Capricorn || The Sea Goat || Intuition in Action || True Vocation

From December 21 to January 19 the Sun passes through the Zodiac sign of Capricorn, symbolized since Babyonian times by the Sea Goat.  The Sea Goat is an interesting mythological creature, half goat and half fish, connected to the Babylonian god Enki.  

The goat side of the Sea Goat is able to climb the tallest mountains with tenacity to overcome obstacles and achieve material success.  Capricorn is known for being steadfast, persevering, and ambitious and is the natural ruler of the astrological 10th house which points to one’s vocation, career, and mission in life.  

Vocation is fulfilled by connecting with a societal need and taking steps to meet that need.  When done well, society labels it “success.”  

The watery Sea-side of Capricorn is intuitive and creative, able to swim down into the depths of one’s soul and tap into the wellspring of Being.  This oft forgotten spiritual aspect of Capricorn can remind us of what it means to find a true vocation which is far more than just outer worldly success.  

A true vocation is inspired and informed by an intuitive connection to Source Consciousness.   

As the Sun passes through Capricorn we’re invited to remember:

• To listen deeply for instructions from the Vijnanamaya Kosha, the Wisdom/Intuitive Layer of our Being.

• To let our thoughts, words, actions, and interactions with others be guided by our own personal North Star (Wisdom/Intuition).

• To take actionable steps to bring our intiutively inspired visions into reality.

• To stay connected to Being as we do our daily work in the world.

The reflections in this week’s recordings integrate intuition, imagination and vocation.

Capricorn:  Intuition in Action   36 min. Vinyasa Flow Sequence  (suggested Spotify playlist is in the Vimeo description that you’ll see once you click the link.)
https://vimeo.com/660925977/8c9c75fc13

Capricorn:  The Wise Elder   29 min. Yoga Nidra with Gentle yoga prep  (suggested Spotify playlist is in the Vimeo description that you’ll see once you click the link.)
https://vimeo.com/660922708/12480632b5

*****
These recordings are offered for free.  If you enjoy them and know someone else who would like them too, please forward this email :-)

If you’re able and would like to make a $1-$5 love offering/recording, many thanks!

Paypal =  shalarain@gmail.com

Venmo = @Shala-Worsley
*****

Capricorn ||  Saturn  ||  The Wise Elder

Capricorn’s ruling planet is Saturn, the Archetypal Wise Elder.  To the ancients, before the discovery of the outer planets in our solar system, Saturn was the furthest planet from Earth and so represented the edge of what is known.   We call one who has reached the edge of what is known:  the Wise One.   

Saturn's rings reflect limits and boundaries.   Saturn is present in our lives as an archetype when we determine our own limits of what is possible, what is in our control.   

As the slowest moving planet at the time of its discovery, astrologically, Saturn came to be associated with longevity, time, timing, and the end (death).  For these reasons, as well as other mythological connections, Saturn is known as the Elder.

Saturn, the Wise Elder, is also associated with Wisdom that comes from a connection to that which never dies, the Eternal.  The Wise Elder knows how to be a channel for wisdom which comes from the place beyond personality, biases, likes and dislikes.  

To connect with the Wise Elder archetype, make space this Winter to receive inspiration from the Great Beyond.  And then, take the next steps.  Make a concrete plan to bring your vision down to Earth.

If you were inspired to think BIG when the Sun was going through Sagittarius, now it’s time to refine your big ideas in order to make your dreams come true.  

Capricorn wants us to reevaluate our big dream and make it a reality by being practical, persevering and simultaneously cognizant that  “life is but a dream.” 

Preparing for a new year is a great time to set some SMART goals, possibly related to your wildest dreams.  (SMART goals are:  Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Time-lined.)

It’s been a pleasure to be with you virtually this year. Thanks for following along.  Let’s keep practicing together in 2022!

Love, 

Shala

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Winter: A time for DOWN and IN

Happy Winter Solstice to all those in the Northern Hemisphere!

Last Sunday evening I joined a beautiful outdoor Winter Solstice event.  All those gathered held sparkling lanterns.  A myth was shared and then we walked around the lake near Warren Wilson College, so we could be reminded of the coming light in the now lengthening days. 

As a bonus, while we were walking, we got to watch the full moon rise over the nearby mountaintop and shine its mirror image onto the lake below.  It was a dose of magical realism that I’ve been missing and craving lately.  This Winter Solstice fairy lantern walk is gonna be an annual thing, so keep your ear out for it next year.

Two phrases stood out to me from the myth that was told. 

Summer is the time for UP and OUT.

Winter is the time for DOWN and IN.

DOWN and IN is exactly where we’re going with the recorded practices this week as we embody the Earth element's downward and inward qualities.

During Vata times (fall/winter/seasonal change; elder years; times of uncertainty and change) it’s important to strengthen the Earth element with our food, lifestyle, and movement choices.

Earth element is dense, heavy, and slow to change. 

