Jerry and I spent this afternoon putting the yard, pool, garden and outdoor furniture to bed for the winter. It's a ritual we do every year and marks the change in seasons from summer into fall. One year we didn't cover the pool or the furniture, didn't trim back the roses....we didn't even rake the leaves....I think we were busy with three babies or something. Boy did we regret not taking care of business in the fall, we had to stare out at the mess all winter and it took a lot longer to get everything back in order for the next summer in the spring. The lessons of Ayurveda teach us a similar lesson, to pay attention to the changes in nature and take care of business to maintain our health, our strength and the balance in our lives. As we enter Vata season, characterized by the dry, cool, windy, mobile, scattered qualities of autumn, you might notice similar changes in your body and mind such as dry skin, cold extremities, insomnia or your mind feeling more scattered like the wind. Just as nature begins to draw in and conserve energy, as the days begin to grow darker, we need to turn inward, slow down and warm ourselves inside and out. Welcome the opportunity to rest, to turn inward and to connect to your daily rituals that draw you into the presence of your life. Draw your attention to the weight of your feet on the ground, the warmth of the tea mug in your hand and the luxurious exhale of your breath. Respect your natural urge to slow down this time of year. In Yoga class, we will be focusing on the stability and grounding of our standing postures while paying attention to the point of contact our bodies make with the floor. We will cultivate strength and stability in our feet and legs as we calm our minds with long, slow exhales in our breath. I will offer monthly Restorative Yoga classes specifically designed to comfort, soothe, warm and ground during the Vata season. Noticing and learning from nature is one of my many lessons learned from Ayurveda and Yoga.
With warmth,
Deanna
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Speak this to yourself until you know it is true. I believe that I woke up today and my lungs were working, miraculously, my voice can sing and murmur and ask, miraculously. My hands may shake, but they can hold me, or another. My blood still carries the gifts of the air from my heart to my brain, miraculously. Put a finger to my wrist or my temple And feel it: I am magic. Life and all its good and bad and ugly things scary things which I would like to forget beautiful things which I would like to remember -- the whole messy lovely true story of myself pulses within me. I believe that the sun shines if not here, then somewhere. Somewhere it rains, and things will grow green and wonderful. Somewhere inside me, too, it rains, and things will grow green and wonderful. Sometimes my insides rain from the inside out. And then I know I am alive I am alive I am alive -Eve L. Ewing