The Lunar New Year starts with a new moon this week on Wednesday January 29th. It is a reminder of the beginning of yet another cycle in time. For almost a decade now every new beginning has a stronger sense of importance and significance in its bearing on the future. My teacher reminded me a few weeks ago how life is unpredictable and it offers no guarantees. She also reminded us of abundance and how we have to be ready to receive it.  

This week we will turn to meditation as we continue to explore many different ways in which we can expand. This more internal way to expand can seem counterintuitive at the beginning since we all equate meditation to being free from thoughts. In a sense we look at meditation as a way to experience a void or emptiness so it looks like a letting go and not an expansion.

I have taken trips to several national parks over the years. One of the most memorable trips that I took was to the Rocky Mountains National Park in Colorado. I specially remember hiking a trail which at its highest point was close to 11,000ft. I remember feeling a sense of openness and expansion as I stood at that point. The unobstructed view of the park gave me a feel of infinity that brought a sense of lightness and awe. 

I hope 2025 is up to a good start for all of you. We spent about 2 months focused on strength at the end of last year. Now we will start the year focusing on expansion. In the physical practice of yoga strength is considered a contraction. Muscle fibers slide one on top of the other to create more cohesiveness and a sense of feeling more solid in the body. If we just do this our practice becomes very rigid and static. So we must bring a complementing action to strength which is expansion or extension. 

I hope you are all getting into the holiday season spirit and also hope that you are staying warm. There is something in the air at the end of the year. It is something that I could recognize even as a kid. The strength of love in many of its forms.

We focused on the strength of the legs for three weeks because the legs can take a lot. If we focus on the arms two weeks in a row I am afraid I will be the only one in class. So this week we will turn our focus to the torso and the spine. And don't worry we will come back to the arms before the end of the year :)