It counteracts the qualities of excessive Air and Space which accompany Vata disturbances.

Vata imbalance is more likely during the holidays when there is excessive movement and rushing around, when our schedules are different than usual, and this year especially when we have new Covid fears with the Omicron varant and all the associated unknowns.

Join me for these recordings in which we’ll practice the art of holding still, on purpose, in a relaxed, alert way.  My hope is that these sequences will help us all finish this year feeling grounded, relaxed, and more secure.
 

Earth Element:    35 min. Standing Sequence  (suggested Spotify playlist is in the Vimeo description that you’ll see once you click the link.)
https://vimeo.com/659061268/e4588ec3db

Earth Element:   33 min. Gentle, Restorative, Yin sequence  (suggested Spotify playlist is in the Vimeo description that you’ll see once you click the link.)
https://vimeo.com/659065710/9068fd84f1

*****
These recordings are offered for free.  If you enjoy them and know someone else who would like them too, please forward this email :-)

If you’re able and would like to make a $1-$5 love offering/recording, many thanks!

Paypal =  shalarain@gmail.com

Venmo = @Shala-Worsley
*****

Love,
Shala

If you'd like to receive these emails/recordings when I send them out, click this link to subscribe.

Asteya: Non-stealing, Trustworthiness

“On being firmly established in honesty, all gems present themselves.” 


This is a fun riddle regarding Asteya, offered in a translation of Patanjali's Yoga Sutras by Swami Satyananda Saraswati.
 

Asteya is one of the 5 yogic ethics which make up Yama, the first limb of Raja Yoga. Yamas are 5 ways to be nice, and being a good person is the foundation of the yogic path.


Asteya is the practice of becoming a trustworthy person, a person whose word can be counted upon. When others sense that someone is a person of integrity, then they will entrust them with their resources. Wealth will flow to them. Gems present themselves in the form of good quality people, material resources, and joy.


Sutras have layers of meaning and many ways they can be translated and interpreted. Swami Satchidananda offers this slightly different translation of Patanjali's sutra 2.37: "To one firmly established in non-stealing all wealth comes."

What does it mean to be “established in non-stealing?”  And what does Patanjali mean by “all wealth comes?”  That part of the riddle sure is attention getting!
 

The impetus to steal comes from an attitude of “not enough.”  If Asteya is the opposite of that, then Asteya is the practice of adopting a mindset of abundance, plenty.  When we bathe our minds with the feeling that we have plenty, then we feel wealthy (“all wealth comes”).

Rather than stewing on what we don’t have, Asteya asks us to direct our attention to gems that might be hidden from our awareness by a mind typically clouded by thoughts of what's lacking.  To practice the ethic of Asteya, we can examine our thought loops throughout the course of our days and weed out unhelpful thoughts related to lack, not enough.

Next, rather than focusing on what we don’t have or what someone else has that we might be tempted to take, we turn our attention to what we DO have.  

If the spotlight of our awareness focuses on what we DO have for long enough, it can fill us with a sense of having plenty.  Having plenty = wealth and abundance.

To one established in a mindset of PLENTY/ABUNDANCE, a sense of wealth is obtained.

Today’s pre-recorded practices incorporate reflections on a few ways we might tend to steal without realizing it.  Hint:  How do we steal time from those close to us, dignity from a person we don't know well, or resources from future generations?  

Asteya:    28 min. Vinyasa Flow  (suggested Spotify playlist is in the Vimeo description that you’ll see once you click the link.)
https://vimeo.com/656660146/056562d496
 

Asteya:   30 min. Gentle, Restorative, Yin sequence  (suggested Spotify playlist is in the Vimeo description that you’ll see once you click the link.)
https://vimeo.com/656663451/dcc3254067

*****
These recordings are offered for free.  If you enjoy them and know someone else who would like them too, please forward this email :-)

If you’re able and would like to make a $1-$5 love offering/recording, many thanks!

Paypal =  shalarain@gmail.com

Venmo = @Shala-Worsley
*****

Love,
Shala

If you'd like to receive these emails/recordings when I send them out, click this link to subscribe.

Prana Dharana

Where your attention goes, energy flows.

This common phrase has roots in the tradition of yoga.  It’s mirrored in the Sanskrit phrase from the 13th century Vashista Samhita:  Drishti Manaha Prana.  

Drishti = vision, internal or external gaze

Manaha = focus, mind, attention

Prana =  Vital life force, pranic intelligence

To put this phrase into practice, yogis use a technique known as Prana Dharana, a yogic concentration method which amplifies prana.

The flow of prana through the nadis (subtle energy channels) and marmas (vital energy points) can be enhanced through the practice of concentration.  The following steps can be used during a yoga practice to increase the energetic benefits of each pose by waking up the innate intelligence of the body, thereby stimulating its self-regulating capacity.

First, choose a yoga pose that creates a stretch sensation in the area of a particular pathway or point in the body.  

Next, breathe along or into that specific pathway or point.  

