Emerging from Sorrow: 
A Yogic Journey from Loss to Love in the Month of Av

A two week yoga series that dives
into the challenging but hopeful emotional landscape of this time.

Members: Make sure you are signed in and then complete the form below.

Guests: Fill out the form below to complete your registration.

Registration closes at noon on Tuesday, July 28, 2020.

The Jewish Month of Av is a time for both immense sadness and defiant
celebration.

The holiday of Tisha B’Av (9th of Av) comes at the end of a three week period of mourning, commemorating the destruction of the Temples and many other significantly painful milestones in Jewish History.  In the traditional observations of the holiday, one does not engage in pleasurable acts in order to be fully immersed in grief. Yet, in
order to be in the state of yoga, and in order to learn from and transcend our emotions, we must be willing to fully embody them. We are living through such a strange time in our country that clearly mirrors the Tisha B’Av themes of collective loss and senseless hatred.
This Tisha B’Av is an opportunity for  grieving as a community, for all we have lost, for all that has changed.  We need to change in order to grow, we need to let go to bring in the new.

At this time of social change we are being called not to wallow in our grief, but to fully embody it so that we can learn, stretch, and grow.
The Jewish people have endured so many challenges over the course of history, and yet, we still are called to show up to make the world better. Just six days after Tisha B’Av comes the holiday of Tu B’Av (15th of Av), the Jewish love festival.  It is love of life, of each other, of the world, of source, that keeps us present, focused, and  hopeful when it is tempting to wallow in our pain.The proximity of these holidays to each other illustrates the inseparable connection between our devastation and our hope, our death and rebirth, our ability to transcend the pain of our history to look brightly towards
our future.

In order to dive deeper into this experience, Rachel Stern is offering a 2 part series exploring the holidays of Tisha B’Av and Tu B’Av.
Just as Tisha B’Av helps us tap into our sorrow and challenges, Tu B’Av calls us back into our joy and radiance. In this 2 week series, we will use yoga, movement, dance, and journaling to hold space for all of our challenging emotions. To honor them and to let them move through us, so that we can come back to our presence and radiance, so
that we can refuel ourselves for the ongoing work of tikkun olam, not just repairing the world, but reimagining and manifesting the world in which we want to live.

Please have ready a journal and pen, yoga mat or towel, a sturdy chair, a
strap (belt, tie, scarf) and a blanket.  All of the movements can be modified to accommodate injuries and limitations.  Please feel free to contact Rachel in advance at rachel@heartshapedyoga.com if you would like assistance creating modifications specific to your needs, or if you need help creating yoga props out of the things you have in your home.