Tending Passion with Presence : Garden Yoga, 3rd Chakra & a Summer Blessing
“There is a fire that does not diminish despite torrential storms of life… It explodes in bits of stardust we leave in the wake of our truth. When we have courage to explore what ignites our fire and makes us whole, we can share this glow with others. We become our own guiding light.”
— Lisette Cheresson & Andrea Rice
Hello dear friends,
In homage to your courage, your passion, your glow — welcome to this week’s share: a blend of reflection, sensory connection, yoga offerings, and something to nourish the week ahead- plus Garden Yoga @ the Farm!
Take what resonates and leave the rest.
Listen: Shivaratri | Benjy Wertheimer & John de Kadt • One River
This week’s playlist addition is a longtime favorite I return to before teaching — it offers me a sense of homecoming, ease, and quiet confidence.
Music lives through the sense of sound — it can be a doorway to the magic within and between us, to meaning and memory, to embodiment and connection... and just for now, to an inward pause.
Begin with a Breath
Nestle into your seat.
Feel your feet on the ground.
Let your spine rise tall.
Welcome your shoulders soften.
Say to yourself:
Breathe in- I am light and receptive.
Breathe out- I am grounded and at ease.
Repeat for 5 to 10 rounds.
Now. Atha. The yoga begins.
Tending Passion with Presence
As Cancer season nears its close, we’ve been exploring homecoming, creativity, blossoming, and passion — moving from root to sacral to solar plexus. Water meeting fire. Receptivity meeting will.
This week invites integration.
How do we shine with steadiness?
How do we pursue passion without depletion?
How do we tend the aliveness, the fire, the spark - with presence?
Manipura - Solar Plexus - 3rd Chakra
Mani | Jewel Pura | City/Place
Represents Luminosity, Brilliance, the Sun, Yellow
Imperative: Bring wisdom into action. Discernment of path, purpose, and passion. Agency. Advocacy. Will.
This summer continues the dance from earth to water to fire. The fire of Manipura (solar plexus) reminds us of will, discernment, and luminosity. It’s the place where wisdom becomes action.
Lately, yellow has been showing up everywhere for me - in sunny mornings, vibrant flowers, and the blooming roses I tend at Humberside Farm. This color isn’t just aesthetic - it’s energetic. It reminds me of what it takes to bloom: earth’s nourishment, water’s presence, and the right amount of sun with open air.
Just like the flowers, we too need care:
Not too much heat, not too little.
Not too much striving, not too little agency.
Back in March, I shared Becky Hemsley’s reflection on yellow (visit within this post "Hues of Yellow") — how it’s needed to make both orange and green:
- Orange for vitality (sacral chakra),
- Green for compassion (heart chakra).
Yellow — the color of radiance and centered power — becomes the bridge to passion between creativity and heart.
As nature teaches- We need to be watered. We need rest.
And we also need to believe in the part of ourselves that shines unapologetically — that shows up with courage, that welcomes and weathers life’s storms.
A Blessing to Tend the Fire
May we bring forward advocacy with kindness and strength to continue forward our passion, our purpose in the season of play, of expression.
May we tend our fire with presence and care.
May we carry forward with less depletion.
May we be nourished by the rains, the storms and rooted in our light.
May you explore what ignites your fire —
with curiosity, with courage, and with heart.
Shine. Rest. Express. Root.
Shine with steadiness. Pursue your passion.
And remember. You don’t have to do it all.
You just have to remember your light.
Practices & Reflection
Gayatri Mantra Visualization & Chant (3rd Chakra)
A short centering chant inspired by my teacher.
Visualize soft yellow light at your solar center as you chant or listen.
Let the meaning move through breath and intention.
→ Practice Free: Gayatri Mantra on Youtube
Coming Home Playlist — grounding & heart-lifting soundscape.
(Includes this week’s featured track)
Still Feeling the Heat?
☀ Sitali Pranayama — 5 min Cooling Breath
☀ How Water Blossoms — 12-min centering with mantra
🌙 Evening Wind-down Pose: Viparita Karani (Legs up the wall) — 5 minutes before sleep over a couch, bed, or chair.
Offerings & Updates
New! Garden Yoga at the Farm – Every Thursday
I'm excited. Come for a visit. Join me for weekly Root & Rise Yoga at Humberside Farm — a beautiful hidden gem at the threshold between Portland and Beaverton.
🕘 Thursdays, 9:30–10:30 AM (Gate opens at 9:15)
📍 3935 SW 91st Ave, Portland
💚 Suggested contribution: $20–$45 | All levels welcome | No one turned away
🌱 Farm stand opens after class — fresh produce & more
🐐 Meet the animals — goats, donkeys, chickens… and a duck 😊
Whether you’re a 9–5er needing a reset, a curious neighbor, or craving quiet community in nature — come as you are. Bring a mat. Bring a friend.
→ Reserve your spot & learn more
Weekday Warrior — Online via Zoom Now earlier!
Wednesdays at 4:30 PM PT / 7:30 PM ET via Zoom
Replay available for 2 weeks
Strength, presence, and restoration midweek in 60 minutes.
→ Full Schedule & Details
📚 Supporter Membership
→ Join Supporter Membership – access 60+ yoga classes, meditations, and mindfulness tools.
✨ Bonus: Members’ playlist updated!
💛 One-Time Donation → Support My Work
✨ Yoga Therapy (1:1 Virtual & In-Person)
Sliding scale · Nervous system care, embodiment & integration
→ Learn More
🎨 Bonus Svadhyaya: Reflect & Create
Inspired by The Yoga Almanac
- Set a timer for 30 minutes.
- Gather pens, crayons, paints — whatever sparks joy.
- Recall what lit you up as a child.
- Let it pour onto the page — scribbles, memories, dreams.
Then: Choose one small spark to explore this week.
This is svadhyaya — self-study through joy.
It’s also a way to explore creative expression (Svadhisthana) through the power center (Manipura).
From authenticity, not pressure.
From fullness, not force.
Here with you in practice.
In love & light,
Maya
7/22/25