“Pure thoughts, pure actions.” –Lailah Gifty Akita
Weekly Focus: Saucha (purity)
The rains of Spring help to clean + wash away, while nourishing + stimulating the seeds of life. We look to find purity in our daily lives, letting the waters of our mind run clear. The quote says it all. “Pure thoughts, pure actions.” If only it were as simple as that. It is a practice though, remember. Our thoughts do drive our actions. Have you ever had a thought + found it difficult to not reveal this thought through your body language? A distracted mind is in disarray. So often our thoughts are consumed with the material — that tiktok video we watched, that obnoxious news story we read, an upcoming deadline, some recent gossip — what happens when we take the time to set these thoughts aside for awhile + focus on something truly important to us? The more focus we bring to our values, the more action we may want to create, the more growth we may impart. The honey bee is so productive because it is so focused on it’s purpose. To collect nectar, to store the nectar + begin the process of nectar to honey, creating stores for times when nectar is unavailable. It can accomplish so much, all the while, benefiting other plants + animals through cross pollination — creating a ripple. What inspiration can we take from the honey bee?
Passive Pose of the Week: Mrigasana (deer pose)
Release something stagnant as you get into the hips + the belly with this twisty fold. We come into deer pose from what is sometimes called, a “cheer sit” (middle school memories for some). Essentially, while sitting, we situate both of our knees are 90 degree angles, pointing in the same direction. If it is helpful, have lots of space between the legs. From this position, you can choose to fold forward in front of your shin for a “pigeon-like” stretch OR, rotate you chest towards the back of your mat (same direction as the knees) and lower down into a twist. Either way is perfect. Both positions are excellent for creating space in the body. A twist will help to activate your digestion + stimulate an internal heat. The fold, while also massage the digestive organs, will open up the hips, a place that some say store our emotions. As we always say, in either position focus on long slow breaths and listen to what your body is saying.
Active Pose of the Week: Parivrtta Trikonasana (revolved pyramid pose)
A deep twist to flush out your insides (eeeek) and perhaps some other stucky stuff. From pyramid pose, we add in a great big twist! Don’t let this pose fool you, it can be quite tricky! We love to practice revolved pyramid with a block under the hand. The block helps to provide more space for the spine to stay long + rotate open. This will allow the breath to flow with more ease + and help to keep the hips level. As you pull open with your chest, let your feet press down to help stabilize you. Check-in with that top shoulder, if it feels knotted up reaching towards the ceiling, try bring a hand to your waist or low-back. There is nothing up there to grab anyways, so why overdo it?