April 2017 Newsleter

Welcome to April!  At last the sun has come out to play and linger longer.  For me, that means I get an extra walk or two in at deep lake because I can get there before dark! 

Have you noticed everything emerging from the ground? The grass is growing, the daffodils are blooming, even the trees are beginning to unfold their leaves.  There is a softening from the cold, dreariness of winter.  Thank goodness!

Softening and unfolding is what this month's theme, the Heart Chakra, Anahata, is all about. Anahata means, unstruck or unhurt in sanskrit.  It's about being softly open and receptive without the fear of getting hurt.  The challenge of the heart chakra is to move past the defenses we have put in place because of past hurts and disappointments and instead be open and receptive to what is unfolding now.

            Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek 
            and find all the barriers within yourself that you have
            built against it. - Rumi

In yoga we can practice softening, opening and unfolding in our asanas, postures. Inviting ourselves to relax our eyes and jaw or to hold our pose softer. When a challenging pose is suggested, can we approach it without judgement, without the frustration or disappointment we have had in the past and instead approach the pose in this moment of time, open and receptive to whatever it has to offer.  Can we do our asanas without forcing, instead think of them as unfolding. 

Using the strength of our practice on the mat, can we bring those same ideas to our life?

I invite you to join me to explore these ideas this month.  Even if you can't get to class this month, try to take some time out for yourself, walk in nature, and witness the unfolding happening all around you.

Dive Deep to Ascend!
Andrea