Corn Moon
Full moon from my window almost as bright as the sun (Photo credit: Yantar Yoga)
Native Americans called the full moon of September Corn or Barley Moon because it comes at the time of harvest when the crops grown all summer ripen. This year it happened on September 2. While those of us leading urban existence may feel far removed from the sun- and moon-driven rhythm of life on the land, this summer certainly brings a different kind of harvest to all of us. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the summer we grew to know and love with all its familiar rituals - carefree time off, visiting family, playing at the beach - didn't quite materialize for many in 2020. It was a strange summer, full of angst, uncertainty, perhaps direct exposure to the disease itself for us or our loved ones. The summer of loss of both tangible things - jobs, gyms, favorite restaurants, museums - and intangibles like the ability to hug a friend or spend time with grandparents.
I feel lucky that, so far at least, I have have been spared the extreme measures of loss due to the pandemic in my life. Yet, this week did bring a special kind of loss. The neighborhood studio where I completed my yoga teacher training, Be Here Now Yoga, announced on August 31 that it would be closing permanently. Only two days later the other nearby yoga oasis I cherish, Realignment Studio, made the same announcement. Not entirely unexpected but still hurts…
I felt sad but above all very grateful for the time and experiences I got to share with these wonderful communities. There is yoga wisdom to be gained in accepting loss and impermanence. In Yoga Sutra 2:5 Patanjali talks about that: “Ignorance is the seeing of that which is eternal, pure, joyful and the Self in that which is ephemeral, impure, sorrowful, and the non-Self.” The only constant in life is change. Embrace change, do not fear it. The walls of a yoga studio, even a beloved one, are just that - impermanent material structures. That is not where the essence of our yoga practice or community resides; it lives within us and will continue on. We can’t fully control what is happening to us or in the world around us. The only thing we can control is our reaction.