"Yoga Extras" Resource for the week of F 4/21-Tue 4/25
Updated: Apr 20
I am creating these "Yoga Extras" blog posts for those of you resonating with the public yoga classes & Yoga Teacher Trainings I am leading. Inside of these blog posts you will find extra resources that support our weekly class theme. The weekly classes I guide are themed according to the season & collective energetic "weather"--This is of course influenced by many things; for instance, not only national and global events but how masses of people are feeling about and reacting to those events. It is also influenced by space weather (see spaceweather.com) & the current movement/placement of celestial bodies ie: the sun, moon, planets, nodes, stars, etc. You can find me teaching currently at Black Swan Yoga (North-Anderson) in Austin, TX. I am on the schedule as "Erika K." Mention this webpage for a free class.
The physical focus for class this week: Week 2 of Variations on Forward bends (to lengthen the hamstrings & the low back for spinal comfort/ease). This week we're adding a rhythm to really pump up/increase the energy body: Fold, open/inflate the chest, twist, all on repeat.
The philosophical focus/theme for this week: Eclipse Season is coming! Part of the root of the word eclipse means to "leave behind." This is week 2 of variations on releasing old addictive habits to take off into the next phase of your life. I heard the other day: We don't not know our purpose or why we're here. We know. The issue is the block(s) we have self-created that keep us from stepping forward into what is next. All out of fear; which feels real, but is not. We are bigger than it. I'm stepping forward away from some uncomfortable blocks & plan on encouraging anyone who also wants to level up, to come with. Love.
AND...
You can find MUSIC FROM CLASS this week HERE! or click the image below:
To access another link of the reading for the week, click HERE! &/or the image below:
MORE FOR YOU!......
There is some unbelievably valuable intel in the podcast below. I myself have been in a state of "Recovery" for about a decade and a half. Glennon (the podcast host) puts what can seem like a complicated topic into an easy to hold/digest metaphor, and what she is saying is life-altering. I always felt a little bad for people who did not HAVE TO do the work of a person in recovery (from ANY addictive way of being) because they were not given the simple (but not necessarily easy) tools to freedom like I was. BUT YOU CAN. Highly suggest you listen to this. Click the image. Love!
AND....... (click on image below)
One more thing!....... Look for your horoscope below, lovebugs.
Taurus season has officially arrived. From April 20th through May 21st, the Sun in this sensual earth sign pulls us into the pleasure of our senses. Think: Skin warmed by the sun. The touch of a soft shirt. A pitcher of cold water at the table. But beyond the physical, Taurus also reminds us that any goal needs a stable foundation from which to build on. Above all, this season brings an opportunity to anchor our fresh ideas into solid ground.
If you have the desire to change into comfy clothes and turn in early, honor it. Don’t just smell the roses — feel the soft give of their petals between your fingers. Pay attention to the trees. Sink your feet into the dirt. Of course, too much of anything can be destabilizing, and Taurus’ growth edge involves interrupting comfort when it curdles into complacency. So by all means, settle into your couch. Just don’t cut your connection to the world that’s buzzing outside your door.
Because the Sun is traveling so close to the North Node this Taurus season, the Full Moon in Scorpio will be an eclipse.
This eclipse will serve as the final chapter in a story you’ve been living for over a year now, and the end of an 18-month-long lesson in release. This series of Taurus and Scorpio eclipses began in late 2021 and has required an unflinching and thorough sloughing off of outgrown narratives, relationship patterns, and outdated beliefs that no longer resonate with you. While it hasn’t always been comfortable, shedding skin is what creates vital room to grow.
There’s nothing you need to “do” during this final eclipse in Scorpio, as eclipses unfold on their own time. Instead, focus on tending to your physical needs with extra care, keeping your schedule as open and flexible as possible, and resting amply.
A couple of weeks later, on May 19th, the New Moon in Taurus invites us to plant the seedlings of new beginnings. Though there will be one more Taurus eclipse in October, this is the first New Moon in Taurus that hasn’t been an eclipse in two years. The Moon is exalted in this sign, so this lunation offers a potent opportunity for intentional dreaming, methodical growth, and system-supporting goals. What is set into motion under this New Moon will take root. Sow with purpose.
