Surya Daya Yoga & Wellness – Page 2 – Amber Young Yoga and Wellness

Offerings – An Update

3rd February 20224th February 2022Amber_Young

“The most important thing each of us can know is our unique gift and how to use it in the world. Individuality is cherished and nurtured, because in order for the whole to flourish, each of us has to be strong in who we are and carry our gifts with conviction, so they can be shared with others. Being among the sisters provides a visible manifestation of what a community can become when its members understand and share their gifts. In reciprocity, we fill our spirits as well as our bellies.”

– Robin Wall Kimmerer from Braiding Sweetgrass

These wise words from Robin Kimmerer reach inside of me and make me want to shine this light on everyone – each of us has to be strong in who we are – the wholeness of who we are, so we can carry our gifts, and live them, with conviction. She is referring to the three sisters in our gardens; corn, squash and beans – all needed strong in their authenticity for eachother to thrive. For the first time in my life, I actually understand this – not from ego, but from a deep well of compassion and dedication to being in service.

This is not a time in our lives to shrink or avoid our responsibilities, that’s for sure. Why are you here, and what do you care about? I have been asking myself this question since the beginning of all this shifting, settling a little more everyday in to the answers that arise for me.

It feels good to be back committed to my massage practice, offering treatments in peoples homes, in my private clinic/teaching space, and back with the incredible support at Carp Ridge. The years I ran the yoga studio were magic, but I realize where I’m most needed now with our present reality is in clinic – doing healing hands on work. People are feeling such a wide spectrum of emotions these days, I know I’m not needed to share that thought, but there is a deep awareness of how much support we all need right now – I feel that in my bones.

Being on my mat, practicing and teaching yoga, has evolved so much over the past few years. The yoga community I’m a part of also faced some raw truths during this time, and forced each of us to really answer the question – who am I, what is this path for me, tracing the roots for all of our teachings, and feeling fiercely about intentions and care in approaching these practices not only for ourselves, but also in the ways we hold safe space for others.

How do I bring forth the truth of these ancient teachings fueled by compassion and love, honouring all of my teachers (past and present), our ancestors and integrating the teachings from our natural world into the scientific and anatomical understanding of the movements in our body – weaving the science, the magic, the art, and the wisdom in our cells – truly embodying our yoga.

I’ve been teaching breast health workshops now for almost 20 years, born out of my massage practice, and inspired in so many ways from various trainings and teachers, and the intimate therapeutic and emotional work that has happened on my table. During this time, inspired by Sat Dharam Kaur’s work, I have put my energy back into these offerings and have threaded together an integrative approach within the container of my background; exploring our breast health, but also our whole body, mind and spirit wellness. This has taken (and continues to be in the creation state) time to craft, and I’m excited to hold this space. I am also so excited to be able to offer day long in person retreats starting again this spring.

Jessica and I launched our Soul Wisdom cards in June, that was a birthing process, and such a beautiful project, one very dear to our hearts. We have been spending some time pondering and visioning for our journal together, our next project to support you with personal and soulful reflective practices.

Through the last few years, spending more time on my own, I am acutely aware of what I love in the work I do in this life; writing, teaching, learning, exploring, and healing hands on work. I am hopeful over time that through these offerings I can help to support you to find your way into your own answers –

Why are you here? Start with the simple heart centered answers – to nourish your garden, to feel joy in your body, to be a support to those dear in your life, honouring self amidst your roles in this lifetime, to explore a creative endeavour that feeds your soul, to write, to serve food to hungry bellies, to dance, to be in service to the earth. The simplest and clearest answer here is the most profound and impactful – we have to begin with the simplest steps – remember that.
How can you best support yourself to thrive during this precious lifetime?
What do you care about?
What’s important to you? ,

Thanks for sharing these thoughts, I felt an update on my practice was due, as it’s been a while.

Please know my support is here – and there are many avenues we can work together through this wild human experience. I bow down to all of the amazing wellness guardians in our communities, supporting the whole to flourish.

You are magic unfolding, never forget that.

