Let it Flow Let it Flow Let it Flow

Happy New Year! Here we are in the midst of winter (I think all my library patrons at the moment are in the Northern Hemisphere!), the holiday excitement and busyness has settled and for a while longer we've got those short daylight hours. Sooo, I'm here with a little pep talk about practice. The interwoven layers of body-mind-spirit are all nourished by yoga practice. Getting on the mat and the meditation cushion every day helps in so many ways. Some days I've got a busy schedule so I get a shorter practice...other days I've got more time. But it is clear for me that some amount of self connection through yoga practice helps keep my head on straight, my heart filled with lovingkindness and my body refreshed, strong and mobile!

An important thing to remember is that your practice meets you where you are at each day - so it will look different everyday. Note: Every Day is the key even if it's only five minutes. I'm really not joking. If you can take five minutes in the morning to sit up tall, close your eyes and take a few slow breaths - it will make a difference. Some days that may be the practice, other days you may also practice some postures, meditation and maybe some mantra. Some days nothing but a ten minute śavāsana will be the practice - and exactly what you need. Hopefully you come to see that yoga is a practice all day long - in how we connect to ourselves, each other, and how we respond to the events of our days.

The video library has a variety of practices to support you. This eight minute mindfulness practice can be used regularly and eventually you just do it without the guided recording. The section Play, Explore, Create! has some short inspirational videos to encourage you to get on your mat and explore freely. I hope you can make time at least once a week to do one of the longer classes for a full experience with detailed instruction and then play with what you find there, perhaps in bits and pieces, on your own throughout the week.

This week I have added this class Standing Balance Flow Sequence (61min). It features an exploration for understanding the position of the pelvis in posture, a flow sequence of standing postures, and some prone poses to strengthen extensor tone and improve your daily posture. We finish up the class with prānāyāma, mantra and śavāsana. Later you can try this class: Standing Balance Flow to Music (26min) - the same class but minimal instruction as I guide you through the sequence.

I hope you find some practices here that make you feel great! Be in touch - I'd love to hear how it's going and if you have any requests.

See you in the library,

Audrey