anyone hears me, I don’t care. It was a nature bath.
I wish you all a light day, breathing in the spring air. Taking a moment to appreciate and notice that we all breathe the same air, we all stand in the same sun, and we all have presence on the Earth. That’s how I’m going to live my day. Be gentle.