This morning I sat to practice and it occurred to me that I had passed a milestone without noticing it. On October 13th I confronted a construction issue for the new 8 Limbs on Phinney Ridge, worked with our new Phinney manager Megan, had family dinner, went to Book Club (Olive Kitteridge, it was great), and went to bed without remembering that 13 years ago, on October 13th, 1996, 8 Limbs had its opening party the day before opening for business.
The party consisted of friends who had encouraged and helped me along the way, people like Melina Meza (she was here from the start) Michael Dill, Eben, Roberta, and Suzanne Carlson, Jonna Bracken, Tracy Bartholomew Erbeck, and Megan Jasper.
Spurred on by these folks and Paul Hawken’s book “How to Grow a Business,” I had jumped into the life of a small business owner, and a lease, two months of demo and buildout (most of it by friends and myself!), ads in The Stranger, and a Mac, put 8 Limbs on E. Pike St.
Oh, and incidentally, I was born on Friday the 13th (March, if you are curious, and I will be 40, wow), so I claimed 13 as my lucky number long ago (soccer and volleyball uniforms, that sort of thing).

It’s been a great 13th year for 8 Limbs. We won Best Yoga and Best Prenatal Yoga in The Seattle Weekly, Seattle Magazine, and Seattle Metropolitan Magazine, showing that Seattlites feel at home at 8 Limbs. We maintained and grew our amazing family of teachers. And we are “expecting” our newest member of the clan, 8 Limbs Phinney Ridge, opening in November.

Our best anniversary present was from The Seattle Weekly in its Reader’s Choice section of the Best Of issue:
“8 Limbs is where a local yogi can have a meaningful practice without feeling as if they have to join an ashram or be fully outfitted in Lululemon accessories. Teachers make yoga approachable for the novice and plenty challenging for the pretzel-bodied.”

Thanks to all the 8 Limbers for coming to the mat again and again. We are grateful for and amazed by your strength and loyalty.

Posted by: Anne Phyfe Palmer

“Air, fire, water are the 3 principles most fundamental to life. They appear in the body as Vata, Pitta, Kapha. They represent the cosmic urges to movement, transformation, and stability.”
– Ayurvedic Sutra

The fall season in Ayurveda is associated with the dosha – uneven energy pattern – called Vata, which promotes movement. As essential as Vata is to our well-being and life, it can become chaotic during the months September-December, when Nature is in an unstable place, transitioning from hot (light) to cold (dark).

Within each season, unique gifts unfold as Nature transforms with the five elements. We too will thrive when we discover how to live harmoniously with Nature. We can do this by adapting our physical practices, mediations, food choices, and lifestyle to complement the seasonal changes.

A few tips on how to manage your Vata (Air + Space element):

• Stay hydrated with warm non-caffeinated beverages.

• Get eight hours of sleep on a regular basis.

• Eat soup, often.

• Practice yoga poses that are stabilizing for your body/mind/spirit. Extra TLC should be given to your legs, colon, lungs, and bones, where Vata can be in excess or depleted. (View my DVD*, “Yoga for the Seasons – Fall Vinyasa” for a full asana practice devoted to stabilizing Vata.)

• To protect your skin from the dryness of Fall, apply sesame oil over your whole body before showering. The massage enhances circulation, add nutrients, and act as an extra layer of skin to protect you from the drying nature of wind.

• Take time to meditate and retreat.

Posted by: Melina Meza

If you are interested in learning more about seasonal practices for Fall, join Melina at 8 Limbs Wedgwood, Saturday, Oct. 10th, 12:30-4:30pm. Mention this blog post to get the early registration rate. Melina will also bring her Ayurvedic knowledge into her Thanksgiving Week Yoga Retreat at Haramara Retreat Center.
*Yoga for the Seasons – Fall Vinyasa DVD can be purchased at 8 Limbs Yoga Centers.