Yin Yoga for the Apocalypse

What a wild time to remember to BREATHE. If you are anywhere on the West Coast of Canada, or West Coast of America...or wait....anywhere in Canada or the States, I am sure you were and are aware of the massive wildfires that are burning and leaving ones in giant clouds of smoke. This seems to be the norm here in Vancouver the last many summers. The sun is blocked out, no moon in the sky and air quality warnings to stay inside. The day skies are all grey or an erriiie orange. Climate Chao is REAL, and we are often in a state of denial on how we much be the change the ripples change.  Both in our bodies, our lives and in the world around us.  Sending love and prayers to the massive firefighting times out there, strength to those that have lost everything to the fire of wildfire and humble bows the to the fireweeds and mushrooms that grow in these places. Let nature be our guide, that we can take change the potency of destruction and shift to towards new growth and bold change. This is a great read for those feeling the environmental grief. The mental health effects of the smoke are long lasting and never more present. Also read this article. 

This Yin Yoga for the Apocalypse is a special series for your lungs, both to repair and maintain and remember your ability to participate in change.   Lung Chi is for courage, boundaries and organization.  It is what also you to see the structures at play, both in and around you.  Let these poses restore your vitality and inspire your remembrance that we are the creators of courageous change...both within and in the systems we live in. It is said that Lung Chi is loss, sadness and grief when out of balance.   Hoping these simple shapes will also you to really up and see, feel and digest what is happening in our natural worlds, both within and around us. You gotta feel it to heal it! The one thing that after being in this THICK smoke for weeks, is that I will continue to be an ally to the earth and step up my warrior ways even more. This is a vow and a promise. Just like in Yin, we are being asked to modify and shift and bring ourselves back into balance  When the birds fly away and the there is a strange glow to the world under the dull and heavy feeling of smoke.....we must take these visceral lessons to heart and have the courage to change. I hope that sadness if your fuel for systemic change and that your deep breathing is massaging your heart, and reminding your soul...that you CAN be the CHANGE. 

 These images are of Jamaican Yogi and Musician, Jason Lee Worton. You should listen to his newest single 'Breath on repeat for this series. We shoot this series in Jamaica a few years back on his family's farm. YINCOURAGING you to try these simple poses and share their medicines with your loved one. Yin is accessible and the perfect remedy for the these apocalyptic feelings, yin is the stirring of emotions, energy and intentions....to know it, you must sit in it. 

Twisted Child's Pose. 

This pose is great for calming the system and for making healthy space and reflection in the upper body. If you have knee troubles you can do this with the legs stretched out long and just focus on the upper body. Add a pillow under the shoulder if you need more support.  You should feel the stretch on the back body and the compression is normal on the front body. Take this pose for 1-4 minutes and come out if you feel pain, continue to shift and modify until you feel like the pose is for you. Yin Yoga is supposed to gently pressurize, stretch, twist and modify the container of fascia that is your form. Our bodies, their bones and energy, they are ALL so different, so part of the great work is to learn to know and deeply understand your personal form. Let this share be both liberating and contracting....just like the lungs. It is the dramatic interplay between that gives us LIFE. 

This humble forward fold is the 2nd pose in this Yin Yoga for the Apocalypse. This beauty for the water element on the back body and the earth element on the front. Let this one be a moment of self reflection and pause to remember the inherent wisdom that lives in you. The Water element out of balance is FEAR, and you can imagine with all the fires and smokes, the changing air quality that left BC with the worse air quality in the world on some days! I spoke to so many friends that fear and anxiety was riding HIGH. The Earth element to balance out the anxiety on the energy channels on the front of the body, this passive forward fold is here for you to take a moment to feel the pressure, feel the fear and allow it to move through, past and around you.  Challenges can be the compost for the great change, so embrace the intensity of the emotions that arise, but in these shapes and in your days. BREATHING deeply into the back body and acknowledging the challenge of keeping the breath full in the front. You can stay in this share for 3-10 minutes. Adding a pillow under the knees or forehead can really made a difference. Yin is allll about finding a place that works for you and befriending the feeling on the unknown.....like life, we don't ever really know if we are doing it right! BUT the great work is in the feeling, trying and adapting. 

Sending you love, strength and AIR. 

Knowing and Praying that intensity of the world is waking us up, shaking us out of our routines and demanding that we no longer look away from the destruction....both in and around us! We have the ability to change the course, shift the ways and cultivate a paradise, both inside and out. 

In loving balance and bold moves! 

Danielle.