Ahhh! for Autumn. On Gozo, we don’t get to witness all the lovely tree’s changing colour this time of year, but we do go from many shades of brown after a long hot summer to more green which makes our air fresher and a whole lot cooler.
In the Yoga tradition, Fall Equinox is the Spiritual New Year. The days grow shorter as the nights grow longer. It’s a time for release as we mimic the leaves on the trees. I always sense new energy rise. A new beginning. We draw our attention inside and maintain rituals and practices that keep our inner light alive, yet at times, this time of year can draw us into a different headspace.
Welcome to the Dark Side of the Buddha
The place where our inner light has grown dim, destructive, rigid & resistant. It’s part of our human experience and it’s nothing to worry about. When our inner critic becomes loud on the inside, we tend to become harsh on the outside or cocoon into our shells. Have you ever experienced that?
Understanding the darkness in others and myself has proved to be a valuable tool. It’s about the pain and triggers that live within us and when these triggers are projected towards us, the practice is to not take these interactions or reactions personally. Instead, see them as a way of getting to know yourself or another better.
When we fall into a critical headspace it’s time to sit and reflect inwards as our critic sprouts from the inside out. Think about these questions…
1:What if your negative emotions were showing you what you need to learn about yourself?
2: What if you could be with those negative emotions instead of suffocating or burying it with a drink, food or some other distraction?
3: What if your negative emotions could actually lead you to expansion?
As we work towards strengthening our digestion through this Fall season, we must try to look at how we digest everything as this relates not only to how our food sits in our system but also to how we digest everything that happens to us.
“Negative emotion is always the red flag alerting you to the fact that there is something there to learn. It is alerting you that you have come to the crossroads of personal expansion. If you avoid the negative feeling you also avoid the lesson and the expansion”
Teal Swan
How do you digest how you feel? What you’ve been through, or what someone said or did to you?
Reflecting on how we digest everything helps to keep the large intestine in good shape. We train ourselves to let go or let be, what we hold onto or what may be stagnant or stuck.
Anger can also lead us to deeper insights and expansion. It’s a normal human emotion that can also be healthy or unhealthy. Gabor Mate (another one of my favourites) speaks of how all these emotions can have a fatal effect on our health.
What’s the difference between healthy anger & unhealthy anger?
Healthy anger is being angry in the moment and then letting it go or channeling it creatively into your choice of expression.
Unhealthy anger is carrying that anger around with you for years upon years only hurting yourself. This teaches us what we resist and where we need to expand.
More hard truths….having this knowledge only places us in the power of our well-being. We know our external environments are not in our control but our internal ones are. Food for so much thought.
Here is a kriya to help you release what is stored in the large intestine but please note; if your knees are sensitive this is not for you. Also, ladies, this is not recommended when you are on your cycle or pregnant.
Join Michelle for a practice for digestion
I’d love to hear your answers to any of the above questions and/or any other shares to connect our human threads. Hearing from readers lets me know more about who’s out there and who resonates with these practices, keeping the cycle alive.
I wish you breath. SatNamNamaste .
Michelle x
Michelle Bartolo's 2021 Offerings 1.) Yoga Teacher Training Commencing 20th October 2021 Michelle is running a 200hr KriyaAsana Teacher Training in Gozo which is also available live online via Zoom. 2.) Weekly Classes In Gozo Two classes a week on Mondays & Wednesdays from 18.30 - 20.00 in Gharb, Gozo. 3.) Weekly Classes On Zoom For the global community, Michelle offers a live class on Zoom every Tuesday from 18.30 - 19.45 (CET). For more information and to book: Website | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube | Email
Author: Michelle Bartolo
Michelle Bartolo is a Yoga Guide based in Gozo. Blending the styles of Vinyasa and Kundalini with Pranayama Practices, Mindful Meditation, and Quantum Physics, she offers holistic classes, private sessions, retreats, and teacher training using yoga tools to heal the emotional, mental, and physical bodies.
