The Treehouse and the Holy Spiral
Hi friends,
My yoga studio is on the top floor of my townhome. I have a large picture window that looks out over Maine Park and there are lots of trees right outside my window that delight me each day. I've lived and worked in this space for the past 4 years and I've seen the incredible beauty of these trees. I call my office 'The Treehouse' because it feels like I'm sitting among the branches and leaves. I have a beautiful vista and it really brings me joy. It's a great place to practice yoga and it's fun to do my Zoom teaching from here as well.
I especially love to note the change of seasons. Right now, everything is lush green. The squirrels are chasing each other up and down the trunks of the trees and there are plenty of birds, but soon things will get cooler, the leaves will change and drop and my view will change completely. I'm not worried - regardless of the season, the scenery is still amazing.
We're headed to the autumnal equinox this week (Wednesday). There's something quite thoughtful about that event - I tend to mark it every year. Maybe because we've hit that 'back to school' rhythm or something. Maybe because the days are getting shorter (see last week's newsletter!). Maybe I'm just nostalgic for cooler evenings and longer sleeves. Whatever. It isn't the 'Circle of Life'. If it were a circle, all would be the same as before. But it's not. While the view seems the same, I know that the trees are taller. I'm not the same as I was last year either. I keep returning to my space in the treehouse and I know that the events of the past 18 months have changed me. It's inevitable. I just hope that I'm getting smarter or wiser with age.
It's not the circle of life, it's more like a spiral. The onward march of the seasons coils on itself and brings me back to the same place, but a different moment. Same trees, similar view, but we've all matured. I've seen this scene before and now I come back to it with a new appreciation. It's the autumn equinox again, but it's different - it's 12 months older. I look out the window with new eyes - tempered by my experience.
It's a holy spiral and I can see it all from my perch in the treehouse.
Our practice this week returns to the idea of flexibility. We visited this concept a few weeks ago, but we'll be looking at it differently this time. We return, but we're different. It's that spiral again!
Monday, September 20 - 8:30 am - Slow Flow with Nina G (NOTE THE LATER TIME!!!)
Monday, September 20 - 4:00 pm - Slow Flow with Nina G (After school class added back to the schedule!)
Wednesday, September 22 - 7:30 pm - Movement & Stillness
Chair Yoga Video - NEW VIDEO ON THE CHANNEL - Equanimity
With love,
Nina G