This Month in Class

This month in class, to go along with the season of Thanksgiving, we will engage in cultivating a practice of gratitude or contentment.  In the Yoga Sutra II.42, Patanjali says “By contentment, supreme joy is gained.”  “The happiness we get from acquiring possessions is only temporary. We need to continually find new possessions to sustain this sort of happiness. There is no end to it. But true contentment leads to total happiness and bliss.”

Contentment is learning to embrace what is right in front of you and to stop yearning for what is missing. As the holidays approach, try to carry this principle of santosha (contentment) into your life off of the mat. Allow yourself to experience true happiness, even as you are faced with challenges this holiday season. Remember that “by contentment, supreme joy is gained.”

We will practice asanas (poses) and pranayama (breathing) to help us relax and feel comfortable. We’ll focus on our hearts and think of all the things in our life that we could be grateful for. There is so much to be grateful for and this feeling of gratitude brings even deeper feelings of love, compassion, and understanding into your hearts.

This  month in class we will focus on the 4 main bandhas or locks in the yogic tradition. Moola  bandha-perineal contraction, Uddiyana bandha- abdominal contraction, Jalandhara bandha- throat compression and Maha mudra- the combination of all 3. They help to stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system, which brings about calmness and relaxation- simulate many of the endocrine glands, and strengthen the digestive and urogenital systems. They are a highly beneficial aspect of yoga practice.