Spring Equinox: Unfurl

There’s a sense of deep belonging in responding to the natural rhythms and cycles of the seasons—maybe because it reminds us that we are a part of the natural order of things, too. This Embodied Meditation is a celebration of the Spring Equinox. It’s a practice full of calm, uplifting movement, breathing, and, finally, stillness — perfect for any time during the early Spring season. An invitation to unclench any hunched-in holding Winter has asked of you and gently, gradually unfurl.

Transcript

Hi,

This is Paige.

There can be a feeling of deep belonging in responding to the natural rhythms and cycles of the seasons.

Maybe it reminds us that we are a part of the natural order of things,

Which we can sometimes lose sight of in the rush and even the separation of modern life.

So today we have a celebration of the Spring Equinox.

It's a practice full of calm,

Uplifting movement,

Breathing,

And then stillness.

Perfect for any time during this early spring season.

Think of it as an invitation to begin to unclench any hunched in holding,

Winter has asked of you,

And gently,

Gradually unfurl toward the expanding light of spring.

We'll start out sitting.

You could be on a cushion on the floor,

You could even be sitting in a chair.

A little bit later we'll move down to some lunging work from our hands and our knees.

So if you'd like a yoga mat nearby,

You can grab that,

Or maybe just a soft carpeted surface works for you.

Get yourself settled in your seat and we'll begin.

We'll start by gently and simply linking movement and breath to settle ourselves right here.

So some seated cow and cat breathing.

You can rest your palms on your thighs.

Feel your breath naturally move.

And the next time you're ready to inhale,

You might slide your hands back to the very root of your thighs where they connect to your pelvis and broaden through your collarbones,

Maybe arch through your spine.

Your gaze may even tilt upward slightly.

And then as you're ready to exhale,

Simply reverse that.

You can slide your hands back down towards your knees,

Rounding from your low back through your middle back and your upper back.

You might drop your chin to your chest and gently bow in.

And let's simply move and breathe like that as you're ready to inhale,

Lengthening,

Eventually perhaps arching through your spine,

Broadening through your chest and your shoulders.

And as you exhale,

Reversing that shape by slowly,

Gently rounding in.

Just feeling your entire body respond as you move through this a few more times.

You're rolling through the joints of your shoulders,

Rocking through the joints of your hips and lengthening,

Hydrating,

Moving along the entire length of your spine.

Just a few more times back and forth.

Rounding and arching and opening and exhaling gently,

Curling and rounding in.

Eventually make your way back to an upright seat.

Stretch your right arm right up alongside your ears.

You might feel some length from your right hip all the way up through your fingertips.

And then put a little bend in that right elbow and start to circle that arm back around and down.

You might feel the right shoulder,

The right side of your chest open as you do that.

And then let's do the other side.

Stretch your left arm up alongside your ear,

Feeling that length from your left hip through your fingertips.

And then put a little bend in your left elbow and circle that arm back down and around,

Opening up your left shoulder,

Maybe the whole left side of your chest as you do.

And we'll continue now with that movement,

Linking it to breath.

So as you're ready to inhale,

Your right arm can stretch up alongside your right ear.

And as you're ready to exhale,

A little bend in that elbow,

Circling that arm around,

Back and down,

Opening through the chest,

Feeling that massage of the shoulder blade in the back of your right lung.

And then inhale,

Left arm up toward the sky.

And as you feel ready to exhale,

That slow,

Deep circle of that bent elbowed arm around,

Back and down,

Massaging the back of the lung,

Opening up through the front of the chest.

One more time each side,

Inhaling,

Right arm stretching up toward the sky,

Exhaling,

Slow circle of that arm around,

Back and down,

Opening through the chest,

Massaging the back of the lung,

Even the heart.

Left side,

Inhale,

Stretch your arm up and exhale,

Little bend to that elbow,

Circle that arm around,

Back and down.

And let's finish by stretching both arms up alongside your ear,

Feeling length along both sides of your body.

And then as you feel ready to exhale,

That little elbow bend like cactus arms in both arms,

Just sliding your shoulder blades down your back,

Feeling that little hug behind your lungs and your heart.

And maybe ever so gently,

Ever so slightly,

Tilting your gaze,

Maybe your chest up toward the sky as if you're taking in the sun and the light and lifting your heart from behind upward,

Basking in the warmth and the light.

