Celebrating the Autumnal Equinox
If you've been in the Thetford studio lately you've probably been treated to the sound of acorns pinging off the metal roof and the aluminum canoe we store outside. It sounds less like a gentle harbinger of seasonal change and more like a rather spirited attack by gleeful squirrels pitching their acorns with practiced aim.
It's the first day of Autumn and I know we collectively have a lot to say and feel about that as we head into the second run of a covid-colored fall and winter. The poem is intended to lend a little levity to that somewhat grim reality.
Our final days of Summer here in the Upper Valley carried an energy of brilliant abundance, Summer taking itself offstage with a final, showy curtain call. The gardens have been (are still) magnificent with dahlias and root vegetables. The sunsets have been breathtaking. The harvest moon the other night was heart-surgingly glorious. It all serves to bring a sense of completion, and fullness.
In simpler society, this seasonal and astrological shift of the Autumnal Equinox meant taking stock of the harvest, turning inward, and preserving resources and energy for the colder months ahead. If you've been in class with me this week you've heard me talk about that, and holding these ideas of rest and renewal, of balance of light and dark, effort and ease as we sit in meditation, practice pranayama, flow postures together, and find stillness in restorative poses. I'll continue to explore these themes in Thursday's outside flow class, and Sunday's class as well.
In crafting a class around these themes, I ask myself: how, with yoga, can we connect to that innate wisdom of the natural world? How can we express these seemingly opposite energies—light and dark, giving and receiving, sthira and sukha—through meditation, the breath, the movement of the body, the stillness of rest. I gravitate toward poses that explore right/left balance in sidebending poses, twisting poses and hip opening/grounding. "Nadi Shodana"—also called the nerve cleansing breath—is the pranayama practice of alternative nostril breathing, which does balance the nervous system, and also helps with scattered, disintegrated mental states by engaging and balancing left and right hemispheres of the brain.
I hope that as we move out of Summer and into Fall you can find ways to nourish balance in your own life. It's a lovely time to hunker down and hibernate, but if we retreat too completely, we lose connection and vitality. Yoga is an effective tool for staying engaged and in community (whether online or in person) while still recognizing the need for rest and renewal.
Happy Fall!
FREE WEEKLY CLASS! A new Perk for Members
Coming in October: Handstand Journey Series with Becky
When you become an Unlimited Member at UVY for $110 a month, you receive a couple of new freebie perks. The first is a free month of YOGA NOW and the second is one free pre-recorded class each week! You don’t even need to sign up for these—if you are a member, you will see the live "view recording" link on the calendar. When possible, these freebies will be uploaded for the whole month (as September is) so that you can actually access the recording anytime that month, from the calendar, not just on the day that the class is listed. You will see these classes listed on the calendar for Sunday, noon, but remember, you can access the class anytime you want.
Read more about membership here.