When the mind is more calm and focused, attune your attention to more subtle sensations.  What is there to be noticed?  What is the most subtle sensation that can be noticed along that pathway or point location?  By attuning our attention deeply to these energetic pathways and points, we wake up the body’s innate intelligence and capacity for moving toward homeostasis.  

Here are two recorded practices which incorporate Prana Dharana (spoiler alert:  we do prana dharana  in ALL the practices; it'll feel familiar.):

Prana Dharana:   31 min. Vinyasa Flow  (suggested Spotify playlist is in the Vimeo description that you’ll see once you click the link.)
https://vimeo.com/654640587/e5fc142c4c

Prana Dharana:  42 min. Gentle, Restorative, Yin sequence  (suggested Spotify playlist is in the Vimeo description that you’ll see once you click the link.)
https://vimeo.com/654643970/4992bec726

*****
These recordings are offered for free.  If you enjoy them and know someone else who would like them too, please forward this email :-)

If you’re able and would like to make a $1-$5 love offering/recording, many thanks!

Paypal =  shalarain@gmail.com

Venmo = @Shala-Worsley
*****

We'll be practicing prana dharana throughout the Chakra & Marma workshop I'm offering virtually through the Asheville Yoga Center March 25-27, 2022.  All are welcome; you don't need to be a yoga teacher or in the 300-hr training to participate. Please join me! To register:  https://www.youryoga.com/events/

Love,
Shala

If you'd like to receive these emails/recordings when I send them out, click this link to subscribe.

Think BIG!

What's possible?  And, how have I been underestimating myself?  These are the questions that astrologer Steven Forrest encourages us to ask during Sagittarian times.  
 

Jupiter, the ruling planet of Sagittarius, is the largest planet in our solar system.  Jupiter and Sagittarius are archetypes of expansion, optimism, and buoyancy. 

When they are active in our lives, we’re motivated to question unnecessary limitations, to think BIG, to dream the impossible dream, and to move toward that which brings us JOY.  

The all important reality check comes later with Capricorn, when Saturn’s rulership takes over.  But for now while the Sun passes through Sagittarius, it’s fun to take the attitude that the sky’s the limit!

I had Jupiter and Sag in mind when I made this week’s recordings.  Here are the links:
 

Sagittarius/Jupiter:  43 min. Vinyasa Flow  (suggested Spotify playlist is in the Vimeo description that you’ll see once you click the link.)
https://vimeo.com/651676637/2b8e4927ab

Sagittarius/Jupiter:  47 min. Gentle, Restorative, Yin sequence  (suggested Spotify playlist is in the Vimeo description that you’ll see once you click the link.)
https://vimeo.com/651713653/5fb928c6dd

*****
These recordings are offered for free.  If you enjoy them and know someone else who would like them too, please forward this email :-)

If you’re able and would like to make a $1-$5 love offering/recording, many thanks!

Paypal =  shalarain@gmail.com

Venmo = @Shala-Worsley
*****

Dec. 4, 2021, Solar Eclipse in Sagittarius

This week there will be a total Solar Eclipse in Sagittarius on Saturday, December 4, 2021.  Solar eclipses tend to herald beginnings, a fresh start, a new chapter.  What area of your life is being impacted by this eclipse?  Where might you see some refreshing change?  Look to the house in your natal chart ruled by Sagittarius.  Or email me with your birth information, and I’ll take a peek for you.

Love,
Shala

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Agni & Soma

Happy Deep Autumn! This week’s recordings are spicy and sweet. 

Agni is spicy.  The flow recording kindles AGNI.
Soma is sweet.  The gentle recording features SOMA. 
Soma and Agni are the Vedic equivalent of yin and yang.
 

Choose the recording which brings balance to the flavor profile of your week.  Or do them back to back for an even practice.
 

Agni:  38 min. Vinyasa Flow  (suggested Spotify playlist is in the Vimeo description that you’ll see once you click the link.)
https://vimeo.com/647414757/b7eef2881a

Soma:  50 min.  Restorative & Yoga Nidra  (suggested Spotify playlist is in the Vimeo description that you’ll see once you click the link.)
https://vimeo.com/647421757/861f6bc6f7

*****
These recordings are offered for free.  If you enjoy them and know someone else who would like them too, please forward this email :-)

If you’re able and would like to make a $1-$5 love offering/recording, many thanks!

Paypal =  shala@YogaAndTheCosmos.com

Venmo = @Shala-Worsley
*****

Agni & Soma (continued)

Agni is fire.

Agni is light, lightning, the Sun.

Agni digests:  transforming food into fuel and experiences into wisdom.

Agni is heat, the flame of intelligence, and the Loving Witness.

Agni gives us will power and discipline.

Agni is the first word in the Rig Veda (the oldest of the Vedas, the longest continually used spiritual text in the world.)

Soma is water.

Soma is the Moon:  cooling, passive, receptive.

Soma is nourishing, relaxing, and grounding.

