salutations to the sun

Happy Summer Friends!

Yesterday for the Level 2 class we celebrated the sun by doing about 55 minutes of sun salutations. We did five different styles before taking a few relaxing seated forward folds and then a nice savasana (corpse pose) for almost ten minutes.

I do love to teach flow. I do love to watch students being in the groove and moving so beautifully, so in sync. So cool and inspiring to see. We dedicated our practice to the sun not only for the beauty it brings into our lives (just look at the amazing sun in the photo) but also for it's life sustaining ways.

I mentioned to the class that the next six months, until the summer solstice will be a great time for manifesting. In the next six months the earth will move to where the sun is now. Where are you now in your life, in your yoga practice and where do you want to grow to. What do you want your life to look and feel like when the Winter Solstice arrives six months from now? Make a plan that works for you and see what you can manifest and bring into your life over the next six months. Sounds like fun, eh?

Here is the poem I shared at the end of class. It's "The Sun" by Mary Oliver. Enjoy!

Have you ever seen
anything
in your life
more wonderful

than the way the sun,
every evening,
relaxed and easy,
floats toward the horizon

and into the clouds or the hills,
or the rumpled sea,
and is gone--
and how it slides again

out of the blackness,
every morning,
on the other side of the world,
like a red flower

streaming upward on its heavenly oils,
say, on a morning in early summer,
at its perfect imperial distance--
and have you ever felt for anything
such wild love--
do you think there is anywhere, in any language,
a word billowing enough
for the pleasure

that fills you,
as the sun
reaches out,
as it warms you

as you stand there,
empty-handed--
or have you too
turned from this world--

or have you too
gone crazy
for power,
for things?

~Mary Oliver

{I'm in Richmond now hanging with my nieces and nephew. I was just explaining the summer solstice to my niece Lexie and how yesterday was the longest day of daylight in the whole year. She responded, "It was, we were outside playing till 9:30 last night and it's usually dark at 9:00. Ahh to be a kid and relish in summer.}