Autumn Vinyasa Flow with Alessandra

Are you by chance feeling a bit run down, tired, possibly a little poorly and low energy?  I sure am and the coughs and sniffles on the tubes suggest I'm not alone.  It's no coincidence, Friday was the Autumn Equinox when our world spends equal time in dark as light and we begin to descend into the darkness of winter.  Perhaps that explains why I was in bed at 10pm on Friday night and couldn't get out of bed until 10am the next day.. 

But before I could get too bogged down in the post-summer blues I was blessed to spend Saturday afternoon with the beautiful goddess Alessandra Pecorella and the wonderful Live Music of Ann Malone for an Autumn Vinyasa Flow Workshop: Heart = Prana + Fire which was exactly what I need to spark my spirits.  

“As we approach Autumn Equinox the universal energy (Shakti) coils back towards the Earth and this reflects in a descent of prana-shakti (life force) along the spine towards its base.  The Equinox is when pran-shakti is half way in descent at the Heart Centre



And what better way to energise and enjoy prana flowing our heart space than beginning with a dance meditation.  Spinning, vibrating and dancing inspired by the image of celestial planets and the great universe, to the ecstatic beat of Ann Malone’s drumming was really freeing and it’s amazing how different and alive I felt straight away.  I will definitely take some time out to dance to my favourite song and just enjoy moving next time I’m struggling with morning asana.  

 That’s another thing I love about Alessandra’s classes she releases you from being bound to the yoga mat and encourages you to experiment and expand in news ways, in new directions and create space and light.  You never know what is coming next which means you have to stay fully focused (no chance of going into auto-pilot surya namaskars or deciding what to have for dinner here!).  But the krama sequences gradually develop and unfold and before you know it she’s led you into the deepest hip opener and somehow overridden the inner doubts that normally creep in as you approach the challenging asanas.       

I hope you can make it to Alessandra's classes to experience her guidance for yourselves.  In the meantime perhaps acknowledge the phases of the moon, chart any significant shifts in energy levels and acknowledge any correlations.  Allow this to feed into your yoga self practice or the types of yoga classes you choose to attend and when.  

Tonight is the New Moon so why not start now...    

Alessandra Pecorella www.alessandrayoga.com