Soma sustains and comforts us.

Soma is present when we relax and enjoy life.

Soma is Bliss:  Ananda, the Sustainer of all the Realms.

When we have enough Agni, we’re warm.  Not enough Agni, we're cold. Too much Agni and we’re too hot, hot headed, agitated, easily aggravated, impatient, hyper focused, touchy, testy… you get the idea.

When we have enough Soma we’re nourished.  Not enough Soma we’re dry and brittle.  Too much Soma and we’re overwhelmed by wet emotions- sadness, melancholy, lethargy, inertia, depression.

A balanced meal will have elements of agni and soma.  A balanced asana practice will include both as well.

When agni and soma are out of balance, we can use our diet, lifestyle choices, and yoga practice to re-establish harmony.   Add a dash more agni or a pinch more soma as needed.

This week and as we move into the holiday season, what do you need?  More agni (digestive power)? More soma (nourishment)? Or both?

May we all choose wisely!  
 

Love,
Shala

If you'd like to receive these emails/recordings when I send them out, click this link to subscribe.

Satya: Is it kind? Is it true? Is it necessary?

The second Yama, yogic virtue, listed in Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras is SATYA, truthfulness.

Each ethic is meant to be expressed in a way that fully integrates the first yama on the list, which is loving kindness/non-violence. 

How to do that?  Truth can seem cutting, sharp, hurtful, unkind.

Buddhist teacher, Thich Nath Hanh, suggests the following practice.  Before making a statement that has the potential of harming another in some way, we can ask ourselves:

Is what I’m about to say kind?

Is it true?

Is it necessary?

Imagine a world in which we cared enough to mindfully consider the weight of our words before speaking them.

This week’s recordings include brief reflections on the art of kind and clear communication.  I hope you enjoy them.

Love,

Shala

Satya:   30 min. Vinyasa Flow  (suggested Spotify playlist is in the Vimeo description that you’ll see once you click the link.)
https://vimeo.com/644366726/24ab6f0395

Satya:  33 min. Gentle, Restorative, Yin  (suggested Spotify playlist is in the Vimeo description that you’ll see once you click the link.)
https://vimeo.com/644372285/cc7069d4ec

*****
These recordings are offered for free.  If you enjoy them and know someone else who would like them too, please forward this email :-)

If you’re able and would like to make a $1-$5 love offering/recording, many thanks!

Paypal =  shala@YogaAndTheCosmos.com

Venmo = @Shala-Worsley
*****

If you'd like to receive these emails/recordings when I send them out, click this link to subscribe.

Kapalabhati: Skull Shining Breath /Breath of Fire

In Sanskrit Kapala means “skull” and Bhati means “light, luster.”  This is why kapalabhati is often referred to as Skull Shining Breath.  It’s an important shatkarma, cleansing action, in the Hatha Yoga tradition.

Here’s a fun question to ponder:  Why is kapalabhati called Skull Shining breath?

1. Because it clears the sinuses and brain tissues within the skull?

2. Because it causes the forehead to shine with perspiration?

3. Because it causes kundalini energy to rise upward toward the crown of the head where it shines with a lustrous glow (a halo)?

4. All of the above?

Believe it or not, I’ve heard all of those answers from teachers I trust.  So take your pick, or better yet, check it out for yourself.  

Here are two recordings which incorporate Skull Shining Breath, which I more commonly refer to as Breath of Fire.  And, if you’re wondering, yes, we can even benefit from Breath of Fire during a gentle practice.  (Breath of Fire in the gentle practice is done in a more subtle way.)

Kapalabhati:   38 min. Vinyasa Flow  (suggested Spotify playlist is in the Vimeo description that you’ll see once you click the link.)
https://vimeo.com/641655523/00c4cdc7a1

Kapalabhati:  37 min. Gentle, Restorative, Yin  (suggested Spotify playlist is in the Vimeo description that you’ll see once you click the link.)
https://vimeo.com/641660285/218ae4447a
*****
These recordings are offered for free.  If you enjoy them and know someone else who would like them too, please forward this email :-)

If you’re able and would like to make a $1-$5 love offering/recording, many thanks!

Paypal =  shala@YogaAndTheCosmos.com

Venmo = @Shala-Worsley
*****

Pratyaksha, Direct Experience
 

Regarding this 8000+ year old game of telephone we’re respectfully playing with yoga, we need to rely not only on the information passed to us from trusted teachers and their lineages but also on our own direct experience of the results of the practices (pratyaksha = knowledge gained from direct experience). 

I’ve listed some contraindications for kapalabhati below.  Always make sure you’re getting a whole body YES for any breathing practice, posture, or meditation.  Otherwise, skip or modify to suit the needs of your particular body/mind that day.

How To, Benefits, & Contraindications

The practice of kapalabhati is a repetition of forced and quick exhalations created by a contraction of the diaphragm followed by passive inhalations.  

