Dec 14, 2012
I sense as more of us shift from new-age culture to an evolutionary perspective we are getting grounded in what is most important. I see so many articles about what to eat and not eat around the holidays. I sense we as a community know this already. We're not getting thrown off. It's good to remind ourselves that we are shifting as a culture. We are celebrating what is worth celebrating. We are attuned and helping others attuned.
In this vein, I interviewed Jeanie Manchester for the Evolve Your Winter Traditions e-Course. For those that don't know Jeanie, she is the real deal when it comes to yoga teachers. And she's the bomb yoga mom, with two kids of pre-tween to teen age.
In this interview, we dive into conscious cultivation of winter ritual. You'll be inspired to slow down and do your practices... to be deeply available to consciousness and to others as the holy days of deep winter draw near. You'll be inspired to connect the people in your life.. at all ages. And you may even get inspired to have a practice or a party on the Winter Solstice. That's a bucket of inspiration from being with someone who is living into dharma.
Listen to Jeanie's grounded rituals and routines as she glides towards the depths of December. Let yourself be affected. Let yourself deeper in inner body integrity, in the slowness of deep winter time, and the rhythm of life. I promise you ... it's not trite, dogmatic or dry.
Press play and you'll be reminded of:
What you really want around the solstice
- Time and space to breathe,
- Re-prioritize to recognize the what is most important to you right now
- Do small rituals pull you back into the natural pulsation/ rhythm of life
- Taking 5 mins after practice for quiet and silence
- Leading by example - you are always influencing others
- Mark this time of the year for nourishment.
- Journal to consciously let go of the old, and make space for the emergent.
Winter Solstice Rituals for Yoga Teachers
For modern western yoga teachers, much of our job is in re-membering ritual in our students lives. We remind them to hydrate, perhaps even to defecate. We teach seasonal themes. We teach to connect with natural rhythms... and Nature's cycles... with deepen meaning. We teach to not get distracted by the arc of culture...but to attune to that which holds pernnenial wisdom and connection to evolution.
Creating ceremonies, rituals and seasonal practices falls into what we can do aside from lead a good yoga class to bring connection to our communities. As teachers, we might ask - if I don't create this opportunity -will my students tap into the power of this Earth cycle? With that in mind, here are a few tips to add to your
Offer a Winter Solstice Gathering:
Jeanie and Allison, her Winter Solstice Gathering partner, have been offering this in the Boulder area for years. It's a very popular event and a buzz in the community starts as December draws near. This year, they've expanded to 2 locations due to demand. Their gatherings are 3 hours, which helps the community leave the holiday rush behind and have time for a grounded movement practice, time to retreat, connect inwardly, journal, and be together and share in a grounded way. It's not a rush in and out affair. And it's not a workshop either... it's a conscious gathering.
Jeanie's tips in offering your Winter Solstice Gathering:
- Wear special clothes - when we dress intentionally we bring a consciousness to the occasion. (participants + organizers!)
- Create ambiance for introspection
- Bring Candles, flowers, oils/scents
- Meditation/intention time is essential to pull people inward
- Encourage Journaling around the transition of old to new
- Teach Restorative yoga to builds from the ground up to more ecstatic movement or dance
- Have time for personal connections (tea time/chai time)
- Have enough time for a process to occur
I sense as more of us shift from new-age culture to an evolutionary perspective we are getting grounded in what is most important. I see so many articles about what to eat and not eat around the holidays. I sense we as a community know this already. We're not getting thrown off. It's good to remind ourselves that we are shifting as a culture. We are celebrating what is worth celebrating. We are attuned and helping others attuned.