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The Cross Quarter - the tiniest signs that Spring will eventually arrive!

Writer's picture: emmasyogahutemmasyogahut

I hope this blog post finds you well? It has been a grey and wet and at times cold and beautiful start to 2025. But, you might have noticed that the very subtle earliest signs of the return of warmth and light are with us. There are snowdrops bravely flowering and a little bit of warmth in the rare, weak, lemony sunlight, just a little bit of warmth, but still!



Ancient cultures celebrated the Equinoxes and Solstices as important markers in the year, they would have been important in terms of growing and harvesting food, hunting and keeping stores well supplied for winter. The existence of hundreds of stone circles around Britain which align with the Solstices shows how significant these were. Some of these cultures also marked the cross quarter points in the year. These are the mid points between solstice and equinox.


This weekend sees the mid point between the longest, darkest night of the Winter Solstice and Marchs Spring Equinox - where we have a day of perfect balance of equal day and night!


This was called Imbolc by the Celtic people, supposedly stemming from the words for "in milk" as it is when the Ewes would first start their pregnancies. Slow return of light and life to the earth, it is when we have primroses and snowdrops emerging, shoots of other bulbs appearing. We are far from Spring, but there are signs!


This week I spent a beautiful sunny Thursday fully ignoring the proper grown up things I needed to do and instead choosing to garden. I was gently clearing out the bed directly opposite the yoga hut. I know I have snowdrops planted there, they are the tiniest, most delicate silver leaved things, different to the much sturdier ones you can find in garden centres. They came from my Mothers beautiful garden, and she gave me some a couple of years before she passed. So it is a precious moment to see them reappear. As I cleared away some autumn leaves, being careful to leave some coverage for the creatures that need it, I found these tiny snowdrops and also the buds of wild primroses which we are fortunate enough to have dotted through the garden. And it made me realise in a very literal way the importance of clearing away what we have finished with in order to make way for the new. When these new shoots are covered and hidden they cannot thrive. They are so beautiful and delicate that they need space in order to shine. Those old leaves and stalks and seed heads had been left for a purpose - they were there to offer support and shelter to wildlife - hence it being a gentle clear up. The same applies to ourselves. We carry things we no longer need, old ideas, old behaviours, old labels other people pinned to us, and sometimes that can stop us from stepping into the new and meeting our beautiful potential. Equally, sometimes we need parts of that history to support us and our journey forward. It is worth taking a tentative and loving clear up every now and again to take out any bits which no longer serve us, that way we can make room for things which are new and just waiting for the space and opportunity to emerge.

After this gardening I sat in the gazebo for the first time this year and allowed the sun to gently warm me whilst a drank tea. It was so cosy in the sunshine that Custard the Cat joined me, well, she is never one to resist the allure of comfort and warmth! I could very much feel the tiny baby steps away from midwinter in that moment. Though, not so much now that it is raining and grey again!!


Speaking of Spring, there are 2 events to mark the Equinox happening at Emma's Yoga Hut!


21st March 6am - 730am Join me for Sun Salutations at dawn on the Equinox! We will follow this with a guided meditation with sound and then wrap up our endeavours with fresh coffee and croissants. Limited to just 3 people (who aren't scared of an early start!) at Emma's Yoga Hut £30 pp


21st March 630pm - 745pm Spring Equinox Sound bath at Earley Crescent Resource Centre. Februarys seasonal sound bath sold out by mid January, so if you are interested hop on quick! We will be surrounded by spring flowers and glowing candles to mark the commencement of spring for this gorgeous sound bath using singing bowls, chimes, rainsticks, hang drums and other beautiful sound healing instruments. With seasonal oracle cards and homemade blissballs to finish. £22 pp



In other news, next terms yoga is going to be working alongside the season of gentle awakening - setting a course for warmth and radiance within and without! We have 2 weeks left of this term, and the new term starts week of 24th February. Also, if you are interested in our Luxury Full Moon sound baths they are booking up insanely quickly, there is 1 place left on Aprils and February and March have been sold out for several weeks now.


Treat yourself gently in these coming weeks, love and support yourself as you would a delicate new flower appearing in the garden. I hope to see you soon!


With love,

Emma xx


(Emma runs Emma’s Yoga Hut in Earley. A tiny garden studio for small group yoga tuition and sound baths. She is a yoga student and yoga teacher and has practiced yoga for nearly 30 years. She trained with the Traditional Yoga Association right here in Reading between 2016 and 2018 to achieve her 500 hour yoga teaching accreditation. She has additional teaching qualifications in Yin Yoga and Yoga Nidra and is an accredited Sound Bath Facilitator and specialises in singing bowls. She teaches Chair Yoga classes at local community centres where there is almost always a coffee and a chat after class. She is passionate about getting the beautiful benefits of yoga and sound out to as many people as possible, Emma tries her best to practice yoga every day, and is looking forward to when it is warm enough to roll her yoga mat out in the garden!)


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EMMA'S YOGA HUT

Earley, Berkshire

Tel 07942 366496

Email emmasyogahut@gmail.com

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