Spring is upon us! The vegetation is showing apparent signs of re-awakening. The red buds are splashing the color of the heart throughout the muted colors associated with the remnants of winter. Hues of every color abound. When I slow down and immerse myself into the sensual experience of a walk-in nature, I see the smallest detail. I feel the energy rising up around me and through me. I feel alive! Scents from the earth permeate the air. The animals that share this world with us are increasingly becoming active. The songs of birds have shifted to vocal songs of advertisements signaling availability to begin families. The calls of the Spring Peepers rebounds with a primordial beaconing. The rising temperatures of our environment are enticing us to experience and enjoy this beauty emerging around us.

As a result of these times, I am gifted with an opportunity to experience this movement of energy in ways I would have never imagined! The first thing I have noticed is that I am no longer caught up in a flurry of activity and rapid pace of life. I am experiencing a different reality as the pace of life around me has slowed and sometimes screeched to a halt. My rhythm is resonating with this new community tempo. This altered experience of time has opened a portal to intense gratitude and appreciation for what I once thought were the small things in life. I am open to and willing to embrace all aspects of life and self with intense love in my heart. With the profound awareness that yes, all things are impermanent and subject to change. My quest is, to stay in the moment fully to experience life.

Ruth and I voluntarily temporally closed our Blackstone Massage Studio for the health and well-being of ourselves and our clients. The tenacity of the Coronus virus in our community and world has presented the opportunity to shift my perspective to Gratitude, Mindful living, and a greater sensitivity towards self, people, places and things I took for granted. This change in perspective is only possible through the awareness of how I can invest my energy into the things I can control and make choices that can strengthen my immune system and fortify the strength of my mind, body and Spirit. The greater question that is surfacing is, how am I choosing to live?  How will I choose to live after all is healed in our communities?  What no longer serves my Highest Good?  What does, and am I willing to allow these people, places and things in?

Am I willing to leave room, time and space within my full life to “smell the roses”, to seek the matters motivated by the heart? To truly BE, instead of continually Doing!

Through the practices of Yoga, massage and Ayurveda (the study of life in relation to the elements of nature), I have come to experience greater balance in an ever-changing situation and crisis. I am grateful to my teachers of massage and yoga who have passed down this knowledge to me to use and share. I greatly appreciate this gift of time to further dedicate my efforts to embrace the very things that feed, nourish, protect me and enable me to grow, and flourish in a steady state regardless of the changes happening around me.  By remaining grounded and connected, I am not only able to help myself, but also to reach out to my family and community in helpful and resourceful ways.

May you benefit in every way from these humble ramblings and suggestions. May you experience health, balance, strength, revelations and the experience of mindful living.

Blessings, Love, Namaste (I see and honor the light in you and in myself), Debbie