With so much love,

Amber

Do you want to practice together? You can see my schedule (and find our more details) here.

Learn more about Because You Matter, a beautiful 6 week journey into your breast health and whole body wellness. Click here for more information. My next offering starts in March of this year.

Harmonizing With The Elements

13th January 2022Amber_Young

Lighting the fire that warms my hearth and my home, I give thanks. In the silence of the morning I hear the call to head out to the forest, again I give gratitude, this time for my willingness to surrender to that call. Honouring each footfall, being mindful of the contact points, hearing the crunching of snow underfoot.

Walking amongst my elders; the white pine, the birch and the fir trees, I bring my attention inwards, reflecting on how we are composed of the same energy and are enlivened by the same cycles as our mother earth. This is an important realization in supporting our responsability, but also infusing that responsability with joy, as we nurture our reciprocal relationship with our natural world.

The movement of life force through us is also what nourishes the grass as it grows, the stars as they shine, the roots to grow deep into the earth, and the waters to flow.

On a yogic path we call this life force prana, it infuses your body with health and vitality everytime you move through the flow of every breath. Your breath is a gift, remember that, and give yourself permission to feel this sacred rythm moving inside of you, and moving all around you.

Through breath, as well as movement based practices, we can harmonize this energy within ourselves. Offering ourselves this time can bring us naturally into greater alignment with the land, the waters, the winds; our natural world around us. Likewise, the more time we spend in nature, the more we bring balance, nourishment and a sense of equanimity into ourselves – in body, mind and spirit.

As we attune to the rhythms of the earth we also naturally start to feel more stable in ourselves, more supported, and we begin to feel a greater sense of trust – this also leads to feeling more at peace deep inside as we invoke our inherent ability to heal.

Carve out some time to quietly sit by the water, or at the roots of a tree. Walk through the forest and be mindful of your steps. Take some time and journal your reflections, notice how you feel, and know you are very supported.

Much love

Amber

If you’d like to join Amber for her virtual movement and yoga classes you can find out more here

Supporting eachother on this human journey, our Soul Wisdom cards were created with the intention to help you find your way to wholeness.

A Slow Return

3rd January 2022Amber_Young

I have taken the last week and a half off from most of technology, being offline, and it has been bliss.

I didn’t realize how depleted and exhausted I was from this past year.

I feel so grateful as I sit down to write in these early morning hours, slowly re-emerging, to have this time with you. I wonder how you’re doing. I would love for you to truthfully answer that question, how are you actually doing?

If you’re having a hard time, you’re not alone, take your time right now if you can, and remember we are constantly in flux – learning, growing and evolving and it’s not always going to feel easeful, the wheel remember continues to spin.

If you’re doing amazing – celebrate that – please don’t dim yourself as the world needs you whole, especially right now. It’s good to feel good – and desirable – enjoy this transitory journey and try to embrace wherever you find yourself fully and completely.

I don’t often give myself complete permission to stop, put everything I’m carrying down and take a real break. I strongly recommend you bring this invitation into your own precious life, as this gift of space allowed me to actually feel the mess of this past year, and to put alot of it down so I can move forward honouring myself in the midst of it all.

I work very intimately with people, and ride the waves of not only my own experience, but within a safe container also navigate the waves of everyone in my circle of care. Without taking a break, I think we never allow the deep composting and integration to actually ever happen. No matter what you do in the world, I think sometimes we all get stuck riding the wave of our shared existence that never stops, unless we consciously decide to jump off for a while and return to our own unique holdfast.

A few weeks ago in one of my classes, we talked about this concept, looking at what holds us steady as the waves of life keep moving. Taking time everyday to feel where your roots are grounded, looking at how you show yourself compassion and softness, how are your boundaries around your own self care time? If not on a daily basis, this self reflective time is crucial at least on a monthly basis – alternatively, if we don’t take this time, we can unconsciously get pulled under or thrown against a rock – forcing us to stop in often very uncomfortable ways.

