Even though it is almost 90 degrees where I live in central Virginia, we have now officially transitioned into early Fall. If you cannot yet feel it in the temperature, you can see it in the colors of everything around you. What was lush and green a few weeks ago has started to turn yellow. Aptly, this is the color of this time of year, the color of the stomach and spleen meridians, our digestive organs, the Earth Element.
Personally, this is one of my favorite times of year. It could have something to do with the fact that I am a Virgo and so I feel quite at home between the end of August and early September. And it definitely has something to do with the sense of groundedness that comes with Earth Element.
This is the season of the harvest, the gathering in of all that has been produced the rest of the year. It is a time of year correlated with nourishment and abundance. The energy of earth is that of rich, ripe stillness. This season can be a time of great fulfillment, if we have planted our seeds well. On the other hand, if we have not put anything away for the winter, it can be a time when we feel needy, desperate, disconnected and uncentered.
The Earth energy governs our ability to nourish ourselves and the cycles and rhythms of our lives. If we have any disruption of our natural cycles or with eating or digestion, this could point to an imbalance in the Earth element.
The stomach receives the food we eat and is tasked with transforming it into something that the body can use. The spleen is in charge of distributing that nourishment throughout the body. Earth energy also gives us the ability to digest ideas and process our experiences. An imbalance in Earth can lead to obsession, thinking the same thoughts over and over again in an attempt to digest something mentally.
Earth energy gives us the capacity to be grounded in reality, balanced and stable. Ultimately, it is about being at home in oneself. Then, out of this calm and nourished center, we can feel sympathy and compassion for all life and a desire to care for all of creation.
We hope you will enjoy some of our recommended classes and update news this early fall.
With grounded compassion,
Sincerely,
Sara Agelasto
Standing Poses with Senior Teacher Bobby Clennell- Grounding Standing Poses with Bobby Clennell: When we practice the standing poses we develop strength, endurance and balance, and they help us become more aware of our posture. In this class, the emphasis is placed on alignment as we work toward a deeper understanding of the effects of these poses on the muscular and skeletal body. Bobby Clennell has several recordings in our Download Store which include illustrated handouts of the Sequence of Poses. Listen to a sample recordings and enjoy Bobby's classes Now!
New Yoga for Arthritis Recordings Coming Soon! - We spent a week this summer: recording Dr. Steffany Moonaz's Yoga for Arthritis Level I Teacher Training Intensive. We are SO excited to share some clips from the week with you! While we work on editing the files, enjoy some of Steffany's latest recordings with Yoga International on her website, Yoga for Arthritis. And Stay tuned for more recordings from this informative week-long intensive in our next newsletter!
Latest Asana Image: Prasarita Padottanasana II - Megan Bowles is a Certified Iyengar Yoga Instructor at the Intermediate Junior I level. This is a pose from her latest syllabus. We we would love to see your Asana. Create a Free Account and Contribute to the Asana Index today.
The Traditional Circle of Elders, Navajo-Hopi Joint Council from their 1982 letter to the UN General Assembly -"We are nourished by our Mother the Earth from whom all life springs. We must understand her dependence, and protect her with our love, respect and ceremonies. The faces of our future generations are looking up to us from the earth, and we step with great care not to disturb our grandchildren. We are part of the great cycle of life with four seasons and endless renewal as long as we abide by this absolute law. When we disturb this cycle by interfering with elements, changing or destroying species of life, the effects may be immediate or may fall upon our children who will suffer and pay for our ignorance and greed."
Standing Poses: Upright and Inverted - The standing poses and the inverted poses are the foundations of asana practice. These are the poses that are presented and emphasized for the first several years of practice and longer. Listen to weekly recorded live yoga classes with Senior Iyengar Yoga Teacher. More previously unreleased recorded Levels II, II-III, III and Pranayama classes are available now. Download Standing Poses: Upright and Inverted and John's current collection of classes Now!
Standing On Your Own Two Feet: Karma Yoga Class with Kate Zuckerman - Standing on Your Own Two Feet: An Exploration of Standing Poses. Lay the foundations for an intelligent and dynamic yoga practice with this class on standing poses, taught creatively from the ground up. This practice is appropriate for all levels, from brand-new beginners to advanced students seeking to deepen their understanding of some of the most practiced postures in the yoga tradition. Enjoy this Standing Pose class with Kate Zuckerman Now!
Did You Know You Can Search Our Classes by Your Favorite Pose? Visit our Asana Index and Find Classes with Your Favorite Poses! Or click on the poses in the pose list associated with each class and find other classes with your favorite poses!
Latest Yoga Studio: Iyengar Yoga Institute of Central Pennsylvania - Directed by Senior Iyengar Yoga Teachers, Dean & Rebecca Lerner, IYICP is Yoga taught in the method of Shri B.K.S.Iyengar, world renowned master of Yoga. The Center's Yoga studio is well equipped with various props and equipment to help enrich your experience of Yoga. Learn More About the Iyengar Yoga Institute of Central Pennsylvania Now! Would you like to advertise your studio? Create a Free Account and Add Your Studio on iHanuman Now!
Latest Yoga Teacher: Lisa Whitmer - Lisa is a Billings, Montana native who spent 21 years in the San Francisco Bay Area where she was immersed in various yoga trainings and practices with top instructors from the region and the nation. Whitmer holds a Bachelors of Science in Health & human performance, has over 1,000 hours of Yoga Teacher training. Read More About Lisa... Interested in Becoming an iHanuman Yoga Teacher? Create a Free Account Now!