In these equinox positions, our planet’s axis is directed neither toward nor away from the sun and the boundary between light and shadow is perpendicular to the equator.ĭuring this significant, albeit brief, moment of cosmic equanimity, the planet is divided into approximately equal parts night and day, hence the word “equinox” with Latin roots meaning “equal night.” The Macrocosm: What Happens Outside During an Equinox? May you have the courage to be still this week.The autumnal equinox marks one of two specific positions of Earth during its year-long orbit around the sun where the celestial equator (the spatial projection of the plane between northern and southern hemispheres) passes through the center of our solar star. Quiet brave declarations that we will choose stillness over hurry. These are the silent assents we make when we choose stillness. Oh Lord, I know you will not let me drown. Or if He allows the waters to rise around us, He will also provide what we need. He will not let the wave come crashing down on us. When the rush of the to do list is coming for us like a tidal wave, We are courageously choosing not to conform to the ways of the world. When there is so much to do and we refuse to rush, On the days we wake up overwhelmed with all the things we have to do, when our minds are rushed with thoughts of everything that must be done, can we be still? Our bodies get still first, but then slowly we can also be still in our minds. Our stillness, the undisturbed glass lake of our soul, is a place we can always come back to, like child’s pose.Īfter the wind blows and waves rise on our lake, we can return again to stillness. Stillness, along with solitude and silence, is a place of becoming. You’re doing the most important something there is. When you’re waiting, you’re not doing nothing. If you can’t be still and wait, you can’t become what God created you to be.” I hope you’ll hear it all the way down to your toes. Then he took his hands and placed them on my shoulders, peered straight into my eyes and said, “I hope you’ll hear what I’m about to tell you. You’ve bought into the cultural myth that when you’re waiting you’re doing nothing.” “Well, there’s the problem right there, young lady. How is it that you can wait so patiently in the moment? I just can’t seem to get used to the idea of doing nothing.” Later I sought him out, “I saw you today sitting beneath the tree - just sitting so still. There was such reverence in his silhouette, such tranquil sturdiness, that I paused to watch. I got to my feet.Īs I returned to the guest quarters, I noticed a monk, ski cap pulled over his ears, sitting perfectly still beneath a tree. The need to keep moving, to act, to solve everything overpowered me. But almost instantly my inner chaos rose up. I listened to the wind sigh over the water and tried to be still, to simply be there and wait in the moment. One day after morning prayers, I walked to the edge of the pond and sat on the grass. While she is visiting an abbey on a retreat, she tells this story: Recently I read a story from Sue Monk Kidd’s book When the Heart Waits that has been helpful to me as I have sought stillness in my own life. The command to be still in this verse comes from the Hebrew verb that translates: Psalm 46:10 is the verse where we find the words “Be Still and Know.” The stars in the script are the break in the content where I added movement. It was so fun for me to walk through the experience of putting this yoga class together, so I thought I would share the themes and my (very rough draft) sequence drawing that I used. It’s a beautiful collection of the things I love most about yoga! Be Still and Know: A Restorative Yoga Class Sequence + Spiritual Practiceīack in June, as part of my Yoga Teacher Training, I taught a yoga class that is hosted by area churches called Be Still and Know.īe Still and Know is a restorative yoga class that is both gentle movement and spiritual practice.
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