As humans we have a tendency to keep going, no matter what, and we put a strong emphasis on the way’s we’re resilient, and the ways we’re strong – I too have put alot of emphasis on these qualities, especially over the past few years. Perhaps it’s what has kept me going, seeking ways to build my own reserves and my own resources and supporting others to do the same. As we emerge in 2022 I wonder if we can continue to build our inner resources but through a lens of gentle compassion.

My amazing massage therapist (which I strongly recommend we ALL have one in our circle of care), asked me if perhaps I could learn to be comfortable in mess. She told me I could show up mess and all – and it would still be more than enough, that it wouldn’t make me less. Growing up in a home where people didn’t expect alot of me, I grew up expecting ALOT from me. I have decided to put that story down, and to show up exactly as I am without expectations, but instead with compassion – mess and all.

I definitely don’t know all the answers, but I am honest as I extend my hand out to you offering to help you find the answers – and to perhaps remember we don’t actually need to always know the answers but rather allow the journey to simply unfold.

My anchor word for this year is “Gentle”, starting with myself. I am learning the true strength and power found in the well of gentleness. In so many ways we’re all redefining ourselves right now, this is an evolution of a lifetime, but right now it is being presented clearly as a directive to all of us.

As we transition into the year ahead, can we allow a slow return.

What is your holdfast and can you return to it throughout the year ahead.
Is there a quality that resonates in your heart as an anchor word for this chapter of your life?
Have you taken some time to celebrate the pivotal moments of this past year, and to let go of what doesn’t need to travel with you into the year ahead.
Can you acknowledge any areas of your life that might feel a little messy right now, and smile upon them for the lessons they contain, allowing them to shine some light on maybe what needs your attention, rather than shoving them deeper into the shadows.
Have you clearly identified the dreams you’d like to welcome into your reality? Planting soul seeds for this next year.

As I slowly re-emerge after a restful and very needed break, know I wrap you in a blanket of gentle compassion, as we allow the year ahead to unfold in all of it’s mystery and wonder.

Much love,

Amber

If you’d like to practice with me on zoom, my virtual classes start back up this month, you can see the schedule and register here.

If the class times don’t suit your schedule – you can still register and I’ll send you a recording of the class so you can practice when it easefully fits into your day.

Registration for my Spring Virtual Breast Health Program is now open, click here for more details.

If you’d like a gentle companion on your path you may find our Soul Wisdom cards supportive. As we move into 2022, Jessica and I have decided to donate a percentage of our sales every month to Lanark County Interval House, a support in our community that is very dear to our hearts. It is our prayer all people have a safe place to go, and the support they need to remember their own worth and to thrive.

Karma Class For Interval House

6th December 2021Amber_Young

For the past 3 years, since I started Surya Daya, we’ve held a karma class for Interval House the week leading up to the holidays. I can’t imagine this year going by without holding that safe container to help support a very needed resource in our community – as well to offer you a peaceful practice of self care to nurture YOU during the holiday season.

I know this year continues to be a different year in so many ways, and I sense we all need a little extra support. The strength within our community has only grown, and the realization of how important it is to reach out when help is needed.

This year I’ll be offering 2 special classes for Interval House.

The first class is an in-person gentle yoga class planned for Monday, December 20th from 6:30 – 7:30 pm at the Old Town Hall, in Almonte. This special class will also draw on the energy of solstice to support us for this nurturing hour of intentional time on our mats.

I’ll be offering a second class this year as a gift in honour of Interval House which will arrive as a virtual recording. You’ll have access to the video through to January 5th. All registrants will receive an email with a link for the video on Friday, December 24th at 12:00pm, a practice you can access anytime between the 24th and January 5th, to help support you over the holidays, in the comfort of your own home. I hope you’ll join me as we’ll move through a nourishing restorative flow of movements and breathwork.

The cost to register is free, but I encourage you to take some time to reflect on the importance of Interval House in our community. In years past we have collected items for Interval House, but this year we’ll be holding this sacred space inviting you to hold the women and children, and all the supports and services at Interval House in your heart. These special classes will also give you the space to compassionately take some time in silence, to hold in your heart, all the people in your own circle of care that perhaps need a little extra support this year (that may include you).

