lIKE THE LEAVES ON THE TREES, LET'S RELEASE INTO FALLš
- darcyvalverdeyoga
- Oct 2
- 7 min read
September 16, 2025
Greetings, Explorers -
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Weāre starting to really feel the shift into Fall here in Boise, and itās my favorite time of year.
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The leaves begin to burst into color, gently falling to greet the earth.š
The mornings welcome a crisp kiss to the cheeks.š
And with the release, the cooling, and the slowing down, I seem to always feel more spaciousness as this shift into Fall begins taking shape.š¤
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I hope you, too, are enjoying the seasonās shift!
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Before I head out into my FIRST ten-day silent Vipassana retreat this week, I wanted to send you all a note for this beautiful September, and to let you know that I look forward to connecting with you when I return, shortly before my birthday month greets the yearš
A quick peak at whatās in store for this monthās newsletter:
STILL space to joinĀ Fall Deep Dive ā25šĀ -Ā but registration will close soon!
Scholarship applications for 2026 open Wednesday, October 1!āØ
Upcoming FREE & Donation-Based offerings!šš¼
What is Vipassana & Why Am I Going?š§š¼āāļø
Autumn offeringsš
A video practice for you to welcome yourSelf to see, and to be seenš
REMINDER: Somatic Experiencing rate increased as of September 1šļø
With Gratitude,
-DāArcy
still space to joinš¤
but registration will close soon!
Fall Deep DiveĀ ā25
October 8 - November 13
Fall Deep Dive'25Ā is The Heart Space Center's 2nd 5-week series designed for deep Self exploration, inner healing, and connection with a small group of like-minded individuals ready to journey, explore, and get curious, together.
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If you didnāt see the recent email I sent about the MANY benefits of participating in our Deep Dives, I welcome you to check it out in our blog postā¦.it includes a funĀ 90-second video highlightingĀ some wisdom fromĀ dear Ram DassĀ + payment plansĀ andĀ sliding scale optionsš
75% of participants from our first Deep Dive offering have continued their work with us after seeing how profound the experience and practices were within the Deep Dive.
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If you're feeling the call, we'd love for you to answer it by diving into Your Heart Space Center with us this Fallš¤
2026 Applications open Wednesday, October 1
Giving back is at the core of The Heart Space Center.Ā
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Through our free monthly sunrise hiking meditations, monthly donation-based Kirtans, and sponsoring in the community when we can, we also like to give back in this bigger way by offering an annual scholarship to work with us, 1:1, regularly, for a full year, to someone who is called to this deep work, but without scholarship, may not be able to make it happen.Ā
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This work is medicine!
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No one should have to skip on it if theyāre called to it; particularly not due to circumstances; geographical, financial, or other.
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Applications will open Wednesday, October 1. The link to apply will be available on social media (so make sure to follow us, on the links at the bottom of the email!) - and weāll likely share the link here, too.
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We will receive applications through the month of October.
KIRTAN AND SUNRISE HIKING MEDITATION
JOIN US!
The nextĀ donation-based KirtanĀ will take placeĀ Thursday, October 2, 7pmĀ atĀ Ananda Yoga Space.
You can register in advance, or just show up!
Learn more about what Kirtan is, and my love of it, in last monthās newsletteršš¼
Also, with various requests to bring our Kirtan chant sheets home - and in an effort to save money and trees, Iāve created a new landing page just for Kirtan!Ā
You can visit the Kirtan page to learn more about the practice, see most of the chants I share at Kirtan, and grab links to some of my favorite Kirtan Wallahs to enjoy this sacred medicine wherever you happen to be.Ā
And our nextĀ free Sunrise Hiking MeditationĀ will take placeĀ Friday, October 10 at 7am!
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We meet in the Highlands, just north of the North End/Hyde Park neighborhood.Ā
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What to Expect
The hike is roughly 4.5 miles, roundtrip (out and back).
We will hike northeast & east, towards the rising sun, at an incline up a large road (starts out paved and quickly turns to gravel).
Participants are welcome to join for as long and far as they're able to make it. If anyone would like/needs to turn around before the group, that is welcome.
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Format
Shifts depending on how weāre feeling, but likely we welcome:
Time to connect in conversation on the hike up or down.
Time for stillness; taking in the environment, the sunrise, and the view.
Perhaps some chanting or other practices weāre feeling drawn to that morning.
Silent hiking meditation on the hike up or down (weāll explain more on this at the hike).
When I did my 200 hour Yoga Teacher Training in 2017, in Goa, India, our Philosophy teacher briefly introduced us to Vipassana meditation.
