New Year's Greetings From Jill!

New Year's Greetings from Jill Case

Happy 2017 friends! Boy, what a year that was and goodness how this year has shown up already! In Portland, there has been record amounts of snow, which has resulted in lots of missed school days for the kiddos, lots of missed work days for the parents, as well as all the other driving and transportation baggage. While, I am enamored by the beauty of the snow and the winter wonderland it creates, I have to admit I have wrestled with the stress it has shaken up for me. Time off is welcomed when it is planned but what about when we are ready to work after the holidays and inspired to get moving ahead with new plans and ideas and then time off and slow downs are the guests we did not invite into our new year? How do I relate to this when my bank account is suggesting that more time off is not the remedy? I get to practice yoga I guess! I don't know about you but slowing down for me is a practice. My nature is to keep moving and to keep busy. Mercury has just come out of retrograde in the sign of Capricorn and we have been in a period of reflection on what goals and milestones are we feeding with our energy and are they in line with our heart and truth. 

Our recent full moon in Cancer has been inviting us back into our emotions. When I am busy, I can distract myself from feeling and relating intimately with my life. I can hit repeat and stay within my comfortable and familiar. When I keep moving I don't have time to reflect as deeply on the choices I am making and their affects. I perhaps don't allow the space to consider new choices that may be presenting themselves quietly. Like most people, I get in my routine and I like the illusion that I am in control. Then a snow storm comes to town and we are reminded that mother nature has her own plans and timing. Life has been a lot like that in 2016. I keep receiving the message to watch and be mindful of how I am relating to what is happening in my life. I can resist it and punch and kick my way through it and life will be as hard as I make it. I can give up and let life plow over me and feel trampled and helpless. Or, I can do my best to meet it with an open heart and mind and choose to perceive it as exactly what I need to continue to grow and learn how to ride the waves of life more skillfully.  I am trying to relate more peacefully with what is by meeting it with like energy. So, when the snow storm comes instead of pushing against it and trying to make deadlines and work happen that is simply not reasonable, I allow for rest, I play with my kiddo, I connect to nature, and listen to the quieter voice inside. When the waves of inspiration come, I work with it in the ways that feel most natural and let my passions be my guide. When the lows and the drought come in then I can see this an opportunity to become more clear with my intentions and to feed my spirit. This is totally a life long practice for me and I get it "right" about 20% maybe. We learn in the Yoga Sutras that yoga (the practice of yoking all of ourselves) is to be practiced consistently, over a long period of time and with enthusiasm.

So, I will most likely not get this "right" today but I attempt to face every day and the most challenging presentations of life with enthusiasm (a faith in myself and the process of growth) and faith that when I consistently show up for life with the intention to live in an embodied and truthful way that I will over time become more easeful with myself and with whatever arises. Step by step, day by day. I hope we all can take some time to recommit to our own practice of "yoga" and the tools that keep us able to relate to life in ways that say "yes" and "I believe in myself and all the possibilities" that I can't possibly know.  I have not found any teachings that say that when you show up fully to even the hardest situations that eventually the hard stuff goes away and life becomes a sailboat into my dreams, but I do have faith that the more I practice being open to life that I am not as fearful about facing the unplanned and the challenge.

I wish all of you a 2017 filled with inspiration to be you and to share your gifts with the world in the way only you know how! Thank you for being a part of my life and community!

Asana Bootcamp-January 27-29 at Yoyo Yogi

Please join me for 3 days of extended yoga focusing on the poses you see most often. Let's look at these foundational shapes with fresh eyes and with the intention to learn more about your own body through the postures. Take all three workshops or just one! Let's break through "right and wrong" and explore what it feels like to learn how the body teaches us to be aligned in our own unique ways. 

Register here!

Spring Equinox Retreat to Sedona-March 17-21

Moonwatchers Astrological Events and Offerings:

-Community "Astrology of the Times Gathering": January 24th (Tuesday) @7pm in the conference room at YoYo Yogi

-Star Passengers Study Group: Take your time to learn how astrology can be a tool to navigate the twists and turns of life. We will meet monthly to explore an astrological topic and discuss how to work with the concepts to make them applicable. Throughout the month you will have material to work with for self-study. All classes will be recorded so you do not need to live in Portland to participate. Enjoy a community of fellow seekers as we learn more about ourselves and how to relate with life with more ease and grace. The group meetings will start in February. If you are interested please message me so I can find the best time for us to gather. 

-Monthly Mini Astrological Forecast Readings: I know many of your schedules prevent you from attending my monthly gatherings so here is a way to get a quick astrological outlook for the month and suggestions for how to work with the planetary transits that affect you. Try the first month free to get an idea if this is something that will support your day to day connection to what is through the lens of the stars! 

More information on my website for these events. Please message me to register or inquire further. 

My services:

Please check out my offerings on my website. Other than teaching yoga classes and offering private sessions, I offer intuitive and astrology readings. I also blend aromatherapy to support your intentions. 

Thank you all for your support in allowing me to offer my passions from my heart. Happy new year! Hope to see you soon!

"Hatha yoga teaches us to breathe when things are intense, to soften where we are hard and to strengthen where we are weak. It shows us how to bend and how to be steady, how to aspire and how to accept."  -  Christina Sell, "Yoga for the Inside Out"

Love and Light,

Jill Case