Spring Equinox 2020: Finding Our Balance

Spring arrives in the Northern Hemisphere on March 19 at 8:49 PM, Pacific Time. Normally, the first day of spring seems to bring with it a collective exhale—a sense of relief. More light, more energy, the beauty of nature’s blossoming — all feel hopeful.

But this year presents a stark contrast to that “normal”. The COVID-19 virus and the way it has roared into public life and our consciousness is unprecedented: it is our Zeitgeist.

The disruption to life as we have known it and the speed with which it has occurred is breathtaking.

The potential threat of this virus is severe and decisive action is essential to help manage the spread. But beyond the concerns about becoming ill, how we respond to this situation provides ample material to examine our relationships – personal and collective – to so much: including fear, scarcity, control, uncertainty, inconvenience, and social isolation.

It is certainly no surprise that safety and survival fears instinctively eclipse everything else. But our ability to survive as a species and as a global community requires that we balance survival threats with other considerations; in other words, that we not allow our perspective to narrow to the single focus of fear. Resilience requires our ability to hold the potential threat and its impacts on our lives at the same time that we can continue living, not simply surviving.

And this requires the capacity to ground ourselves, to allow us to see a broader view. To hold this intention seems particularly important when we cannot assume that anything we may have previously planned or counted on will actually happen. More of our working brainpower needs to be available for things we normally take for granted, such as school being open for our kids, that we can get the cleaning supplies we need, that our workplace will be available, or for some, that we will still have a job.

And this brings me back to spring and balancing.

Equinox brings our planet back into balance with day and night of equal length. Metaphorically we can look at this as a pause, a time to settle and re-balance as the Northern Hemisphere of the earth again begins to tilt toward the sun, bringing greater light and energy. This year it feels that globally we are in a wobble; we can benefit from this symbolic pause at the equinox to settle and find our balance as we move again toward the light of the sun and the energy it will bring, as well as the uncertainty ahead.

That we have the ability to find and hold our center, our ground, always matters of course, but this year it is essential. Much will be asked of us; clear thinking and calmness are important; mindfulness is key.

While on a personal level I practice mindfulness in various ways, I have added an approach suggested by Ayurvedic practitioner Sarah Kruse of Embrace Ayurveda as a powerful method to calm anxiety: Nadi Shodhana, or alternate nostril breathing.

In addition to calming the nervous system, this practice is a beautiful way to balance our feminine (left side) and masculine (right side) energies. Sarah recommends 12 complete rounds of the alternate nostril breath, which takes just a few minutes. I have found this twice daily practice to be not only deeply calming but also a helpful touchstone in my day, to help me become present to the moment.

Here is a complete description of how to practice Nadi Shodhana from the Chopra Center if this is new to you and you would like to try it.

But whatever helps you feel stable and grounded during this time of disruption, I send my best wishes for good health and overall wellness. May we all move through these challenging times with clarity and grace.

* Image by Katie Teague