Welcome to the month of May! The birds are singing, the flowers are coming out to play, and the sun is shining longer than before. Spring is in full bloom. Because of the Spring Equinox, the Northern Hemisphere tilts toward the sun, leading to longer and brighter days. As the spring breeze brings in more sunlight, I have been thinking a lot about just how powerful those beams can be. Light plays a key role in our health and overall lifestyle. Yes, it helps us see, but that isn’t all it can do. Sunlight has been suggested to have the power to:
- regulate our circadian rhythm
- impact our mood
- play a key role in our physical health
- and so much more
As you have probably figured, sunlight is a powerful and necessary part of life. Knowing all of this got me wondering, how can we lean toward our inner sunlight with more vitality and joy? The more I have thought about it, the more I realize that this process must be conscious. We have to make an effort to recharge and find our inner sunshine. A few exercises I have found that help me recharge include:
- Mindfulness. I have found that one of the best ways to recharge and lean into my inner sun is by receiving the light with my senses – smelling the new growth, feeling the warmth on my skin, and seeing the beauty around me. And, did you know, with our eyes closed looking toward the sun affects our serotonin? Mindfulness has many healing and rejuvenating benefits, so the more you practice it, the better!
- Shifting my energy when I am feeling drained. Taking a moment to sit with myself and allow my batteries to recharge when I need to is a great way to keep my inner sunlight shining bright. A great video to guide you in beginning this practice is “Donna Eden 5 minutes a day to shift your energy.”
- Spring cleaning my inner thoughts. Clearing your physical space just may give you that motivation you need to clean out your inner space. Last month, as I was doing my yearly spring cleaning, I decided to focus on cleaning out my inner resentment and complaints about other people’s behavior. I used the ho’oponopono prayer on a Brainspot. As the words of the prayer flowed, various thoughts would present themselves, granting me the chance to process them.
- Talk to someone. Allowing the thoughts that are dragging you into the darkness to fester may be just what is keeping you from leaning into your inner sunlight. There have been so many times that I have found healing in opening up to someone I trusted. I truly believe talking to someone when you feel drained can be so important and help you recharge.
- ImageSpotting is another great way to help move past hard, painful feelings and take a deeper look within. Have you found yourself stuck on a stressful, challenging image that you just can’t seem to get past? Throughout life, stressful moments can become a snapshot in our minds. ImageSpotting works to help clients move past these difficult images, aiding them in their path to healing. Learn more about this powerful Brainspotting tool on June 10.
Make the time to lean into your inner sunlight this month, whether that means taking a moment to recharge or letting go of what is holding you down. I can’t wait to hear about the ways you bloom this month.
Happy May!