🦌🏹Artemis: Ancient Greek Goddess Wisdom

 

🌟Welcome to our Ancient Goddess Wisdom Yoga Series!! This idea came to me last Fall as I listened to my daily morning meditation, one day selecting one focused on goddess energy. It spoke to me so much that I knew I had to create a yoga series, drawing from our ancestral feminine energy! My minor in college was Anthropology, so I've always loved and been fascinated by cultures from around our incredible planet! Goddess energy, divine feminine energy lies within each of us, our ancestors and the women before us guide us through our daily lives with strength, passion, resilience, inner power, peace, love, understanding, beautiful flowing energy that is rooted in our sacral chakra, our Svadhisthana. As our lives have become more hectic, more chaotic, we've accumulated so many layers creating an armor, and sometimes we no longer recognize ourselves. We arrive on our mats to shed these layers, so return home to our truest selves, reconnecting to our deep embedded Goddess energy!

🪷I've chosen 6 Goddesses from various regions including Indian-Hindu, South America Inca, Nordic, Greek, African, Celtic (sprinkled in on my birthday class, and Indigenous North American!

✨Last week, we dove into our third Goddess, Freyja, our Nordic Goddess! She shared with us her fierce yet loving nature! She reminded us that we are multi-faceted women, a beautiful dichotomy of warrior-like strength, fight, determination, and also nurturing, loyal, loving toward both ourselves and those we love. Her power lies in her own sovereignty, she is in control of how she lives her life! She embodies beauty, fertility, war, magic, prophecy, and clairvoyance, often seeing the future. She is Thor's stepmother, and is connected to the Solar Plexus chakra, our Manipura, this golden yellow swirling energy center in the abdomen where we connect to our inner fire, our passion, our self-confidence, our personal power. She encouraged us to show the world our true selves, both sides, all of us, and to speak our truth, opening our throat chakra, to use our voice for good. She inspires female empowerment, and we absorbed her diving feminine energy in this hour! 

 

 

🦌🏹This week, we traveled south to Greece! We definitely needed the warmth, while it snowed outside! Our Goddess is Artemis, the Huntress! I remembered loving her when I first studied Greek mythology, her long reddish auburn hair, running through the forest accompanied by her deer friends, her back adorned with a bow and quiver of arrows! She is a skilled archer, the best on Mount Olympus! She is the daughter of Zeus and Leto, and the twin sister of Apollo. She often escaped to the trees, along with her hunting dogs, to bask in the tranquility of the forest, a devoted nature lover, and animal healer. She is fierce, independent, was never married, and loved her freedom. She protected the vulnerable, most often children, women, and animals. She was a seeker of justice, using her voice loudly and with pride, and punished those who deserved it. She is the goddess who turned Orion into a constellation! She is fearless and just, and today I'd like to think she'd be a human rights lawyer! She is known for illuminating the world amidst darkness!

 

 

🏹💕This class landed on Sunday, two days after Valentines Day, and so it was an embodiment of both Artemis and that lingering loving energy from Valentines Day! Cupid got sacked, here comes Artemis instead!! This class was full of heart openers and her goddess energy! We brought this dual energy into our opening breath work I called our Heart Breath! We began on our backs, placing a bolster underneath the knees for a yummy support. We allowed the head and shoulders to melt into the earth beneath us, each vertebrae grounding, the hips and pelvis melt, and the arms and legs soften. With a deep inhale in through the nose, we envisioned the breath drawing simultaneously from the crown and the toes, to meet at the heart, the heart lifted toward the heavens, as if a string pulled it higher and higher, and then allowing the heart to fall back toward the earth, the forest floor, with the exhale. We repeated this 2 more times, fully expanding through the ribs and lungs, filling the heart space with love and compassion, ferocity, and justice.

 

 

🦌We became present in the body and the space we're in, and allowed all of our past stresses to melt back to the earth, transformed into something new, something for our greater good. Our future schedules and to-do lists floated away, into the breeze, no longer needed, carried further and further away from us. Nothing to do, nowhere else to be but right here in this moment for ourselves. We anchored to the peace found in this stillness. Our Ujayi breath followed, even lengths of inhale and exhale through the nose, grounding, stabilizing breath, with a gentle constriction at the back of the throat creating an ocean wave sound.

