With the abundance of spring uplifting us, we go forward into May with our theme of renewal and confidence represented by our flower of the month, the lily.

We embrace the warmer weather shedding our winter wear and, along with it, anything that weighs us down. We enter the outside world with confidence that winter storms have passed and the whole earth is renewing itself.

Saddle Pose also known as Hero Pose can be an excellent stretch for very active people or those standing a lot during the day. There are many ways to experience this posture so take your time getting in to feel renewed and confident!

Wherever life plants you, bloom with grace. – French Proverb

As we embrace spring, we chose plumeria to represent our April theme of grace and charm. This flower represents both creation and re-creation. Spring can be a time to create brand new ways to bloom in our lives, our practices, and our joys. We don’t always have to start at the beginning, though. Staying within our authenticity, we can also explore ways to continually refresh and restore our compassion, vulnerability, and connectedness. Here are some questions to ponder as you take in nature’s flawless beauty.

Enjoy this seated yin posture that aims to stretch the outer hips and glutes as well as the groin. It can also release tension in the low back as well as improve digestion and mental clarity. Use the grace of a deer to make your way into this posture slow and steady

The March Spiraling to Wellness theme of the month is Purity and Innocence, represented by the lovely Cala Lilly. Different colors have different meanings, but all point toward a gentleness of spirit and appreciation of beauty within us and others. The Cala Lily is often symbolic of a rite of passage. Maybe we can find gratitude and awe in the first buds of spring and embrace that renewal and rebirth in areas of our own lives.

Open the heart and calm your nervous system with this Melting Heart Posture. Once there, explore a sense of deep love and affection for yourself, your practice, and all those around you.

The beautiful Cyclamen with its expressive petals, vibrant colors, and (almost) heart-shaped leaves is the perfect flower to embody for our February Spiraling to Wellness theme. It speaks of love and devotion, possibilities and playfulness, and passion and desire. As we cozy up in this chilly month, maybe we go deep inside ourselves to call up these strong emotions and unlock their potential for all of those you want to send love to….including, and most especially, yourself. Following are some questions to get your journey started.

Open the heart and calm your nervous system with this Melting Heart Posture. Once there, explore a sense of deep love and affection for yourself, your practice, and all those around you.

And now we flow into a new year, filled with new possibilities, experiences, joys, and challenges, we have looked to nature—in particular, the world of flowers—to inspire our 2024 themes. Flowers speak to us in times of happiness, sorrow, healing, gratitude, and renewal. They have a language all their own and the ones we have chosen will hopefully resonate with each of you as we take in their beauty and celebrate their meanings and messages throughout each month.

Witch Hazel, our January theme, encompasses new and magical beginnings, healing and protection, and the promise of spring. This flowering shrub is long known for its medicinal and cosmetic properties, and its branches were once used as divining rods to locate water. As we start a new year, where can we find the healing, the refreshment, and the magic?

Open Wing, also known as Broken Wing is a Yin Yoga posture designed to strengthen and lengthen the connective tissues of the chest, shoulders, and arms. This can offer protection against the risk of injury and enhance performance in physical activity. As with any yin posture, once you get into this pose, try to hold for 3-4 minutes, breathing through any discomfort to create more space and release tension.

Bound Angle Pose is a hip and groin opener that radiates a beautiful release of energy throughout your body. This seated yoga posture is sometimes called “Cobbler’s Pose,” after the way cobblers in India sit on the ground to work on footwear. Regularly practicing hip-openers, such as Baddha Konasana, will counteract stiffness, reduce pain, and bring more ease and grace to your movements.

As human beings, we shine all of the time, some days not as bright as others; nevertheless, there is a light in all of us. Our December theme of the month is RADIATE. How will we direct our light this month in our practice and in our lives? There are lots of opportunities for this over the holiday season from celebrations with our loved ones to donating to a food pantry. Don’t forget to shine a light on your own needs, as well. Here are some questions to ponder.

Allow yourself to relax and feel the ease in your hips and the joy in your heart as you rock side to side in Happy Baby Pose. Babies move this way naturally to discover new ways to experience the world. You can use this pose to check in with your breath, your thoughts, and the way your hips feel, and realize how Happy Baby can bring joy to any moment.

Our theme for November, REALIZE, is such a powerful and life-changing word. When we realize something, when we have that “aha” moment, doors open all around us inviting us to enter a new level of understanding, appreciation, and very often, acceptance. We can look at it another way as in realizing our dreams, making what we desire come true after putting in the time and effort.

Monkey Pose, commonly known as “the split,” is an advanced leg stretch and hip-opener. The yoga version of this pose keeps the hips squared to the front, unlike the version practiced in dance where the hips are opened more to the side.

The Sanskrit name for this pose, “Hanumanasana” is named after the Hindu monkey god, Hanuman. In an ancient story, Hanuman took one giant leap all the way from India to Sri Lanka, and then one more leap to return to India. Hanumanasana mimics his leap! By practicing the pose on each side, you become like Hanuman, soaring to a new heights!

Bringing to mind something that happened in the past can lead to many feelings–joy, sorrow, excitement, longing, and even anger. This month’s theme of RECALL can start us on a journey of using what we remember to inform our current lives. The times and places may not always be accurate, but the emotions and impressions you experienced will be spot on. Let’s take some time throughout the month to RECALL events in our lives that have changed us, taught us, or freed us to be who we are. Here are some questions to think about.

For an ultimate hip opener, heart opener and back bend all in one, One Legged Pigeon King poses can offer many benefits for both the body and mind. Practice with ease and grace as you first get the hip opening qualities, then the heart opener as you reach back for your bent knee and then finally for the back bend as you continue to rise into the fullest expression.