Leap Year Yoga
“Time & tide wait for no man.”
Hello friends,
It’s time to celebrate – we get an extra day this month!
When Thursday rolls around we have a leap day on the calendar this year. There were a lot of ancient civilizations (the Egyptians, the Greeks, and the Romans) that worked to measure and create our calendar. It took centuries to create a system that tracked with the seasons. The quadrennial February 29th keeps everything in alignment so that the solstices and the equinoxes arrive in approximately the same timeframe each year.
By adding structure to our days and months - measuring time - humans became ‘civilized’. Our clocks and calendars allowed us to communicate more effectively across cultures on a consistent schedule.
Flora and fauna don’t follow the man-made calendar however. The calendar says February, but this year February is warmer than usual – my crocuses are starting to peek through the soil. I see buds on the flowering bushes. I hear the Canadian geese begin their mating rituals. I can smell spring even though the calendar is telling me it's still winter.
Nature ignores our 12-month calendar. The animals and plants follow the sensations around them and respond accordingly. With increased temperatures, spring might arrive earlier this year.
And that, my friends, is real world yoga - notice sensations and respond accordingly. We do this every time that we come to our mat and practice.
So, what can we do with our leap day this year?
Whatever we want. There’s no pressure to do anything fancy or special. Know that we’ve been gifted an extra day and when Thursday rolls around this week, you might take a moment to acknowledge the fact that our calendar works because of this end of month adjustment.
Then pause, consider how you feel, and proceed from there. Follow the example that we see in nature.
Real world yoga. Leap year yoga.
Please join me on your mat.
An extra day of love,
Nina G