Clearing Winter Energy and Welcoming Spring

Today marks the first day of spring of 2026. This change seems to have appeared softly this year where I am currently. The early mornings still hold a whisper of winter’s chill, but the light has begun to linger a bit longer each evening, and beneath the soil life is beginning to stir. Spring has a way of inciting our attentiveness. It offers us a chance to notice what’s shifting in nature and delight in all the beauty that is unfurling before our very eyes. At the same time it offers us a chance to notice what is sparking within ourselves as we begin to awaken from the season that was winter. In the wisdom of ayurveda, this season encourages us to do a gentle clearing and revitalization.

Our bodies respond to these subtle seasonal changes. Even modern research reminds us that the changes in daylight tend to have an influence on our circadian rhythm, affecting our energy, sleep, mood and metabolism. As the days begin to grow longer, you might notice small changes in how you feel, move, or think even. This is all natural. Our bodies, like nature, begin to stir, opening us up to the renewed energy of the season.

Small rituals, such as spending a few minutes outdoors, allowing light to enter a room through your windows, moving your body more, and adjusting meals to enjoy lighter fare can all help support this natural seasonal flow.

There are many ways to flow with wonderful spring. You might try lightening your meals by incorporating more fresh, seasonal foods such as leafy greens, colorful fruits and vegetables, simple grains, nourishing broths and soups to help support digestion and energy. If you have a favorite springtime food, start by noticing what your body seems to crave at this time of the year.

Welcome spring by adding some gentle movement to help circulate energy throughout your body. Try a few yoga stretches, like side bends, sides twists or cat/cow pose for example, or take a mindful walk outdoors becoming aware of your surroundings and the fresh spring delights of nature or simply standing and breathing with awareness can help create a sense of spaciousness.

Try refreshing your space by opening a window to allow fresh air to circulate in your home, or rearrange, redecorate, clean or clear out an area of your home to help shift the atmosphere within the space to create a subtle sense of clarity.

Last, but not least, spend time outside in nature observing spring as it unfolds before your very eyes. Notice the birds, the way the breeze blows and its temperature. Revel in the warmth of the increased sunlight. All of which can help you attune yourself to the rhythms around you – and within you.

This post is mostly centered around ayurveda, the sister science to yoga, but it’s also important to note that classical yoga philosophy encourages us to notice the present moment with clarity, and that Patanjali teaches us that yoga is about calming and clarifying the fluctuations of the mind in the Yoga Sutras. With that being said, perhaps observing how the world changes seasonally is one more way that we can begin to notice subtle changes within ourselves as well, in paying attention to the way the light moves, the way the energy of the season and the degree of warmness and coolness changes can become an unexpected form of practice in itself.