Fall Equinox
Surrender to your own goodness... when that fails, surrender to what is.
Greetings Beautiful Souls,
Yes here I am again, checking in with you on the first day of Fall. Did you see the last full moon of summer a couple weeks ago? The harvest moon was gigantic! That week was also the beginning of Mercury retrograde. There’s no planet with a bigger—or more dreaded—retrograde reputation than Mercury, that's for sure. Mishaps, havoc, confusion, and delays sound familiar? But I read a very interesting article in Yoga Journal that helped me a lot. What if we approached this planetary movement from another perspective? What if, as a teacher, Mercury retrograde has an intention that is actually far different than the narrative that’s been created? What if it asks that we simply sink in and access the wisdom it offers? Read the full article here. And no worries, it only lasts three weeks and we are well on our way to coming out October 1st!
Yoga Playshop with Props
Sunday, October 23
12pm to 2pm
$35
We work enough, right? Come play! Learn helpful techniques, improve your yoga poses, and have fun at this yoga playshop!
After a bit of foam rolling and warm-up, we will jump right into using yoga props to support our poses in news ways; accessing greater freedom and better alignment in poses like:
- Downward dog
- Chaturanga dandasana or low push-up
- Upward-facing dog
- Twists
- Inversions
We will play hard, so some yoga experience will make it more fun!** Playshop ends with delicious relaxation and guided meditation to fill your creativity cup. Fresh herbal tea will be served to fill your actual cup, so please bring your own mug.
**If you are new to yoga- our next workshop will be for you, please stay tuned!
Tuesday & Thursday 11am
Gentle Yoga
Sunday 10:30am
Flow Yoga
My yoga classes are for everyone. Join me live in the studio or on zoom. Register
here and I will see you on the mat!
Food Corner...
Right now Florida avocados are in season and they are creamy and delicious! But, because they’re lower in fat than Hass, treat them differently. For toast and guacamole, “don’t whip it to death,” advises farmer Margie Pikarsky of Bee Heaven Farm. “Make it chunky. It will be nuttier, creamier and lighter.”
Easy Ways to Enjoy Florida Avocados
Obviously there's guacamole and avocado toast. Here are some fresh preparations tips:
• Cut it in half and grill it with a squirt of lime
• Make an avocado smoothie: add a touch of yogurt, some honey and passion fruit
• Add slices to a Caprese salad
• Serve eggs with avocado, cheese & sprouts
• Combine sliced avo, grapefruit segments and spinach for a surprisingly successful salad combo
Favorite Place to Buy Florida Avocados
Skip the big chain stores and connect with your community, local farmers and vendors at a nearby farmer's market. Check out your neighborhood, or visit the amazing folks at Urban Oasis Project who have markets throughout Miami
The more you know ...
Build your yoga practice from strong foundations by including a little yoga philosophy. The physical exercises and breathing techniques were designed to keep the body strong and healthy so the practitioner could more easily reach for the deeper aspects of yoga.
In fact, the yoga postures or asanas are step three of eight on the path of Yoga. The first 2 steps are super important and have everything to do with how you navigate the world, and how you conduct yourself personally.
Take the very first ethic in yoga, part 1 of the 1st step- nonviolence or ahimsa. The yogi must try to live without harming themselves or others with their thoughts, words or actions. So the Western notion of "no pain, no gain" makes less sense. Add the next part satya or truthfulness, and see the foundation set for a safe, measured practice, free of injury from aggressive thoughts or "pushing it" too hard. Meeting yourself instead, without expectations, just as you are today, present and open to the moment.
That was the idea, that you understood and were trying to practice the fundamental ethics of a yogi- many of these will sound familiar:
1st Step
- non violence
- be truthful
- don't steal
- don't be greedy
- self-control
2nd Step
- purity
- contentment
- effort (with vigor!)
- self-study (but really, READ things that inspire you)
- surrender to God (Goddess/Universe/Highest, wisest Self/whatever idea of a higher power that works for you
To go further into these first two steps of Yoga, I recommend reading
Yoga of the Heart: Ten Ethical Principles for Gaining Limitless Growth, Confidence, and Achievement by Alice Christensen. She speaks plainly and has great stories and examples. This book helped me make sense of some very esoteric concepts. I wish I'd found it earlier, but I'm pretty sure I wasn't ready to read it then.
Inspiration
I will leave you with this amazing, inspirational acceptance speech by Sheryl Lee Ralph when she won the Emmy for
Abbott Elementary.
Did you catch it? This is a must see for everyone, and for anyone who has ever had a dream- check it out!
It is not happy people who are grateful, but grateful people who are happy. Until next time friends, keep practicing and laughing!
EQUINOX blessings to us all,
Diana
