Happy Lunar New Year from Jill!

Hello Dear Friends:

It has been quite some time since I have sent out a newsletter. The last year has been quite life altering and transformational for me. I feel like  I have been waking up to a new self and wow is that ever profound and at times extremely uncomfortable, unstable, disorienting and yet freeing. Some of you know that after 10 years of living in my home in SW Portland I recently moved to Sellwood. A year ago if you asked me if I would ever move I would have said heck no, never. Yet, as long as I have lived in Portland I have loved Sellwood and imagined how fun it would be to live in an area so walkable and friendly. Just today on my run I stopped to look across the river and realized I was looking out to the exact spot I had walked to from the SW side to peer over the river for the last 10 years.  It was like looking at my past, the "me" from the other side and the realizing "Wow, what just happened to my life!". I think this last year may have been like this for many of us. I would imagine whether it was moving your house or taking a new leap in your career or even more hidden, internal ways of experiencing transformational change, we know what it is like to undergo "personal construction". How it changes your behaviors, patterns, thoughts and even the way you see and know yourself.

What was interesting about staring at the look out today was that my life today looks drastically different than it did a year ago and I feel so divergent from the woman that used to stare over into Sellwood and dream. Yet, really in some ways I am the same just perhaps a little more aware and familiar with some new parts of myself that had been neglected or maybe more fluid in some views that needed a different vantage point in order to allow myself to take a leap and dream bigger and see what else there could be on the other side. I cannot tell you what a gift moving has been for me. I am feel more inspired, more confident in my ability to be supported and capable of making big changes, feel more connected to community and the joys of walking everywhere. This is astrological time of freeing ourselves from the norm and allowing stability to be fluid place of showing up in each moment with what is in just the way it presents itself and relating to it with curiosity. We grow when we stretch ourselves out of what is comfortable and familiar. It lets us learn to breathe in new ways and maybe it allows us to see we had been holding our breath or barely breathing before. We deepen the way we understand ourselves and each other in our capacity to survive and even thrive in new environments  and situations. New skills can emerge and new ways to employ our gifts and wisdom when we break free. Maybe we think we cannot and then we do. Maybe we try and we fail and we say, it didn't destroy me it actually liberated me from the fear that it might and now I am stronger and braver to take another chance.

This is the year to take new leaps of faith, to challenge the status quo, to invite in permission to ask "What if and Why". This is the time to explore who we are when we face discomfort and instability and how we can learn to find that inner anchor that keeps us afloat despite at times turbulent seas. This last year has been a bumpy ride at sea for me and maybe for you too. It wasn't all sunshine and rainbows but I did my best to show up for what it was and instead of bracing for impact I tried something new... softening and asking what if I am stronger than I think? What if this feeling of awkwardness and discomfort won't kill me? Indeed I was stronger than I imagined and I bet you are too. Let's all ride those waves of change and liberation together. Another part of this energy is communal effect of change. We need each other and we need inspiration and hope that there are always new ways to see that do allow us to reinvent our reality to more open and spacious and open hearted ways of being alive. We need to know that it is ok and in fact normal to feel clumsy and like you are learning to walk again sometimes in life. We need to sometimes hear "You are doing a good job and its ok to be where you are! You are my community and you have supported me in so many ways this last year that it has touched my heart deeply. I am ready to show up for you this year with some exciting new offerings. They are unfolding organically, some slower than I wish and some I am working out as I go but I am just rolling with it as best I can (fluid strength, right?). I hope that 2019 is a year that you feel the support of our community in inspiring you to make the shifts you are ready to make and to feel the net of love and support beneath you as you soar into the new.

Emotional Anatomy Workshop: February 28-March 3rd at YoYo Yogi

Come join me for extended weekend of healing and introspection as we explore the emotional connection of our experiences to our bodies. Learn how to listen and decode the stories your bodies tell through feeling into areas like the psoas & hips, core, shoulders & neck and our heart centers. Learn how the practice of yoga can evolve into a healing practice teaching you how to care and attune more deeply to your body on and off the mat. All levels, people are welcome.

Register and more details here.

Save the date: Summer Solstice Retreat in Southern Oregon: June 20-23  More details coming soon!

This is a sun inspired weekend to explore the fire element and the gifts of joy, creativity, and passion! Learn about your sun sign and your unique creative potential. Cultivate more playfulness and passion in your life and relationships. Be your own inspiration as you tap into what makes you thrive. This retreat will offer yoga, astrological themed workshops, time in nature for fun and healing and community! If you would like to be sent more information as it comes available check my website or send me a message here.

Work with me

Yoga:

I am still teaching yoga twice a week at YoYo Yogi: Mondays at 4:30pm and Saturdays at 8:30am.

Private Intuitive Astrologically inspired sessions: "illuminating the path to discover your potential" 

I offer private sessions to work with areas you feel stuck in your life or body as well as new avenues you wish to explore. Astrology can be a wonderful self discovery tool to deepen your understanding to the experiences of your life! I offer my experience as body intuitive, astrologer, and yoga and movement therapist to empower you with tools and techniques that allow you to feel connected to your truth and alignment. Free yourself to be yourself. Find more information here.

Astrology of the Times-What is going on?

Catch me on the Tonight Show with Cassidy this Friday night on KGW at 7pm for a sneak peak of the upcoming full moon in Virgo and how to work with it.

I share my interpretations of the astrology of the times on my website here and on facebook.

Tip for February-Nervous System Care

These times I feel to be taxing on the nervous system..perhaps you are experiencing some mental jitters, having a hard time relaxing or sleeping, feeling confused or disoriented. One of my favorite oils for this time are any of the Firs, Cedarwood, Spruce... think trees! These scents tend to clarify my mind and give me a sense of groundedness. These essential oils are easy to find in grocery stores. 

One of my favorite physical shapes for this time is legs up a wall. Lay onto your back and place your feet on the wall either at 90 degrees or at an angle.  You can even do this before bed with your feet above your headboard. If you are at work or in the car and need a quick nervous system reboot, try tapping your body, face and head. Tapping can get that "restless" energy off your skin and get you into your body.