Skip to main content

Summer Solstice Vibes on the East Coast


Can you feel the Summer Solstice energy opening your mind, shaking your body, and satisfying your soul!? I sure can! This time of the year always brings an invigorating sense of joy and hope, as well as the celebration of all things HAPPY. The seeds we have planted during the Winter, have blossomed in the Spring, and are now ready to be reveled within the Summer. The East Coast warms up and sheds its gloomy cloak and yogis flock to the parks and beaches to practice under the clear blue sky and experience the crisp air.

I recently got back from a trip to Portugal with a rekindled enthusiasm for writing and sharing thoughts and experiences via the “interwebs”. What better a time to do so than on the Summer Solstice, the longest day of the year, where some gather to do yoga in Times Square amidst the tall buildings, hoards of people, and interesting NYC scents… It hopes to create an awareness and exposure of the ancient tradition of eliciting peace within the overstimulating haven that is this fast-paced metropolis. I have been attending this annual event since I received my teacher training approximately 8 years ago, a ritual fitting for a city gal’s graduation. Without fail, I queue up with the other early birds, pick up my free yoga mat, feel the earth tremble beneath me in savasana from the passing trains below the concrete, and bolt it to work straight after a morning practice… albeit slightly glistening from the NYC yoga induced bliss. I usually spend the day riding the wave from the early morning vigor and anything that ensues thereafter is filled with ease and openness.

If I am so inclined… I will participate in the universal 108 Sun salutations, which being a born and raised New Yorker, I have come to understand that when optimized, will take about an hour and a half to complete – with breaks! It is a great way to hone into your own discipline and dedication to the practice – though quite often I lose count and just hope that I, in fact, hit 108… the full execution is much appreciated, but what is more coveted is the overall growth, both personal and spiritual. This is what yoga asana does for me and why I have taught it for almost a decade. Its allure has yet to force me to relinquish the standard “9-5” as I hold it so cherished and separate from anything related to “work”. Fortunately, I get to celebrate through my yogi teachers, friends, and colleagues that are able to exercise the passionate pursuit as a full-time occupancy and can clearly navigate the waters… To them I say thank you for continuous inspiration.

And speaking of work and returning from a much-needed trip - when I got back to hundreds of emails resting in my inbox, I channeled my yoga practice to power through and never feared the daunting task of prioritizing immediate needs and keeping project momentum moving forward. A great trick… filtering emails and placing those with pressing action items into an URGENT folder so I can tackle within the first day back at the office. I also filter out all meeting invites as they are usually discussions, I need to be part of – I can accept them right away and view weeks ahead in my calendar if they need rescheduling thereafter.

In closing… I’ll share with you one of my favorite Mantra’s to begin the Summer Solstice celebrations as well as motivate the everyday to-do’s:  Lokah Samastah Sukhino Bhavantu – May all beings everywhere be happy and free. Namaste…

The Working Yogini

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Progressive Renaissance

  I will admit, I have been a bit reluctant crafting wistful thoughts and sharing them, as there has been a looming lack of creativity… this during a time where we have moments of isolation to “work on ourselves.” However, out of this involuntary reflection, I have been developing allowance of just letting things be. That freedom from expectation opened the thought floodgates, “After all of this, as the beginning of something inevitably has an end… how will we all be as a humanity? Will we go back to how we were living with an altered process of doing things? Will we remember how to do the ‘normal’ things? Will we learn to maintain kindness? Will we utilize the lessons learned during this time to infer how we communicate and treat others? Will ‘we’ ever be we again?”          Thoughts transformed into a considerative (yes, I make up words) journey of how humanitarianism has gone through cycles of advancement – or supposedly. Whenever we are shocked to our...
Post a Comment
Read more

Breathing into the space You Create

It was once said, “A yogi measures the span of life by the number of breaths, not by the number of years...” ~ Swami Sivananda. Time seems to have an opportune way of letting us know that relationships and circumstances tend to be temporary and at the peak of its chaotic perfection in the moment. But... the Universe has an auspicious way of reminding us that what we are going through, what we are doing, and who we meet along the way is part of plan. I contemplate often on the current state ( avastha ) of existence, and wonder if everything we say and do is recorded in some cosmic ledger and balanced out with its appropriate counterpart to ensure we are in harmony with the Universe. And the tabulation of every, thought, word, action, habit is measured and vetted throughout the lifetime to allow the vessel to be at its optimal level. Perhaps, I might be leaning into it just a bit much, because it could also be as simple as, we are here, then we are not. And in choosing to abide to ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Balance Must Be Practiced

I sat in a group yoga class years ago, eyes closed, breath even, and words whispered, “Balance cannot be taught… It must be practiced…” A light-bulb went off over my head and a smirk curled the corner of my lips. It was such a very apparent reminder of how we tell ourselves to remain even keeled but sometimes find the actual execution a bit challenging.  When I started my yogic journey decades ago, asana-ing around was a wonderful escape from performing the mundane daily to-do’s because it was new and aspirational. It was also very physical, not to mention the internal stimuli such exertion effects. Though it still carries this weight, asana has become more about self-development, as there are so many incredible variations and discoveries in the nuances of repetition that one body could ever master, even many lifetimes over. So, I continue to practice and build the connection of the mind, body, and spirit allowing the physical to moreover transform the mental. The balance comes...
1 comment
Read more