Spring is nature’s way of saying, “Let’s party!”
-Robin Williams
This week ushers in the official start of Spring! Yes, we all know winter is invaluable in the way it forces us into that place of deep inward reflection where…blah, blah, blah. Ok, I don’t know about you, but I’ve had enough ruminating…I’m ready to kick winter’s butt to the door and start seizing the revitalizing energy of SPRING!
Yes, nature is beginning to renew itself with great magnificence…why not jump on that powerful bandwagon of awakening, invigoration, and action?! Here are 5 simple and practical ideas to kick-start your own personal Spring renewal…
1. Bringing Meaning to Spring Cleaning – You can use this regularly pain-in-the-behind household tradition to not only renew your outer environment, but your inner world. Choose an area or items to clean that you can attach some symbolic meaning to leading into spring. If finances have been suffering, zero in on cleaning up the home office. Or, if you’ve been single for a tragically long time and are itching for some spring lovin’, how about washing those grimy windows in your bedroom? Choose a mantra to accompany this task that will help connect the outer cleansing to inner cleansing like: “I’m clearing the way for sparkling light and love to pour into my heart!” and then feel the inner sparkle increase with every inch of window you buff up…put your whole body and spirit behind it!
2. Shedding Your Winter Skin – You might be a little grossed out to realize how many layers of dead skin have built up on your body over the winter. Dry-brushing is a simple, inexpensive, but amazingly effective detox technique to exfoliate dead skin cells and help your skin BREATHE again. Did you know that if your pores were completely blocked with paint, for example, you can actually die of asphyxiation?! So, before you shower take a brush (a natural fibre brush is the optimal choice) or if that’s not available to you even a rough towel can work. Start at your feet with brisk upward strokes and make your way all the way up your body. Be sure to use lighter brushes on your neck and face to avoid looking like you got attacked by a raccoon. Then jump in the shower to slough off all the dead skin. A cold rinse at the end perfectly seals the deal.
3. Revitalizing Habit – How about choosing a specific thing you can commit to doing each day of the spring season that invigorates and enlivens you? It could be stretching every morning for 5 minutes or eating an extra serving of organic raw vegetables. Or how about playing with your dog or cat for 10 minutes a day or wearing a colourful item everyday? What about drinking 2 jugs of water a day or having a daily dance break? Make the commitment manageable and measurable and keep track of your success in doing it each day on your calendar or in a journal.
4. Cyber Clutter-Clearing – Nothing ushers in the lightness of Spring better than a good de-cluttering. Well, there’s a new kind of clutter in our modern lives found jammed into our inboxes and computer desktops that can be as much of an energy-zapper as a living room on “The Hoarders”. If your laptop is full of empty mislabelled folders, unused icons everywhere, and important files hidden somewhere it takes you two hours to find, it’s time to approach your computer as you would an unwieldy filing cabinet. Take a couple of hours to identify the files that you need and use, get them organized in a variety of folders, and “recycle bin” the rest. Enter your Spring feeling electronically fit and trim!
5. Equinox Welcome – What’s more renewing than experiencing the great cycle of nature push the “reset” button? Schedule some time this week to officially honour the transition from the restorative slumber of winter to the rebirth of spring. Take a little time away from your normal routine to sit in stillness outside and tune into the rhythms of nature. You could choose to review in your mind the gifts that you gained from this past winter and then transition into the spring energy by envisioning yourself as a butterfly emerging from the cocoon or as a snake shedding its skin and truly dive into that sensation of fresh vibrant beginnings. Dancing naked under the moonlight is entirely optional, but enthusiastically encouraged. ; )
It’s spring fever…. You don’t quite know what it is you DO want, but it just fairly makes your heart ache, you want it so!”
– Mark Twain
Kimberly Carroll is a Soul Coach, television host/producer, and activist whose popular 6-Week body/mind/spirit bootcamps have been transforming lives from the inside out. With a cheeky and down-to-earth approach, Kimberly is an entertaining and loving guide for people delving into the world of personal growth, spirituality, and conscious living. She’s been featured in the Globe and Mail, as a regular on Newstalk 1010’s “The Buddha Lounge”, as a columnist for ANNA Magazine, and is one of the authors of the award-winning anthology “Soul Whispers”. Her next wild 6-week journey to ignite body, mind, heart, and spirit begins in-person March 20 in Toronto and Apr.5 via her Online/Tele-Program: www.soulcoaching.org
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Written by Kimberly Carroll
Kimberly Carroll is a Body/Mind/Spirit Expert, television host/producer, & activist whose popular personal development bootcamps have been helping transform and ignite lives around the world. With a cheeky and down-to-earth approach, Kimberly is an entertaining and loving guide for people delving into the world of personal growth, spirituality, and conscious living. She’s been featured in the Globe and Mail, as a regular on Newstalk 1010’s “The Buddha Lounge”, and is one of the authors of the award-winning anthology “Soul Whispers”. Her next LIFE REBOOT PROGRAMS (7 weeks to tune in, power up, & create the life and world you love!) start Jan. 26 (in-person in Toronto) and early spring (online/tele-program). She also does private coaching in-person or long distance.