According to BKS Iyengar in Light on Yoga, the process of Kapalabhati is a milder form of Bhastrika, Bellows Breath, which we will cover in a future segment.  Iyengar states that Kapalabhati and Bhastrika invigorate the digestive organs and tone the abdominal muscles, drain the sinuses, cool the eyes, and give an overall sense of exhilaration.

Kapalabhati is one of six cleansing actions listed in the ancient Hatha Yoga texts, Gerhanda Samhita and Hatha Yoga Pradipika.  They describe the effects of kapalabhati as purifying the energy channels (nadis) and pacifying the Kapha Dosha which brings about a feeling of lightness in the body and mind.

Here’s an article which references several scientific studies related to benefits of practicing kapalabhati such as:  brain massage, strengthening of the respiratory organs, purification of blood and skin, improved hair growth, weight loss, and improvement of digestive system disorders:  https://www.fitsri.com/pranayama/kapalbhati

Precaution should be taken by people with unchecked high blood pressure and those with glaucoma, lung conditions, or who are at risk of heart attack or stroke.  For this population, it is advised to practice kapalabhati only under the direct guidance and supervision of an expert.  Additionally, if any person becomes light headed or dizzy during the practice, it's a sign that the practice is contributing to an imbalance of Vata dosha.  In this case, stop breath of fire and return to normal inhalations and exhalations.

Happy Skull Shining on this week of All Soul’s Day and Day of the Dead!

love, 
Shala

SCORPIO: Exploring the Shadow

It’s Scorpio season.  Among other things, Scorpio is about peering beneath the surface, investigating hidden corners, and encountering our own shadow.  It’s into the Shadow we go for this week’s recordings.

Happy Halloween, Everyone!

Love, 

Shala

Scorpio:   30 min. Vinyasa Flow  (suggested Spotify playlist is in the Vimeo description that you’ll see once you click the link.)

https://vimeo.com/625534663/5686abf92a
 

Scorpio:  34 min. Gentle, Restorative, Yin  (suggested Spotify playlist is in the Vimeo description that you’ll see once you click the link.)

https://vimeo.com/625513801/907a6914dd

These recordings are offered for free.  If you enjoy them and know someone else who would like them too, please forward this email :-)

If you’re able and would like to make a $1-$5 love offering/recording, many thanks!

Paypal =  shala@YogaAndTheCosmos.com

Venmo = @Shala-Worsley
 

PS,  Astrology is a great way to explore our shadow.  Each celestial body in the natal chart corresponds to an evolutionary aim of our personality which is encoded in the sign, house placement and relationship to the other planets and points in the chart.  To join a small group workshop series to learn about your natal chart via lecture, discussion, and yogic embodiment practices, reply to this email to let me know you're interested.

If you'd like to receive these emails/recordings when I send them out, click this link to subscribe.

Ahimsa

“In the presence of one firmly established in non-violence, all hostilities cease.” This is the sutra on Ahimsa from The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, translation by Sri Swami Satchitananda .

Turned into a positive statement it becomes:  in the presence of one firmly established in loving-kindness, all hostilities cease.  

Loving Kindness, refraining from violence and harm, is the first of the Yamas.  In the oral tradition of the Vedic teachings, before we could highlight something in all caps and bold in order to emphasize a concept, whatever needed to be emphasized was put at the top of the list.  Ahimsa, loving kindness/non-violence, is at the top of the list of Yamas in Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras.  This position makes it the most important of the five.  We’re meant to integrate this top of the list item, loving kindness, into all the other yamas that come afterward in the list:  truthfulness, non-stealing, chastity/ethical sexual boundaries, and non-hoarding.  More on that in following weeks.

This week, I hope you enjoy these two recordings which integrate a short reflection on ahimsa with asanas for revitalizing the marma regions of the Anahata Chakra, the heart chakra.  You’ll want to have a strap or belt for the gentle sequence this week.

 

Ahimsa:   25 min. Vinyasa Flow  (suggested Spotify playlist is in the Vimeo description that you’ll see once you click the link.)

https://vimeo.com/622619815/baf7228312

 

 Ahimsa: 29 min. Gentle, Restorative, Yin  (suggested Spotify playlist is in the Vimeo description that you’ll see once you click the link.)

https://vimeo.com/622640991/a788e73516

These recordings are offered for free.  If you enjoy them and know someone else who would like them too, please forward this email :-)

If you’re able and would like to make a $1-$5 love offering/recording, many thanks!

Paypal =  shala@YogaAndTheCosmos.com

Venmo = @Shala-Worsley

If you'd like to receive these emails/recordings when I send them out, click this link to subscribe.

Water: The Great Nourisher

The element of water in Sanskrit is Jala or Aapa.

Jala means water.

Aapa means something which flows.

The Water element helps us go with the flow and let things roll off of our backs.

Water is matter in a fluid form.

Binding and coating our insides, water holds us together.

Calming and cooling our emotions, the water element keeps us from flipping our lids and can cool our lids once flipped.

