Shortest amount of sunlight,
Longest hours of darkness.
Time to reflect, listen, embrace stillness.
The light is coming.
Don’t wish for it now. You will miss today
Winter Solstice
Spring Equinox
Today represents the Spring Equinox, the point when we have equal times of daylight and darkness. Many of us pay attention to this day, because we know that the hours of daylight will continue to lengthen and our outdoor activities expand.
As we note this named first day of spring, it is a good time to pause and reflect on the balance in our own lives. “Balance” is literal, our physical balance of standing, walking, striving for good posture and alignment; balance is how we spend our time in the mix of work, family, friends, volunteering, and taking care of ourselves; balance is having times of noise and times of silence; balance is being very active and also taking time to rest; balance is completing tasks while reviewing broader goals for our future; balance is mindfully focusing on both the yin and yang of our lives.
A major aspect of Tai Chi is to focus our minds on shifting our weight forward, then backward, flowing from yang to yin and back to yang. We are always gathering or delivering energy. We are enjoying the gentle, flowing movements, trying to be in tune and in balance with the Spring Equinox, equal time of light, (yang) with an equal time of dark (yin). We not only pause to reflect on the balance is our lives, we relax and try to live it.
Whew!
Whew! The election is over. Most of us sigh in relief. The bombardment of negative commercials, angry talk show hosts and hateful words expressed by colleagues, “friends” and facebook messages are mostly over.
However, the underlying opinions and associated emotions remain. We are largely a divided nation, with little desire for give and take.
Each of us can benefit by drawing on the goal of Tai Chi, the pursuit of balance in all things, starting with our own body mind and spirit. Rather than opine, we need to breathe. Rather than trying to influence others with our strong opinions, we need to stop, be silent, reflect. Rather than spending time wound up about what went wrong, we need to look around us and help make somebody else’s day go better.
Tai Chi is all about energy, creating positive energy within ourselves and then out to others. Our mind, the Yi, directs the Qi, our life force energy. We can, one person at a time, create positive energy and send it out to every person with whom we come in contact with, whether we know them personally or not.
Each of us wants to feel better, feel positive and the best way to do that is to go within and resolve to be the positive energy ourselves, that reaches out to others. Start today. Right now.