"Don't ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive." - Howard Thurman
We are past the full moon a few days now, and summer has swelled to its peak and now will start to wind down toward the cooling of autumn. In taking a cue from nature's rhythms of expansion and contraction; we may have noticed a swell of energy at the time of the full moon or embraced the heat of summer in August (work with me on this Northwest folks!). Seeds planted long ago are in full bloom and summer fruits are ripe and juicy. The tides of the oceans respond to the pull of the full moon to become fuller and stronger. In my yoga practice, I can also explore these rhythms thought setting an intention in a posture, feeling the height of energy/fullest expression in a posture, and then letting it all go. In this way, I have become more and more tuned into the rhythms of energy in my own life: planting seeds of intention, cultivating those intentions, then harnessing the best of what blossoms from those intentions (for those Yogis playing along at home . . . don't miss the the analogy of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva). Right now, I'm letting go of a full summer of travel and exciting projects to get ready for the routines of my graduate school beginning again and my children heading back to school. The fruition of our intentions, just like full moon energy or the height of summer, is an opportunity to harvest what serves us; recycle the rest; and surrender to the next phase of energy. Non-attachment can facilitate a peaceful transition toward the cool days of autumn or dark skies of a waning moon. Moreover, releasing resistance to moving into the quiet stages of energy cycles helps us clear out space for a fuller, brighter blossoming of our intentions next cycle around. Trees don't hold onto to the leaves of summer once they've served their purpose and become brown, for example. They release them without drama and quietly wait for the new buds. ~ Lovingly Namaste, Amy

Letting Go

Yoga is always about letting go, it is never about holding on. There is a relief in letting go of old ideas and habits that no longer serve us. But there is also fear and doubt because at one point these thoughts and patterns served a purpose…at some level they helped us operate…and we are not quite sure how to operate without them…or how to go about acting and thinking in a different way. But the HOW will come. The HOW is our PATH and like all things is learned through practice. The first step is the willingness to let go of the past…to step off the old familiar path and step onto a new path that leads to a place not yet explored. We will stumble on this path. But “by [our] stumbling, the world is perfected” (Sri Aurobindo).

-Bryan Michel