If you know both your rising sign and Sun sign, please read both horoscopes. You’ll know which one resonates for you. Take what works and leave the rest. If you’d like to share this work, please credit the source and provide a link to this post or to chani.com. Thank you for your support and for spreading this work around. We really appreciate it — and you.
The following horoscopes were written by Sarina Romero.
Aries & Aries Rising
As the Sun enters Taurus, it’s time to turn your attention to your resources. Yes, this might mean reviewing your budgets. But who said you can’t accomplish that while sitting in a warm pool of sunlight waiting for the kettle to whistle?
The emphasis here is on finding softer ways to address your needs while basking in pockets of pleasure. Doing so will offer you stability — especially during the Scorpio eclipse on May 5th. This eclipse will wrap up an 18th-month-long release within your collaborations.
Your narratives around giving and receiving have undergone a thorough reworking, and you’re about to arrive on the other side. Notice your fortified trust in others, and yourself.
This season has you experiencing just how interwoven your collaborations are with your resources. And the New Moon on May 19th will bring an opportunity to identify what you want to nurture in your realms of money and talents. If your usual bookkeeping method has become a power struggle between you and your receipts, dream up a better way.
The Sun in Taurus is inviting you to try something new.
Taurus & Taurus Rising
As the Sun enters Taurus, it pours its brilliant rays over your most cherished dreams, ideas, and goals. This is a homecoming steeped in pleasure. And no one does pleasure quite like you. This is your season, after all — a time to honor your needs first. The more you tend to yourself, the more you’ll be able to strike a balance with the relationship topics the Scorpio eclipse will stir up.
This eclipse on May 5th wraps up an 18-month-long release process surrounding your partnerships and the ways you allocate your time with your dear ones and the projects close to your heart. Know that whatever (or whomever) enters or leaves your life during this period is aligned with the relationship dynamics you’re ready to grow.
On May 19th, the New Moon in Taurus will encourage you to take stock of just how much your self-love and care have deepened during this eclipse cycle. This will be the time to clarify how you’d like to nourish yourself moving forward. So tune in to how your body feels before RSVPing.
Spend time with the activities that return you back to yourself. Be honest about what isn’t working so that you can reevaluate and recycle where needed. And check in with yourself like it’s your most vital job. Because it is.
Gemini & Gemini Rising
As the Sun enters Taurus, it’s time to luxuriate. This stretch of the year is all about bringing ease and softness to your heart, seeking out the pleasures that buoy your most tender emotions, and prioritizing time with yourself. (Cue those candles, bath salts, and body oils.)
Taking your alone time seriously now will offer you a cushion to land on and ample space to decompress in after the Scorpio eclipse on May 5th. This eclipse will wrap up an 18-month process of release surrounding the habits and work routines that undermine your emotional, mental, and physical wellbeing.
Notice what comes to the surface during this period, then track the choices that make you feel nourished and encourage yourself to shed the ones that don’t.
In light of everything this eclipse stirs up for you, the New Moon in Taurus on May 19th brings an invitation to set new intentions for how you tend to and support your inner world. To make room for this personal restoration, pay attention to any frustrations that crop up around your “you time.” These moments will clue you in to opportunities to rework your schedule or do something fresh.
Whatever you choose to set into motion now will take root and blossom.
Cancer & Cancer Rising
As we enter Taurus season, the Sun shines its golden rays onto your friendships and their roles in your life. So kick back on the sofa in your coziest sweats and watch a movie with your pals — or call a loved one for support if you find yourself bumping up against sticky power dynamics. Just remember that the company you keep should remind you that your pleasure is a vital part of your life.
Savoring the honey your dear ones bring to your world will also offer a stable anchor to hold on to through the Scorpio eclipse on May 5th. This eclipse will wrap up an 18-month shedding of old narratives that dissuade you from feeling worthy of receiving and expressing yourself creatively. In other words: It’s time to release worn-out stories that keep you from saying yes to yourself.
