Air Element – Move, Groove, and Soothe Your Heart
The weather Gods were good to us and it was fitting to explore the Air Element at our annual Spring Yoga Retreat at Silver Swan Bayside on Kent Island, MD. Springtime is the season of change in nature and the Air Element is related to change and growth in our own inner nature.
The home of the the Air Element is the heart. With the backdrop of the beautiful blue Chesapeake Bay, we moved the heart in a Kundalini Heart Awakening session on the pier followed by an Air-Heart Vinyasa incorporating back bends and heart opening poses. To groove our hearts, we participated in a Bollywood dance lesson taught by special guest Kumud Mather of Dance to Health Society, complete with Bindis for the ladies and Turbans for the men. Topping off our Indian Dance experience was a Kathak Dance performance by Hana Kahn, one of Kumud’s young students.
To soothe our hearts, we participated in The Laughing Heart, a segment of Laughter Fitness also taught by Kumud. The goal here was to “fool” the brain with laughter to release endorphins, the “feel good hormone”. With laughter being contagious, we were all feeling lighthearted at the end of the session. The day ended with a gentle back bending sequence incorporating many different Mudras to enhance the practice, a meditation on Metta, and a long relaxation focusing on spaciousness in the body.
The day was truly magical…smiling faces everywhere!