Published in March 2025
Spring starts this month. So March is considered the month of new beginnings. New beginnings are auspicious.
The General Assembly of the United Nations proclaimed the first day of Spring as the International Day of Happiness.
Daffodils are March’s birth flower — they are among the earliest flowers to appear in the Spring. Daffodils represent new beginnings and rebirth.
May this month bring you a fresh start, a wellspring of happiness, spring in your step, inspiration for spiritual growth, and hope for the future.
What may appear as the other side of the coin is that March “comes in like a lion.”
And, this month has surely begun with a windy roar. But the tumultuous and unsettling arrival of the lion heralds a transition from winter to spring. It is nature’s broom bringing sweeping changes, clearing the way for brighter, verdant days ahead. March tends to go out like a lamb.
Considering the stormy political climate these days, we have seen much to stir up anxiety, worry and fear. It’s difficult to see the lamb emerging from all this chaos. What can you do? Consider this riddle:
Imagine that you are in a sinking rowboat surrounded by hungry sharks.
What can you do to survive?
Answer: Stop imagining it!
Your mind can cook up all kinds of catastrophic thoughts. With so much negativity, it’s easy to get thrown overboard. Stop that kind of thinking. Seize control of your mind. You would not allow thieves and troublemakers to enter your home. So why allow troublesome thoughts to enter your mind? Banish thoughts that can steal your peace and raise your blood pressure.
Imagination is good, but imagine the future you wish for, not the disasters you dread.
Your thoughts can make you or break you. They can inspire you or demoralize you. They can elevate you or depress you. They can free you or suppress you. If you want to be happy and healthy, pay attention to what you are thinking. What are you allowing to enter your mind? Better yet, don’t allow them to enter. Stand at the door and don’t let them in! Stay mindful and ever vigilant.
Open your heart to love instead of shutting it down with fear and anxiety. I like the quote: “God never gives you more than you can handle.” You were born in these times because you are capable of rising to the challenges. Trust in your Self. Realize how powerful and wonderful and awesome you really are. Honor your Self. Know that you have infinite strength and boundless love within you.
In a letter to his daughter, Albert Einstein said, “If we want our species to survive, if we are to find meaning in life, if we want to save the world and every being that inhabits it, love is the one and only answer.”
There are many ways you can love and serve others and make this planet a better place. You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to love. You don’t have to be Mother Teresa to serve. But she says you definitely can do this: “You can do small things with great love.” That is a great thing. You can comfort someone who is suffering, you can give the gift of a smile (hint: we can all use a smile!). You can give food to the hungry. You can give warm clothes to those in need.
By all means, you can do more yoga. More love and peace will naturally flow from your heart. As Swami Nirmalananda said, “Yoga makes you become more joyous and alive. And you bring that with you into the world.”
The world needs you to be your best self, to be all that you can be.
Much peace and love to you. May you overflow with both. 