If you’re able I encourage you to consider making a donation, suggested amount is $10. How can you do that? You can bring cash to the live class on December 20th, you can donate directly to Interval House, or you can send an e-transfer to info@suryadaya.ca with Interval House in the message. Once all donations are in we’ll get it to them to help support their work and the people they offer respite to.

Sadly, this year domestic violence numbers have increased and funding for these needed resources in our community have decreased. After rent is accounted for, 100% of all proceeds will go directly to Interval House. We hope you’ll carve out this time to receive the nourishment of our practice together, taking time to be still and connect with the peace within your heart.

To register for the Monday night in person class, December 20th, at the Old Town Hall in Almonte, click here (preregistration is required, and COVID protocols based on current regulations will be in place) .

To register to receive the link for the recorded class on Friday afternoon, December 24th, click here.

Remember, we’re all in this together,

With so much love, and gratitude,

Amber

Honouring The Men In Your Life – Yoga For A Cause

15th November 202124th November 2021Amber_Young

I started holding karma classes when I ran a yoga studio, many moons ago.

What is a karma class you may wonder, they are heart guided and soulful yoga and movement classes held for a cause.

The teacher donates their time and their teaching, and the cost of the class is by donation. After rent is accounted for, all the remaining proceeds raised go directly to the organization or the family in need. Karma classes are fueled by love, and a genuine desire to help, to do our part in service.

These classes are also a beautiful way to help make yoga more accessible for folks, as they are by donation. The suggested amount is $10, but no donation is too small.

Join me for an hour of soothing yoga on Monday, November 29th, from 6:30 – 7:30 pm, at the Old Town Hall – in support of Movember, honouring all the men in your life.

Covid protocols will be in place, and registration is necessary as in person spots are limited to ensure everyone feels safe and supported.

This felt like an important month to start offering karma classes again. November is a month you may notice more folks are growing their moustaches out, and you may already be familiar with Movember, or perhaps this is new for you. Movember is a global initiative to help increase awareness and support mens health – mentally and physically. As a fiercely protective mother of 2 very young boys, personally growing up with a father who struggled and continues to struggle, and surrounded by so many amazing men in my own life; this care and concern runs deep.

Men are dying on average 5 years earlier than women, and for largely preventable reasons. A growing number of men – around 10.8 million globally – are facing life with a prostate cancer diagnosis. Globally, testicular cancer is the most common cancer among young men. And across the world, one man dies by suicide every minute of every day, with males accounting for 69% of all suicides.

Movember addresses this crisis on a global scale by funding ground-breaking projects all over the world, engaging men where they are to understand what works best and accelerate change. Movember unites experts from around the world to collaborate on projects that will fundamentally change the way men in need are treated and supported. To ensure the impact is significant, far-reaching and long-lasting, Movember prioritizes funding for the three biggest health issues facing men: mental health and suicide prevention, prostate cancer and testicular cancer.

The inspiration of Movember, and holding classes like these, create a ripple effect with the intention to increase awareness, and for everybody to receive the support they need to thrive, no-one should get left behind.

Jay Young (my sweet husband, and 5-year Movember Fundraiser)

As a father of two young boys, this cause is close to my heart. I have raised funds with my boys as my motivation, who inspire me to consider the future of male health; my brothers and friends, who have suffered some of the challenges that Movember is working to address; and my father, who died prematurely from cancer.
Movember is the leading charity changing the face of men’s health and this Movember, as in Movembers past, I’m joining them. Join me to improve the mental and physical health of all young boys and men into the future. Together we can make a difference for men’s health – in prostate cancer, testicular cancer, mental health and suicide prevention. Help me stop men dying too young. Thank you for your support.

We hope you’ll come out and help us support this incredible organization and the work they’re doing.

Our class will be held on Monday, November 29th, from 6:30 – 7:30 pm. Amber and Jay Young will be leading this class together. We’ll have some time for a brief discussion to start our class, as Amber slowly guides you into an accessible gentle yoga class suitable for beginners and experienced yoga practitioners, and we’ll end with an extended relaxation. This class is for everyone, remember we’re all in this together.

