day five: connect - stretch yourself

“Yoga is not just repetition of a few postures, it is more about the exploration and discovery of the subtle energies of life.” ― Amit Ray

We love connecting with others over dinner or a good laugh. And connecting with ourselves on that long walk or moment spent journaling. As we get into a new rhythm of sheltering in place, we’ve become increasingly aware of the wide-ranging (and creative) ways to connect.

Have you given group trivia online a try? Or caught up with old friends on zoom?

Our crew has quickly come to love our weekly Saturday morning yoga ritual, led by valo guide Stephen, in a fun-for-all-levels-class. While none of us are yogis (by any stretch—get it?!), we are loving this new way of connecting with our family, friends, and our (increasingly flexible) bodies.

Many of valo’s Ways of Being feel particularly relevant in this time. One of these beliefs is the value of going to our edges … of feeling that bit of discomfort before as we dive into something unfamiliar. Yoga offers edges of all kinds--physical and emotional.

Drum roll, please! For tomorrow’s valo-at-home activity, we want you to join us for yoga from 10-11am. It will be such a treat to have our circle expanded, while tending to our bodies and souls. Click here to log into the zoom class. And please feel free to text our media guide, Katie (603-769-0313), if you have any issues.

We may be a bit biased, but we think you’ll agree that Stephen has an incredible way of describing poses, making even us amateurs feel like we actually know how to downward dog. We appreciate Stephen's humor and gentle way as we sense muscles we didn’t know existed.

And isn’t that what this is all about? Tapping into what’s just below the surface and noticing a part of ourselves we hadn’t seen before? That’s when we know we’ve truly stretched.

If you come along and post a photo and tag @valomaine on Instagram or Facebook, we'll enter you in a raffle to win a prize--like a gift card from our friends at Rosemont Market & Bakery or a year-long subscription from the good folks at Taproot Magazine.

Ready to dive in?

Each evening of valo at home, we'll be sharing an email with the next day's spark of valo inspiration. Simply click here to share your email, and we'll make sure you're looped in! You can also forward this post to a friend and invite them to come along. The more the merrier.