Rainbeau Mars

My favorite metaphor is that of the river gaze. You look down and see the water settled and somewhat clear. Then you start to mix it up; it gets cloudy and thick, but then the water carries away what was dislodged and you see the sparkles of blue and green on the rocks once again. Thus is the infinite process of  letting go of the things that get settled and somehow become a part of us, or even begin to define us. We are always needing to let go of who we have become to be who we really are and this is the essence of spring.

Spring Cleaning generally refers to cleaning the house, maybe the office, but it is also a time for cleaning your physical and inner-self.  Similar to the post last week on moving from a state of contraction to expansion with daylight savings, we are moving out of the winter state of accumulation into the spring state of shedding.  In the winter, we go inside, responding as if in hibernation mode.  We layer our wardrobe and we eat more dense foods, packing on excess weight and sometimes even stories, patterns, habits or too much television.  But as the warmer weather rolls in with spring, we begin shedding the layers of clothing, stepping outside again into the rejuvenating sunshine, basking in the glory of nature, are drawn towards lighter foods, and once again, let go of the things we will not need for the lighter, longer days. This said, we all know it can get messier before it gets cleaner, so grab your flashlight, pull up the sleeves and prepare to move and transform both the inner and outer space of your life, so that your colors can shine bright and sparkly again.

Being a time of renewal and fresh starts, it’s a great time to embark on spring cleaning rituals in your life both inside and out. Perhaps you’d like to start on the inside by paying particular attention to the liver, the organ related to this season.  Supportive items for the liver are lemon and water in the morning, the liver kick (that you received if you signed up for our newsletter in the 44 beauty disciplines), apple cider vinegar and honey to start the day, or maybe eat more bitters.  Greens, dandelion and milk thistle are also very supportive for the liver.  Green foods are full of regenerative and cleansing energy and support the removal of chemicals from our organs and tissues.  They have high amounts of chlorophyll, which is known to improve blood flow and oxygen throughout the body as well as provide the lungs the support they need.  You may also wish to exfoliate and get rid of your dead skin and do abiyanga, a great Ayurvedic method  of daily self massage with oil that improves circulation, (use essential oils specific to the benefits you need, like grapefruit if you are in need of breaking down fat or peppermint for cooling and energizing effects).  There are some amazing facial and body scrubs in my mama’s book Beauty by Nature, available on our website.  Exfoliating with raw sugar really helps to revitalize the skin, leaving you fresh and rejuvenated. Try also changing up your practice a bit and get your heart beating. I begin the process in the ra’yoKa dvd, but as I get to complete the production of the system, you will find that there is a time and place for everything and spring is about stirring it up again.  Jump on a trampoline or with a rope and play the day away.

Recently I’ve been cleaning out all the corners in my own life  and rooms, such as my jewelry boxes, where I’ve let things amass and though overwhelming at times, it’s so important to do and will feel so good afterward.  When organizing a pile of beads that I’ve accumulated from all of my travels, I almost felt like a spider that had way too much stuff trapped in my web of jewels.  It’s time to get those that can be fixed fixed and pass on what I should let go of…or toss it in my rock garden perhaps, jewels for the earth.  Cleansing helps awaken our senses and grounds us in the present so that we are better able to move freely on our journey into the future.  Remember this when feeling cluttered or stressed.  We must push through the fog in order for things to become clear, and by continuing on through, other issues may be revealed and/or resolved as well.  The organization and perfect beautiful state, already exists there, with every color vibrant and full. Somtimes, we just need to focus our intentions and allow this process to take place so that it becomes so. Use water, breath and some good natural essential oil cleaners and trust that always empty, always full, and all is coming.

All my best,

Rainbeau

Disneyland on Sunday helped me reconnect with the notion of springing forward.  Noticing the fear kids have pre entrance of the safety belt on Splash Mountain and Matterhorn reminded me of how scary that moment can be when we do something that we have never done before. Our hearts beats faster, we feel clenched up as we approach the edge of everything we have ever known to move into the unknown.  Seeing life through the eyes of children (as I always attempt to) demonstrated how amazing it feels to approach our edge and fears of the unknown and choose to breathe, let go, stay open and trust.

Fear (which has its lessons) causes our bodies to restrict, but also teaches us things, as we tense up and breathe more rapidly and feel them butterflies in the belly. That same fear helps us not run into traffic or jump out of planes without parachutes; it draws us into ourselves. But because we go in to go out, down to go up and back to go forward, by contracting and drawing in, we can ultimately expand ourselves and our breath into relaxing and even enjoying the moment.  As more neuro-networks are stimulated through our brain, we become more and more able to try new things. As we expand our life experiences and push past whatever obstacles we face we grow, learn to trust in the unknown, and fly.

Let’s allow ourselves to move from a state of contraction to expansion as daylight savings reminds us of the importance of sliding fearlessly into the unknown and seizing the day (Carpe Diem).  We can internalize the expansion and let the brighter light outside match the light inherently within us.  Only by living fully will we be able to radiate at our optimal potential, not by focusing on the light, but by expanding where we contract and vice versa.

Children aren’t in the way; they are the way. Its amazing how far we’ve come since being 6 years old.  At the same time, I try to see life through that perspective as much as possible. Remember how validating and empowering it was to do something you didn’t think you were capable of or that you were afraid of? If we don’t push our boundaries and occasionally do things we don’t want to do, we won’t fully experience life.  Fear keeps us safe by boxing us into a comfort zone. I want to encourage everyone to slide into the unknown fearlessly and courageously, so that when the ride is over, we can say… “Let’s do it again, let’s enjoy it, and let’s remember to breathe this time, the whole time.”

All ways

All days

Fear does not phase

We’re hittin’ tripple plays

Listening to what the most high says.

Bless,

Rainbeau

What gets your passion going?  Oftentimes, the chaos and stress of daily life can bog us down in such a way that our creative energies are stifled and our passions are left unexplored.  It is so important that we remember to nourish our creative centers. Through exercising and celebrating our passions, we allow ourselves to unplug from the external and listen in to what really gets the heartstrings strumming.

The second chakra, svadhisthana, is associated with passion and creativity, and is the dwelling place for the Self.  No wonder we feel down and disconnected when not celebrating our passions!  The color orange is associated with this chakra, thanks to its stimulating essence and vibrational energy, so eating more orange foods may help you explore the chakra at a deeper level. Twists, both seated and standing, help to unlock the body so that we may connect with the Self and are thus another nice way to become more introspective and start being with yourself. The Udiyan Bandhas lower belly exercise, as used in Yoga For Beauty Dawn (available for purchase on our online shop), also helps stimulate energy and draw us towards our center.

Our job on this earth and in this life is to explore our most radiant potential.  If we are not exploring and celebrating our passions, then we are not doing ourselves any favors, nor are we enriching our lives and, depending on the passion, the lives of others.  It is important to be all that we can be, so tune in to what really stimulates your passion and give in!!

Blessings-

Rainbeau

You can check out a clip of the YFB Dawn DVD: