Cultivating The Light

 The Spring or “Vernal” Equinox falls on March 20^th this year. It marks a significant seasonal turning point: The dark, lean times of winter’s end giving way to longer days and Earth’s rebirth and regeneration.  For thousands of years traditional cultures have celebrated the coming of Spring. It signifies the time for planting crops and a renewed hope for an abundant future.

 Equinox means “equal night”, and connotes an eternal cycle of light and dark in nature.  It’s also very symbolic of rhythms within our own internal human experience. We all have moments of doubt, fear and despair followed by optimism, courage and joy. Just as the cycles of seasons follow one another, so too do these pairs of opposites dance through our lives.

 The practice of yoga (conscious living) is always striving to reconcile polarities. There is a Sanskrit word, samatva, meaning "balance" or "evenness". Samatva is evenness of mind, evenness of action, evenness of striving and of letting go. It is a balance of fulfilling our desires yet letting destiny take its course. It’s a relinquishing of the likes and dislikes that create division in our personal world. It is effort and surrender in equal measure.

 Ultimately, all effort in some way or another can lead us deeper into the light of the heart. The work is always to get out of our own way, to open a path and through it let life flow. Yet we are all masters of building dams to this flow. Our commitment to practice is the means to dissolving these blocks. By opening more we can fulfill the purpose of our lives and give birth to the best that resides inside. Samatva is the ability to embrace everything within us, as well as outside of us, evenly and with love. It invites us to adopt a steady, constant commitment to ourselves and to cultivating our light. As we open our hearts, our talents and gifts begin to blossom.