 

🏹We inhaled as we reached the hands overhead, feet forward into a full body stretch, knees into the chest for a hug and a rock side to side. We lengthened long and extended the hands and feet to the right corners of our mat, into our Crescent Moon shape, crossing the left foot over the right, and traveled through our 5 senses, to connect to the body is to become truly present. Even though the eyes are closed, we noticed what we see beyond the lids, finding peace and serenity in this darkness. We traveled to smell, noticing what we smell around us, I sprayed "Palo Santo" and "Orange" in studio, notes of citrus and wood, the closest scents to Greece we had in studio. We scanned to our hearing, noticing the sound of our breath, the breath of our neighbor, the hum of the furnace, pinpointing an instrument in the music. We moved through center and created our Crescent moon to the left, scanning to our taste, noticing the last thing we may have eaten, or a sip of cup of tea, coffee,  lingering in the mouth, separating the teeth, the tongue falling from the roof of the mouth. Lastly, we noticed our sense of touch, what we feel against the skin, the warmth of the air against the skin, the softness of our clothes, the stickiness of our mat, supporting us, cradling us, serving as our anchor, bringing us back home to ourselves.

 

🦌We moved into a T-pose, feet to the sky, crossed the right foot over the left, bending at the knees, hugging the thighs together, reaching for shins, with a gentle pull of the knees toward the chest, Reclined Cow Face pose. We unraveled the right leg out to the right side of the room, lengthening long, cradling with the right hand, as the left hand hugged the left knee toward the left shoulder, opening through the hips in this "Half Arrow" pose I love so much! The right leg folded back in, over the left, Cow Face, as the left foot planted, hips scooted to the right, knees fell to the left, Supine Twist. We lengthened the arms out to a T, and melted into this shape. We came through center, and honored the left side! Following the left side, we began to rock n roll along the spine 2-3 times to come into a comfortable seat or half lotus pose.

 

 

 🏹We anchored the sit bones, lengthened each vertebrae toward the next in line, crown to the sky. The hands lifted overhead, fingertips together, tenting the fingers, as the middle fingers floated down to meet the thumbs, into a Heart Mudra. We brought our mudra to our heart center, encompassing this love, compassion, understanding, justice, protection of the vulnerable, into our hearts. We met in our Anjali mudra, prayer hands. We rubbed them to create some heat, some healing energy, remembering that our hands are tools for healing, and cupped the hands to the eyes, sending healing energy to the soul. Hands floated to the crown, sending healing energy to the mind, calming the chatter. The mind can become stuck in the past, ruminating over things that have been, or travel too far forward into the future with worry, but the body is always present, so here we connect and stay present. One hand floated to the forehead, and the other to the base of the skull, gentle pressure into our vagus nerve, serving as a nervous system reset button, finally bringing the hands to the heart sending gratitude to the heart and lungs, for the work they do every moment of every day, for us.

 

 

🦌We set an intention for our class, and released it, reaching the hands to the sky and to the right for a twist, peeling the right shoulder back to open the chest 5% more, opening our Anahata chakra, heart chakra, sending compassion, understanding, love out into the world. We arched the right hand to the sky and toward the opposite knee to open the side body, and then brought it to the left knee, crossing the arms, arching the back and dripping the chin. We honored the other side, and then came through center, planted the fingers behind us, opened the chest, arching the spine into a backbend, and melted into a forward fold. We unraveled the legs and melted the hips back into a child’s pose, bending the elbows, prayer hands overhead, thumbs melting to the nape of the neck. With our inhale we pressed into the palms to roll back into our Childs pose. We walked the hands to the right, sinking the hips back and to the left, walked the hands through center, and to the left, hips sinking back and to the right. We created a Childs pose wave, slowly rolled through the spine, arching the back, brushing the fingertips along the mat as we rolled toward our feet, the chin dripping toward the chest, until our glutes met the heels, and then creating a little backbend, hands to the earth, the spine waving long, crown reaching to the sky, the shoulders melting back, the arms extend out and up, palms together, to the heart, and melting forward, walking the fingertips into a forward fold. We repeated this 2 more times, delighting in this spinal awakening of the body. After this fluid roll, we floated into our Table Top.

