Spring Cleaning by Bill Wofford
You know that feeling when you are doing something you love and the universe bends just so to make everything effortless? You hit a groove and time slows down, creativity crests, you can’t miss a shot and the words just come out right. Pretty sweet stuff. But then, of course, the flow state passes and we just get stuck. Gunk and junk accumulate in our closets and garages, our joints and blood vessels, our thoughts and feelings. It can feel suffocating. I want my breath and thoughts and words and actions to flow freely, but somehow all this unwanted stuff just gets in the way, making me feel stagnant and (checks his notes) icky.
I think we all feel this way sometimes. And it’s not just us. It happens all around us. Consider the Haw River. From headwaters north and west of Greensboro, the Haw flows through old textile towns like Graham and Saxapahaw before broadening out at the Jordan Lake Dam and then merging with the Deep to become the Cape Fear River. Under that alias, she flows past Fayetteville and Wilmington and all the way to the ocean. Along the way, she is fed by a myriad of little tributaries, like Roberson Creek which winds its way just south of downtown Pittsboro.
Once upon a time, the Haw and all these little feeders flowed clear and clean without dams, wastewater or trash. Sadly, our kind chooses to feed her all manner of things a river was never meant to hold. Like wastewater and PFAS. And beer cans and plastic bags.
Well, friends, its March in Carolina. And you know what that means. No, I’m not talking about college basketball (at least not in this newsletter). Nope. There’s nothing like a bit of spring cleaning to clear out some of the junk blocking the flow. Alas, no, we’re not going to solve Pittsboro’s water quality challenges with a little elbow grease. But working together we can make our little corner of the world a little bit healthier and more beautiful.
As we do most years, the Yoga Garden Community is participating in the Haw River Clean-Up- A-Thon to show some loving kindness to our local waterways. This Saturday, we’ll be removing trash from a part of Roberson Creek. If you (and a friend?) feel like pitching in, come join us at 9am in the Food Lion/Subway Parking Lot (630 East St. in PBO). Please let us know you are coming by dropping an email to hello@yogagardenpbo.com. Interested in helping but the timing doesn’t work? Check out the Haw River Assembly who have organized this Clean-Up-A-Thon for 35 years (and counting) and do lots of other good work in service of the Haw and the people, plants and animals who call this area home. https://www.hawriver.org/.
If it would feel supportive right now to sow seeds of loving kindness for yourself and those around you, join Lexie and me in our first monthly Kriya Yoga Journey this Sunday. The intention of this month’s carefully crafted blend of breathwork, gentle movement and sound is to cultivate loving kindness and healing for ourselves and all beings everywhere – sort of like an interactive prayer. This practice is primarily breathwork & meditation with a little gentle movement and no experience is necessary.
One last word - check out the new spring schedule starting April 1! We’re keeping lots of your favorites and adding some fresh new offerings too.
