​We’ve got a couple great events lined up this month.  On the 15th Vanessa will be delving into yoga philosophy paired with practice opening the hips as we undertake inversions, and on the 23rd Jose is hosting a sound bath to nourish the brain and body with peaceful vibrations during the inward energies of the new moon.  Jose will keep up his regular Friday morning Vinyasa classes, and he’s added a couple Yin Yoga classes on Wednesdays the 12th and 26th.  We hope to see you in the shala this month for practice, peace, and connection. 

​In the first half of this workshop 9:00 - 10:30, Vanessa will lead Asana practice guiding us through hip-opening and arm-balancing sequences building up to inversions as peak poses.  She will emphasize where to bring our awareness as we advance, illuminating the subtleties of inversions.  Our hips help us to feel our center of gravity when our bodies are in the air, which is essential to find balance.  While opening the hips happens with consistent practice over time, we should feel grateful for wherever we are in the process and continue to practice with dedication free from attachment to an outcome.  Working with arm-balances builds our strength and develops our focus creating the steadiness required to find bliss in inversions. Vanessa will offer cues to engage our entire body strength rather than trying to carry these balances with only the shoulders and wrists.  She offers a safe and accessible approach for practitioners of all levels and will teach modifications to accommodate any injuries or body cycles.  

After a time for break, we will reconvene from 11:00 to 12:30 to explore Yoga Philosophy starting with the Yamas and Niyamas.  Traditionally students began to practice Yoga with the Yamas and Niyamas, the ethical guidelines for daily practice, and were required to develop a good foundation applying these principles before they would receive instruction with Asana.  This has changed in modern times with the commercialization of Yoga, the emphasis shifting to physical practice and only students with dedication later finding their way to philosophy.  This discussion will explain the significance of these ten precepts and offer insights on how we may apply them in our daily lives.  We’ll talk as well about Karma Yoga with the Bavaghad Gita, a beautiful book from the Mahabharata, a sacred Sanskrit scripture which elucidates the tenants of Yogic philosophy.  Set on the battlefield between the Pandava and Kauranva, two groups from the same family lineage, the story centers a dialogue between Pandava prince Arjuna, who feels doubt and confusion overwhelmed by his duty to flight in the war, and Lord Krishna, who guides Arjuna to realize his duty, or Dharma, and stop suffering.