Building off this momentum, the New Moon in Taurus on May 19th will provide an opportunity to plant new seeds around the ways you want to create, give, and receive within your communities. For you, Taurus season is an invitation to nourish your soul and share your authentic self alongside your nearest and dearest. No filter required.
Leo & Leo Rising
As the Sun enters Taurus, it’s time to weave unabashed pleasure into your public-facing life. Whether you choose to don your comfiest socks under your business shoes or savor stillness during your lunch break, this season is your reminder to exhale.
Prioritizing what feels sweet within your work life will offer you stability through the Scorpio eclipse on May 5th. This eclipse will wrap up an 18-month-long release of any outgrown, inherited ideas you’ve held around home and support. Throughout this shedding process, you’re being asked to focus on what you want to relish out in the world. The more you do, the more you’ll be able to go with the eclipse’s flow.
This Taurus season will highlight just how much your foundation and public-facing life nourish each other. And the New Moon in Taurus on May 19th will encourage you to dig into the ideas, narratives, and actions that remind you that comfort is your right — especially when it comes to your labors in the world.
To embrace the magic of this season, pay attention to moments in your workday that serve as antidotes to stress. Then challenge yourself to identify what habits you can shift to feel more grounded. Simply taking a deep breath has a ripple effect. Start small and witness what happens.
Virgo & Virgo Rising
As the Sun enters Taurus, you’re being reminded that pleasure is paramount no matter what topics you’re researching, travel plans you’re confirming, or big life questions you’re debating. So sip your favorite tea while you listen to that podcast. Read philosophy books in your sweats. Recite affirmations while you draw up your itineraries.
This season is all about savoring the pockets of honey tucked in your life.
Prioritizing these sweet moments will offer you a stabilizing anchor during the Scorpio eclipse on May 5th as well. This eclipse will wrap up an 18-month shedding within the ins and outs of your routines. There’s no denying that your relationship to your days has undergone a metamorphosis over the past two years. And now your ideas for the future are able to take clearer shape.
The New Moon in Taurus on May 19th provides an opportunity to honor this strengthened relationship between your daily life and future schemes. So dream big. Set intentions for a year from now. Collage, journal, or paint the life you want to nurture and grow. Whatever you envision now has staying power. Plant the seeds for future you.
Libra & Libra Rising
As we enter Taurus season, the Sun pours its golden light on your collaborations. Giving and receiving are important parts of life — and you know just how far a little honey goes. So trade your lemons for your neighbor’s oranges. Participate in a skillshare. Swap massages with your love. Savoring the sweetness of your exchanges will be a stabilizing source to rely on, especially during the Scorpio eclipse.
This eclipse on May 5th will wrap up an 18-month-long release surrounding your resources — both material and emotional. Shedding old skins hasn’t been a comfortable process, but it has created fresh, fertile ground for you to build upon.
Your revitalized belief in your worth and talents will come in handy during the New Moon in Taurus on May 19th. This lunation will invite you to clarify how you’d like to expand the ways you share with others. If it brings up feelings of scarcity or powerlessness for you, get curious about them.
There’s more than one way of doing everything. Recycling even the smallest habits this season will have transformative effects.
Scorpio & Scorpio Rising
As the Sun enters Taurus, you’re invited to bliss out with your beloveds. The people you share your heart with are also the ones that remind you how vital it is to exhale. To take your time. To change into your sweats early. These acts may seem small, but don’t underestimate their impact on your pleasure.
Savoring the pockets of sweetness your partnerships bring to your life will provide a stable anchor during the Scorpio eclipse on May 5th. This eclipse will wrap up an 18-month-long release within your personal world.
During this time, you’ve been parsing through the dreams, goals, and projects that no longer resonate, and shedding outgrown habits around self-criticism. And through this process, you’ve become that much more connected to your sense of self.
The New Moon in Taurus on May 19th offers you an opportunity to channel everything this eclipse season has unearthed for you into seedlings to plant in your partnerships. Just remember: Even if relationship dynamics get tricky, your connection to yourself has been fortified.
You now know how to take inventory of your internal world and make choices that are in integrity with you. Doing so strengthens the bonds with your own heart — and with your loved ones.