Congratulations, you made it through the darkest part of the year.
January and February can often feel like a lot. They can place unrealistic expectations on what our lives should look like or who we should suddenly become in the dead of winter.
Read the full articleClose article
So cheers to the time change, the clock shifting forward, and the days becoming a little longer. We might lose an hour of sleep to get back on schedule, but if it means I can take sunset walks again after work, I will happily accept the trade.
Sometimes in the darkest days we get to invite a new awareness into our lives. We get to reconnect with the parts of ourselves that have been hibernating. Slowly we begin to notice the small blooms appearing within us and in the earth, quietly emerging to say hello again.
I recently had a birthday, and like many people do around that time, I found myself reflecting on where I have been and what has changed. The biggest transformation for me this year is something that no one else can see, but something I can deeply feel. Sometimes that is the most beautiful kind of growth. You do not have to be the flashiest flower in the garden to be evolving.
This month feels like a bridge between stillness and movement.
A place where life begins to stir again.
Here are a few things I am inviting into my life as spring gets closer.
One is simple evening walks. I want to allow the morning light and evening light to reach my eyes and gently reset my circadian rhythm. Light exposure is one of the most powerful signals for the brain’s internal clock, helping regulate sleep, mood, and energy levels.
If you use your phone at night, I highly recommend switching it to red light mode. It is surprisingly easy to do and significantly reduces the blue light that can interfere with melatonin production. I would be happy to show you how if you are curious.
I also try to keep my house lighting soft once the sun sets. Instead of bright overhead lights, I transition to warmer or red toned lighting in the evening. When the sun is setting at eight instead of four in the afternoon, maintaining a natural rhythm with the day becomes much easier.
Have you ever noticed that in the spring you suddenly feel like becoming a new person?
You want to clean out your closet. Rearrange your furniture. Refresh your wardrobe. Maybe even start dating someone new.
I always find that impulse a little funny because so many of us seem to feel it at the exact same time.
March has always been one of my favorite months because it is when some of the biggest shifts in my life seem to happen. But there is actually real physiology behind that feeling.
As daylight increases, our bodies receive stronger signals through the eyes that help regulate circadian rhythms. Increased light exposure supports serotonin production, which influences mood, motivation, and emotional resilience. Warmer temperatures, longer days, and more time outdoors all subtly tell the nervous system that it is time to wake up again.
But that awakening does not have to be drastic.
Something I find interesting as a sound healing facilitator is that many people stop prioritizing practices like meditation, rest, or sound baths as spring arrives. The days are longer, energy is higher, and suddenly everyone feels like they need to be doing more.
Doing is beautiful. Movement is natural in this season.
But it is also worth remembering that the science of sound and vibration can support that sense of renewal. Sound can act as a kind of internal reset for the nervous system.
Why Sound Can Support Your Nervous System in Spring
Sound meditation has been shown to reduce tension, anxiety, and fatigue, while helping the brain enter slower wave states associated with creativity and restoration.
When we experience sound baths, the vibration of instruments such as crystal bowls interacts with the body through resonance, helping guide the nervous system toward a more balanced state.
In other words, sound can help the body integrate change rather than simply push through it.
What Sound Meditation Can Support
Research and experience both suggest that sound practices can help with:
• reducing stress and nervous system overload
• easing tension in the body
• supporting emotional processing
• encouraging slower brainwave states associated with relaxation and creativity
• improving mood and overall sense of wellbeing
Why I Use Sound During Seasonal Transitions
This is why I like to incorporate vocal toning and gentle sound practices into my own routine during times of transition.
Even when life becomes busy or full of movement, these moments help me reconnect with the parasympathetic nervous system, the part of the body responsible for rest, digestion, and repair.
Spring is a time of growth, but it is also a time to protect your energy.
It is easy to burn yourself out chasing momentum before summer even arrives.
Instead, think of this season as a chance to restore clarity while things are beginning to move again.
A Few Reflection Questions for This Season
If you feel called to journal this month, here are a few prompts to sit with:
• What part of me is beginning to wake up again?
• What am I ready to release from the winter season?
• What small step would feel supportive for my nervous system right now?
Simple Rituals I Am Practicing Right Now
Some of the practices I have been leaning into lately include:
• vocal toning and humming
• regular sound bath practice
• evening walks and natural light exposure
• creating quiet moments for the nervous system even during busy days
Sound, in many ways, heals the space between winter and bloom.
Practices like sound baths are not only helpful when we feel burned out or exhausted. They can be equally supportive during seasons of movement, helping the body integrate growth rather than rush past it.
A Personal Note
Tomorrow I leave for India to begin my own adventure.
The days will be long. I will be practicing yoga, meditating, traveling, and learning from early morning until late evening. I know I will be tired, but I hope to return with new stories, deeper understanding, and a greater appreciation for the history and traditions that many of our modern wellness practices come from.
If you are curious about how I have been preparing my body for the trip, from jet lag strategies to nervous system support while traveling, I would be happy to write about that as well. Feel free to leave a comment and let me know if that would be interesting to you.
Until then, may this season bring gentle awakening, curiosity, and space for the small blooms within you to grow.
With peace and love,
Angela
Peaceful Place
This essay first appeared on my Substack. Subscribe for new writing on sound, rest and the nervous system.
Subscribe on Substack