Insights and Inspiration

Tending the Greenery of the Heart | August Newsletter

Tending the Greenery of the Heart | August Newsletter

“You are brilliant. You are kind. You are deserving. As you are. It isn’t only about the highlights or the outcomes. The dirt and the climb are just as illuminating as all they create. You are magnificent in every part of your journey.”
– Tonya Lynne, The Courage Practice

🎶 Playlist for the Read: Coming Home – The Atlantean Frequency

Welcome yourself as you know to do. With a deep inhale. And a releasing exhale.

With a hand to my heart, I meet you today in gratitude—gratitude for this capacity, this light within, my ānanda. Even in a season where my body, time, and intentions feel stretched, seasonal pitta in ayurveda at its prime- I continue the practice to live with presence, grace, and heart. It’s not always balanced, but it is wholehearted, truthful, and nonviolent. Satya, ahimsa, the yama at work.

This week, my inspiration comes from an image I took of vibrant flowers—colors shining in their full brilliance, each blossom held and supported by a deep, generous green. It made me ask:
How do we tend and love the greenery that supports our own vibrancy?

The Bridge of the Heart

We’ve journeyed through the lower chakras—orange for creativity, yellow for power and vitality. Moving from the dance between the 2nd & 3rd chakras, we arrive at their meeting with the 4th: green, Anahata, the heart chakra.

In homage to Manipura (yellow), I’m reminded that yellow is needed to create both orange and green. Often we say “start with the root,” but the heart can also be a gateway to embodiment.

Anahata means boundless or unbroken. It bridges lower and upper chakras, masculine and feminine energies, body and breath. Its element is air—light, spacious, and life-giving—carried on prana, the breath itself.

Leo season aligns beautifully here, governing the heart, chest, lungs, and upper spine. A manifestation month, the vibrant sacred Leo sun. This space- whiled called to claim your light (last week’s share) moreover invites vulnerability, humility, courage, and compassion. I often say, compassion is tending to the heart in action. This muscle gets to be self-ish. The heart must care for itself first, then extend outward. Deeply collaborative with breath, the heart with breath is the bridge of living, loving, and even dying at all once.

Practices for Exploration this Week

  • Dirga Pranayama (Three-Part Breath) – Bring one hand on the heart, one on the low belly. Draw a depth of breath from belly to ribs to collarbones. Imagine inflating from the pelvic basin. Slow & steady. 10 rounds. Add Udrva Hastasana- Arms by the hips, rising with each part as you inhale for further capacity in the lungs, exhale hands through heart center. 3-5 rounds, ending in Anjule Mudra- Heart Mudra
    Mantra: I shine without depleting my own light.
  • Strong Heart Openers and Chest Expansion– Bound Crescent Lunge, Bound Pyramid, Humble Pyramid, Triangle Pose, Locust, Dancer—shapes powered by both Manipura & Anahata.
  • Presence – Ask: “What practices can I do to be more present?” “What small things help me engage fully in this moment?”
  • Grace – Fail forward (a nod to my fellow yogi). Realign. Let grace follow.

Morgan Harper Nichols writes: “Tending a garden means caring for what’s growing now, while planting seeds for the next season.” We can tend today’s growth while nurturing tomorrow’s potential.

Acknowledging the Whole Journey- Listening your Heart’s pulses

It’s easy to love only the highlights, yet the heart’s work is to hold the full spectrum—joy, sorrow, hope, loss. In one week, we might celebrate the new life of an expecting friend and mourn the passing of a beloved elder or pet. We may tend so much joy and responsibility that we become depleted. The unbound heart encompasses and enlivens the many shades of light & shadow that expand outward & permeate inward. Through the tries & triggers, the awe and warmth.

Yoga has supported me in grief, uncertainty, and self-doubt, as well as in moments of peace and celebration. Returning to the heart, to the light within, no matter the residue of the body or the demands of the world—this is the nourishment that allows us to shine, express, and love out into the world. To be the change makers toward all that is unjust, to support another to be seen with presence, a nod of unconditional knowing.

“May small beautiful things remind you: the little things you do matter too.” – Morgan Harper Nichols

Seasonal Shifts & Schedule Updates
A few changes on the horizon:
Vacation: No classes August 10–16
Weekday Warrior: After tomorrow, shifts from Wednesdays to Tuesdays until Labor Day
New Nourishment Series at Heart Spring Health: Registration Open

I hope you’ll join me this August—at the gardens on Thursday mornings, online Tuesday evenings, or in my upcoming six-week Nourishment Series starting mid-August. If you or someone you know could benefit, please share. Together, we’ll journey through the elements, bridging into late summer, building inner resources, and tending the heart.

Whether you arrive with vibrant blossoms or in need of deep rooting, may you breathe into your brilliance, act with kindness and courage, and keep tending the greenery of your heart. You are magnificent in all parts of your journey.

Mantras for the Week

  • My heart is both sanctuary and bridge.
  • I honor my breath as the messenger of presence.
  • I shine without depleting my own light.

May you tend your greenery that allows you to bloom.

In radiance & rest,
In love & light,
Maya

Upcoming Offerings

💛 New Offering: Trauma-Informed Yoga Therapy Series – Register now!
The Nourishment Series @ Heart Spring Health – SE Portland
A 6-week small group yoga therapy series for nervous system care, emotional resilience, gentle healing, and embodied self-care. Blending breath, movement, somatic tools, and the wisdom of the five elements in a supportive setting.
For those navigating: anxiety, burnout, trauma, caregiving, or life transitions.

  • Wednesdays, beginning August 20 | 6:00–7:30 PM
  • Cost: $150 for the full series | Limited to 8 participants
    → Reserve your spot

🌿 Garden Yoga at the Farm
Thursdays at 9:30 AM | 3935 SW 91st Ave, Portland – Humberside Farm
Gentle, grounding morning practice surrounded by nature.

💻 Weekday Warrior – Online Yoga
LAST Wednesday class Aug 6 → Moves to Tuesdays until Labor Day
Strength, presence, restoration, and heart in 60 minutes.

🌱 Yoga Therapy 1:1 Sessions (In Person & Virtual)
Nervous system support | Trauma-informed care | Embodiment tools for healing & integration → Learn More

✨ Supporter Membership
Access 60+ on-demand classes, practices, and meditations.
🎶 New in the Library: Chakras in Practice Playlist: Svadhisthana – Returning to the Waters Within → Join Here

🔁 Past Practices to Revisit

Insights & Inspirations- Click on the title header on my website to get the full Archive (Photos + titles worth the scroll 😊)

Moments of Joy this Season. Be Well. Enjoy the next few weeks of August.

Join the Journey- Subscribe for Insights, Inspirations & Updates