.....pinwheels

Yogis,

Lately pinwheels have been appearing in my life.  You know…….the ones we were given at the beach and birthday parties. Fourth of July and pool events. You blew them or held them to the wind to start them spinning.

                                                                                                             

The main street in our small town underwent a widening project last year that was somewhat unsuccessful. A grass median was redone which separates the road from the walking path.  The unintended consequence was the dirt used was too soft and we had torrential rains in both fall and spring, so it became a mud pit. Filled with weeds and tire tracks (it always amazes me how many cars use grass medians to turn around on or run over). 

Finally it was redone once again and this time small metal poles were stuck along the edge to discourage ‘off-roading’. Still a bit of an eyesore. So some underground town helper has been placing pinwheels into the tops of the poles. Pinwheels with sparkles.

On my morning runs I pass this stretch of the road. It is dark, quiet and still, but if a car happens by or a breeze blows the pinwheels begin to spin one by one until the whole row is glistening. 

My teaching of the spiritual path uses the chakras as its foundation. Chakras are spinning energy centers that run along an energy line in front of the spine from the tailbone to the crown of the head.  Each one unique in its function and effect on our health, emotions, mental wellbeing and ability to connect to our own soul and to the Universe. I realized this week that they are quite similar to pinwheels.

Remember how after you had a pinwheel for a few days it inevitably got bent or out of line with the stick? No matter how hard you blew it would never again find the ease it had when you first held it up. It became stuck.

The same thing happens in our chakras. When the earth chakra spins too slow we feel ungrounded and unsafe.  If our water center isn’t flowing we don’t feel good in our skin. Fire energy can cause us to harbor anger and low heart energy makes us distrustful and closed. Too much talking from uneven throat energy and trying to think our way through this mystery of life instead of ‘seeing’ and receiving the unseen outside sources guiding us along the way. We become stuck.

But when we do the internal work to have all of these energy centers aligned and spinning freely, we too glisten!  All it takes is a small breeze of breath to blow for life to feel effortless. 

I am leading “Fall into Meditation” this month, and meditation is one of the many practices, along with asana (yoga postures), pranayama (breath practice), mantra (chanting) and self-care that keep our pinwheels spinning in the wind.  And they also keep others from ‘off roading’ over us :)

Sparkling,
SARAH