Water baths, forest bathing, and of course the old spit bath, any of those will cleanse you. Your skin will smell sweet, your hair damp, and a fresh rosy glow will emerge across your cheeks. . . but this time of year I prefer a wind bath.
The strong breeze of March winds blows through the yard taking small branches of the dried trees and a few tender leaves. There are petals cast upon the walk and the stalks of new-baby dandelions bend.
This is what I like to do: Stand still in empty space outside and let the wind rip through me. Tossing and tussling my hair, blowing my skirt with enough force that it clings to my thighs–and bits of pollen and dander force me to close my eyes, enhancing the sense of powerful air around me.
“Take away the blues, the blahs, the boredom!” I say and then I open my arms and spread my fingers wide, the wind tickles the soft space between my fingers and I feel that much more alive. A subtle dip in the wind, as if Father Sky has inhaled, makes me pause, but only for a moment. With a renewed energy the air forces toward me once again and I feel the spiderwebs pull from my body. My mind becomes sharp, and I breathe in the living force of air, greedily filling my lungs. “Ahhhh, it’s good to be alive. I am reborn.”
After a few minutes of the pounding wind and the fresh air I, too, take a deep breath and let it out. With each exhaled particle of air, I send away woes and negativity. I scatter loss and fear into the breeze for I have no use for it this day.
I bring my arms together and give myself a hug, and think, “Today I bathed in the wind and I didn’t even get wet!”