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What stood out the most to me was the concept of intentionally being silent - completely - no reading. no writing. no interpersonal communication through body language. no movement. no other practices. Just sitting in silence for ten days.
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I can honestly say I donāt know WHY exactly I felt the pull, but from the moment I learned about this practice, almost ten years ago, I felt the pullā¦and itās continued to tug at me since.
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This teacher had us take a day of silence, to get a flavor for Vipassana, during our 200 hour teacher training. When I returned home from my teacher training, I would take silent days, in a room, by myself, with limited food and distraction, just out of curiosity, to see what would happen.
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I havenāt done it since repatriating back to the States 7 years ago.
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My meditation practice today is chanting. I sing the sacred names. I call out with my voice. There is no silence in chanting.
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In Vipassana, there will be no calling out.
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No chanting. No japa. No yoga asana.
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There will be only silence.
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A friendsā husband YEARS ago, would sort of make fun of me, due to the various activities I would be shifting in and out of. It was almost 16 years ago now, shortly after I adopted a healthy lifestyle (making a 90 degree shift from the very sedentary, processed-food-heavy lifestyle I had been living previouslyā¦.yes, me!), when I started trying EVERY SINGLE THING out there! I religiously practiced Bikram yoga for a while; doing a studio work exchange program. Often students would ask me for instruction, assuming I was a teacher because I was there ALL THE TIME. At one point I was living at the Crossfit Box, eating a Paleo diet. Living and breathing Crossfit. I even thought I might compete at some point! Iāve run dozens of marathons and a few ultra marathons. I tried it ALL!
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And my friendsā husband lovingly made fun of me for itā¦āwhatās the flavor of the month, DāArcy?ā, sort of poking fun at the fact that I was trying different things.
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In that moment, and still to this day, I think, āwhy not try new things?!?!ā. Iām grateful to have a curiosity to explore in this way. Life has so much to offer so when interest is peaked, why not get a little curious about it? We never know what we might learn if we donāt try.
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And thatās how Iām going into this ten-day silent Vipassana retreat - with curiosity, and an adventure (if we may call it that!) to try yet again, something new.
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Have you practiced silence in a multi-day silent retreat setting? If so, what do you remember coming up? How did you feel? If not, what does the thought of multiple days of silence bring up for you?
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And what, perhaps, is something youāve been curious to try, but havenāt yet dug into that curiosity? Sometimes itās not always the right time to try something new, and sometimes our own hesitations and fears are holding us back.
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The practices we share at The Heart Space Center can help us differentiate between the two; whatās holding us back? What are we ready to dive into, and what makes more sense to pause and reflect before stepping into it?
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Maybe take a moment to sit with itā¦.in silenceā¦.and notice what comes up.
We can now FEEL the shift into Fall! And doesnāt it feel amazing?!?
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From Breathwork Ceremonies to Chanting, to our Fall Deep Dive, to hangouts at the LIBRARY, and more, make sure to checkout ourĀ Upcoming Events pageĀ often (and now!) to learn more and join us in the season of Harvest!
I welcome you to join me in this practice that, for me, each time I practice it, has been incredibly profound.
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Admittedly, Iāve only practiced it in-person, but I figured for the sake of sharing it with as many people who would like to receive it as possible, Iād make an attempt at a video version.
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Welcome yourself to see, and to be seen. And make sure to read the disclaimer in the notes before you begin the practice.š¤
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I see you. I welcome all of you. I love you.
As a reminder, my Somatic ExperiencingĀ®Ā (SEā¢)Ā rate increased on September 1, now that I have completed the first half of my Advanced SEI training.
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As noted on our website, the closer I get to graduating fromĀ Somatic Experiencing International, THSCās SE rates will gradually increase. I will always do my best to make sure my rates are as competitive as possible, as I believe this work should be available to as many people who are interested in it as possible. Itās truly medicine!
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Sliding scale is available, and youāre always welcome to inquire about sliding scale options if my rates are not within reach.
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SE is nervous system regulation; a gentle yet profound approach to healing through the body (soma). It can be truly life changing, liberating, and so much more. Book a consultation to begin your journey today!
If youāve worked with us and had a positive experience, we invite you to leave us aĀ Google Review.
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If youāve joined us and have not had a positive experience, pleaseĀ send us an emailĀ to share more so we have opportunity to learn and improve.
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Havenāt worked with us yet and curious what others are saying?Ā Read ourĀ Google Business ReviewsĀ and checkout ourĀ Explorer testimonialsĀ to learn more!
Make sure to follow us on social to learn about pop up offerings (virtual and in-person), schedule updates, and more!
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