Sparks, Clarity, Courage for the Wintering Heart
“It is the power of the heart to encounter any difficult circumstance and turn it into gold and opportunity.”
— Jack Kornfield
Hello dear friends,
December begins. Let's revisit The Atlantean Frequency from the Coming Home Playlist as a soundscape for today's read- a share from my head and heart, with offerings further below. As always, take what serves, leave the rest.
Atha Yoga Nusasanam- Now the Yoga Begins
A Gentle Centering
Find your supported seat, a kind posture that is both alert and relaxed.
Place a hand on your heart and prepare for 8 rounds of wholehearted, steady breath.
Welcome a kind pause. Let your breath set the pace as you inwardly offer:
Breathing in- I am here.
Breathing out- I am home.
Allow your eyes to close and invite visual silence for 8 gentle cycles, savoring each full exhale.
Reflections for a Wintering Heart
After time away with my in-laws — vital, tender, necessary — I’ve returned home with our sweet fur baby carrying a spirit that’s grateful, unresolved, and gently curious.
Being away gave me space to simply be: to share vulnerable with those who held my catharsis with care, to feel the nostalgia that always rises this time of year. Time with my husband’s family brings its own bittersweetness: memories of those we miss, the lineage of their lessons, the ways we understand them more tenderly through our own lived struggles. The music, meals, voices and laughs, and the quiet moments of tending one another hold both longing and heart. Grief and love so closely dance.
This brings me to the lens of the gunas — rajas, tamas, sattva — and how they mirror the nervous system. We move through these states constantly. Nothing wrong with us when we feel unsettled, overwhelmed, aloof or heavy. Nor must we cling to stillness, movement or awe. These are simply energies to meet and move with. Understanding them helps liberate the heart from unnecessary suffering — the aim of yoga on and off the mat.
We can even find movement in the pauses: the spaciousness created by being away from routine, by being cared for (a rare gift for many of us in adulthood). In those pockets of rest, I could feel sattva quietly returning — a soft sense of okayness, awe, and peace that arrives when I stop arguing with reality and soften into what is.
All of this returned me to the yogic learning of shraddha:
a quiet faith in the path;
faith in myself;
faith that I don’t need every detail of December mapped out to meet it wholeheartedly.
A remembrance — smriti — that the sun rises without our effort.
Life continues delivering exactly what we are meant to meet.
Can we bring our whole hearts?
Can we refine our choices so we’re not dissipating our prana unnecessarily?
With a fatigued body and an uneasy mind, a simple phrase on the wall of their local gym resonated deeply:
“Success is an attitude.”
Not in a performative way — but as a reminder that how we orient matters. Our inner stance, even in uncertainty, can be one of steadiness, presence, and gentle resolve. One of my teachers and I in turn often asks:
How steady is your breath?
How present is your mind?
A resilient spirit begins again with each moment, each breath.
Seasonal Learnings & Practice Invitations
We’re in Sagittarius season, guided by the archer — a flame of expansion, trust, and possibility. And amid vata season — wind, movement, scattering — we need grounding as much as enthusiasm. Nature invites us to honor the darker mornings and evenings that bookend our days, to let cold, crisp air awaken presence, gratitude for warmth, and connection to our resources.
As many of you navigate finals, work stressors, advocacy, family responsibilities, or simply the weight of wintering, these practices offer grounding, pause, inspiration, and flow. Every step taken, every truth honored, clears the way for your generous heart.
This month we center Saucha — clarity, cleansing, returning to the essential. Healthy use of our inner fire. Not detox or discipline, but purification of the senses, mind, and heart — especially after the indulgence this season often brings. A way to stay luminous as the days grow darker.
If your heart feels heavy… if you’re longing… if you’re quietly hopeful — you’re not alone. These practices support your fire, your breath, your curiosity, and your wholehearted return to yourself.
Here’s to leap-taking.
Here’s to faith.
Here’s to movement and clarifying your energy.
Here’s to necessary truths.
Here’s to the sparks we carry into winter.
To attunement, then expansion.
Here’s to coming home to your generous heart — shraddha in your time, your pace. May we move through this season with clarity, warmth, and generosity. Come join me for embodied yoga as we uncover what December has to offer.
In radiance & rest, with love & light,
Maya
12/2/2025
December Offerings
✨ Classes at Heart Spring Health (Sellwood – SE Portland)
Small-group classes in a warm, therapeutic space. Affordable membership available.
📍 7886 SE 13th Ave, Portland
• NEW: Root & Rise Yoga — Mon 6:30–7:30 AM
• NEW: Root & Rise Yoga — Tue 10:00–11:00 AM - Starts 12/16
• Slow Flow Yoga — Wed 4:45–6:00 PM
• Ground & Release (Yin–Restore) — Wed 6:15–7:30 PM
✨ Root & Rise Morning Yoga @ Humberside Farm
Saturdays @ 9:00 AM — Cozy indoor hatha flow in a beautiful hidden sanctuary. First 3 Saturdays of December.
$20–$45 suggested | All levels welcome
➡ Details & Registration – Dec 6,13,20 (Spots limited)
✨ Studio Subbing @ Yoyogi - CANCELLED SUBBING
Wednesday December 10 @ 9:00 AM
A spirited, heartfelt flow to ground and uplift.
➡ Inspired Flow
Online
✨ Friday Flow – Energize & Ease
Fridays @ 8:00 AM PT | 45 min
Pay-what-you-can ($12–$25+)
A mindful movement practice with pranayama and seasonal themes to ground and uplift.
➡ Flow @ Home
✨ Community Circle – Connection & Support
Wednesdays @ 11:00–11:30 AM PT | 30 min
A weekly pause for grounding, breath & gentle reflection.
➡ Join Us From Anywhere
1:1 Support & Membership
💛 Yoga Therapy 1:1 Sessions
Personalized, trauma-informed support for nervous system balance and embodied healing. Online and In Person.
➡ Learn More
🕯 Root Support Membership
Access 80+ replays, playlists, and seasonal practices — or offer a one-time donation to support accessible yoga therapy.
➡ Join the Membership| One Time Support
✨ Free Resources
Centering, Mindfulness & Breath Practices:
➡ Practice: @MayaLakeYoga Youtube
➡ Listen: Maya Lake Yoga- Coming Home Playlist.
➡ Read: Insights & Inspirations- Past Blogs & Letters
