The Stories We Tell Ourselves

This has been an intense fall! There has been a decided focus on the deep and the dark. While the Sun moved through the penetrating sign of Scorpio, the planet Saturn traveled through the final degrees of this sign (a 29-year cycle); Mercury stopped dead in its tracks to move into its retrograde phase in Scorpio AND we had an eclipse here. Take note of what you’ve uncovered.

Last weekend at the new moon — the Sun and Moon teamed up with Venus in the sign of the Archer. Mercury, the storyteller, is about to join them. This Sagittarian emphasis will help you ascribe meaning to what you’ve unearthed during these introspective fall days — in fact, throughout the entire transit of Saturn through Scorpio – a pattern which began in 2012.

Allow a story to emerge. And, as you gather with family and friends this weekend — share your story. Our stories help us make sense of our place in this life. With lots of compassion for yourself, notice where you go over the same ground again and again … stuck in tales that lack vitality or clarity. When you cling to a story, it is a challenge to introduce anything new. Saturn can help. In December, the taskmaster enters Sagittarius — where it will travel until 2017. We will have the opportunity to get really good at refining our personal narratives — our myths. It isn’t easy to change a personal story and we are programmed to pay more attention to the negative than to the positive … a brain function designed for survival. But, if you are stuck in a distorted or destructive drama, try adding in a new chapter where you clearly understand the meaning and purpose of your life. Use the current fire energy to enliven and lift your story. Imagine it as the tale folks recount at holidays … long after you are gone.

Hero Pose can help engage this expansive Sagittarius energy. Kneel on the floor with knees and feet touching, tops of your feet flat on the floor. Carefully sit back, lowering the hips so that they rest on the heels. This is a challenging pose for some – placing a rolled blanket behind your knees will help you ease into the pose. Settle in and let your quads lengthen and release. Your ankles will also relax and open. Lift the chest and create space through the solar plexus. As your heels press lightly into the buttocks, you stimulate digestion points (another reason to include it this weekend!). Gaze out ahead with confidence and repeat “Om Namah Shivaya” … a potent Sanskrit mantra that can be translated, “Greeting and Salutations to the One Whom I May Become.”

As the holiday weekend winds down, please join me for a Yoga Nidra practice in Southbury on Sunday evening, November 30th. Yoga Nidra is a practice that is accessible to all! It is yoga without movement … all you do is lie down and listen.

Happy Thanksgiving.

Give yourself the gift of deep rest and healing … join us for Yoga Nidra — yoga without movement.
November 30th
5:00pm – 6:15pm