Winter Solstice Mala: Sun Salutations, Sweat, Surrender, and Silence

Winter Solstice, December 21, 2021, the first day of Winter, the longest night.

I never feel as clean, pure, and light as I do after practicing the Solstice Mala-covered with sweat, but feeling like I have been washed… bathed in light.

Sweat dripped from my face onto my yoga mat as I paused in downward facing dog for a breath, 2 more sets. The smell of incense filled the room. Listen…the mantra…the breath, feel the heat, the sense of unity, interconnection, and community. Moving and breathing together, completely immersed in the practice, the ritual, the discipline, this is The Solstice Mala.

What is the Solstice Mala?

Twice a year…once in the Summer (June) and once in the Winter (December) many yoga students and teachers around the world practice The Solstice Mala. One Hundred and Eight Sun Salutations (Surya Namaskara).  A set of poses linked together with breath, creating a flow of movement. The Sun Salutation series is commonly used in Yoga Classes (particularly Vinyasa Flow and Ashtanga Yoga) but,  in the case of the Solstice Mala it is repeated 108 times, yes 108 times. I know it seems like a lot…and it is.

The Solstice Mala- Ritual Purification

You will sweat, your muscles will quiver, your mind will race, emotions will bubble up from the depths and you will wonder why you ever decided to do this…and all of that happens in the first 30 minutes!

And then, you continue. Your breath evens out, the mind begins to quiet, you drop into the mantra, the breath, the rhythm of the flow. You continue, because this is renewal, alignment, connection, transformation.

Your mind wanders, you pull it back, back to the breath, the mantra, the rhythm. This is a moving meditation. You continue because this is your yoga, your discipline, your power.

The Solstice Mala- Igniting the Fire of Yoga

The Agni will fire up within you. Agni, the fire of yoga, the transformative fire that lives within all of us. This fire within burns away all that no longer serves and releases blocks and stagnant energy in the physical and subtle body so we may connect with the authentic self.

The Sun illuminates our true nature. The Sun Salutations are designed to produce internal body heat and are representative of the circle of life, which is one of many reasons they are practiced,  The Solstice Mala is a ritual and a celebration.

 The Winter Solstice (the longest night), a time of celebration and introspection, as well as a time of rebirth. A return to the light. The practice of the Solstice Mala is a beautiful way to set new intentions for your life and practice and release what must be let go.

The practice of 108 Sun Salutations (the Solstice Mala) is a ritual... spiritual, and devotional, it stems from love…love of yoga and the person you become when you step on the mat into authenticity and truth.

“It’s not your history but your presence on your mat that matters” -Sri Krishna Pattabhi Jois

Enjoy the Journey.

Namaste

Annmarie

If you resonate with this and Yoga isn’t your thing, but you want to learn more about the Agni- the powerful fire of radical transformation within you, Inner Journeys- Meditation for Seekers Program can help you uncover your spark.