Hello! I hope you are enjoying late summer and preparing for fall.
In my garden, a lot of tomatoes, cucumbers, Japanese Okura, green & burgundy beans, and shishito peppers are harvested! The season of late summer is a season connected to the earth element in Taoist philosophy and Chinese medicine. It is a time of harvest and nourishment.
As the Earth element is associated with stomach and spleen meridian channels and governing our digestions. More than other seasons, during late summer, from now to the fall equinox is a good time to bring more awareness to digestion and grounding practice.
In my class during this season, I try to include more grounding practice using meditation and focusing on balancing postures. Twisting is also another pose I throw into my class to open or stimulate the digestive organs.
I enjoyed my trip to Japan this summer although the weather was uncomfortably hot and humid! If you are planning to visit Japan, I highly recommend visiting Fall or Spring. We traveled to Yamanaka lake and also tried to see Mount Fuji during my visit. Sadly, due to the cloudy weather, we were not able to see Mount Fuji. Mt. Fuji is only visible 80 days a year, and it is especially tough during summer.
On the last day, when we left Tokyo from Haneda airport and 5 minutes after the airplane took off, my daughter said “Mom, look Mt. Fuji!” and here it is, we could see beautiful Mt. Fuji from the window! It was such an amazing moment to see it at the very last moment in Japan. As you know, Mt. Fuji is believed to be a holy and auspicious mountain. It is a symbol of good luck and good fortune in Japanese culture. In this newsletter, I posted a picture of Mt. Fuji from an airplane for cover of this post. I hope you will get inspired by Mt. Fuji and it will bring you good luck in your future!
At last, I would like to share my fall offering. My regular yoga schedule is the same for both Bhakti Barn and Three Birds Yoga. My New Moon workshop is coming up on September16th. Please check the offerings section for details.
Thank you for your time to read my newsletter.
Have a good rest of summer!
Much love,
Yuka
