Welcome to Light it Up Yoga Series

This yoga series is about bringing balance into your body and your life.

We are on the cusp of winter. These are the darkest (in a literal sense) days, as we creep towards the Winter Solstice.

The intention of this series is to cultivate the feeling of lightness.

Light as in bright and shiny.

Light as flexible and easy.

We will use the flow, our intention and the weekly themes to make these next 6 weeks easeful and celebratory as we head into winter.

I’m glad you are here.

Week 1: Warm

Warmth is a sensation. Warmth is also a feeling that you can cultivate.

The best way to activate your warmth is through a spark - a little expression of being warm. Some examples are: a hot beverage, a warm shower, a cozy scarf, a good laugh, a brisk walk, some warming movements. These are all ways that you can light up the feeling of warmth, so you can capture it and keep it going throughout the day.

Personally, I need to activate more than one of these on cold days to stay warm, and help my mind hold on to the feeling of warmth. We have more direction over our mind’s ability to feel warmth then we do over the environmental sensation of being warm.

We will use this week to physically warm up with core-centered yoga and subtle heat-building practices. We will also tap into the feeling of warmth that we can carry throughout the day.

Week 2: Thank

As we head into Thanksgiving week, it is important put things in perspective. We often wish for the next thing, whatever that might be. This week, I’m asking you to slow things down so you can see and feel what is surrounding you and supporting you.

Your foundation might be your home, your close or further relationships, or your job. Supportive systems that allow you to thrive and flourish. This week is about bringing awareness to what is real, not what is coming down the line.

Who has helped you along your path until this moment? What makes you feel safe and secure? Give the answers a small bow and your attention this week. Thank them out loud.

On that note, I am deeply grateful for each of you. Thank you.

Week 3: Give

Giving energy is expansive, expressive and generous. But that energy doesn’t just show up, you have to cultivate it and feed your source with nourishment. Fill your own cup, so that you can give attention, care, energy beyond yourself.

When you are tired or depleted, it is hard to give anything. Even energy for a thoughtful conversation with a loved one can feel overwhelming. If this sounds familiar, your cue is to fill your energetic cup with rest, connection, nourishment or whatever you need to come back into balance.

Balanced energy means you have what you need to promote a well of energy and share it with those around you.

Balanced, giving energy looks like: Listening, thoughtfully replying, thinking of someone and reaching out, sharing your resources, giving a gift, giving a donation, doing something unexpected for someone, making something and sharing it, taking extra time and not rushing…the list can go on and on.

This week our yoga will be fluid, expansive and heart-centered. The intention is to share what we have with others. If you need to fill your cup this week, listen to your own needs and follow your intuition. What gives you life, energy, acceptance, space?

Week 4: Receive

Last week we talked about sharing and giving your energy, attention and support to those who need it.

This week is about receiving attention, energy and support. We will focus on drawing energy towards the center of the body, and keeping it close.

The physical practice will include both opening and closing poses to help us stay open and connect inward. We will also generate energy in the core and maintain intention there, instead of sending it away.

This is your reminder that you are worthy of receiving positivity and support from your community!

Week 5: Love

This week we are combining the themes of Give (expanding, free flowing, spacious) and Receive (connected, aware, open) into a single force: Love.

To embody Love we will focus on the inhale: expansive giving energy. And the exhale: connection down, receiving energy. Combining both hemispheres into a continuous flow of loving energy.

You can place that loving energy where you need to, but don’t forget to check-in with yourself. Self-love allows for accepting and giving to others, and keeps you open to receive love back.

The yoga this week will be fluid, and connected to the breath. I ask for you to step back from the mind and move from the body. Listen to where you could take down a barrier or where you might want to reinforce a boundary.

This week should not feel like work. Rather, it should be a call to open the flow of energy internally, and with those you love.

Week 6: Shine

This is the final week of our Light it Up yoga series. And a week of light-based celebrations: Hanukkah, Solstice and Christmas. We are going to make it our intention to SHINE.

The winter solstice is when the daylight hours are lowest in the year. It is also the moment when each day gets a little longer as we head towards spring. That means this week is dark in literal terms. Yet, because of these celebrations of light, this week may not feel dark at all. For many it is cheerful, exciting and filled with candles, bonfires and lights.

Together, we are going to gather up all that energy and digest it in a way that feels authentic to us. And if it aligns, we will shine that energy out for others to help them feel lighter too.

We will use yoga poses to set our foundation, dig in deep, and open up expansively to help us uncover our inner shine.

And if this week hits differently for you, and the idea of shining sounds awful, that’s ok! You can still enjoy the heat-building and keep the energy for yourself this year.