Water is creative.  It takes the shape of whatever container is holding it; and it flows around any obstacles in its path.

Physically, the water element hydrates and nourishes our tissues, lending fluidity and flexibility to our joints.

Mentally, water gives us the flexibility to seek creative solutions to life’s setbacks and roadblocks.

Emotionally, water helps us feel calm and loving.  

Water helps things become sticky- think of two piles of powder colored blue and red.  Mix those piles when the powder is dry and you still see flecks of the original colors, blue and red.  Add water and stir, and you get a totally integrated new color, purple.  Water brings things together, including people.  When the water element is strong in us, we’re more likely to display the relationship preserving qualities of compassion, kindness, understanding, patience, and forgiveness.

According to Ayurveda, water has the properties of:  flowing, moist, dull, cloudy, and soft.  Integrating these qualities into a yoga practice can help to balance the commonly experienced excess of Air and Space during Vata times (pre-dawn and evening; fall, winter, and seasonal transitions; elder years; times of life characterized by uncertainty and change).  With that in mind, this week's recordings feature the Great Nourisher, Water.  I hope you enjoy.

Water Element:  25 min Vinyasa Flow  (suggested Spotify playlist is in the Vimeo description that you’ll see once you click the link.)

https://vimeo.com/622588487/09efa44d13

 

Water Element:  41 min Gentle, Restorative, Yin  (suggested Spotify playlist is in the Vimeo description that you’ll see once you click the link.)

https://vimeo.com/622602097/7971a4a3c1


 

These recordings are offered free of charge.  If you enjoy them and know someone else who would like them too, please forward this email :-)

If you’re able and would like to make a $1-$5 love offering/recording, many thanks!

Paypal =  shala@YogaAndTheCosmos.com

Venmo = @Shala-Worsley

PS,

Want to add more Water element into your diet?  Drink more water, yes.  Eat foods that hold a lot of water or require a lot of water to grow, such as  melons, cucumbers, avocados, almonds, coconuts.  Add healthy oils and fats.  Your body needs the oil in order to hold the water.

Want to increase the water element in your daily routine?  Take restorative breaks when you can; walk or sit near water- streams, creeks, waterfalls, lakes, or the ocean. Oil your skin every day with a good quality oil like  sesame, almond, or coconut.   

And, here are some examples of how to integrate the Ayurvedic qualities of water into a yoga practice:

•  Flowing-  roll all the joints, be attentive to the transitions between poses

•  Moist-  move the body in a fluid, wave like way, to help the muscle layers slide and glide more easily

•  Dull, cloudy, and soft-  practice in a gentle way that preserves coolness in the body and mind; add in restorative poses; calming pranayama; and meditation and inquiry practices which cultivate compassion, kindness, patience, forgiveness.

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Exhalations

Hi Everyone,

This week we turn our attention to the physical and metaphysical benefits of our exhalations.  

• Longer exhalations tone the vagus nerve and improve heart rate variability (HRV).

• Higher HRV is associated with stronger vagus nerve function, lower chronic stress levels, better overall health, improved cognition and decision making.

• Extending exhalations toward twice as long as the inhalations for as little as 2 minutes a day has been shown in studies to help the body switch from a stress response to the relaxation response.

Metaphysically, each phase of the breath has a special significance.  The exhalation is linked to the evening time, Sunset, and the Return to Source, going back to that from which everything comes.  Our exhalations are meant to deliver us to the part of ourselves that is beyond the body and the personality:  Presence, Pure Awareness.    

Additionally, extending our exhalations is a way to stay in rhythm with the cycles of Nature.  Exhalations are symbolically linked to the autumn season:   a time of year in our hemisphere when plants drop their leaves, fruits, and seeds; tree sap draws deep into the roots; animals that hibernate prepare for a long rest.  After a busy and productive season in the outer world, Autumn whispers to us:  Remember your deeper Self, return to that.  Our exhalations can take us there.

In these recordings, we’ll savor our exhales.  Enjoy.  Please check in with me if you have any questions or feedback:  shala@YogaAndTheCosmos.com

Extended exhalations:  30 min. Vinyasa Flow  (suggested Spotify playlist is in the Vimeo description that you’ll see once you click the link.)

https://vimeo.com/616274384/e0e565ed91
 

Extended Exhalations:  30 min. Gentle, Restorative, Yin  (suggested Spotify playlist is in the Vimeo description that you’ll see once you click the link.)

https://vimeo.com/616296142/5256e2ea87

These recordings are offered for free.  If you enjoy them and know someone else who would like them too, please forward this email :-)

If you’re able and would like to make a $1-$5 love offering/recording, many thanks!

Paypal =  shala@YogaAndTheCosmos.com

Venmo = @Shala-Worsley

If you'd like to receive these emails/recordings when I send them out, click this link to subscribe.

Libra Time

 Last week the Sun entered the sign of Libra.  Happy Birthday, fellow Librans!  Libra, represented by the measuring scales, is about balance, harmony and fairness.  
 

