Spring in Your Step | Aries Season at ODD

Spring Clean Your Energy

As the days get brighter and our surroundings more lush and vibrant, we all get a little extra pep in our step! Aries Season is considered the start of the astrological calendar, and we can see why – it's a season of rebirth when everything feels new and ripe with possibility. If we aren't careful, however, we can easily overcommit and our pep turns to schlep. As you Marie Kondo your closet, consider doing the same with your energy input and output. Are you using your energy wisely? Are there elements of your routine that are simply weighing you down, keeping you from sustaining your energy all season? Now's the time to shed those dead leaves and bloom. The rams of the zodiac are natural warriors and confident leaders whose fiery energy can be harnessed into positive action, but only if we don't second guess ourselves. If it feels heavy, it is. If it feels out of place, it is. Now, let the teachings of yoga begin again!

Energy Attracts Energy (aka Aries Season Workshops & Community Events)

• FIT CLASSES GET NEW NAMES - Last month, we added more fitness classes to the schedule per your request, but we noticed there was something missing – a clear way to build your weekly workout routine. So, in the spirit of rebirth, we've updated their names to help you plan, build strength, and feel good from head to toe. Here's a quick breakdown of the changes, and you can begin booking them under the new names on Monday, March 24:
  • FIT FIT - full-body
  • CORE MAT PILATES
  • BUTT FIT - lower-body
• NEW MOON SOUND BATH WITH DYLAN - Reinforce your intentions and balance your inner energy with Dylan Wallace's bowls, gong, and vibes. Sunday, 3/30 at 7:30pm in East Hollywood.
• YOGA TALK: NEW COMMUNITY CLASS - Join quarterly rotating teachers – beginning with Emma Alley – for unique perspectives on yoga philosophy, meditation, and community connection. Through open-hearted communication, we'll strengthen our collective bonds and show up with energy and power amidst the chaos. Wednesdays at 7:30pm in Echo Park, beginning 4/2.
• SPRING IN YOUR STEP: COMMUNITY HIKE - Join Mel Mah for an easy, refreshing, and social hike around Elysian Park's West Loop, sandwiched by pre- and post-meditations and journaling designed to help you reconnect with and manage your prana, or energy. Saturday, 4/5 at 2pm at Elysian Park.
• SILENT BOOK CLUB MEETUP - We've partnered with Silent Book Club LA to host a recurring meetup, and it kicks off with a social hour featuring complementary tea, Raw Cane Superjuices, candlelit reading time, and more! Saturday, 4/19 at 3pm in East Hollywood.
• PARTNER PRENATAL WORKSHOP - There are only 5 spots left for Kim Ritley's last Partner Prenatal Workshop before she begins a new journey in another state! Don't miss out on this opportunity to manage the emotional and physical demands of pregnancy while enhancing intimacy and connection with your partner. Saturday, 4/19 at 1:30pm in Echo Park.

Something to Look Forward To (aka ODD Adventures)

• Book an adventure and have something to look forward to: there are still a few spots left for Dylan Wallace's Summer-Solstice-inspired journey through the chakras at an idyllic Tuscan retreat, Step Into the Sun. If your vibes are more tropical than Tuscan, we also have spots available to activate your inner power in a Costa Rican paradise with Cindy Godell and Audrey Guedelekian. Email adventures@onedowndog.com to learn more about the teachers, itinerary, accommodations, payment plans, excursions, and more.

Playlist of the Season

Energize your Spring and Aries Season with music that not only hypes you up, but that helps you manage the highs and lows to move forward with purpose, balance, and a sense of renewal.

Tune in or tune up with our Aries themed yoga playlist

Asana of the Season

• Strengthens and stretches muscles
• Improves balance and stability
• Enhances hip and ankle mobility
• Improves posture
• Boosts confidence, courage, focus, concentration, determination, and energy – all qualities of Aries season that will help you activate your inner power and protect your energy

Here's a Quick Guide to Getting into Virabhadrasana 1:

Pranayama of the Season

Skull shining breath will leave you feeling powerful, energized, and invigorated, so you can ram your way through Aries season. It's also cleansing, so it's perfect for respiratory support through allergy season:

1. Sit in a comfortable seat with a straight spine.
2. Place your hands on the knees with palms facing upwards.
3. Inhale deeply.
4. While you exhale swiftly and forcefully, pull your navel towards the spine.
5. Relax, so breath passively flows back into the lungs.
6. Repeat about 20 times.
7. Notice how you feel.

Sutra of the Season 

Yoga focuses uniquely on the present, which is when everything is happening and everything is possible. The first sutra translates to "Now, the teachings of yoga begin." You're here. It's now. And it's always a good time to begin. Or begin again! How will you focus your energy on the present and take inspiration from the powerful warrior Aries to create sustainable action in your life?