March: that time of year when we never are quite sure what each day will bring. The season when the snow can cover the ground, the mud can cover your shoes, and the rain can turn to ice without warning.

During that tumultuous weather, magic begins to happen. It is the time of resurrection.

And so today, I hope you will join me as we try to take the magic of spring and create some mindful intentions for our lives.

I am going to ask you to take a very deep breath with me.As you sit, plant your feet on the floor and stretch your spine to the sky. (Allow time for folks to get settled.)

Get comfortable and let’s take a deep, deliberate breath. As you begin to take your breath, feel your lungs begin to swell and lift your chest, reach down to your core or belly button and find any pain, sorrow, anxiety, loneliness and lethargy that you may feel. Sit with it for a moment. Feel it deeply and then as you exhale, release all those emotions. (Allow time for folks to breathe and exhale slowly.)

Whatever it is that is held in your heart, imagine it is becoming a small bird and with your next exhale, release it and set it free. (Allow time for folks to think a bit, breathe and exhale.)

Will you take a journey with me?

Close your eyes and let us meet in a field of white snow. This is the kind of snow that has a crunchy layer on the top of it, so that your feet do not make a deep impression. And as you stand on that white, crunchy surface, I want you to take another deep breath.

This time, inhale the cold winter air and the sharpness of it as you bring it deep into your lungs. Allow yourself to sit with the sensation for just a moment and as you release and exhale, you begin to feel your breath become warm and you notice that the sun is shining on your face. (Allow time for folks to get there.)

Allow your mind to begin to travel down your body, to your feet and finally to the ground. There are places where the snow has melted, where small mounds of mud and dead plants next to the spots of snow. The mosses begin to come to life. The Canadian goose calls. The salamanders and frogs begin to move. The roots of the first flowering plants begin to stretch and reach deeper into the earth for nourishment. Maybe it’s a skunk cabbage, a trillium, or a snowdrop. Tiny ants, beetles and other insects begin to emerge. The earth is awakening.

Even beneath the cold, still snow, life is bursting, preparing for the next season. As you slowly begin to leave that space, bring the sun’s warmth, the budding trees, and the emerging life into your heart space and let it breathe there. Take one last deep breath, pulling all that energy into your heart space.

And with an exhale exclaim: Spring has arrived!