Dear friends,
I hope everyone is doing well and enjoying relatively warmer winter season.
Lately, I am staying warm from the inside by sipping on herbal tea. Especially, ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, clove, and nutmeg by adding 1 teaspoon of elderberry syrup is my current favorite!
These herbal infusions not only help you to keep you warm but also aid digestion and improve your immune system.
In the Northern Hemisphere where I live, it is water element season in Traditional Chinese Medicine. It is a time for reflection, hibernation and receptivity. The organs related to water element are kidneys and urinary bladder. The kidneys stores “Jing”(essence), which is the most foundational and densest energy. Jing is nourishing, supportive, and provides deep strength and resilience. Jing is inherited from our parents, but it is depleted with aging, childbirth, stress and overactivity and hard to replenish. The best way to conserve Jing energy is through eating nutritious foods, exercises, and stress management. How we use and nurture this inherited constitution is up to us.
Winter is also the season of Yin energy; it is a time to nurture and nourish within. For my class during this season, I incorporate poses stimulating the meridian line of Kidney and Bladder and guiding students more inward. Yang practice really helps our energy keep flowing and Yin practice nourishes our internal organs well reserved and away from Jing depletion.
My current weekly offerings are Bhakti Flow to Yin (mix of vinyasa and yin) at Bhakti Barn Yoga on Saturday at 10am(both livestream/in studio) 75 minutes class, 1-hour Multi-level hatha yoga class at 8am and Level 1-2 Vinyasa Flow class at 9:15am on Sunday at Three Birds Yoga. You can sign up through the link of my offering page.
At last, Jessica and I will hold another Full Moon Yin yoga and Sound bath workshop on 2/25 at 2pm. Like last time, Jessica is offering 30 minutes free mantra practice right before our Moon workshop. No experience or belief needed. Please check our offering section for detail.
Thank you for reading my newsletter. Wishing you warmth and wellness this winter season!
Much love,
Yuka
