I do love this practice.  It is a great one to include in the Fall to balance your energy. 

To begin, take a comfortable seated or meditative position, bring your right hand to Nasagra Mudra by placing your index and middle finger to your forehead. Keep your left arm relaxed.

Gently close the right nostril with your thumb and inhale through your left nostril. Close the left nostril with your ring finger, release the thumb and exhale through your right nostril. Inhale from your right nostril and then lightly close the right nostril and release the ring finger on the left nostril and exhale through the left. Slowly move back and forth from one side to the other. Notice if you are pushing or tilting your head to one side or forward.

As you become comfortable with the rhythm explore the ratios of breath once again.  Perhaps breathing in for a count of four and out for a count of four. Practice this breathing technique for 6-10 rounds. 
Release hands to rest face down on the top of your thighs and come back to the natural rhythm of your breath.  

Benefits:  This pranayama is a great way to bring a sense of balance back to the mind, body, breath connection. Other benefits can include: reduce stress, improve cardiovascular function, lower heart rate, promote overall well-being, mental clarity and focus.

​As most of you know, I love poetry.  The poem below from a fellow Canadian speaks to me as the summer slowly transitions into early Fall and we acknowledge the importance of letting go.
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Try a Refreshing Summer Salad  - This is an easy-to-make salad (even for me!) that is great for digestion and adds a cooling element for summer. Also eating high-quality foods that contain vitamins, minerals and antioxidants helps to nourish the brain and the foods you eat can affect your mental health. 

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Watermelon, Mint and Feta Salad
Watermelon - 3lbs
Fresh Mint - 1/2 cup
Red onion - 1/4 cup
12 oz of cherry or grape tomatoes  cut in 1/2
2 tbsp of lime juice
1 tbsp of honey
sea salt and pepper 
crumbled feta 
Remove the rind from the watermelon and cut into 1 inch thick triangles on a platter.  Top with fresh mint, red onion and cherry tomatoes.
Combine olive oil, lime juice, pure honey and salt and pepper. Spoon over watermelon.​

​Tune In
To help you embrace our upcoming Outdoor Yoga in the Park classes, check out this lovely soundscape below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PWVwjSGKtOo


In Tune

by Helen Overell
The flower, golden as the sun, opens
only to the sound of Middle C

and so is wooed by wing-beats –
each bee that settles, whose hum

strikes the right note, drinks deep,
and his furred, striped body

blurs in a cloud-burst of pollen
that is carried onwards, brushed

into other blooms nearby, until,
sated with nectar, the worker

zig-zags home to his brothers,
dances his day, and in this way

seed sets, ripens, falls to earth
and so awaits our tomorrows.