And when you're ready,

You can relax your arms back down,

Just get long and tall through your spine again.

And if you've been sitting on the floor with your legs crossed,

You can uncross your legs.

If you're sitting in a chair,

You could simply widen your legs apart a little bit.

Get your feet on the ground.

So your feet may be a little bit wider than your hips,

And then you can lean back.

You can walk your hands back behind you or back toward the back of the chair seat if you're sitting in a chair.

And let's windshield wiper our legs side to side.

So drop your knees all the way over toward your right.

Again,

Your feet are wide as your knees drop.

And maybe your gaze,

Maybe even your chest gently spin toward the left opposite your knees.

And then let everything come back through center.

So your gaze,

Your torso,

Your knees,

Feet still wide on the floor.

Let your knees drift toward the left.

Let yourself gently spin your chest,

Maybe even your gaze toward the right.

And now again,

We'll link that with breath.

So as you inhale,

Bring everything back through center.

As you exhale,

Knees drip one direction.

Your chest and heart spin opposite.

You might broaden through your chest.

You might take your gaze over opposite your knees.

Inhale back through center.

Exhale knees and gaze split directions as you windshield wiper side to side.

A few more times like this on your own.

Just breathing through this mobility,

This hydration,

This waking up deep into your hip joints.

And this little ringing out sensation of squeeze and twist all along the central column of your spine.

Last time through.

And you can bring yourself back through center.

And it might feel nice to heel toe your feet back so they're about as wide apart as your hips.

You can stretch your legs out long and perhaps just swirl your ankles around one direction and the other,

Moving this unclenching,

Un-hunting release all the way down into your feet and your ankles and your toes.

And when that movement naturally becomes still,

You can pause.

Notice how your body is feeling,

How your breath is moving.

As you're ready,

Make your way over to your hands and your knees.

So a tabletop position on the ground.

And we'll let ourselves breathe and move through a really simple lunge flow.

So step your right foot forward,

Right up in between your hands.

So you're preparing to be in the shape of a lunge.

If it causes you to hunch and round to have your hands on the ground,

You could always put your hands on the seat of a chair,

Of a table.

You could raise your hands up off the floor if you have yoga blocks or a prop like that nearby.

And then allow your body to take an inhale.

You might do that little gentle tipping of your chest and your heart up toward the sky as we did earlier.

And then as you feel ready to exhale,

Move your hips up and back and straighten your right front legs.

You're coming into what looks like a runner's lunge.

You might even peel your right toes away from the ground,

Peel them back toward your body.

And let's simply move back and forth as you inhale back into the lunge.

Your right foot comes to the ground,

Moving forward into that lunge,

Maybe tipping your heart up toward the sky,

Little squeeze behind your shoulder blades.

And when you're ready to exhale,

Your hips toggle up and back,

Your right leg straightens,

Your toes can peel off the ground like a runner's lunge shape.

Let yourself breathe and move through this lunge flow a few more times as you come into your lunge and inhale.

If you like,

You could stretch your arms up alongside your ears,

Lifting your heart up toward the sky,

And then as you exhale,

Your hands can make their way back down to whatever was supporting them as you move your hips up and back and straighten your right front leg into that runner's lunge shape.

Couple more times,

Just opening up any places that have been feeling stuck or locked down or clenched,

Letting them breathe and move.

And the next time you make your way back into that lunge,

Simply pause there.

Lower your hands back down if they're not already.

And we'll switch sides so your right knee can step back.

You can pause in that tabletop shape just to reconnect with balance.

And then you can step your left foot forward.

So you're coming into a lunge on the other side.

And let's begin by taking an inhale here,

Maybe lifting your heart up toward the sky a little bit.

And when you feel ready to exhale,

Your hips move up and back and that left leg straightens.

Your left toes might peel off the ground and stretch back toward your body.

You're in a runner's lunge stretch,

Inhaling back into the lunge.

Your right foot makes its way back down.

You're lunging in,

Maybe tipping your heart up toward the light.

And as you exhale,

Hips move up and back,

Left front leg straightens,

Left toes might peel back toward your body so the back of the leg can open a little bit more.

And again,

Let yourself move through this a few more times in your own way.

As you inhale and come back into that lunge,

Maybe your arms stretch up alongside your ears as you lift up toward the sun and the light.

