Hello friends,
Welcome to my favorite time of year—the Fall Equinox. Not only are we moving into sweater, warm tea and soup weather, we’re also moving into the more self-reflective time of year. As the nights become longer, and the days grayer in Vancouver, we naturally start to slow down, think more and take the trip into what I like to call our spiritual basements.
As all good yogis do, it’s time to set intentions for what we want to focus on in the coming season—I joke, kind of.
A few questions to ponder:
- What have I observed in myself in the past few months? Habits? Thought patterns? Actions?
- What about myself would I like to learn more about?
- Where would I like to focus on the coming months, mind, body, spirit, all of them?
- What can I do on a daily/weekly/monthly basis to create the time/space to explore these intentions?
- Are there any affirmations, mantras, questions that I can repeat to myself to remember my intention?
My answers…
What I’ve observed in myself is the need to fix/change anything/everything— that has been my MO as of late. I mean, my whole life, if I’m being honest. As soon as I think there’s a problem, I’m already trying to figure out how to fix it. What that does, is take me out of the experience and into a place where I feel in control. As my therapist would say, there was a time in my life that was needed—but not anymore.
What I’d like to focus on is feeling more, doing less about it. Meaning, I’d like to take this coming season to quite simply feel all that shows up in my heart and mind and not do anything about it; not calling someone to talk about it, not coming up with strategies to make it “better” and lastly not thinking of how I can get out of the feeling.
Whew. This a big one —at least pour Moi. What’s showing up for you?
The practice I’ll do on a daily basis is to put my hands on my heart, close my eyes, take a few deep breaths and ask myself, “How do you feel?” I’m going to set a calendar reminder so that I remember. Every week, I’d like to pick a few tarot cards and see what prompts show up. I’ve (re)fallen in love with my Osho cards.
I intend to learn more about who I am when I’m not trying to do. Who I am when I focus on feeling.
If you’re looking for me this coming season, just look down. I’ll be on the ground rolling around in a big sweater, feeling all the feelings, which may involve crying, smiling, making strange animal noises and daydreaming. Feel free to join me; I always love company.
In other news…
Vancouver family, I’m also thrilled to be offering a weekly class at One Yoga on Mondays at 4 PM. I’d love to see you there.
My weekly recommendations:
- Beginners – A wonderful sweet movie.
- Tending the Heart Fire by Shiva Rea – A wonderful book all about rituals for the seasons.
- Bag of Bones – A playlist I created
If you have any questions about training, poses, or anything else related to yoga, you can email me, post in the Facebook Group, or write us a review on the apps and we’ll gift you a month of yoga!
Sending love and a virtual hug,
Clara.
New Yoga Class: Tinker Tailor
As we prepare for the coming of autumn, it’s a great time to slow down and assess what we’re working on within our bodies and minds. This class will be split into two parts – Asana and pranayama.
We’ll start with a 30-minute vinyasa practice. The latter 30 minutes will be spent doing breathwork, mantra and meditation.
Props recommended: 2 blocks, 1 bolster.
For September, our theme is “Everything but the kitchen sink.” There will be a variety of classes to give you a little bit of everything so that by the end of the month, we’ll have covered all the things – yoga poses, breathwork, mantra, meditation and philosophy.
Here’s the link to the Spotify playlist for this class.
22 Prompts to Navigate Your Darkness
The Equinox Retreat is just days away!
We’ve created a little Autumn Equinox Guide with recipes, prompts, and content to support you as we transition into the colder, darker months.
Download this eBook if you want to supplement your yoga practice.
We’ve included information about the Equinox, interviews with Ayurvedic Therapists, some of my favourite fall recipes, and journaling prompts for you to reflect on the past year and explore what you hope to manifest in the months to come.
If you want to join us for the Equinox Retreat, here’s the schedule:
Times are in Pacific Standard Time (PST).
· LIVE morning vinyasa yoga at 6-6:30 AM.
· LIVE morning meditation at 6:30-6:45 AM.
· Optional on-demand classes (meditation & Yoga Nidra).
· Activities, recipes, and recommended virtual content.
· LIVE evening vinyasa yoga at 6-7 PM.
· LIVE closing circle at 7-7:20 PM.
Preview the Equinox Retreat Playlist—new members can join us for 7-days, free!
How To Get Back Into Your Yoga Routine
Did you disconnect from your yoga practice over summer break? It’s common (and healthy!) to put a pause on your exercise routine. Taking time off from your daily yoga practice can help you feel refreshed when you return to your mat.
If you need a little inspiration to (re)connect to the ritual of yoga, read the blog post on How To Start a Home Yoga Routine.
A brief meditation to ease you out of your workday that focuses on deeper, slower breaths, take this class on the bus, car, bike, or at home.
Studies have shown that deep breathing through activities such as yoga improves your sense of well-being. From a pilot study on the role of deep breathing on stress, “The use of deep breathing techniques has led to an effective improvement in the management of stress in daily life, and therefore, could exert positive influences on the stress conditions.”
