Hello friends!

How are you feeling with this energy of the new moon yesterday and the winter solstice coming up tomorrow?

This is a potent time for resting, contemplating, and quietly planting the seeds you want to nurture. Nature is inviting us inward - into stillness, darkness, and rest - while society is sending messages of busy-ness and perfectly getting it all done for the holidays and the end of the calendar year.

Are there any activities or expectations that you might gently let go of in order to honor this quiet solstice time?

This week's featured yama, or observance from yoga philosophy, is Asteya, non-stealing. Like Ahimsa and Satya, this yama has many layers to explore and reflect upon!

A quick reminder of context

The practice of yoga goes far beyond the physical pose practice; Asana (the poses) is just one of 8 limbs of the 8-fold path of Ashtanga Yoga that together create a way of living with awareness and integrity.

The 8 limbs are:

Yama, restraints; Niyama, observances; Asana, the physical poses; Pranayama, breathwork; Pratyahara, sense withdrawal; Dharana, concentration; Dhyana, meditation; and Samadhi, a sense of unity or bliss. And of course, we can find a mudra or hand gesture to complement each guideline.

The 8-fold path comes from The Yoga Sutras by Patanjali. I am also drawing inspiration from the wonderful books The Yamas and Niyamas: Exploring Yoga's Ethical Practice by Deborah Adele, and Mudras for Healing and Transformation by Joseph and Lilian LePage.

As always, please reach out with any questions, comments or feedback. I love to hearing what resonates or what questions come up!

Wishing you warmth and peace,
Barb

🌱Featured Yama: Asteya - Non-stealing

Asteya means non-stealing. This practice reaches far beyond taking what doesn't belong to us. Asteya invites us to notice the subtle ways we might take from ourselves, others or the earth without permission.

The highest form of Asteya is more than simply not stealing money or shoplifting. I remember the first time I heard about Asteya, I thought "I have this one covered!" But the deeper I dive in, the more I see its many layers.

I notice that I am stealing from loved ones when I am looking at my phone when we are conversing, or when I am not fully listening and either cutting someone off, or waiting for my turn to talk. I am stealing from family and friends when I think they should be a certain way, instead of allowing them be who they are. I am stealing from the earth when I forget that we are visitors and stewards here.

And I am stealing from myself when I expect perfection, when I rush myself rather than honoring my own pace, when I compare my path to someone else's.

Asteya is closely connected to gratitude, abundance and reciprocity - recognizing the richness that already exists around us and honoring fairness in our energy exchanges, whether with money, time, attention, or relationships.

Some journaling prompts for further exploration:

• Where in my life do I feel a sense of not enough? How does this influence my choices, pace and relationships?

• In what ways am I stealing from my own energy, rest, or joy? What is one small change I could make to honor myself more fully?

• What does enough feel like in my body?

• How do I honor others' time, emotions and boundaries, and where could I do this more gently?

• What might shift if I lived from abundance rather than scarcity?

🤲 Featured Mudra: Hastaphula Mudra — Gesture of Open Hands

Why practice it:
Hastaphula means open hands or blooming flower. This mudra represents balanced giving and receiving. With palms open and fingers relaxed, Hastaphula embodies receptivity without grasping - allowing rather than taking.

Practicing this mudra alongside slow, balanced breathing can help cultivate a felt sense of ease, sufficiency, and trust.

🙌 How to practice Hastaphula Mudra:

• Hold the hands slightly cupped in front of the solar plexus, palms facing upward

• Keep the forearms parallel to the earth

• Let the hands gently pulse away from one another on the inhale and return toward each other on the exhale

Affirmations:

• I trust in abundance.

• I open gently to what is meant for me.

• I receive with ease and trust.

When to use:
This mudra is lovely during meditation, pranayama, or at the end of practice as a moment of quiet integration.