Welcome to Empower October
This month is about taking up space and listening to what you need most, right now.
Ready for routine? Ready to speed up or slow down?
This month I encourage you to use your power, your intention and intuition to take care of yourself.
My intention is to put the steering wheel in your hands. For you to feel empowered to make clear, intentional decisions based on what you need, right now.
The style and intensity of the yoga will vary. This change offers you a valuable tool in learning how you react and listening on a deeper level to what you need.
I’m glad you’re here.
A quick intro into the theme of this month.
Week 2: Empowered Grace
This week we shift gears to moving, living and remembering grace in our body and in our life. Being graceful still requires strength. Grace is not about giving up or giving in. Rather, it's taking time to step back from the steering wheel and see what happens when you do less.
This week is fluid, the yoga is spacious and free. We’ll skip some alignment rules and follow the natural flow through the sequences. Enjoy the extra space you can gain from moving intuitively.
Some of us (me included) like yoga, and life, to have some rules and rigidity. If that’s you, use this week as an experiment to follow a softer route and see what you learn in the process. When we back off the rigidity, we can tap into what our body and energy needs in each moment.
This sequence take a familiar flow and adds grace, freedom and fluidity. Enjoy the invitation to let your own energy be your guide as you move.
Physical Focus: Whole Body
Intensity: Balanced
This week is about empowering yourself to take action. This is easier said than done. So rather I’d like to shift perspective towards what it takes to prepare to take action.
I feel the most stuck when I am overwhelmed with all the possible actions I could take. I could focus in multiple directions at work, with only so much time. I'd like to adjust my family's schedule in various ways, without a clear idea of where to begin. All I have to do is fit in personal care practices, but when and how?
Prepare for action by clearing the mind to help you focus. Clearing the mind and getting some of the excess out of the way can help to open up possibility. When we get present, the highest priorities stand out and the rest fades into the background.
This week the yoga flow focuses on clearing out, and creating action. The two are deeply intertwined. Each practice will leave you with a clear and focused mind, and strong energized body.
This flow highlights the importance of clarity when it comes to focused action. Expect repetitive flows and steady core activation.
Intensity: Energizing
Physical Focus: Whole Body & Core
Week 4: Empowered Rest
This week is about giving yourself permission to slow down, listen and feel whatever you are navigating at this moment in time.
Some people have a great relationship to rest and self-care. They know how to schedule it in. These people often notice as soon as they’ve pushed themselves too hard, and back up. This is a wonderful place to be: balanced between rest and action, able to call on both when needed. Having the ability to monitor your energy, your input and output so that you can slow down and speed up when needed.
Not everyone has this balanced relationship with rest! As much as I LOVE to rest, I have to remind myself to make it a priority. My natural inclination is often to do more and fit it in. So I (and maybe you) need to give space and attention to the concept of simply resting. Being aware not to ‘do it all’. Leave tasks undone and read a book, practice restorative yoga, or get into bed earlier.
In preparation for this week, I’ve done all of the above in the past 48 hours, and I feel clear and balanced. But I had to be thoughtful and intentional, otherwise I would have skipped it altogether.
The yoga this week will still include some flow, but we will have a longer slower ending to both classes.
This class starts standing and sweetly winds down to the ground, ending with 2 resting poses.
Physical Focus: Whole Body
Intensity: Relaxing