Each zodiac sign rules an area of the physical body, and Libra rules the kidneys, low back, hips, and glutes.  
 

This week's recordings will incorporate Libran themes and body parts.  I hope you enjoy!
 

PS,  you’ll want a tennis ball or small therapy ball for the gentle sequence this week.


Check in with me if you have any questions or feedback:  shala@YogaAndTheCosmos.com

Libra:  43 min Vinyasa Flow  (suggested Spotify playlist is in the Vimeo description that you’ll see once you click the link.)

https://vimeo.com/612034625/c324e938c1
 

Libra:  40 min Gentle, Restorative, Yin  (suggested Spotify playlist is in the Vimeo description that you’ll see once you click the link.)

https://vimeo.com/612016005/5cbe28f14d

 

These recordings are offered free of charge.  If you enjoy them and know someone else who would like them too, please forward this email :-)

If you’re able and would like to make a $1-$5 love offering/recording, many thanks!

Paypal =  shala@YogaAndTheCosmos.com

Venmo = @Shala-Worsley

PPS,
If you want to do a little home astrology study, check out the house cusp ruled by the sign of libra in your birth chart. The Sun will be transiting through that particular house, and thereby highlighting that particular area of life, sometime within the next four weeks.

Here’s an example. The Sun has been transiting through my 10th house during these recent weeks since I’ve started this home practice series. The 10th house is related to one’s mission, career, and public standing. Synchronistically, I've been having fun connecting with you in this virtual space. What area of your life is the Sun highlighting during its transit through Libra? Let me know if you’d like my help chart gazing.

love, Shala

If you'd like to receive these emails/recordings when I send them out, click this link to subscribe.

Vata Times

Vata, one of three Ayurvedic doshas, is a combination of Air and Space.  Its main function is to generate movement.

Vata tends to increase during times when there is more movement than normal such as  windy conditions, traveling, change of routine, major life transitions, unpredictable weather…

Vata is also higher during pre-dawn hours, early evening, during cold and dry conditions, in the fall and in the juncture between seasons (when the weather is especially unpredictable), as well as in our elder years.

During Vata times, we’re more prone to drying conditions like dehydration and constipation, lower immune function, and exhaustion.  Mentally/emotionally we’re more prone to feeling ungrounded, anxious, and scattered.

In order to stay balanced and counter Vata’s effect, we can move and breathe in a way that helps us feel warm, grounded, and focused.   That’s our practice mantra today:  warm, grounded, focused.

We’ll do some postures which will help to ground us into our bodies (gentle strength building, longer holds of standing poses) and we’ll include postures that help to wake up the main sites of Vata in the body:  low belly, low back, and joints.

Please enjoy!  Check in with me if you have any questions or feedback:  shala@YogaAndTheCosmos.com

Vata Pacification:  41 min Vinyasa Flow  (suggested Spotify playlist is in the Vimeo description that you’ll see once you click the link.)

https://vimeo.com/611996256/ba4ff7b18f
 

Vata calming:  39 min Gentle, Restorative, Yin  (suggested Spotify playlist is in the Vimeo description that you’ll see once you click the link.)

https://vimeo.com/611934360/d4206da217

These recordings are offered free of charge.  If you enjoy them and know someone else who would like them too, please forward this email :-)

If you’re able and would like to make a $1-$5 love offering/recording, many thanks!

Paypal =  shala@YogaAndTheCosmos.com

Venmo = @Shala-Worsley

Thanks for reading!
love, Shala

If you aren't on my email list and would like to receive these emails/recordings when I send them out, just click this link to subscribe.

Reflections on Yama

Ayurveda, Yoga, and Astrology are all about relationships:  

• The relationship between opposites

• The relationship between ourselves and those we hold dear

• Relationship to those with whom we have perceived distance and differences

• Our relationship to the cycles of the seasons and the movements of the planets and stars above us

YAMA is the yogic practice of attending to all of our relationships with awareness by applying a willingness to restrain, modify or adjust our behavior in order to create more balanced and supportive connections. 

This week’s recordings incorporate brief reflections on Yama, the practice (and art) of restraining our unhelpful habits of relating to others and replacing those behaviors with more helpful ones.  I think of yama as the Kindergarten of yoga practice, a most important foundational step on the path of awakening.  Isn’t that one of the first places where we were taught how to be “nice” to one another?

If you choose to do the reflections during the practices, don’t be concerned if nothing arises in the field of your awareness in that exact moment.  Insights might drop in later in the day, or even at night while you’re sleeping.  Intuitive wisdom has its own time table!  

I hope you enjoy these 30 minute practices.  Check in with me if you have any questions or feedback:  shala@YogaAndTheCosmos.com

Yama:  30 min Vinyasa Flow  (suggested Spotify playlist is in the Vimeo description that you’ll see once you click the link.)

https://vimeo.com/604111733/86ab71585e

Yama:  30 min Gentle, Restorative, Yin  (suggested Spotify playlist is in the Vimeo description that you’ll see once you click the link.)

https://vimeo.com/604125850/039a8e01af

These recordings are offered free of charge.  If you enjoy them and know someone else who would like them too, please forward this email :-)

If you’re able and would like to make a $1-$5 love offering/recording, many thanks!

