Summer Break – NO CLASSES June 17-21

Summer Series June 24-August 16

8 weeks $160, $25 for individual classes

The Sun, Moon, and Me

At this moment, sitting and writing, I hear the birds chirping through the windows. The sun is in and out as clouds pass in front of its light.

Next week, on Friday, June 20, at 9:42 pm is the Summer Solstice when the tilt of the Earth on its axis brings us closest to the sun and for a few moments, the longest day of sunlight. Then the days begin to gradually shorten towards the Winter Solstice in December.

The thought of the earth rotating around the sun and at the same time a continual tilting towards and away from the sun as the earth rotates every 24 hours, causing day and night, seasons of the year, temperatures up and down!! That is a big picture of what’s going on as I sit in my familiar, still, and quiet home listening to the birds AND contemplating all this Intelligence happening!

Recently, I chose to face an issue that I kept putting off. Mostly because I didn’t think I could do it, and thinking about it made me feel panic and a feeling of shrinking inside, feeling small and afraid. I told myself I wanted to have a good outcome, no matter what I decided.

I had to face some negative self-talk and ask for help, which I got a little! Remembering I wanted a good outcome, I moved forward and, with some tears and hand wringing, accomplished my goal. The emotion was strong, so I didn’t feel so much relief as I felt big. I felt more open and my world bigger because I faced an inner demon of self-doubt. I want to keep feeling big and my world big and not limited by newness, the unfamiliar, the unknown, and fear.

There is so much written in the Yoga texts about Surya, the Sun, and Chandra, the Moon, and how they each have their own energies that affect and influence our lives inwardly and outwardly. There are asanas, ( Surya Namaskar, Sun Salutations, Ardha Chandrasana/Half Moon),  and pranayama practices, (Surya Bhedana, Chandra Bedana ) as examples of these forces of energy. Our yoga practices help us explore our inner universe towards self-knowledge and self-understanding. The teachings of Yoga tell us we are the living microcosm of the great Macrocosm all around us. And that our outer world reflects our inner world. So we are fortunate to have practices that guide and support us to continually grow from the inside out.

Vedic Mantra from the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad

Lead me from the unreal to the Real;

Lead me from darkness to light;

Lead me from death to immortality.

See you soon in class.

Much Love, Lou