Fresh Water Spring

March is such a wonderful time of year! This is the month when we usher in Springtime (March 20th), and this year I'm personally sowing seeds for a full expansion, a full bloom, especially with our soon-to-be yoga studio, Align Yoga, in the works!

Astrologically, we are right in the middle of Pisces, which is a water sign represented by two fish. To me, this is a time to go with the flow, so if you feel yourself swimming upstream, take a minute to assess the current and see if you can better "streamline" your efforts.

It's no surprise that water consciousness is acknowledged during the month of March. Clean water is the most precious resource on earth—the life giver. In California, the drought caused us all to be even more mindful of the ways in which we depend on water. After extensive downpours this winter, the pressure is off a little bit, but not everybody has such easy access to fresh water. World Water Day on is about taking action to help with the more global water crisis. There are many organizations that you can contribute to or get involved with: Charity Water, Water Aid and 109 World, just to name a few. Water Aid also has a Girl Strong initiative promoting access to water, sanitation and hygiene for women and girls.

Fresh drinking water is not the only kind that life depends on; our little buddies in the ocean and lakes always need us to look out for their delicate ecosystems too. Surfrider Foundation is one of the leading environmental water protectors.

Take an opportunity this month to reflect on WATER.

FOR THOUGHT...

Most of us don’t think twice when we turn on the faucet to grab to get a glass of water or use the hose to water our gardens. We take for granted that the water will be flowing and that it will be clean and safe to drink. Those simple acts are made possible by an incredible chain of events that links our entire state with our oceans and drives some of the key environmental issues of our time. Clean drinking water is one of the most rare and precious resources on the earth, yet we typically use it with little regard. Following a drop of our water from its origin, through its use to its disposal reveals an expensive and often wasteful journey and makes it clear we could be using water more wisely. Fortunately, we can alter this pattern by using the classic mantra reduce, reuse and recycle to fundamentally reduce our water consumption and solve ocean pollution issues at the same time. (via Surfrider)

It's All About LOVE

“In a real sense all life is inter-related. All men are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly. I can never be what I ought to be until you are what you ought to be, and you can never be what you ought to be until I am what I ought to be...
This is the inter-related structure of reality.”

— Martin Luther King Jr.

So much has happened over the past month—in our country, as well as in my own life. Perhaps you've experienced the same? Rounding the corner into the New Year (or two if you count the Lunar New Year) tends to be a time of transition, and this being a year where our country has undergone a "transfer of power", it can be a time of uncertainty, discomfort, hope, or perhaps a gazing out towards the unknown possibilities for helping one another to shape a common future.

Our futures can only be common—we are all bound to each other. We must coexist. We are coexistential. The fact that we exist together takes precedence over our individual egoic self-interest. Somehow we must take care of each other.

It was tempting to make this month's topic about romantic love, as we have Valentine's Day coming up, and while I typically reserve talking in political terms on this platform, I cannot ignore the fact that vast numbers of people all around the world are feeling unsettled by our new administration. The Women's March this past month was an important indicator of that, and a show of solidarity for championing the values that both women and men hold dear, namely basic human rights, the rights that are inherent to simply being human.

I'm not trying to sound naïve or utopian here, but the sense that I get is that it's ALL about LOVE. The basis for every argument, on the right and the left and in between. Deep down, it's love that compels people to act as protectionists, even when fear is the driving emotion. Women rise up by the millions in the spirit of love to preserve each others' dignity and the rights to their own bodies. On the flip side, others oppose the right to choose because they love and value life in all forms. Mind you these debates span every aspect of daily life and there is oftentimes staggering hypocrisy and contradiction on both sides. This is nothing new. There has been division amongst people since the beginning of time. And the differing of viewpoints is a beautiful thing... right up until it causes us to hurt one another.

The unifying quality that all human beings share is LOVE. To me, this is the source of our essence, which goes beyond the mere fact that we exist, and we can use this commonality to identify with each other's struggles. The more we feed into an "us against them" mentality, the further we drift from that innate essence of love and the more we allow hate to seep in. This does not mean sit back and do nothing. By all means voice your viewpoint as a conversation. Love encompasses reason and I appreciate those that have been standing for something rather than against something. If we can do less opposition and more observation and harness our own instincts for compassion, we can press on together in a meaningful way. ♡