The Spring Equinox is a solar festival celebrated when the length of day and night are equal. It is the ignition key for the year, and from here the energy of the year really revs up. This year, as we approach the Spring Equinox, and begin to emerge from a global pandemic, I have found using the seasonal meditation questions more poignant and more relevant than ever. 
As the days get longer and warmer, between now and the Summer Solstice, normally, my focus would be on pushing projects out into the world, to make the most of this short-lived period of fertile energy, During the growing season, whatever we unite our energy with will expand and grow, so, I would be asking question such as:

•  Which projects do I wish to prioritize?
•  What lights my fire and what am I passionate about?
•  What actions will I need to take in order to ensure that the projects most dear to my heart come to fruition?  

As the energy of the year revs up this is a time more suited to action rather than reflection, however, this year, more than ever, it's important to take a step-by-step approach. The pandemic has slowed everything down, so patience, persistence, and self-care will be of a premium as we try to rebuild  following the losses, fractures, and ravages that have been inflicted to a lesser or greater degree upon all of us during the Covid times. Spending quiet moments reflecting on the meditation questions has made me realise how important compassion and kindness for self and others is going to be over the coming season as we emerge from the pandemic and try to create a new normal. Remember to applaud yourself for whatever small steps you take, be generous to yourself and others with lavish praise for anything you achieve during these turbulent times. 

I found working with the Spring Equinox meditation questions this year has helped me to get in touch with just how daunted and at the same time how hopeful I feel about this work of rebuilding better over the months ahead. Here are some meditation questions that will help you to stay calm, grounded, and guided by your inner wisdom, as you face the challenges of the coming season:

• How will I stay grounded during the busy growing season with its rampant, wild, fiery energy?
• How will I stay in touch with my inner wisdom while taking outward action?
• What will be my spiritual focus for this period?

Over the coming weeks as we emerge from the hibernation of winter and the self-isolation imposed by the virus, so the seasonal energy is changing from yin (inward focus) to yang (outward focus). If you feel a little apprehensive about heading back into the world, that is completely understandable. There is so much rebuilding and healing to be done. Perhaps the most important thing we need to do is to rebuild our relationships as we reconnect with love ones, friends, and colleagues over the coming months, after having been kept apart for so long. Here are some Spring Equinox meditation questions on the theme of relationships:

• Over the coming season how will I go about growing healthy and loving relationships?
• Who is most important to me and how do I want to spend time with them this spring?
• What actions do I wish to take to support them and show them how much I care?

A full set of Spring Equinox meditation questions can be found in chapter two of the Yoga Through the Year book.
To find out ways of working with the meditation questions see the blog post: How to Use the Seasonal Meditation Questions. 
See also: Spring Equinox Yoga Practice
Spring Equinox Page 
Spring Equinox Celtic Connection Page

For the past few days I've been using the Spring Equinox yoga practice, from the Yoga Through the Year book, as my early morning yoga practice. I've found the practice the perfect antidote to the jitters that arise as we prepare, here in the UK, for a gradual emergence from lockdown restrictions, and it's also great for calming the restlessness and agitation brought on by the surge of growing season energy that comes with the changing season. 

The Spring Equinox yoga practice has been designed to encapsulate the excitement and anticipation that comes with the arrival of spring. In the practice poses such as the Runner’s Lunge reflect a sense of being poised for action at the start of a race. The magic of leaves unfurling, blossoms opening, and the world waking up after its winter sleep is reflected in the flowing sequence of Child’s Pose into Upward-Facing Dog and back again. The exuberance of spring is expressed through poses such as Downward-Facing Dog with leg lifts. We choose the balancing pose Warrior 3 to mirror day and night being perfectly balanced at the equinox. Stabilizing poses such as Chair Pose help us stay grounded as the energy of the year revs up.
I found the affirmations in the practice therapeutic and perfect for aligning my intentions with the energy of the coming growing season. The three affirmations are:

• I create balance in my life.
• Inner wisdom guides my actions.
• I open to new possibilities.

Below is an aide memoire for the practice. Full instructions can be found in chapter two of the Yoga Through the Year book. 

​Spring Equinox Yoga Practice Overview
1. Standing Like a Tree.
2. Warrior 1 × 6 on each side. On final time stay for a few breaths with arms raised.
3a. and 3b. Warrior 3 variation × 4 on each side. On final time stay for a few breaths. Affirmation: I create balance in my life.
4. Chair Pose. Stay a few breaths.
5. Cat to Cow Pose × 6.
6. Runner’s Lunge Pose. Stay for a few breaths. Affirmation: Inner wisdom guides my actions.
7. Downward-Facing Dog Pose with leg lifts × 4 on each side.
8. Child’s Pose to Upward-Facing Dog × 6. Affirmation: I open to new possibilities.
9. Child’s Pose or Knees-to-Chest Pose. Rest for a few breaths. If you are short of time, finish your practice here.
10. Calming Cloud Meditation