 

🏹Our cat cow flow followed as we warmed up the spine, adding in organic movement, hips swaying side to side, or rolling forward and back into Childs pose waving back and forward into our table top. We moved to our breath, our own pace, making our cat cow our own. We came into our neutral table top, inhaled as the right hand floated to the sky, opening the chest and heart, exhale as we thread the right hand through to the left, grounding the right temple and shoulder. We unraveled the right hand to the sky, into a supported side plank, right foot to the back of our mat, right hand high, expanding through the ribs, as the hips melted into a Fallen Tree, left foot met the right thigh, as the right hand reached for right toes, and the left hand reached overhead. We inhaled, cartwheeled the hands to the top of our mat, planted the left hand, as the hips lift, Rainbow Arch, right hand overhead. The right hand grounded, right knee in to meet the left, into our cat cow flow, then honored the left side.

 

 

🦌After we honored the left side, we tucked the toes, hovered the knees, and lifted into our downward dog- plank waves, pranam knees chest chin, into a low cobra, and up into our downward dog, a total of 3 times. We floated to the top of our mats into a forward fold, hanging heavy, and began to root to rise, we slowly lifted up, one vertebrae at a time, the head the last to come through, into our Tadasana, our mountain pose. We felt the grounding energy from the earth pull at the soles of our feet from the toes to the arches to the heels, like roots of a tree pulling us into he soil, anchoring us. This energy circled around the legs, to the pelvis, the hips, around each vertebrae of the spine to the shoulders as they melt down from the ears. The crown reaching for the heavens, we are stable, rooted, and anchored. We inhaled hands overhead, melted to the right with a sidebend, through center and to the right, then with a swan dive melted into a forward fold. We planted the hands and moved through a vinyasa flow, pranam knees chest chin into a low cobra, or a chaturanga flow to upward dog, or skipped the flow completely, stepping into downward dog. Always your choice!

 

 

 

🏹In our downward dog, we inhaled lifting the right leg, exhale right knee toward the left elbow, extending, curling in knee to right elbow, extending, curling in knee to chest with a hover, and planting the right foot between the hands, as the back foot grounded, rising up into our Warrior I. Hands reached toward the sky, shoulders relaxed down from the ears, hips forward, inhale we cactus the arms, exhale the hands reach forward, Lightning Bolt, back and forth, fluid motion with the breath, on the third inhale, we pull the hands toward us as if we're holding a bow and arrow, right hand to the sky, left hand like we're pulling back an arrow, and releasing it into the sky, piercing through negativity, injustice, ugliness in the world, into our Sky Archer, straightening the right leg, left hand down the left leg, right hand to the sky. On the exhale we cartwheel the hands around, right elbow to right thigh, Side Angle, left hand overhead. Left hand plants, Twisted Lunge, right hand high. Right foot steps back to meet the left, Side Plank, then forward Twisted Lunge, adding in 3 thread the needles of the right hand under the left, before walking the hands to the left into a Wideleg Forward Fold. Slowly we roll up into a 5-pt. Star, extending through the fingertips and toes, exhaling we melt into our Goddess, a little dance side to side. Hands to heart center, we float into the right foot, into our Cypress Tree! These trees are sacred in Greece, often a symbol of mourning, but also longevity, they are known for emotional support and release, help to let go of fear, and they fortify the soul. Back through center in our Goddess pose, then floating into the left foot into our Cypress Tree. Through center, keeping our cactus arms we pivot to the back of our mat, and float forward into our Half Moon, right hand high, connecting to the divine feminine energy of the moon. Right hand grounds, soft landing of the right foot to the back of our mat, as we rise up Warrior I. We inhale cactus the arms, exhale hands forward Lightning Bolt, 2 more times, on the third, we bring our bow and arrow with us, left hand to the sky, right hand pulls our arrow back, release to the sky, into our Sky Archer. We float into our Side Angle, Twisted Lunge, right hand down, left hand high. Left hand plants as we sweep the left foot through center and up, 3 Limb Down Dog, we bend the knee open the hip, find rotation or Wild Thing, left knee through center into the chest, and thread it through to the right, into Fallen Star. We unravel into our plank, move through our flow, facing the back of our mat, hop forward into a fold, and as we rise, we swivel around into our Tadasana.  We side bend, fold forward, walk the hands to the top of our mat, move through a flow and honor the left side!