To reserve your spot you can click here or send me an email at amber@suryadaya.ca. Details and Covid protocols will be emailed to you after you register.

Jay is growing his annual Movember mustache. Please check out his link below, or come out on the 29th. This class is by donation,and no donation is to small – perhaps your donation is simply coming out and dedicating your practice to someone in your life who needs a little extra support.

Jay’s Movember link

You can learn more about Movember here

Mark your calendars for the following upcoming monthly karma classes at the Old Town Hall in Almonte, led by Amber:

Monday, December 20th, 6:30 – 7:30 for Interval House

Monday, January 27th, 6:30 – 7:30 pm for The Lanark County Food Bank

The Thread Of Letting Go

8th November 2021Amber_Young

The moon transitions from dark to full as we honour the rhythms of the Earth, moving in cycle.

This time of year, and this particular turn of the wheel, is a potent time to acknowledge the layers we’re ready to shed.

Endings and beginnings, as we move through the cycles of our lives. Loosening the grip of our past, to welcome in what lays ahead.

As the weather shifts, I wonder what you can put down in order to dive a little deeper into the introspective months of hibernation approaching.

Last week the sacred thread of Samhain and Dia De Los Muertos weaved its way through us, taking a moment to pause and remember those whom we have lost, those who have walked before us, honouring the spirits of the land, and saying our silent prayers of gratitude for the guidance they offer us when we’re quiet enough to listen.

As I prepared for my Saturday morning class this past weekend, the theme of grief kept arising – perhaps the grief found in remembering as a way to hold sacred the necessary time to heal and to also celebrate that which we love fiercely. I honoured its call as we moved through our sequence with the thread of letting go, in so many different aspects of our lives.

I read an excerpt from this piece from Mary Oliver, I come to often as a reminder. I feel inspired to share the full poem with you here:

When Death Comes

When death comes, like the hungry bear in autumn;
When death comes and takes all the bright coins from his purse
to buy me, and snaps the purse shut; when death comes like the measle pox;
When death comes
like an iceberg between the shoulder blades,
I want to step through the door full of curiosity wondering:
What is it going to be like, that cottage of darkness?
And therefore I look upon everything as a brotherhood and a sisterhood,
and I look upon time as no more than an idea,
and I consider eternity as another possibility,
and I think of each life as a flower, as common as a field daisy, and as singular,
and each name a comfortable music in the mouth tending as all music does, toward silence,
and each body a lion of courage, and something precious to the earth.
When it’s over, I want to say: all my life
I was a bride married to amazement.
I was the bridegroom, taking the world into my arms.
When it’s over, I don’t want to wonder if I have made of my life something particular, and real. I don’t want to find myself sighing and frightened, or full of argument.
I don’t want to end up simply having visited this world.
Mary Oliver

We honour it all as we move forward in our lives. This is how we continue to take the fullness of the world into our arms.

Resting on your belly, feeling your hip bones grounded, feeling the support of the earth beneath you. In the stillness, Cobra asks to be explored.

Your hands planted firmly beneath your shoulders, as you lengthen and expand starting with your neck all the way down your spine, invite space inside of yourself. You may find just your head and shoulders lift off, honouring the subtleties of your practice. Close your eyes and stretch, move with reverence and respect, lifting your upper body only if it feels supportive. Invite your breath into new spaces inside of yourself – or spaces forgotten, as you exhale surrendering, allowing the layers to shed.

Take your time with this practice.

Reflect on how you would feel if you could finally put all the layers of restriction down, perhaps layers of a lifetime.

Can you invite this intentional letting go to be a part of your yearly commitment to yourself, breathing yourself anew to allow the healing months of winter to support you as you grow and evolve.

What does the symbol of a snake mean for you?

What are you ready to let go of, remember chapters ending mean new chapters beginning. What are you ready to welcome in?

