We just returned from a very sweet relaxing time in Mexico, to discover spring has sprung here in Boulder.  On my first morning back, I had to take a moment to run out into my backyard and see if the tulips I had planted last summer came up.  I hadn’t much hope for them, it was a freebie from a neighbor that I planted at the wrong time, and not in the greatest soil. I kinda just threw them into the dirt to see what would happen.  And there they were, at least some of them, pushing up toward the light.

Looking around, I see a lot of other stuff peeking out.  The grape hyacinths are up, along with some dandelions (which I’ve decided to let go for a while for the sake of the bees).

What’s coming up in your garden?

As we’ve come to the spring equinox, it is a great time to pause to consider: what is manifesting in my life right now due to what I previously cultivated? What would I like to plant now to nurture into manifestation as I move further into the year?

As I look at my garden, I see very clearly some of the choices I made last fall.  I see the plants I carefully and consciously put to bed, pruned, or planted. And I see the things I ignored, yet to be dealt with.  I see the weeds I kept thinking “I’ll deal with that later,” now firmly established, and will require extra effort to deal with.

And of course this is all a metaphor for the choices we make each moment of our life.  If you are conscious and willing, you can often see in the present blossoming circumstance, the seeds you planted in the past.

It is sweet to recognize what you have worked so hard to manifest, be it some aspect of your health, a relationship, or a piece of work. As well we can acknowledge the very simple things we’ve created like a good meal or clean house.

And on the other hand, we must also pause to acknowledge the not-so-pleasant things we may have generated or tolerated, be it dysfunctional relations, clutter in our home, ill-health, or weeds in our garden. Or, some trajectory in our life that is not working.

Each moment we have the choice to plant the seeds of our future. Life keeps rolling on whether we do so consciously, or not.  And we reap what we sow.

This is not to say that we have control over every event that happens to us, certainly not. Part of living our yoga is determining what we cannot control, and choosing how to work with that as best we can.

Yet ultimately, there are many situations where we could more consciously choose to create a more optimal outcome.  Our yoga practice is intended to help us with this process, through the repeated connection to the center of our self. The onset of spring is a perfect time for pause, connecting to our wisest self, and contemplating what we wish to sow in the next phase of our life.