Welcome To The Lift

Hey there,

June is here.

And if you live in Minneapolis, you know what that means. It means the winter finally stopped winning. It means something in your chest unclenches that you didn't even realize was still clenched. It means patios, and the light staying past 9pm, and the version of yourself that only comes out when the ground thaws.

This month's pose is Half Moon. One foot grounded. Everything else open to the sky.

I want to tell you what I love about it. Half Moon is not a pose about letting go. It's a pose about learning that you can expand fully: hip stacked, arm reaching, chest rotated open , without losing your anchor. The foot on the ground isn't an afterthought. It's the whole reason the rest of the pose is possible.

You can't open if you're not rooted. The opening and the grounding are the same practice.

The teaching cue I keep coming back to: lengthen the side body before you lift. Don't reach for the sky and then try to create the length. Find the space first. Let the breath do the lifting.

That's also, not coincidentally, a pretty good instruction for the season.

Sutra 1.33 is still our anchor. Four things to practice: friendliness for those who are thriving, compassion for those who aren't, joy for those you might be tempted to compare yourself to, equanimity for everything else. It's a map for your inner weather, and June is as good a month as any to keep using it.

The inquiry for June, every week: What are you ready to let back in?

Sit with it. You don't have to answer out loud. But come to class. We'll find it in your body before we find it in your head.

Walk slowly. Just don't walk backwards.

See you on the floor. Annie