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🕯️ Samhain Soul Flow: Honoring Ancestors, Moving with Magic

When the veil thins and the pumpkin spice thickens, we know one thing for sure: Samhain season has arrived. 🌕✨


Pronounced “sow-in” (not sam-hane, although I still love you if you say it that way because I DID! haha), Samhain is the ancient Celtic festival that marks the end of the harvest season and the beginning of the darker half of the year. Think of it as New Year’s Eve for witches, druids, and your weird Aunt Carol who always brings a cauldron of cider to the family party.


But Samhain isn’t just about costumes and candy, it’s a time to honor our ancestors, those who came before us, and the wisdom they left behind. Long before Pinterest boards and PSL memes, our ancestors gathered around firelight to remember loved ones, share stories, and prepare for the winter ahead.


How Do We Honor Our Ancestors (Without Accidentally Summoning Beetlejuice, although I wouldn't be upset because I think he's pretty cool!)?

You don’t need a graveyard séance to honor the past (though if you do host one, please invite me). Here are some simple ways:

  • Light a Candle: A flame in the window or on your altar is a timeless signal of remembrance.

  • Cook a Family Recipe: That casserole or delicious flan your grandma/abuela made? Make it, love it, and share it. (Bonus points if you can actually make it and make it after yoga so you don’t feel guilty about thirds.)

  • Create a Mini-Offering: Flowers, incense, or even a shot of tequila (yes, ancestors like happy hour too).

  • Move Your Body: Flow through yoga with intention, dedicating your practice to someone who shaped your path. Each inhale is a thread connecting you to those who breathed before you.


Witchy History with a Wink ;)

Did you know Samhain traditions gave rise to modern Halloween? The costumes were meant to trick wandering spirits, keep them at bay, the carved pumpkins (originally turnips! but now pumpkins for the much bigger carving space) were lanterns to ward off mischief, and the feasts were a way to celebrate abundance before winter’s chill.

Basically, our ancestors invented Trick-or-Treat, but with more bonfires and less fun-size Snickers.


Celebrate Samhain, Velvet Mat Style

Here in St. Pete and Tampa Bay, we know how to keep the magic alive - on the mat and off. This October, The Velvet Mat is ser

ving up yoga experiences that let you honor the season while having way more fun than your average séance.

  • 🧙‍♀️ Halloween-Themed Flows: From spooky playlists to witchy vibes, these classes are the perfect way to move, sweat, and laugh under the pumpkin moon. Bring your tarot and oracle cards! I love a good reading and seeing other peoples collections :)

  • 🐾 Puppy + Kitty Yoga: Because sometimes the best way to honor ancestors is by supporting the furry friends they loved. (And honestly, could anything be more healing than downward dog with an actual dog?)

  • 🌕 Full Moon Rituals + Flows: October’s full moon is the perfect container for ancestor meditations, ritual journaling, and a big release of what no longer serves you. Come howl at the moon with us on the rooftop (and IFYKYK - ask some of my regulars, we've totally done this!) St. Pete skyline as your coven’s backdrop.


Movement as Ritual

Want to bring Samhain into your yoga practice? Try this mini ritual on your mat:

  1. Ground Down: Begin seated, eyes closed. Imagine roots connecting you to the earth (and maybe to Grandma’s garden tomatoes).

  2. Breathe With Intention: Inhale gratitude, exhale release. Picture your ancestors breathing with you. (or behind you... creepy but cool!)

  3. Flow Playfully: Cat-cows become ancestor waves, forward folds become bows of remembrance, and handstands become something our great-grandpa probably never did, but he’d be proud!

  4. Close with Stillness: Lie back in savasana. Whisper a thank-you to those who came before. Bonus if you smell cinnamon, clove, or pumpkin pie candles nearby.


Join the Tribe, Celebrate the Season

The beauty of Samhain is that it reminds us we’re never truly alone, our ancestors, our community, our Velvet Mat tribe… we’re all linked through movement, memory, and a dash of mischief.


So grab your mat, your coven, and maybe a black cat or two at one of our events, and meet us this October. Together, we’ll honor the past, move in the present, and manifest a future that’s equal parts magical and sweaty.


✨ Come for the movement, stay for the magic. ✨


 
 
 

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