Hello lovely people
Welcome to the Summer Newsletter
In the Chinese 5 Element model, Summer is ruled by FIRE – the most Yang of all the elements, and the symbol of peak energy. Fire energy is circulating and dispersing. Fire is the only element to have primary and secondary organs – these are the Heart/Small Intestine and the Pericardium/Triple Heater. In Seasonal Yoga, we teach a month or so of what we call “Early Summer” where we focus on the secondary Fire organs before moving into the main part of the Season.
If we look at what is happening in nature, everything is reaching its peak – plants are flowering, fruit and veg are rapidly growing. And in human nature we naturally feel the urge to socialise, to stay up later and to connect to others at this time.
The Fire element is associated with joy, warmth, enthusiasm, creativity…With too much Fire, you can become aggressive, impatient, over-excited, maybe even experience “burn out”; with too little you might be joyless, anti-social and lacking in motivation.
This is our most dynamic yoga practice of the year – we focus especially on sun salutations.
I hope Summer allows you to reach the peak of your creativity and connect joyfully to those you love.
Warm wishes
Rachel
Ways to nurture your Fire Element:
- Add the colour red into your clothing and/or home
- Eat red summery foods such as berries and peppers; and cool foods rather than hot ones
- Focus on your relationships; take time for your family and friends
- Connect with your community – speak to neighbours; do some voluntary work; raise money for a local charity
- Make sure you’re enjoying the fruits of your labour! Do what you love or love what you do.
- If you feel low in energy, depressed and reluctant to socialise, boost your Fire element by moving outdoors into the sunshine more, spending time with special people and finding an interest that you feel enthusiastic about
- If you begin to feel “burnt out”, over-heated or over-excited, balance the Fire element with some watery activities such as calming breathing practices, meditation or Yin Yoga**
**YIN YOGA is wonderfully soothing and calming, and a perfect complement to a more dynamic practice of any kind, and perfect if the weather is too warm or your Fire element is burning a little too brightly! Don’t forget I run a monthly Yin Yoga class online – the last Friday of each month, 6.30pm start. Message me for details
Workshops – I’m delighted to be able to run workshops again. The next one is the Summer workshop on the afternoon of Saturday 16 July. There are a couple of spaces left, contact me to book in, or for further information, visit the Events page.
One-to-ones – I am now able to offer one-to-ones in a private space dedicated to yoga at my home. You might book a one-to-one for many reasons (see my one-to-one page) – for yourself or for someone else. Perhaps you would like to treat a friend to a special private Yoga practice? If you’d like a Gift Voucher made up, contact me.
Seasonal Yoga Teacher Training Course
Exciting news! We are aiming to run the year-long Seasonal Yoga Teacher Training course again in 2023…starting in January. The course runs 1 weekend per month and all the dates are on the Teacher Training page of the website
Teaching on the course will be from me, assisted by the lovely Melissa Campbell, with occasional guest appearances from the co-creators and/or Directors of Seasonal Yoga.
Having taught most of the course now as I write, I’ve been so impressed by it. There is A LOT of information but it’s woven together in a fun and inspiring way. Everything connects beautifully.
While the course prepares you to teach yoga, you can also take it as part of your personal evolution, even if you have no intention to teach in the future.
We’re getting an increasing number of enquiries for the 2023 course now and spaces are limited. To find out more about this 200 hour Yoga Alliance (US) accredited course, to download a prospectus or watch video testimonials go here:
Teacher Training - seasonalyoga.net
When you’re ready to book, make contact!
Meanwhile our first intake of students will be graduating in September! It feels incredible to say that, and it’s been so amazing to share their journey so far. As well as being a really lovely bunch of people, they are pioneers in their field as this particular Teacher Training isn’t available anywhere else in East Anglia. Watch out for news of their graduation later in the year, and hear what they have to say about their journey.
“The success of Yoga does not lie in the ability to perform postures
but in how it positively changes the way we live our life and our relationships.”
TKV Desikachar
© Ahimsa Yoga 2022