Happy Holidays to you and yours! 

I wanted to send you the edited recording of our Winter Solstice practice to express my gratitude for you all. I edited out all of the preliminaries, where everyone is arriving and chatting. In doing so, the enclosed video begins rather abruptly and jumps right in to the first Restorative posture. So  I wanted to take a moment to explain the practice a little.

This was a practice of Restorative Yoga, which many of you have not been exposed to before. Perhaps you joined expecting to just settle in and deeply relax and found that you were being asked to move into several different shapes. My apologies for that – I should have made it clearer.

The purpose of Restorative Yoga is to place your body into unusual shapes, encouraging deeply held tension that you may not be aware of to release. So for this practice, please gather four bed pillows, if you have them, or the largest pillows you can find in your house. 

Also, please have on hand a soft belt you can tie (such as the belt of a bathrobe) and several blankets for warmth. You are invited to lie on a blanket or yoga mat on the floor, or to do the practice on your bed.

We’ll move through several different restorative shapes, holding each one for approximately five minutes. This is so your body has a chance to get comfortable and ultimately release deep seated tension in different parts of the body, such as the hips, the spine, the belly.

Please listen to your body. You will use the pillows to support your body – fee free to make adjustments. If how I am guiding the pose doesn’t work for you, please wiggle around until you find more ease. I am accustomed to doing this practice in my studio, where I am able to help my clients get more comfortable. Be gentle and accepting of any messages you receive from your body.

Enjoy! And let me know how this practice is for you….

Happy Holidays and blessings to you all….
 

You might visualize this practice as consisting of three separate strands. Like silken threads: body, mind, and breath Weaving body, mind, breath into one gorgeous, interconnected braid.

 During the holiday season, this braid sometimes unravels. The strands fly away in different directions: the body is waiting online to buy a present, the mind is thinking about that night's Hanukkah party, and the breath is absent.We’re going to use our practice tonight to reconnect, to reunite, to intertwine. Body, mind, breath into one beautiful organic whole. 

The whole of who you are.

There is much to be heard in silence. Set your intention to listen to your body as you move through the practice. Discover the symphony contained in silence… Silence can be your greatest teacher. You can use silence to create the space into which to reflect instead of react.