I have many teaching opportunities this month! I would love to have you join me for a class or workshop. Check out "Teaching Schedule" below.
Let's also get back to the fundamental yogic philosophy that I promised you throughout the year. Scroll down to read the second segment of "Touching Your Toes Has Nothing To Do With It."
And finally, the 2016 Yoga Reaches Out New England Yogathon raised over $322,000 for Boston Children's Hospital! Thank you to my supporters who generously donated to this cause.
All-levels Vinyasa yoga classes at Real Life Yoga will take place on Wednesdays: June 1, 15, and 29 at 6:00pm.
I will be subbing an all-levels Yin yoga class on Sunday, June 5 at noon at Healing Tree Yoga.
On June 24 - 26, I will be teaching daily yoga sessions at a sorority Convention at the Hyatt Regency Riverfront Hotel in Jacksonville, Florida! This is a wonderful opportunity, and I will share my experience in the July newsletter.
Check my new website for updates to my class schedule.
Relax, Renew, and Restore Workshop Sunday, June 12, 2016, 1:15 - 4:15 pm Healing Tree Yoga (605 Hancock Street, Quincy, MA)
$40 in advance/$45 day of workshop Click here to register.
Join Joanna for a 3-hour Restorative Yoga, Yoga Nidra, and Guided Meditation practice to relax, renew, and restore the body, mind, and spirit. We work very hard in our lives, and while we may sleep, we rarely take time to rest.
Restorative Yoga helps us learn to rest deeply and completely while relieving the effects of chronic stress. This part of the practice will be supported by props and soft music.
Yoga Nidra is a guided body scan that has the power to transform, heal and rejuvenate you at your core levels through deep yogic sleep. Through the use of body sensing, breath awareness, and guided imagery, you are led on a journey through your whole being.
Guided Meditation will help you enter into a state of inner stillness. It’s one of the most powerful ways to eliminate stress and bring about positive personal changes in your life.
Touching Your Toes Has Nothing To Do With It
Introduction
In the West, we consider “yoga” to be a physical practice where we move our body, stretch, strengthen, and balance. However, this is only a fraction of the full practice of yoga. One eighth, actually. The Yoga Sutras, written by a man named Patanjali over 2,000 years ago, is considered to be one of yoga’s most sacred texts. Patanjali lays out an eightfold path to attaining a higher state of consciousness, one in which the practitioner learns to still the craziness of the mind. This path is yoga.
The Second Limb of Yoga: "Niyama"
Niyama means "rules" or "laws." These are the rules prescribed for personal observance. Like the yamas, the five niyamas are not exercises or actions to be simply studied. They represent far more than an attitude. Compared with the yamas, the niyamas are more intimate and personal. They refer to the attitude we adopt toward ourselves as we create a code for living soulfully
The Five Niyamas
1. Sauca – Purity The first niyama is sauca. Sauca has both an inner and an outer aspect. Outer cleanliness means keeping ourselves clean. Inner cleanliness has as much to do with the healthy, free functioning of our bodily organs as with the clarity of our mind. Practicing asanas (physical postures) or pranayama (controlled breathing) are essential means for attending to this inner sauca. Asanas tone the entire body and remove toxins while pranayama cleanses our lungs, oxygenates our blood and purifies our nerves.
2. Santosa – Contentment Another niyama is santosa, modesty and the feeling of being content with what we have. To be at peace within and content with one's lifestyle finding contentment even while experiencing life’s difficulties for life becomes a process of growth through all kinds of circumstances. We may accept that there is a purpose for everything (yoga calls it “karma”) and we cultivate contentment 'to accept what happens'. It means being happy with what we have rather than being unhappy about what we don't have.
3. Tapas – Disciplined use of Energy Tapas means "to heat the body" and to cleanse it. Behind the notion of tapas lies the idea we can direct our energy to enthusiastically engage life and achieve our goal of creating union with the universe. Tapas helps us burn all the desires that stand in our way of this goal. Another form of tapas is paying attention to what we eat. Attention to body posture, attention to eating habits, attention to breathing patterns are all tapas.
4. Svadhyaya – Self Study The fourth niyama is Svadhyaya. 'Sva' means "self' and 'Adhyaya' means "inquiry" or "examination". Any activity that cultivates self-reflective consciousness can be considered svadhyaya. It means to intentionally find self-awareness in all our activities and efforts, and to welcome and accept our limitations. It teaches us to be centered and non-reactive to the dualities, to burn out unwanted and self-destructive tendencies.
5. Isvarapranidhana – Celebration of the Spiritual Isvarapranidhana is the recognition that the spiritual suffuses everything and through our attention and care we can attune ourselves with our role as part of the universe. The practice requires that we set aside some time each day to recognize that there is some omnipresent force larger than ourselves that is guiding and directing the course of our lives.
Niyama Practice Tip
At least 3-5 times a week, try a physical practice for 30 minutes. Bring awareness to the Niyamas as you practice and cultivate them into your life.
Private Sessions with Joanna
Personalized instruction is a valuable tool for students of all levels. Yoga practice provide the perfect opportunity to address goals and work on areas of interest. Sessions can take place in your home or at a studio. I am available for private sessions in the styles of therapeutic yoga for emotional well-being, vinyasa flow, yin, restorative, and prenatal yoga.
Are you a student of mine? I would love to hear from you!
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