Transitions.  I often used to say “transitions are just really hard”.  There was a while, a few years back, when I was going through lots of transitions.  Changing jobs, moving, getting married, moving, having kids, starting a new job, saying goodbye, making new friends, figuring out what’s next in life…

Now that I am so mature I have a different perspective on transitions.  Now I see that actually there is no end, no stop, no all done, no finished, no period at the end of the sentence to transitions.  Transitions overlap and draw us into the next one.

While I am not a huge Grateful Dead fan, I know that part of what made their concerts so amazing was the transitions.  The segues between songs were so gorgeous that they were something worth listening to, in and of themselves, again and again.   The transitions were so seamless that “the music never stopped” (that’s the title of an album and a song –  if you, like me, are not a GD expert).

Transition will be the topic for the  fall yoga retreat on September 7th.    A great yoga practice can feel like a Grateful Dead concert (insert all sorts of other meanings here, on your own) in that the segues and transitions between postures feel seamless and that the movement never stops.  You don’t get into Down Dog and just stay put like a statue; you adjust your shoulders, breathe deeper, spread your fingers, shift your back a little.  And then you move yourself through to the next posture, being mindful of the transition toward it.

Surely there are overlapping and braided transitions happening in your life right now.  Me too.  Some of them are big and obvious, while others are much quieter and might go totally unnoticed.  But, I want to notice.  I want to enjoy the segues of this long live concert of my life.

So, on Saturday, September 7th, we will talk, think, and be quiet together.  And we will practice on the mat to experience the transitions between postures as postures, in and of themselves.  While there will be no smoking or magic brownies at the yoga retreat,  it will be a great morning to relax and feel rejuvenated.  Please come!

Saturday, September 7th, 9a.m.-noon, at Philo Presbyterian Church (105 E. Jefferson, 2 blocks east of highway 130).

• Cost is $20.
• Please bring a yoga mat (you can borrow one from me if you don’t have one), a bottle of water, and a blanket to sit on.
• Eat a good breakfast and wear comfortable clothes.
• We do about 2 hours of yoga over the three hours.  All levels of yoga experience or inexperience are welcome, but you need to be able to easily get up and down from the floor.
• Please let me know if you plan to come by replying to this post, letting me know on Facebook, or emailing me.  And, if you have any questions or concerns you can also write me at rachelbguennewig@gmail.com.

I hope you are having a sweet kind of day.

peace on your head,

Rachel