Yoga Nidra Tonight

Join me tonight for yoga nidra. Our theme is the element of light: the light of the third-eye chakra, the light of this season of light, the light that exists within ourselves and we send out to the world.

Discount on Private Lessons

If there is someone that brings light into your life, I am excited to offer a special 2-pack for your special someone. Two private one-hour lessons with me online or in person at a $25 discount. I tailor private lessons specifically to the needs of the person whether they are first-timers or experienced yogis. Whether they have specific physical needs or just need a little bit of a reset, check it out here. If you plan to gift this to another person click on the checkbox to indicate it as a gift.

Chakra Workshop

The 8-week chakra workshop begins January 12. It is not too early to register here for the eight week discount package or here for weekly drop in rate.

Asana Beyond Physical Fitness (Part 2)

In my last blog/newsletter we discussed that yoga goes beyond the physical practice of the postures. It is a philosophy of life in which we can effect change, both personally and societally. Here is a discussion of the roots of yoga and why it goes beyond physical fitness.

Since yoga was brought to the west in the 20th century, the idea has been marketed as goal-oriented toward physical fitness. This is a perfect sales pitch for our western minds, since, as a society, we see an endgame in all that we do. Western economies are primarily capitalistic so sales and consumption is what drives our society and our thinking. Using yoga for exercise makes total sense for us. But the traditions and practices of yoga go a lot deeper than exercise of the body. Getting in touch with your inner being is really what yoga is about. While yoga itself, is not a religion per se, it has deep cultural roots in the Hindu tradition.

Yoga can bring us a sense of a peaceful mind. Through breathwork, meditation, and higher levels of being. The word yoga means "to yoke" or come into union. There are eight branches that make up yoga and it is uniting these 8 branches that we come into union or oneness. Yoga for the sake of exercise is a good thing and a great entree into the word of yoga, but going deeper into meditation and finding our inner light is what makes a well-rounded yoga practice.

BKS Iyengar, a leading yoga guru who popularized yoga in the West with his leadership particularly through classes and books, stated that yoga postures are "not meant for physical fitness, but for conquering the elements, energy, and so on. So, how to balance the energy in the body ... how to balance the various aspect of the mind without mixing them all together, ...and to experience that there is something behind them, operating in the world...that is what asanas are for. The process is slow and painstaking, but a steady inquiry facilitates a growing awareness.”

Resource:

Hindu-American Foundation. (2021). The Hindu Roots of Yoga.

Northern Lights Photo by Tobias Bjørkli from Pexels

Lighthouse Photo by David Ireland on Unsplash

Woman in Meditation Photo by Lutchenca Medeiros on Unsplash

Pink Lotus Flower Photo by Saffu on Unsplash

"If journalism is the first rough draft of history, newsletters are just plain rough. "Frank Bruni, NYT 11/12/21