Yoga

Nature is often the wisest teacher. Observing our personal growth, both with awe, and without judgment, can reveal the true beauty of transformation.

Winter offers us the invitation to slow down, ground, and turn inward after the busy and mobile summer and fall.

Vata season is associated with autumn. Just as we see the wind blowing the colored leaves down to earth, the qualities of air and ether become dominant in our constitution. Leading up to the vata season, now is a perfect time to start changing routines and modifying yoga sequences.

“Nunca sabes lo fuerte que eres, hasta que ser fuerte es la única opción” – Bob Marley

Seeking balance can be a fickle thing, and finding the right time to tap into our power to move forward versus surrendering and letting go can be challenging. The concept of yin and yang dates from the third century BCE in Chinese philosophy and is the idea that all things exist as inseparable and contradictory opposites that attract and complement each other.

We all have a well of inner strength and power available to us. At times, it is easy to feel at mercy to life’s circumstances and can feel difficult to access this innate resilience and inner power during challenges. Fortunately, there are practices and rituals that can help us stay centered and stoke this inner fire, so you stay grounded and steady amidst life’s changing tides. This yoga sequence is designed to help you tap into your inner well of strength so you can confidently move forward no matter what life throws your way.

Although the origins of mudras are not known, they have been around for thousands of years and have appeared in many different religious and spiritual traditions. The word mudra comes from the Sanskrit word: mud, which means bliss, and dra, which means dissolving. So, the word mudra literally means dissolving into bliss. It is also translated as a gesture, or an attitude used to create a circuit of energy in the body. Mudras can be performed with the hands, the head, the perineum, and even through specific shapes created with our entire body. In modern day yoga and meditation, we are most familiar with hand mudras.

"I dreamed I was a butterfly, flitting around in the sky; then I awoke. Now I wonder: Am I a man who dreamt of being a butterfly, or am I a butterfly dreaming that I am a man?" - Zhuangzi

Following our own dharma takes courage. On the one hand it is deeply fulfilling and meaningful, and on the other hand it challenges us to overcome our limiting beliefs. Self-awareness and growth, again and again, are an essential part of the path. Obstacles appear, and we must figure out new ways to overcome them. Yoga gives us tools to find our inner strength and gain self-trust as we walk life’s path. Through the eight limbs of yoga, including asana (postures), we can continue to cultivate hope, inner peace, and resilience. Here are three postures that help us reconnect to our everlasting reservoir of inner strength.