It's Autumn Equinox this Sunday 22 September. I'm teaching a Restorative Yoga class to replace Tuesday evening because of the Martial Arts taster (which was great).
Restorative yoga and Equinox sit quite nicely together as we move from Summer into Autumn. We're letting go of more daylight hours, summer, and all the abundance it brings through harvest. The day and night are equal before we move into a period where dark becomes more dominant. It's a significant shift.
The Harvest full moon was on Wednesday and was a super moon and partial eclipse. Unfortunately, it was quite cloudy so we weren't able to see the moon looking fuller, bigger and brighter. If it had been visible no doubt we would have noticed the moon and looked beyond our own planet whether you're interested in astrology or not. If you were by the sea you'd maybe be aware of the tides being higher.
Like it or not we are as living beings connected to nature. We will notice on a subtle level that our energy changes as the days become darker and the temperature cools.
We should perhaps be more mindful of this around Equinox as I feel we have a lot to learn from nature.
The trees loose their leaves and animals store food and some hibernate. There seems a shift to be more dormant and REST.
However, this isn't the same thing as lying on the sofa, scrolling through social media or binge watching a TV series.
When you look up the word REST it's a verb. An action of choosing to stop. REST requires effort. When we consciously rest our body begins 'to work' in a very different way. The parasympathetic nervous system kicks in which controls our digestion and metabolism.
Whilst I was thinking about this subject I came across this short webinar by Maisie Hill on the importance of REST. It's worth a listen.
So as we approach Equinox and the change in season, maybe we should think about what REST means to us. To put more 'effort' into RESTing. Whether that's it's coming to Restorative Yoga or the Gong Sound Bath. Maybe resting or reducing something which doesn't help us? For me, my regular dog walks in nature gives my mind some space and allow creative thoughts to flow.
I'm going to try and put more effort into RESTing the mind this period and add a bit more time to meditate in my practice and in classes. This is not easy. Shi Yan Xiu said in our Martial Arts class this week of calming the 'crazy monkey' (mind). By focusing on moving your body with the breath. This too is an action of REST.
Maybe see some of you on Sunday evening, if not have a lovely weekend.
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