February 2019

Happy Lunar New Year! Today, February 5, marks the first day of Lunar New Year, also known as Chinese New Year. Accordingly, we welcome the year of the pig, as the year of the dog finishes.
I’m excited about this new cycle, beginning with yesterday’s new moon. It is a fantastic moment to reevaluate projects that got shuffled away in the thrill of the Solar New Year, or to let go (Marie Kondo style) of projects and plans that no longer spark joy.
In the lineage of Ashtanga yoga, those who practice asana (yoga postures; the third limb of the eight limbs of yoga), take rest on each new moon and full moon. For those of us who practice Vinyasa, on these moon centered days, it remains important to tune deeply into our internal teacher, to listen proactively to our bodies, and to take extra care to attend to our instincts. In other words, on moon days we pay more attention than usual to inward reflection, and we move with care. WIthout getting too “woo” about it, I think about the moon’s power to orchestrate the ocean tides. Then, I consider that the adult human is up to 60% water. How much smaller we are than the oceans. And yet, if the moon moves the tide, it must move us too.
I hope your February is sparkling with joy already!
With care,
K