I’d like to introduce you to my dear friend Sonja Den Elzen. Of all the people I know, Sonja is the most connected to Earth energy. Her happy place is a big flat rock by a lake in the heart of a beautiful forest. She has been on an extraordinary journey over the past few years. She started out as a successful fashion designer (we collaborated to create The Shanti Collection). Then she felt called to study for years to become is a registered Chinese Medicine Acupuncturist, a Zen Shiatsu practitioner, a yoga and qigong instructor, and sound journey facilitator. With all this healing wisdom, she created Cedar Healing Arts and Alchemy of Emotions where she is a transformational mentor. We can learn a lot from Sonja about cultivating a co-creative relationship with nature in every season and about how to be more self empowered in our own well being.
And so I asked her to share some fun tips to help us reconnect with spring energy.
She tells us that the Wood Phase of the Daoist Five Elements teaches us that spring is a time of vision, direction, and growth. But growth doesn’t have to mean hustle. It can begin with simple rituals that bring your body and spirit into harmony with the season.
Here are three beautiful ways to connect with spring energy in a way that’s grounded, nourishing, and true to your nature:
1. Choose One Tree to Witness from Bud to Bloom
Find a tree along a forest trail or park you visit, and make it your spring companion. Visit it a few times each week and observe its journey—how the buds begin to stretch, how the leaves unfold.
This is a gentle way to connect with the rhythms of nature and watch your own internal growth reflected back to you.
2. Choose Three Things You’re Ready to Cultivate
Spring holds a natural momentum—it’s the season of emergence. What do you want to grow in your life over the next 60 days? Is it a movement practice? A creative project you dreamed of all winter? A new rhythm or boundary that supports your well-being?
Write down three things you feel ready to cultivate and outline the small, nourishing steps that will support their actualization. Think of it as planting intentions with care and nourishing them with devotion, not pressure.
3. Create a Vision Board for How You Want to Feel
Let your creative self-play—gather images, colours, words, and textures that speak to the energy and emotional state you want to live in over the next 6 months.This isn’t about productivity—it’s about how you want to feel in your body, your relationships, your work, and your inner world.
Let this vision board be a sacred, visual prayer for your season ahead.
Take what serves you and leave the rest. The most powerful way to align with spring is to slow down just enough to hear what’s stirring within you.
DISCOVER THE SHANTI COLLECTION - OUR YOGA FASHION CO-CREATION
Soul-indulging, elegantly earth-conscious yoga and meditation clothes for your home practice ... and anywhere. Beautifully tailored in Canada from the finest quality, all-natural eco-friendly fabrics, imported from Europe. All in a gentle palette of natural shades, soft greys, rich charcoal…with just a touch of vibrant red.
Created with love by Sarah and Sonja.
Happiness guaranteed.
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