Winter Solstice Yoga
The December solstice marks the ‘turning of the Sun’. While it often falls on December 21st, the exact time of the solstice varies each year.
The term ‘solstice’ derives from the Latin word ‘solstitium’, meaning ‘Sun standing still’. On this day the Sun seems to stand still and then reverses its direction as it reaches its southern most position as seen from the Earth. The day after the winter solstice marks the beginning of lengthening days, leading up to the summer solstice in June.
In the Northern Hemisphere the December solstice marks the longest night and shortest day of the year with the latest dawn and the sun at its lowest point in the sky. The Sun reaches its most southerly declination, when the North Pole is tilted furthest away from the Sun, delivering the fewest hours of sunlight of the year.
Celebrations of the lighter days to come have been common throughout history with feasts, festivals and holidays around the December solstice celebrated by cultures across the globe. In yoga we celebrate with sequences welcoming the return of the sun.
Thursday 21st December 2023
7 – 8.30pm
Investment £18
(or £15 if doing Fairy Light yoga)