The fall equinox falls on September 22 in the Northern Hemisphere this year, when day and night reach equal length. Where the spring equinox carries the quality of emergence, the fall equinox carries the tone of return. The word equinox comes from the Latin aequus nox, equal night. 

For a few days on either side of September 22, the scales are evenly distributed. It comes as no surprise that this day also marks the sun's entry into Libra, the sign of the scales, whose symbol is the only inanimate object in the zodiac. Libra presents us with questions relating to balance, such as what is in balance? What feels asymmetrical? What is within your power to shift?

Virgo's relationship to the gut is therefore fitting, as the digestive system is the body's most discerning organ, responsible for processing experience at its most physical and deciding what to absorb and what to release. August and September are when this sorting tends to surface most noticeably, when the nervous system, which has been managing a full summer of input, begins to signal that it needs to metabolize.

Kapalabhati (Skull Shining Breath)

A Breathing Technique For Energy and Focus
This invigorating breath practice clears the mind and stimulates the body through rhythmic, forceful exhalations. Kapalabhati is traditionally seen as a kriya (specific sets of practices to clear and unlock energy channels or chakras in the body), but its mental effects are equally profound.

How to Practise:

• Sit upright and place your hands on your lower belly.
  

• Inhale gently.
  

• Exhale sharply through the nose while actively pumping the abdomen. Inhalations are passive.
  

• Begin with 30 repetitions, then pause and breathe naturally. Complete up to 3 rounds.
  

Why This Breath Technique Helps:Research shows that Kapalabhati improves cerebral oxygenation and stimulates areas of the brain associated with attention and decision-making. One study published in International Journal of Yoga found Kapalabhati increases alpha and beta brain wave activity, suggesting both a relaxed and alert state.

Solar plexus tapping is a percussive self-massage technique applied to the soft triangle just below the sternum, where the ribcage divides. The solar plexus (technically the celiac plexus) sits at the junction of the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems, and in yogic tradition marks the third chakra, the seat of personal agency and the capacity to act from one's own centre. 

Tapping here stimulates vagal tone and engages the enteric nervous system, making it a direct entry point for stress relief and nervous system regulation at any point of acute overwhelm during the day, not only within a formal practice. It also improves circulation to the digestive organs, which matters in Cancer season, as our stomachs so often gets affected when we have a lot on our minds.

The summer solstice falls on June 21 this year, the longest day in the Northern Hemisphere and the point at which the sun reaches its longest presence in the sky before beginning its cyclical return southward. The word solstice comes from the Latin sol sistere, meaning the sun stands still.

This day also marks the entry of the sun into Cancer, making it a seasonal peak and simultaneously an astrological turning point, the moment when summer's outward expansion begins its pivot toward the more inward, receptive, and home-like quality of Cancer season. At Nectar Retreat on Bowen, by late June, the forest is fully canopied, the sunlight filtering through the trees rather than shining directly.

This post offers a short yoga practice and a few ways to mark the summer solstice, whether you are on Bowen or anywhere else. Details on the ever-popular, in-person evening Summer Solstice Yin Sound Bath at Nectar are at the end.

For the month of May, Taurus governs the neck, jaw, and throat, then Gemini, starting on May 21, governs the shoulders, arms, and lungs. May moves through both, meaning the month carries a natural arc from the lower, singular part of the upper body (the neck) toward the wider, dualistic, and more mobile one (the shoulders and arms).

Each year, the Spring Equinox arrives as a moment of equilibrium. Light and dark, day and night, Sun and Moon stand in equal measure, and in collaboration. In 2026, the Spring Equinox falls on March 20 in the Northern Hemisphere, following a season that has asked for inward assimilation before outward movement.

Winter and early Pisces season tend to work in the dreamscape or unconscious. Experience is absorbed, sorted, and processed often without clear conclusions. Much of this happens through intuition and bodily sensation rather than conscious language. By the time the equinox arrives, the body has already been negotiating change for some time.

The Spring Equinox marks a crossing, where direction starts to matter, both emotionally and physically, from a period of sorting, shedding, and reprioritizing. It means not everything can cross with us on the bridge, and balancing priorities within current realities becomes the task at hand. Often, these realizations arrive through mindfulness and a deep listening to the body, sometimes through somatic stretching.

Water governs how experience moves through, without the urgency to step into action. Over the winter months, attention has settled into slower internal rhythms, where sensation through contact and repetition, particularly in the feet, registers weight, temperature, and subtle shifts in balance long before they become conscious thought.