Sending you so much love on your journey

Amber

In case you missed my Autumn newsletter, you can get caught up on all my latest news here

If you’d like to join me virtually for a class you can register by clicking on the days you’d like to join, and you can purchase class passes here.

Supporting you with some soul nourishment and self-reflection, Jessica and I created our soul wisdom cards, made with love from our hearts to yours. Find out more here.

You can also send me an email amber@suraydaya.ca to find out about upcoming in person offerings, including the return of karma classes.

Inclusivity In A Confusing Time

6th October 20215th October 2021Amber_Young

“I am here to keep becoming truer, more beautiful versions of myself again and again forever. To be alive is to be in a perpetual state of revolution. Whether I Like it or not, pain is the fuel of revolution. Everything I need to become the woman (human) I’m meant to be next is inside my feelings now. Life is alchemy, and emotions are the fire that turns me to gold. I will continue to become only if I resist extinguishing myself a million times a day. If I can sit in the fire of my own feelings, I will keep becoming.”
Glennon Doyle

Becoming a more truer version of ourselves, perhaps that is the biggest learning of this pandemic. I have never questioned my values, my relationships, my integrity, my responsibilities, and the people and things that I love and care about, so much as during the past year.

My whole life has pivoted, in ways that were necessary both professionally and personally.

I listened to a video the other day, with Simon Sinek, which seemed to encapsulate exactly what I was feeling. We can’t go back to the way things were, that is the nature of change. Many people talk about when things go back to normal, when things are stable again – but you know the truth is, life isn’t stable. And I wonder what the heck is normal? In the history of my life, I don’t think I could ever describe my life as “normal”, nor would I truthfully want to.

We are constantly changing, and resisting that change only limits our growth. Can we be creative in how we move with the flow of life, especially when the waters are a little extra choppy. I urge you to look at how you respond in times of crisis in your own life, be honest with yourself here.

Then I urge you to look at the ways you keep yourself resourced? On a daily basis. How do you fill yourself back up?

People are feeling a lot of different emotions, and if you’re anything like me you are feeling not only your own often intense waves, but also the ripple effects of those around you. My anchors keep reminding me to be a little extra gentle right now, and I want to remind you to do the same.

One of the saddest things I am attuning to these days is all of the division. What makes your decisions more right than anybody else? For you, absolutely, but for them? For them, the only person that knows their whole story and understands their reasoning – is them. So please, maybe ask more questions, and be a little extra gentle right now.

As I make decisions in my own life with the ways I am in service, I am really sitting with it all. I feel we should all have the space to speak our truth, and to not face judgement for that truth – is that not how we grow stronger in ourselves, and as a community? As humans it is my hopes we would have empathy for one another, especially during times of crises.

I was vaccinated so I could see my mom who lives in a different city from me, probably for the last time. I was told I would not have been able to have touched her had I not made that choice, and potentially not even be able to be with her – I knew that was how I could best reach her. I have an autoimmune disorder which added to this picture, and made all these decisions a little more complex, none of this has been easy.

To the best of my ability I sit with all sides of this story we’re moving through globally, I certainly don’t have clarity and am not afraid to admit I don’t know what the best thing to do is, I am confused – I sense like many.

I often sit long and quietly with all of this.

I have had conversations around holding in person classes again, and I started to cry as I imagined myself on one side of the fence, and people I have held safe space for over the years, people dear to my heart – on the other side of the fence because they made a different choice in alignment with who they are and what they need.

I have decided to continue with my online classes as we move through the fall and winter, a safe neutral space where people can just be held.

I don’t want to exclude anyone, or add to the division, especially holding classes responsibly with the intention to help us all to heal and to find our way again. For me, I need to sit with this all a little longer, so I can move with integrity, honouring the deep respect I feel in my soul for all of you, and staying anchored with compassion regardless of what and who shows up.

These decisions are complicated, especially when we’re faced with hurt hearts because people, it seems these days, often don’t even want to take the time to really listen to your story. Many are also scared to be honest and talk about being confused or decisions made – for fear of rejection.

We all have our stories, and can we try to hear eachother, especially when it’s not comfortable – it’s when we need it most.