And as you exhale,

Hips move up and back,

That front left leg straightens,

Runner's lunge type shape.

Couple more.

Inhaling and exhaling,

Feeling your body awaken and thaw and move and breathe.

The next time you make your way back into a lunge,

Let yourself pause there.

Step your front knee back to meet your back knee so you're back in a tabletop shape.

And see how it might feel to you to let your hips stretch back toward a child's pose.

So your big toes can be together,

Your knees can be a little bit wider now.

Just lengthening back,

Bowing your way in,

Torso resting either on or right in between your thighs.

And then for just a couple of breaths,

Walk your hands and arms if you like,

Up and over to the right.

So you're still bowing into that child's pose,

Just giving yourself a little side stretch,

A little untangling of anything stuck or compressed on your left side body as you breathe and pause here.

Then your arms and hands can walk their way back through center and up and over to the left.

So your hips are still stretching back toward your feet.

You're still in a child's pose,

Just with this little added side stretch now on your right.

Inhaling into anything that's felt a little compressed,

Clenched,

Frozen in place,

Opening it up and all the way back through center,

Pause there.

And gently make your way back to a comfortable seat.

It can be the same seat you started in or you may decide to change the configuration a little bit,

Cross-legged on the floor,

Sitting in a chair or anything that feels comfortable and natural.

And three times let's roll our shoulders on our breath.

As you're ready to inhale,

Scoop your shoulders forward,

Way up to your ears,

Giving yourself a little squeeze there,

Anything tight,

Stuck,

Clenched or frozen.

Open your mouth and sigh out your exhale and roll your shoulders around,

Back,

Down.

Feel your shoulder blades just melt down your back body.

Twice more like that,

Forward and up with your shoulders,

A little squeeze right along the sides of your neck,

All the way up to your ears.

And then a releasing sigh as your shoulders roll around,

Back and down,

Melting any tension as your shoulder blades slip down your back.

Allow that to happen one more time.

Feel scooping your shoulders forward and up towards your ears.

Gentle sighing,

Melting release as your shoulders relax and your shoulder blades slide down your back.

Allow yourself to be here with your breath.

Be here with your body taking in all of the movement and opening.

All of the gentle expansion toward the light that you've just offered it.

And we'll settle into a simple breathing practice in which we'll pause very gently without straining or holding at the top of each inhale.

Just pausing at that moment of fullness,

Of opening,

Of light.

I'll talk you through it.

When you're ready to inhale next,

Let it be easy.

Let it feel natural and then simply pause,

No straining or holding.

And then as you exhale,

Just a natural easy exhale.

And again,

When you're naturally ready to inhale,

Just let it feel full and easy and bright.

Soft pause right at the top of all of that inhale.

And then when you're ready to exhale,

Just a natural easy release.

Continue like this a few more rounds on your own.

Again,

Nothing forced or strained.

Just a gentle pause in the fullness,

The awakening,

The light,

The very top of your inhale and an easy exhale as you're ready.

A few more rounds at your pace in your own way.

And the next time you naturally exhale,

Allow your breathing to just drop back into a normal natural rhythm.

Really take everything in,

Allowing this practice to integrate in your body,

In your whole system.

This subtle,

Gentle sense perhaps of possibility,

Of opening to warmth and light,

Of noticing what may be beginning to rise,

To very gently nudge toward the surface.

What has the potential to release and unfurl?

We'll spend just a few more quiet minutes resting in this possibility.

Okay.

Thank you so much for creating this time for yourself to cultivate the possibilities of spring.

I look forward to being with you again soon.

Thank you.

Reviews

Wow! This was amazing. I love your focus on gentleness and being mindful of the body. I really need this soft attention right now. Thank you

What a perfect way to end my crazy non stop day! Thank you so much

Wonderful, thank you for the guidance and visuals through a beautiful practice of opening into Spring 🤍

Love the connection with the wonder of nature’s unfurling and the possibilities present for us in this moment.

Lovely way to reset and welcome the season. Thank you.

Very nice practice for gently waking up the body. 💕

a face of mine has been revealed, a part of my shadow has gone, the hollowness be my medicine. Mahalo for your life & the moment shared. May your spring equinox come to in abundance.

Wonderful! Just what I needed, thank you for your gentle awakening.

⭐️ thanks Paige, now spring finally has arrived 😎 Wonderful- like all your work ⭐️