Heading into the studio has been a bit different since the start of September.
The space itself hasn’t changed – still a beautiful, warm, soft place to land. However, the journey to the studio has some noticeable changes. The sky is a bit darker each time you head in for a 6:00 AM class. The streets are busy when you are making your way to an 8:30 class, full of students and parents hustling to school and work. When you stand in the studio and look out the windows at noon, you see the sun hitting the locust trees at a different angle, making the newly yellow leaves have a golden hue. In a mirror to our morning classes, the folks leaving an evening class are finding their way out of the studio to a darkening skyline. Fall is on the horizon.
The calendar says that autumn doesn’t officially start until the Autumnal Equinox – September 22. However, we can’t help but notice the changes in rhythms, routines, and the landscape. Yet we continue to experience a mix of weather. We need a jacket most mornings, yet we are seeking shade and wishing for a cool breeze when the afternoon sun has warmed the air to summer temperatures. Some folks call this “Shoulder Season”, that time of the in-between. We are actively transitioning from one season into the next.
Seeing fall on the horizon brings a mixed bag of emotions for many. Some find themselves longing for a warm spiced cider while they walk on the newly fallen leaves, enjoying the sweet and earthy smell the season brings. Others find this time of year an unsettling time, feeling it as more of a closing, a reminder that summer has come and gone. Winter is just on the horizon, and in Wisconsin, that means longer periods of darkness and potentially challenging weather conditions. Regardless of which end of that spectrum you may fall, the fact remains that this time of year presents a challenge of being present in this moment – in this transition; remaining present while experiencing the “in-between.” Can we invite ourselves to enjoy this time of year for exactly what it is? Can we see this time as a beautiful moment unfolding before us, both an illustration and reminder of what has been as well as an invitation to what is to come?
When we are in our yoga practice, we often focus on our time in a specific pose. We are cued to what is to come next, and how to hold our bodies, our posture in that new pose. As humans, our brains are seeking what is next, where we will land. We are comfortable knowing what is coming, and feeling good once we’ve landed there.
What if we challenged ourselves to be present for the transition between the poses? What if we started to welcome that transition as an intentional part of our practice. Just as we can see the beauty of those trees that are both a vibrant orange and fiery red while still holding onto their greens as well, can we bring an appreciation to the time when we are experiencing the “in-between” in our practice?
How does our breath help us to flow from one movement into the next? If we slow down and bring ourselves back to that breath, can we heighten our mindfulness of how that breath brings us through that transition? Can that same mindfulness extend beyond the studio and into our daily lives – allowing us to just breathe? Rather than running toward fall or mourning the loss of summer, what would happen if we just slowed down and allowed ourselves to breathe through this shoulder season? We hope you join us in our intentions to be present through the transitions – both within the seasons themselves as well as within our practice.
Looking forward to seeing you on the mat.