Sending you so much love on your journey,

With a gentle heart

Amber

If you’d like to join me online for a class you can register by clicking on the days you’d like to join, and you can purchase class passes here.

I will continue to hold some outdoor forest classes, private sessions, and move with fluidity through these changing times – the changing times of an entire life lived. I will eventually return to in person classes, but I need more time to sit with this all.

Supporting you with some soul nourishment and self-reflection, Jessica and I created our soul wisdom cards, made with love from our hearts to yours. Find out more here.

A Time Of Balance Between Shadow and Light

22nd September 202114th October 2021Amber_Young

As we move into the fall equinox, welcoming Autumn, we are once again given the opportunity to reflect. As our natural world embraces this time of equality between light and dark, I wonder if we can find that same honouring in our own lives.

A time of harvest and celebration as the air cools and the trees start to change colour and gradually shed their leaves.

During this season of change we take stock of how balanced we are in our own lives – does the amount you give away outweigh the amount of nourishment you take in? During this turn of the ancient wheel of the year, we can take that insight and start to prepare ourselves for the cocooning that lays ahead, as the steps we take now inform the months to come.

This is an important anchor point to feel deep gratitude for the abundance of your own life, but also to consider the parts that you are ready to shed.

I find the autumn and spring equinox very grounding, they offer us this space of transition where there is no dominance. Permission to pause and reflect on all of our amazing beautiful bits, but also to gently ponder what lays in the undergrowth. You see if you dig a little deeper over the coming months, and uncover what lives there, it often paves the way for deeper healing, deeper self understanding and in time a whole lot more of the beautiful bits to surface.

The equinox is a perfect point of integration and acknowledgement, if we are able to give ourselves permission to rest here for a while. This place of being and becoming, of longing and belonging, of light and dark, of stillness in between ……

The transition into Autumn is a time to both honour our wholeness and at the same time shed layers that inhibit our continual growth, without urgency but an innate understanding of what needs to go, honouring the mystery and the stages of transformation.

“In this stillness, I am the trees alive with singing. I am the sky everywhere at once. I am the snow and the wind bearing stories across geographies and generations. I am the light everywhere descending. I am my heart evoking drum song……. and I am time captured fully in this now. I am a traveller on a sacred journey through this one shining day.”
Richard Wagamese from his beautiful gift to all of us: Embers

Living in harmony with the natural rhythms around you, creates a profound shift in the way we approach our lives and our reciprocal relationship with the precious earth we are all a part of.

Wishing you an easeful Autumn equinox, with joy in your heart at all the abundance around you, the courage to acknowledge what can be put down, and the reverence to hold it all as sacred.

With so much love, and respect,

Amber

Click here to find out more details about our Soul Wisdom Cards (including where to get yours). Each deck is personally bundled and filled with a special blessing for you.

I’m just preparing my fall and winter teaching schedule, starting the week after Thanksgiving, stay tuned for more information! Plus I’m super excited to launch my Self Reflective Breast Health Program, Because You Matter, later this October.

Invariant Constants – Reclaiming Our Inner Guidance

8th September 20218th September 2021Amber_Young

“For thousands of years sailors have used the stars to help establish their position upon the earth. We need a similar series of inner reference points to help guide us through the waves of change which are appearing on the ocean of our times. There is a name for such stars which arises out of a scientific way of depicting the world, invariant constants. Invariant constants are those qualities, processes and hidden organizing fields of life which endure throughout all changes. They are known as truth. The discovery of these invariant constants is the life task of any human being. And in the mystery of the universe, it appears that each one of us is afforded the opportunity to arrive at such constancy through our own particular journey. Stray too far from the truth and the chaos of change will tear you apart. Place your trust in it and you will find guidance though the seas may grow rough around you.”
– David La Chapelle

Taking a deep breath as I reread this important reflection, and I find no coincidence in stumbling upon this pondering at this precise moment in my life – and in our lives collectively.

