Change is in the air.

It's daylight saving time this weekend. Get ready to spring forward!

While it still looks like winter, with barren trees and snow on the ground, change is in the air. The smell of earth, sunnier days, clearer skies, warmer temperatures and the sound of birds, remind us that spring is just around the corner. Nature shows us that change is inevitable. After the dead of winter, new life always blossoms.

Change creates an opportunity for growth and the possibility of transformation. Ayurveda and yoga philosophy tell us we are at our best when we align with nature. Rebirth and renewal are waiting for us when we ride the wave of change instead of resisting it. Change can be scary though. The unknown takes us out of our comfort zone. There can be a feeling of safety in the familiar, even when it's not working for us. So the fear can makes us resist, feel stuck and caught in the same old patterns.

On the mat, we learn that breath is key to awareness. Awareness is the first step in embracing change. When we stay focused on our breath, we learn to observe, notice what we feel and lean into the resistance. We find the place that's uncomfortable but has possibility. This is where change begins. With persistence and patience, we start to feel better in our body. We transform. If we avoid the discomfort, or only practice poses that come easy for us, we don't give ourselves a chance to grow.

Off the mat, we can be stuck in emotional patterns preventing our growth. Reacting from old stories, rather than responding to the present moment, when we are challenged and uncomfortable. We can avoid those uneasy feelings or repress them. But giving those emotions space to come to the surface, being present with the feelings, breathing and letting them pass, without reacting, we begin move forward in our own evolution. We start to live in place of truth and become more authentic. We become more free. We begin to blossom into our best self.