It’s that time of year again, kids are back in school and adults switch gears from planning warm weather vacations to gearing up for the colder weather traditions.

Here in the northeast we see the physical manifestation of this transition in the form of shorter days and the journey of our natural environment into hibernation.

Personally, I love the seasons and I am so grateful to live here and be able to experience each one for all the gifts they bring, both physically and spiritually.It is such a clear manifestation of the yin and yang in life. For every symbolic lightness comes darkness, in reconciliation of eternal balance.

The September issue is always one of my favorites because we focus on yoga and as tradition holds we bring you a wealth of local contributions around the topic. I have been a yoga junkie of sorts for almost 15 years now and as someone who is prone to anxiety, it has offered a natural/holistic way to manage it. Tricia Heiser from The Sanctuary for Yoga in Medford explains the anxiety-yoga connection further in her feature on page XX.

Yoga for anxiety just scratches the surface. Devpreet Kaur offers a more in depth review of how Yoga can help those suffering from trauma and pain. I have directly experienced the effects of yoga and can attest to the release of deep-seeded trauma that has been stored on a cellular level. And it happens seemingly through osmosis. The mere act of connecting breath with movement has a profound way to connect mind, body and spirit to the one, universal truth that ultimately frees you from the bonds of attachment to the ego. Read more on p XX and if you are trying to release past trauma, consider her series starting in October at Live in Joy Yoga, in Audubon.

As a side note, the beautiful couple on this month’s cover are a part of the Natural Awakenings team. They publish the Puerto Rico edition.

Happy Fall!

Michelle Vacanti

Co-Publisher