Fire reorganizes that process. Awareness rises from the feet, gathering itself toward the head, the face, the eyes. Perception becomes more selective. The body begins to favour orientation, signalling a readiness to move rather than simply receive. There is a narrowing of attention, and a realization that some threads now matter more than others.

Moving from Aquarius into Pisces marks a shift in how information is received and processed in the body. Air signs govern circulation, signaling, and connectivity, as well as how messages travel quickly through the nervous system, joints, and breath. Water signs, by contrast, relate to absorption, filtration (sorting), and integration. As this transition unfolds, attention moves from how energy circulates to how it settles. Sensation replaces effort as the primary guide. The body begins to process experience through the feet, the lymphatic system, and the slower internal rhythms that support restoration. Insight arises as something felt and integrated over time; patience and trust is needed when working under Pisces.

For Nectar’s blog in 2026, we will journey through the astrological seasons, exploring how each sign’s qualities live in the body, and how simple practices support such placements and their potencies. Each month, we’ll focus on body placement, elements, and gentle practices to help align your physical rhythm with cosmic timing. While there are many sites who focus on astrology as prediction, astrology as embodiment notices where the macro-sky of our solar system meets the human body.

Informed by astrologers such as Renée Sills of Embodied Astrology, whose work emphasizes intersectional and embodied approaches to astrology, Chani Nicholas, whose progressive framework grounds astrology in personal agency and social justice, and Meredith Rosenbluth, who focuses on linking body, psyche and chart, we can integrate the stars with the body, ranging from yoga asana, breath, free movement, journaling, or even Tarot pulls.

Why Meeting Change With Body and Breath Works: Vagus Nerve and Stress Adaptation

On Bowen Island, November signals a true turning. The last leaves release to the forest floor, the daylight continues to shorten, and the stillness of winter edges closer. This seasonal threshold mirrors the changes we face in our personal lives: some invited, others resisted. Neuroscience suggests that how we frame transitions strongly shapes our stress response, or another way of putting it, those who approach change with curiosity rather than fear are more likely to adapt well. 

Autumn here is a season of reciprocity. The forests shed their leaves to enrich the soil, salmon return to nourish rivers and birds, and people lean on one another as the days contract. These cycles remind us that connection is not just comfort; it is survival. Neuroscience research shows that belonging reduces stress responses and strengthens resilience. In yoga, this translates to practices that open the heart, invite deep honesty and vulnerability, and help us meet others with more steadiness.

This month, we invite you to explore a few intentional practices that support both inner and outer bonds. Set this Nectar playlist as the soundtrack that holds you as you step into these practices for connection…

Practices for Shedding Stress

Letting go doesn’t always happen in one gesture; it’s often a layering off. These selected postures are slow, grounding, and supportive of the body’s natural capacity to unwind. They offer release within our muscles, but also in the deeper beliefs and patterns we hold when we’re trying to keep up.

Welcome to the Nectar Yoga Retreat blog, where we explore movement, seasonal living, and wellness practices to nourish your mind, body, and spirit. Tucked into the forests of Bowen Island, a lush and peaceful gem for vacations in British Columbia, Canada, Nectar Yoga Retreat offers 2-night stays and curated yoga, meditation, and other forms of spiritual retreats designed for rest, reflection, nature connection, and well-being. Featured in Condé Nast Traveler and The New York Times, Nectar is a leading destination for spiritual experiences and meditation retreats in BC, grounded in presence and intentional living. We are honoured to host leading yoga instructors and spiritual facilitators, including Carolyn Budgell, Tina Pashumati James, Bryony Wright of Slow Burn Wellness, and Mimi Young of Ceremonie.

Summer’s Soft Beginning

This month, we invite you to return to centre through gentle, grounding practices. By tending to your inner calm, you’ll build resilience that allows you to enjoy summer’s fullness without being overwhelmed by it. These practices don’t require hours of effort or elaborate setups; just a willingness to pause and breathe.

Welcome to the Nectar Yoga Retreat blog, where we explore movement, seasonal living, and wellness practices to nourish your mind, body, and spirit. Tucked into the forests of Bowen Island, a lush and peaceful gem for vacations in British Columbia Canada, Nectar Yoga Retreat offers 2-night stays and curated yoga, meditation, and other forms of spiritual retreats designed for rest, reflection, nature connection, and wellness. Featured in Condé Nast Traveler and The New York Times, Nectar is a leading destination for meditation retreats and spiritual experiences grounded in presence and intentional living.

May invites a different kind of blossoming, one marked by wonder, spontaneity, and rediscovery. It’s a month for softening our gaze, loosening our grip, and seeing the world again as if for the first time. This relates both directly and indirectly to happiness.