Getting Out to Go In
As I sit down to write this newsletter, it's early and pleasant, but temps today will climb once again up to around 90, so I'm mentally preparing for what has begun to feel like oppressive heat. Looking ahead to the weekend, temperature and humidity are both going to drop, making for a beautiful weekend, perfect for outside yoga. Perfect for outside anything, really.
Some of you know that I'm a passionate mountain hiker, and that I hit the Whites or Greens for a good long hike when I can, when the weather permits. I'm preparing for a trek in the Alps that begins in late August, so am trying to build miles and consistency, despite some persistent health obstacles.
These days, I find myself getting out in order to go in, in order to, well, get out. Out of the increasingly crazy news cycle, out of the oppressive heat down here closer to sea level, and out of some of my own persistent mind noise, which threatens to undermine my confidence at every turn.
I don't think it's exaggeration to say things are crazy right now. How do you give yourself a break?
Yoga is not so much an escape as an invitation back to the ground zero of being in and of the body, and remembering what it is to simply be and breathe. Maybe it's respite, more than escape. All the same crazy stuff is still out there, but we all need a break from it.
As for mountains, I've always climbed them, loved them, been renewed by the particular sensory magic that accompanies being "up there" in the clouds. And while I'm not a peak bagger I guess I am maybe a "view bagger"
.On the cusp of turning 60, I notice now that there are people significantly older than me, still hiking out there, and it comforts me to know I might still be hiking in my 80's.
I don't know what fresh crazy the news will turn up tomorrow, but I know that at any time I can roll out my mat, take a breath, begin. Just as I know I can check the weather, grab my pack, and head for the mountains.
This Saturday we will once again offer yoga outside in Thetford, if the weather holds, if enough folks sign up. No local hike beforehand this time as I am planning a long hike on Friday so Saturday will be a rest day. I hope you can join me for outside yoga where we will move in a moderate way, take in the lovely morning air, drop into the inner world, and head into the weekend feeling more clear, more grounded. Note too that on Sunday Natasha will be teaching her popular restorative class, a deeply nourishing experience for the body, the nervous system and the heart.S
tay cool, everyone.
