Turning Out

And just like that ... June has begun. It is starting to feel more and more like spring. I was walking after going to the movies this past week and was able to catch a glimpse of the sun setting over the New Jersey skyline. I was seeing the sunlight shimmering through the buildings in Manhattan. I had never seen sunlight so golden before. Everything was bathed in this golden light making it feel like I was in a golden city. There was a balmy feeling in the air and a light soft breeze that seemed to invite me to pause and take in the whole experience which I did for some time. Then I sat by the Hudson River for a couple of hours.

At this time of the year opportunities to just stay out abound. There is a playful pulsation all year between turning in and turning out. There is a balanced pulsation between these two opposite forces. In yoga practice we recognize this pulsation that pervades everything in the universe. Every time we engage muscles we are turning in. But we cannot only turn in because we end up being  or feeling very rigid and stagnant. So we turn out every time we ground our feet and stretch our torso and arms. This is something that happens throughout our practice every time we step on the mat.

The paradox between these opposing forces is that they happen simultaneously. It is the balance between them that we are aiming to experience in our practice.

We are going to be exploring this experience this week.

Look forward to seeing you in class

Blessings

Jorge Nihāl