We’ve started a new approach at the studio for 2018: we’ll have a theme for each month! The theme can apply to every practice, whether fitness, yoga or therapy. Note that the theme may be applied lightly and is not exclusive with other aspects of practice.
The significance of this month, February: it’s a time for purification, love, self blessings and heart opening. It’s also the shortest month of the year with 28 days (add a 29th ‘leap’ day every 4 years). Interesting fact: in ancient Roman calendars, January and February didn’t exist as they were winter: dead months!
Other historical names for this month are:
Old English: Solmonath (mud month), and Kale-monath (cabbage month)
Finish: Helmikuu (month of the pearl, referring to snow melting to ice droplets)
Polish/Ukranian: Luty (month of ice or hard frost)
In our modern culture, we tend to pack a lot into this short month: Super Bowl, Valentines, Chinese New Year, to name a few.
So our focus this month will be on Awakening, Heart Opening, and Posture! And here are some of the ideas bubbling up from our wonderful teachers:
“We will definitely focus on heart opening and upper body posture, finding alignment in shoulders and upper back.” (Beatrix Nagy, Stott Intermediate Pilates)
“I’ll plan to lead a loving kindness meditation in our Yoga for Anxiety & Stress practice, in honour of heart opening.” (Jessica Cowan-Dewar, Yoga Therapist)
It inspired poetry from our Boxing Coach, Lee Danes:
For the heart opens and the hearts closes
The heart beats—lub dub—and strikes time, it is our time,
And the heart celebrates, our music and melody,
And finds nothing it cannot celebrate, our losses, our suffering, our aging, and our growing
As it becomes larger than itself and thus itself.
And those familiar with Denise Ho’s Thai Yoga Massage assists and skilled use of Yoga Therapy Balls can expect some lovely release of tension in the upper back, shoulders and chest, in her Slow Stretch Serenity class on Mondays 10:30am, and Yin/Restorative Yoga class on Tuesdays 8:00pm.
Beyond the physical, we know that our emotional heart center carries within the yin & yang of both Joy and Despair; Vitality and Depression. We hold deep-seated memories of all emotions on those continuums. You may find in our practices this month that some of this comes up. Remember that February is a time for purification, letting go of emotional memories that don’t serve us now.
And it’s also a time for self-blessing. Slowing down enough to take better care of yourself. Unpacking your schedule so you have extra bits of time to notice and appreciate goodness around you. Shifting the language in the back of your mind to be more positive about your possibilities. Click here for a brief affirmation: You are worthy, you are enough.
namaste ~
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