Autumn Offerings
The Season of Letting Go…….
The Seasonal Mantra
I trust the process of letting go. In my stillness, I am whole. I am safe, I am stable, I am here.
March is the month of the Equinox. The balance between day & night. As the season shifts and the air cools its natural to feel a little scattered, unmoored. In yogic tradition this is the time of Vata (the wind)….
Meditation: The Great Exhale (Maharaja Pranayama)
As the trees release their leaves to conserve energy for winter, use this season to practice releasing our burdens.
Find a quiet space and when your ready sitting or laying down on your mat, emphasise a long, steady inhale filling the lungs and then a long steady exhale…. even make it audible… AAAAHHHHGGG. helping shift the nervous system from fight or flight to rest and digest.
Inhale the cool, the clarity, the gold.
Exhale the heat , the weight of all you cannot hold.
Chakra Support: Grounding the Base Root Chakra (Muladhara). In Autumn, we focus on Finding Stability in a changing world. As the air cools and the wind picks up, we use grounding poses and Earth-energy practices to feel safe, secure, and deeply rooted in ourselves. We also focus on the lungs with mindful breathing to find balance amidst the changing weather.
Yoga Poses: The Rooted Soul -
Sukhasana (Easy Seat) - Hands on knees, palms down grounding;
Cat/Cow & Childs Pose - Forehead to touch the Earth or a Block/Pillow/Prop;
Tadasana to Warrior 1 - Grounding, gaze steady;
Vrksasana (Tree Pose) - The Ultimate Rooted Pose;
Malasana (Yogic Squat) - Getting close to the Earth, Remain Active, Open Heart;
Savasana (Corpse Pose) - Let the Earth take your full weight…
Autumn to Winter Solstice - Join the Wholesome Way Sanctuary to receive my gentle check-in delivered to your inbox every Sunday. These reflections are my way of walking beside you as the days grow shorter, helping you find the light within as the sun sets earlier.
Poetry for the Soul - May my roots go deep, so my heart can you high !
It takes a lot of courage to stay in front of the mirror when often your instinct is to look away.
Try this sequence tomorrow morning. Think of it as your first pose of the day.
Stand with your feet hip-width apart, feeling the floor.
The Mantra- I am standing in a body that knows how to keep me upright.
Take one deep breath, expanding your ribs. Notice that your skin expands and contracts perfectly to accommodate your life force.
Instead of scanning for problems (the puffiness, the lines), lock eyes with your own pupils.
The Mantra - I am the witness, not the reflection.
As you apply your moisturizer or even just wash your face, do it with the same reverence you’d use to handle a sacred candle or a sleeping child.
Gently cup hands over your eyes , Soften your jaw, Smooth the forehead…and state….
May these eyes continue to see the beauty in myself and all of life that surrounds me…
May these facial lines be the evidence of my laughter the stories of my life and the strength of my spirit..
I release the worry of what the world expects of me.
My face is a map of my survival and my joy. I refuse to apologize for the passage of time. I am not a problem to be solved; I am a life to be lived.
These are the grooves where
my life experiences have settled…
This is our morning Yoga Metta directed at the one person we often forget to include in our circle of compassion, OURSELVES…