As the macrocosm of our world is changing, I wonder about your microcosm experience? Like Chapelle reminds us “stray too far from the truth and the chaos of change will tear you apart.” What is your truth? Your invariant constant that keeps you anchored through times of change? I think often the sadness or the overwhelm we feel can be traced back to the inability to connect with our own inner guidance. In a world such as the one we find ourselves presently living in, I think the noise and chaos around us can easily throw us off course, and often quiets our guidance so it seems almost imperceptible.

I think perhaps our ancestors have much to teach us here, as the stars have provided constancy and guidance for thousands of years.

The more time I spend amongst the rocks, sitting at the roots of the trees, or pondering my place in this wild world while gazing up at the stars and the moon – I find I can come back to a place of belonging – not outside of myself but right here in my own heart space.

As you shift and change through this phase of your life, make sure you’re carving out at least 3 minutes a day to connect with whatever it is that anchors you.

As I close, I share a little early morning window of anchoring time

To join me for a guided breath practice click here

I’m just preparing my fall and winter teaching schedule, stay tuned for more information! Plus I’m super excited to launch my Self Reflective Breast Health Program later this October.

Click here to find out more details about our Soul Wisdom Cards (including where to get yours). Each deck is personally bundled and filled with a special blessing for you.

If you’d like to get in touch and practice together, you can reach me at amber@suryadaya.ca

Bringing Our Hands Together At Our Heart

21st July 202119th July 2021Amber_Young

How are you doing? Take a moment and listen to what arises for you today – honour the truth of how you are, in this moment, in this breath. I don’t want a patterned answer, or one you might think I want to hear, I want to know how you truly are in this moment – on all ends of the spectrum.

Last week I was guided to explore Anjali Mudra a little deeper by one of my own teachers, Barrie Risman. We’ve been exploring this practice in my community classes as well.

Anjali means “reverence” and refers to the honouring of the divinity within ourselves and all beings. When we come into Anjali mudra we are balancing all of our polarities – within and without. Joseph and Lilian Le Page remind us that this gesture directs breath, awareness and energy into the center of the chest, supporting us to turn inwards toward our authentic being and understanding on a subconscious level that we are all connected.

Anjali mudra calms the mind, reducing our stress and potentially lowering the blood pressure. This posture helps to release tension through the shoulder blades, and supports the health of your immune system.

As we consciously bring our action oriented hands to meet at our heart center, we honour the guidance found within. When we meet ourselves here, the answers often flow clearly through us – not always easy, but the answers we seek become clear. This reminder supports us in making decisions and traveling our path with compassion and integrity.

As my hands came together this morning, I was filled with a memory. Many moons ago I studied various massage and cancer trainings with Tracy Walton, she invited us to massage as if it was the last time the person you were working with was going to be touched – or perhaps the last time you were ever going to touch someone. She asked us to really show up and be present to not only our time massaging – but to our whole life experience – to live as if it was equally the first time and the last time you were here experiencing this moment. Arriving with curiosity and departing with reverence. The sacredness that ripples into our life experience with this perspective is beautiful. I extend this invitation to you, to be present in every moment; from exploring Anjali mudra as your hands make contact, to holding a hand, to sipping your tea, to yes, even doing the dishes.

Sometimes I think about how my life would be without these practices, and then I return to my mat.

Please join your hands in front of your heart with your palms facing together, fingers directed up towards the sky.
Press your finger pads, the base of your fingers, and the inner and outer edges of your hands gently together
Allow a slight openness at the center of your palms.
Fanning your fingers apart from one another – honouring the space around your heart.
The outer borders of your thumbs coming into contact with your sternum ( breastbone).
Relax your shoulders back and down, with your elbows held slightly away from the body and the spine naturally aligned.
Bring a slight nod to your head, and follow the gentle journey of your breath

I bring my hands together at my heart center, and I bow to you.

With much Love, Amber

If you’d like to practice together, I offer live in person and online zoom classes, (which will be taking a break through the month of August and resuming in September) and as an additional support for you to practice on your own schedule, but together, I’ve created a video library and a monthly video subscription

Click here to find out more details about our Soul Wisdom Cards.