Happy Holidays to you, our Balance Family! 

The season ‘tis most definitely upon us. We are feeling the joy and spreading the love here at the studio. It’s one of our favorite times of the year. As the outdoor temps drop, heated classes have never felt so good! Plus we love seeing our community coming together. It’s clear that there’s something about dark nights and mornings that make us relish gathering together to bask in each other’s light. Whether it’s sweating it out in class or glammed up in glitter and metallics at a holiday party. 

Speaking of which… need a hostess gift?! Stocking stuffer? We are obsessed with the retail selection in the store right now. We have everything from cozy slippers, hats and mittens to sleek cashmere ponchos, to jewelry and accessories to go with your look to crystals and sage to energetically clean up after all those guests! Oh! And adult stuffed animals. Just trust me. You need a white llama for your mantle. Or someone does. 

All the glitz and glam aside, we know the real gifts of the season can not be seen with the eyes. We made it through another trying year. Together. So thank you all for bringing your light through our doors each day. Our collective energy is joyous. It’s the season of giving and receiving! The season of love and the heart.

We’ve been moving up the chakra system here on our monthly blog, energetically connecting the turning wheel of the year to the spinning “wheels” of the chakra system. And we have finally arrived at the unstruck, energy center of the heart.

The Heart

The space of the heart is deep. Sometimes it feels infinite in its ability to hold both love and pain. Love, we know, can save us or break us into a million pieces. The heart holds it all. Knows it all. It is the chakra we are generally the most in touch with; we use and think about it the most – and give of it the most. This is why it tends to be “the first chakra to go”.

The trick of the heart chakra is that it requires balance. Just as the organ of our heart both gives and receives blood inside our body, our heart chakra must energetically do the same to connect the upper and lower chakras with an energy supply. When the heart is “out” or closed, we can have no connection between our spiritual needs and our Earthly ones – and both eventually begin to suffer. Depression and the physical ailments that come with it are sadly the result of a long blocked heart chakra. It’s really the chakra that needs the most care and attention.

Balancing your Heart

It’s about receiving. The problem for most of us is that our heart chakra loves to give, but it is probably less enthusiastic about receiving. Why? Because your heart has likely been broken. Likely more than once. And ohhhh, it remembers. So it can be prone to closing up like a flower bud. Or over-giving to make up for not receiving. But we need to learn to hold it open to feel all the good things. Teach it to stay open, brave and vulnerable, knowing that it will never be “safe.” We practice supporting our hearts so that we can experience the full spectrum of life and love however it comes.

Next time you are out on a walk, try focusing on rib cage expansion as you breathe, bringing awareness into your heart. Or try visualizing a vibrant green light in your breathwork as you warm up and cool down in class, another simple way to connect. 

In fact, any movement that gets your heart rate up is doing the work – so bundle up and get outside – or shed some layers with us indoors. Movement…we can agree that we ALWAYS feel better after a little of it – as much as we sometimes resist or avoid it!

Joy Vibrates at a Frequency of 540hz, fear vibrates at 100hz

In addition to your practices, remember to find joy. It’s such a very specific high frequency – so close to love and so far from fear! It’s embedded in Holiday music, in laughter with friends and in delicious foods prepared with love. We find it’s energy in celebrating our collective abundance. All you have to do is lean in.

Thank you to everyone who came out and leaned in last night for our Members Gratitude Night. There is nothing better than the buzz of our community. If you are around this weekend stop by the studio on Satuday 4-7pm for the Village Holiday Stroll! Live music on the porch, hot cocoa and sales inside!

Our Yoga Nidra and Sound Bath workshop on Sunday with Trish sold out quickly but keep your eyes open for more events like this in the new year! LAST Full Moon Circle of 2021 is Friday 12/17, join us as we reflect on the past 365 days, letting go of what we are leaving behind as we prepare to ring in 2022!

Looking for a little extra JOY? Katelyn is hosting a 2.5 hour yin & vinyasa class centered around the heart chakra and the vibration of JOY! Saturday, Dec 18th 11-1:30pm – you can sign up on MindBody.

This holiday season, may you find time to celebrate – and to rest. To cherish the ones by your side and to reminisce memories of ones no longer here. To love, and to allow. To give and to receive. 

Love and Joy to all! 

Happy Holidays from your family at Balance