The green leaves of summer have been transforming to beautiful colors of red and yellow, the wind has been cooler, the sweaters, jackets and boots have come out, the days are shorter, and the darkness is making itself known. I do love the fall season in all of it's beauty and wonder, but it is so short lived before we turn to the cold desolate winter. There is little time to enjoy, breathe in, and even less time to let go as the breeze carries away the fallen so swiftly. Fall is about endings, and every journey must find it's end. Semisonic said it best in their hit song Closing Time, "every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end". So this year, as the leaves become one with the earth again, consider what you are letting go of, what is falling away from your life, as you prepare for the new beginnings in the next equinox! For now, join me in celebrating the fall equinox with this fall dance, and enjoy each moment, as they are fleeting and the snow will be here before we know it.
If you missed the first post in this series, you'll want to have a look at it as it will give you the background you need to best use our newest addition to the Sun Dance Series.
If you missed the first post in this series, you'll want to have a look at it as it will give you the background you need to best use our newest addition to the Sun Dance Series.
Stretch up high, wave your arms in the breeze
(Standing in mountain pose, reach arms up & wave)
Hang down low, gather up some leaves
(Forward fold, reaching down for your toes & pretend to gather leaves by your feet)
Feet jump back, into your pile
(Bend your knees, place your hands down and jump or step your feet back to plank)
Belly down, to the colorful ground
(Bending at the elbows, lower your body down to the ground)
Look up at the sun
(Press the hands into the ground, to straighten the arms into cobra pose
Now look back at the ladybugs
(Knees under hips, curl the toes under & shift into downward dog)
& breathe & breathe & breathe
(Take 3 big breaths in through the nose and out through the nose, filling the belly BIG like a balloon when you breathe in, letting all the air out when you breathe out - see if you can smell the scents of fall)
Feet jump up, into the garden
(Hop the feet up, into a frog squat)
Hang down low, pull some carrots by your toes
(Straighten the legs, forward fold & pretend to pull carrots)
Stretch up high, reach for the apples
(Coming to stand, reach both arms up over head & pretend to grab apples)
Now tree pose!
(Standing on one leg, place the foot of the opposite side medially, either just below or just above the knee of the standing leg)
(Standing in mountain pose, reach arms up & wave)
Hang down low, gather up some leaves
(Forward fold, reaching down for your toes & pretend to gather leaves by your feet)
Feet jump back, into your pile
(Bend your knees, place your hands down and jump or step your feet back to plank)
Belly down, to the colorful ground
(Bending at the elbows, lower your body down to the ground)
Look up at the sun
(Press the hands into the ground, to straighten the arms into cobra pose
Now look back at the ladybugs
(Knees under hips, curl the toes under & shift into downward dog)
& breathe & breathe & breathe
(Take 3 big breaths in through the nose and out through the nose, filling the belly BIG like a balloon when you breathe in, letting all the air out when you breathe out - see if you can smell the scents of fall)
Feet jump up, into the garden
(Hop the feet up, into a frog squat)
Hang down low, pull some carrots by your toes
(Straighten the legs, forward fold & pretend to pull carrots)
Stretch up high, reach for the apples
(Coming to stand, reach both arms up over head & pretend to grab apples)
Now tree pose!
(Standing on one leg, place the foot of the opposite side medially, either just below or just above the knee of the standing leg)
Happy fall equinox to all, and to all a good night. May this period of darkness reveal a beautiful new beginning for you once our earth turns another 180 degrees. Stay bright, stay bold & be you.
Blessings!
Love,
Vanessa
Blessings!
Love,
Vanessa