I hope everyone has had a good holiday season. Starting up Mindful Yoga last year was one of the best decisions that I made. The sessions have a special quality to them. I understand now when teachers say they are practicing with their students. There is a unity of heart in the group, and it is just one more thing that amazes and fascinates me about teaching yoga.
Finding True North
The theme for at least the start of this year will be Finding True North. We will explore natural alignment in the body, clarity of mind through meditation, and the breathing practices will help us lighten the heart. Time and again balanced bodies, clear minds, and light hearts lead us to what it true. Let's do this together this winter.
We will pick up where we left off in November with working at the wall. This approach to asana (yoga postures) is for any body at any level. Practicing at the wall gives us a chance to feel into natural and sustainable alignment. Since good posture looks different on each person, we are not looking to bring all of our bodies into the same standard. That is not realistic and in fact diminishes our well being. Instead, this practice is a time to embody all the we hold in ourselves as we gain a deeper understanding of what it is for life to move through us.
If we can do this on a deeply personal level, then perhaps we can begin to do this for other people. What I mean is that we all have expectations about how things should be, how people should live, look, vote, shop, parent, express themselves, and the list goes on and on. Having a frame of expectations feels validating while at the same time it includes and excludes people. We are beginning to recognize the violence in holding a standard and expecting everyone to meet it. We do this in friendships and family as much as we do it in our culture. We are all participants in this no matter what our ideals and beliefs.
How can we live in a way that supports finding common ground where it is safe to be seen as we are? How can we foster the growth and education of all people without the frame of failure?
When we practice moving the body in a way that is curious and accepting, this response begins to happen in the rest our lives. We have a chance in mindful practice to see how we perpetuate negative patterns in the body, see where we can choose differently, and make the adjustments. Once people discover that this process is happening in practice, it's like opening a window shade. The awareness radiates out to the rest of life. You don't even have to work at it so long as you continue to practice with curiosity and acceptance for yourself and the process of mindfulness.
Along with yoga asana, we will continue to practice meditation at the end and will likely take the time in one January class to establish a basic mediation position for each person. And of course, there's the breathing practice, which is central to any yoga and mindfulness practice. We will do plenty of that too.
I look forward to our first session of the year on January 6th!
January/February Mindful Yoga Schedule
Saturdays 8:30-9:45 at Holy Trinity Episcopal Parish $10
*Please note that class will not be held on February 17th.
All the Best for You and Your Loved Ones in The New Year!
Namaste,
Renee
