Samādhi, Anyone?
The process matters
You will not receive the benefits of Yoga unless you do it properly. The first chapter gives us the premise, knowledge and guidance on what that means. In the last section of the first chapter, we circle back to the main idea - a prolonged connection with a meditation object, and the resultant clarity that emerges. Learn more from the end of the first chapter in our Autumn/Early Winter Sutra Studies class, happening every other week for a total of eight classes, recorded for your ease of assimilation.
The structure of Yoga Matters, our Yoga Sūtra Philosophy course, has evolved to cultivate an impactful Yoga experience in the most personal, relevant, inspired way. The course covers each chapter in its entirety, class by class, sūtra by sūtra, word by word. We cover one sūtra weekly, but what happens before that matters. A sūtra is a string, a message, a continuation, a consistent and omnipresent echo. A Yoga philosophy class’ effectiveness in contributing to the wellness of an individual is inextricably linked to its ability to teach us how to access the tools in daily life. This is what sets apart our classes from other strictly heady ones. We get heady. Then we get hearty.
Each class is followed by a thoughtful reflection question, one that gets all of us, myself included, working through our life kinks with these teachings as tools. These reflections are anonymously shared. Ayurveda and Yoga center their concept of health around healthy digestion, digestion of concepts, experiences and information included. Before my immersion in the Yoga of Krishnamacharya, concepts like ahimsā, vairāgyam, śraddhā, īśvara praṇidhāna and tapas were just…words. Then concepts. Then practices. Now beacons of light in my life in good times and bad, accessible via our shared, meaningful, practical examples of the potency of deeply personal and personalized Yoga.
Eventually, the accountability of bringing Yoga into life becomes the most profound part of this course for everyone, as we look forward to hearing the endless permutations of Yoga in every day life. Staying with these concepts over time yields a maturing practice. Staying with these concepts over time yields an anchor, a foundation and a landing pad in the unpredictable life process. Staying with these concepts over time yields an authentic sanga, linked through timeless teachings that nourish our lives.