As the cosmic calendar of the Year of the Snake winds down, we are presented with a profound opportunity – an invitation to follow nature’s wisdom and shed the very skin that has carried us through the past year. Perhaps it’s a skin of relentless striving, a sheath of self-doubt, or a persona that felt necessary for survival but now feels tight, heavy, and restrictive.

This week, we embrace the essence of The Great Unbecoming. It’s a journey rooted in Ahimsa (compassion and non-harming) and Aparigraha (non-attachment and letting go), guiding us toward a radical act of self-love: the courageous choice to release who we are no longer.

The Compassion of Letting Go

Nature offers us a beautiful teacher in the snake. It doesn’t violently tear off its old skin; rather, the new life underneath simply expands, naturally pushing the old away when it no longer serves. This is the heart of our practice. We don’t judge our old selves or forcefully rip away past identities. Instead, we breathe into our expansion, cultivate self-compassion, and allow the old to gently fall away with compassion for every skin. They served their purpose, they protected us, and now, we have an opportunity to recognise and release.

On the Mat: The Physical Release

To embody this, our practice focuses on side-body expansion, heart & hip openers. We are physically opening places of tightness to encourage the shedding of the old and the bringing in of the new growth.

• Vinyasa Flow: We’ll move with fluid, undulating vinyasa sequences, reminiscent of a snake mobilising its spine to wriggle free. Think gentle Cobra rolls, side-to-side lunges, and wave-like movements that unlock stiffness and invite graceful release.
• Hip Openers: Gentle, sustained hip openers will invite a release of accumulated tensions, physically making space for emotional freedom, think half frog, pigeon, lizard
• The Exhale: Every breath is a micro-shedding we will encourage extended exhales especially through the end yin sequence & pranayama.

Weekly Journaling Prompts

Shedding is a vulnerable process. Once the old skin is gone, the new skin is tender. These prompts help you navigate that vulnerability with compassion as you close out the lunar cycle.

Shed the Skin of 2025

Join us this week as we honor the end of the Year of the Snake with a fluid, heart-centered flow. Let’s shed the old together and step into our most compassionate selves.