Why Spring?

It’s that time of year here in Sutton when the calendar says it’s Spring but there are still little patches of snow here and there. Where there isn’t snow there’s mud. The trees are mostly bare with just the tiniest hints of new growth. It’s still a pretty barren landscape.

We know, though, that in a few weeks nature will burst forth with new life. There’s an innate potency that will awaken the earth, the trees, the flowers, and the birds.

Yoga teaches that this potential for creating, for bringing new life into being is within all of us as well.

In Chapter 10 of the Bhagavad Gita Krishna tells Arjuna where to look for him in the things of the world. He says things like,

“Among animals, I am the lion,”
“Among birds I am the eagle,”
“Among letters I am A.”

In that long list he says,

Among seasons, I am spring, which brings forth flowers. (10.35)

I’ve always been intrigued by this verse. Of all the seasons, Lord Krishna says he’s the spring. 

Considering that Krishna represents the universal presence, he must be ALL of the seasons, right? So why does he draw Arjuna’s attention to look for him specifically in the spring? And why specifically highlight flowers?

Maybe it’s because of the particular vitality of this season and the promise and potential of new life all around us right now.

Maybe it’s the flawless beauty and perfection of a flower. Or, the process of blooming and growth itself as the epitome of nature’s intelligence.

Maybe it’s the hope and positivity in the sweet songs of baby birds, or the comfort of a warm breeze.

Maybe it’s all of these.

Consider how your practice helps you tap into the potency of the Spring inside yourself. How yoga awakens your innate capacity of renewal and, like nature, the potential you have to bring beauty into being.