🦌After we honored the left side, we met in Tadasana, and grabbed our strap for a few shoulder flosses, and sidebends, creating space in the shoulders, opening the fascia, tightly woven connective tissue in the chest, underarms, upper back body, to relieve any pain we may have. Then we held the strap in both hands, stepped the right ball of the foot onto our strap, crossed the strap ends into opposite hands, to cross the strap over the foot, then began to pull the strap up toward or over our head as the right foot floats, the torso melts, into our Dancer! We honored the left side as well!

 

 

 🏹Our Somatic practice gives us tools to regulate our nervous system, to stimulate the vagus nerve that begins at the base of the brain and runs throughout the body touching every organ system! We agitated emotions stuck in the body, to help them release, and to serve as a reset button. I usually alternate between these tools each week! We began in our Tadasana, brought the right hand to the left upper side of the chest, and extended the left arm forward, palm facing the sky. With a deep inhale, we kept the hips forward, as the left arm slowly traveled out to the left side, gaze following, to the back, paused at the back with the gaze over our left shoulder, and on the exhale slowly brought the arm back toward the top of our mat. We repeated this two more times, inhaled as the arms reached overhead, palms gathered at the heart. We brought the left arm to the right upper side of the chest, extended the right arm forward, palm facing up, and with the inhale slowly traveled the right arm out to the side as the gaze followed, to the back, and paused opening the chest. With the exhale we brought the right arm slowly back to the top of our mat, and repeated 2 more times!  We rubbed the palms together to create some healing heat, and we brought the fingertips to the crown, massaging the fingertips all over the crown and behind the ears, even the base of the skull. We moved into the temples, massaging circles here, we dripped the fingers to the jaw, the hinge where we open and close the jaw, the perfect release for jaw clenchers like myself, and maybe you too. We pulled down on the ear lobes, pulled the middle of the ears out to the sides, up to the top of the ears pulling toward the sky. We brought our fingertips to the base of the skull, pressing into our vagus nerve, and melted the fingertips toward the ears, along the jawline, and down the front of the neck to the collarbone. We repeated this 2 more times, releasing tightness in the throat. We tapped into the collarbone, with slow rythmic taps, all fingers in unison, into one of our acupressure points in the body. We brought this tapping to the sternum, center of the chest. We slowly tapped here, either with the fingertips or Bilateral Butterfly taps using cupped hands over one another on the chest, activating both hemispheres of the brain, continuing as we inhaled, paused to bring the hands to the heart, stacked on top of one another, and as we exhaled we audibly hummed into our bee breath🐝! If you hold tension here in the chest, this is a nice release! Humming is a somatic release, also good for respiratory infection season to break things up in the lungs, and humming has shown to reduce anxiety better than sleep! We crossed the arms at the chest, and squeezed into opposite shoulders, down to the biceps and triceps, and into the forearms. We brought the hands to the shoulders again for a squeeze, and swiped the hands down the arms, chest, abdomen, low back, and legs, making sure anything still tethered to the body is fully released. We released everything from last year, last month, this morning that we need to let go of, swipe it away, let yourself be freed of it, so we don't carry this heaviness any longer! Allow it to melt down your back! Let it drift into the snowy breeze, no longer needed in this moment!

 

 

🦌We came into stillness, then swayed right and left, and found stillness again, noticing the effects: we can feel cool, heat, or tingling sensations, even a spontaneous yawn! All signs of a regulated nervous system. We removed anything stuck, anything harmful & toxic still attached to the body! We stimulated the vagus nerve, the super highway of information from the brain to the body! We sent messages to the brain that the body is not under threat, it does not have to exist in a continuous active state (fight /flight/freeze mode). We helped our body to experience a larger capacity to sit in discomfort, and not immediately reach for unhealthy soothers, or run from it. We welcome space for triggers to be felt and moved through. We have the ability to help our nervous system shift fluidly between states when each are needed, the sympathetic & parasympathetic nervous systems! Both are useful and 100% needed, but we do not want to become stuck in one state for too long. These practices are so useful off the mat as we encounter stress or triggers in our daily lives! We find balance! We find freedom!