October LOVE Letter

Fall has arrived with its calming hand, returning homeostasis and a peaceful rhythm to our valley. Traffic has lightened, the consistency of school has begun, and the shorter days are inviting us to be inside at an earlier time. It’s without a doubt my favorite season in Montana, the calm after the high highs of summer.

There are so many connections between this shift into fall and YOGA. There’s the calm after the excitement, the turning back inward, the return to balance, the gears shifting toward consistency.

In the Yoga Sutras, Patanjalai tells us that “Yoga is the calming of the fluctuations of the mind.” Put another way, Nischala Joy Devi, in her explanation of the sutras in The Secret Power of Yoga, interprets the meaning of yoga as “the uniting of consciousness in the heart.” Both share the sentiment that when we are at peace, when our minds and hearts can be in a resting state, then we are in yoga. Think of the last time you felt deeply at peace and/or fully present. What are the habits of your life that contribute to that peacefulness and presence? What habits don’t?

Then, we are taught that what happens when our minds are able to be calm and present that we find out who we truly are. It is then that we are able to rest in our TRUE nature. Nicschala Joy Devi says that when we are able to calm our minds and become fully present, then we rest in our true nature- which is JOY! I love this so much. When we are in JOY, we are present and peaceful. So, ponder, what brings you JOY?

I sincerely invite you to ponder these deeper meanings of yoga as we fully transition into fall. Answer these questions honestly: What helps me find peace, calm and joy in my life? How can I intentionally structure my home, my habits, my daily patterns, my moment-to-moment choices to lean toward these as ideals? And then on the contrary, what in my life creates chaos, anxiety, drama, feelings of separation, judgement, and fear? If there are things we can do to decrease these feelings, then let’s start NOW shall we?

Lastly and above all, I hope you go so sweetly and easily on yourself this month. May you be wrapped in love, safety, health, wellbeing, freedom, and ease. May we all go forward without judgement of self and others, may we be honest and boundaried when necessary, and live with love and kindness toward all beings.

In love and yoga,

Holly 

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