Paypal =  shalarain@gmail.com

Venmo = @Shala-Worsley

Here’s Sammie and Benny doing their best to practice the yama of non-hoarding… both would rather have the yellow chair to themselves, but every once in a while they share.

Thanks for reading! love, Shala

PS,  Astrological Motivation

If you want or need a little motivation to practice the yogic ethic of yama (modifying our behavior toward others in order to create more balanced and supportive relationships) then look to the stars!  And by stars, I usually mean planets.

This week the planet Mars moved into Libra.  Archetypally, Mars is related to motivation, drive, and ambition.  In the peace and harmony loving sign of Libra, our Mars energy is best used by directing it toward actions which lead to fair, equal and balanced relationships.

Also this week, Venus and Saturn are coming together at an angle of tension known as a square (90 degree).  Venus, among other things, is the planetary archetype of harmonious relationships.  Saturn, archetypally, is the Taskmaster, the motivation to mature.  Squares require work for the two planetary archetypes involved to blend well together.  Think of oil and vinegar.  They could sit on top of one another separate and bland, or with a little work from a whisk and our wrist, they could become blended together to form a tasty and cohesive salad dressing that enhances whatever it covers.  Venus and Saturn are like that in the sky this week.  

If we decide to put in some effort with our Venusian and Saturnian parts- Yama- then we apply the urge to mature toward any relationship that’s asking for our attention right now.  Think of all the beings you relate to:  those dearest to you, neighbors, co-workers, people you disagree with, this Earth and all of its inhabitants...  Are those relationships equal, balanced, and harmonious? Are they mutually supportive?  Is there an action that could be taken to make them more so?  If this piques your interest, use the reflections in this week’s home practice recordings along with a planetary nudge from Venus, Saturn, and Mars, to explore these questions.

Astrologer’s note:  If what you read above is making you scratch your head and think “that’s just not 'up' for me this week,” then these transits might not be making significant aspects to your personal chart.  Everyone will experience the transits of the planets I mentioned somewhat differently, according to how they interact with each person’s individual birth chart. 

Again, LOVE!

Shala

Sama Vritti Pranayama

It sure was sweet to see those of you who came to in-person classes for the few seconds we were back in the studio this summer.  And, I’ve loved connecting with some of you this season through astrology consultations and the planetary archetype yoga series.  

It’s hard to say when I’ll be back to in-person classes… It depends on when these variants calm down.  In the meantime I’ll be offering regular practice support via pre-recorded mini practices:  Shala’s Home Practice Series.  (And, I’ll continue doing the virtual classes via Asheville Yoga Center.)

My intent is to send out two pre-recorded sessions each week via this email format:  one gentle/restorative/yin practice and one vinyasa flow practice.  I’ll try to keep each recording around 25-45 minutes in length, with the thought that you can do them separately for a shorter practice or one right after the other for a longer practice.   This week's recordings are a little longer than I meant them to be, woops.  You’ll have free access to each recording for one week.  If you have the ability to pay for the recordings, I’d gratefully accept love offerings of $1-$6 per recording/sliding scale. 
 

Below is a picture of my pup, Benny, looking CALM and ALERT.  That combination of calm/alert, relaxed/awake is what we’re going for when we practice Sama Vritti Pranayama.  This week’s recordings both feature Sama Vritti Pranayama, a breathing practice in which the inhalations and exhalations are equal in length.  There’s a brief description of Sama Vritti and its benefits and contraindications at the beginning of each video clip (below) before the practice begins.

Feel free to use your own music or no music during the sessions OR use the Spotify playlists I suggest for each practice (playlist links can be found embedded in the Vimeo class title).  

Finally, please be in touch!  It’s bizarre beyond the beyond to talk into the Zoom void without knowing how these sessions are being received.  I’m open to feedback and would love to know what’s working or not working for you.  Let me know if you have practice requests.  I’d be happy to integrate your suggestions into future recordings! You can reply to this newsletter or email me directly:  shala@YogaAndTheCosmos.com

Wishing you all the best this fall!  

Love,

Shala

PS,

If you enjoy the pre-recorded practices please share them with friends and family by forwarding this newsletter.  Word of mouth rules!





Love offerings can be made to  PayPal (shalarain@gmail.com)
and Venmo (@Shala-Worsley)

Shala's Home Practice #1:  Sama Vritti Pranayama + Vinyasa Flow Yoga
https://vimeo.com/601110313/d64edeff4f

Shala's Home Practice #2 :  Sama Vritti  Pranayama + Gentle, Restorative, & Yin Yoga
https://vimeo.com/601077769/e6a451a99a