Homecoming on the Mat

I'm home!! After three and a half weeks on the road visiting friends and relatives, I'm happily back in my home studio with Georgia (our Fiddle Leaf Fig), my yoga mat, and other creature comforts I missed during my travels. I'm slowly and surely getting back into the swing of things, which is why this blog is a day late. There is simply a lot to do after a trip like that! I'm giving myself the grace this week to move at the tempo I need as we gear up for fall and all the events we have in store. I hope you can do the same if you need that as well. 

I'll admit to you right now, I'm not great about practicing yoga when I travel. Between the irregular schedule, small spaces, and days filled with sightseeing or sitting and talking, my down dog gets neglected. So when last week I taught from our family cottage on Lake Okoboji, Iowa, it felt like an early homecoming when I took child's pose on my mat. I felt my shoulders melt, my breath slow down, and my eyes water as I returned to my inner stillness like an old friend. I had missed her! Too much time away from yoga and meditation increases my anxiety and makes me forget what is truly nourishing.  Traveling is definitely fun and nourishing in so many ways, but it does disrupt the peace! 

This is why I'm a huge fan of yoga retreats. I make sure to take a personal retreat every year (in addition to the ones I lead). Stepping out of the norm, into the world, and staying in yoga does all the right things for the body, mind, and soul. The schedules are grounded in regular meals, lots of sleep, plenty of adventure, yoga, and rest.  It often takes a couple days to decompress, but even a long weekend will do when you get into the right mindset. 

Now that the summer is waning and fall is approaching, perhaps you're ready to consider your next retreat as well.  I'm happy to announce that if you were hoping to join the beautiful October weekend retreat in Marble Falls, Texas, October 27-29, there is now one space available!  Check it out on the WonderFULL website.

And talk about the world and adventure, my heart leaps whenever I remember I'm going to the Galapagos Islands in March! It has been fun emailing with folks who have been thinking about going, and now they're getting on board and getting excited with me! It's shaping up to be a wonderful group. Plus, when we bring our theme EVOLVE  into everything we do, we will be in yoga the whole time, fostering meaning, inspiration, transformation, and deep connection. If you're even thinking about taking this trip, ping me back! There are only three rooms left for this once-in-a-lifetime yoga retreat, and I want you to have the chance to join us! 

If you're feeling post-travel out-of-sorts like I am, I'll offer you some instant gratification. Jess on the Mountain, podcast episode 13: Three Simple Practices to Balance Your Heart will get right to the center of the action and your system with a pranayama practice, a meditation method, and a lifestyle suggestion to balance the heart, and in doing so, balance the rest of your system. The practices begin a few minutes into the episode. Enjoy! 

Finally, the closing of summer means one more thing: Free Day of Yoga!  Labor Day is September 4, and studios across Austin are opening their doors to receive new students and highlight their best offerings, all for free!  Once again, I'm very excited to join Castle Hill Fitness and Waterloo Greenway to teach some Chakra Flow yoga at 9am in Moody Amphitheater: 

"Feeling balanced requires tuning into how your energetic system is running, where you're blocked, and where you're excessive. Lacking direction, stuck in grief, overly emotional, and stymied by anxiety all indicate there is imbalance in one or more chakras, or energetic centers. This class will focus on each of the seven chakras with movement, sound, and meditation, taking you on a journey of self-awareness and discovery."

Sign up on the Free Day of Yoga website, and come say hi! Last year was a huge success and it was so wonderful to see new and familiar faces. This is one of those programs that Austin peeps do right. 

May you give yourself grace and time to transition this season, and may you turn your attention to being in yoga, no matter where life places you.

Much love