Release & Open {Mt. Peale Yoga Video}
“Place your hands into soil to feel grounded. Wade in water to feel emotionally healed. Fill your lungs with fresh air to feel mentally clear. Raise your face to the heat of the sun and connect with that fire to feel your own immense power.”
– Victoria Erickson
Tune In
Tune into today’s class near the base of Mt. Peale, the tallest mountain in the La Sal range, outside of Moab, Utah. Enjoy this series of poses used to help you open your soul and release anything that is no longer serving your highest self. Take it at your own pace, following your breath and pausing the video as you need.
Breathe
I find myself being drawn back into nature, to remember the ease of spirit. The intricate simplicity of life. As fall comes and my schedule starts to go into crunch mode, it is easy to forget the breath and hold onto things that used to be a safe haven, an outside comfort. But let us let go of those things which no longer are serving our greater good, let us shed these external comforts and find our way into our own souls, so connected with nature and yet so separated through today’s society.
A simple breath exercise was shared with me as we climbed Mt Peale:
- Three breaths in through the nose, and out through the nose
- On the end of the third breath, exhale through the mouth
- Inhale through the mouth, exhale through the nose
- Repeat
So it looks like this:
Feel free to use this when you need to tune into the breath, or when you are climbing a mountain and need to center yourself! Otherwise, simply taking deep inhales and exhales through the nose and paying attention to your prana, your life force, can always be enough.
Just Be
As you partake in this practice today, be sure to tune into your prana. Use it to your advantage! Link the breath with the movement. Let yoga happen to you- the yoking of the mind, body, and spirit through mindful practice and breath. If you can practice outside, do it. Breathe in the fresh air around you, be around nature. Most importantly, just be. Just be your complete and true self. Just be comfortable with what you have, where you are. You do not need a mat to practice with, I cannot tell you how many times I have practiced on a towel or blanket or just the pure ground beneath me. It is not about what props you have but about your presence in the practice,
Most importantly, just be. Just be your complete and true self. Just be comfortable with what you have, where you are. You do not need a mat to practice with, I cannot tell you how many times I have practiced on a towel or blanket or just the pure ground beneath me. It is not about what props you have but about your presence in the practice, in the moment. Just be present. Just be.
Whether you are climbing a mountain or hitting a deadline, realize that what you are doing is enough. We need to stop searching on the outside for comfort within. Let this day, this practice, be a step towards that. Take on this day with the mantra:
I am enough, right here, right now and always. I am free. Just be.