Happy New Year! I wrote this at the end of 2021, but wanted to send it along as I believe it is still relevant and timely. And be sure to read the end for news on the release of a FREE Class Tonight!
Here we are at the end of the year, exhausted, and trying to decide what to do for the holidays. This time of year is characterized by the metal element. Metal is shiny, strong, and flawless. Precious metals are valued for their beauty and rarity. The higher the quality of metal the more it's worth. Metal strives for perfection and a sense of value.
Before we move more fully into the water element of winter, the season of autumn is a time of taking stock, of evaluating worth. This slowed down time of late fall is a time to clarify who we really are and what we stand for in life. It is a time to strictly weigh everything in balance and measure up. If our metal energy is weak, we may not value ourselves or may look outside of ourselves for value - through money, possessions, friends or followers.
We can look at this as an opportunity for either self-awareness or self-absorption, as one of my teachers recently shared. We study our selves through svadhyaya, but also gain insight from spiritual texts. The more we search for value or happiness outside of our selves, the more we are disappointed. BKS Iyengar's translation of Patanjali's Yoga Sutras states that "Perfection in asana is reached, when effort becomes effortless and the infinite being within is reached".
Ultimately, asana, pranayama and meditation are tools to help us reach the infinite being within. We are all being challenged right now by forces outside of ourselves, but find that if we are rooted in the present moment, we are safe, we are valuable, we are enough.
We wish for you peace, hope, joy and a sense of internal value and accomplishment as you close out this challenging year and ring in the new!
And speaking of ringing in the New Year, we have released 3 FREE Beginner Classes and will release the 4th in the series tonight at 5pm EST! Watch the Premiere for FREE on YouTube. And be sure to SUBSCRIBE, LIKE and let us know what you think!
With love and gratitude,
Sara Agelasto