February can be a challenge. We can all admit it’s not the most exciting month, despite having the loving/bittersweet touch of Valentine’s Day and the three-day weekend which President’s Day provides. Nope, February is just cold, and it isn’t spring yet, darn it all.

This week, we’ve been reminding ourselves how Asteya (Non-Stealing), the third of the Yamas (the first of eight limbs of yoga as outlined by the sage, Patanjali), functions in both our practice and our daily lives.

We practice Asteya in a number of ways, including the obvious of not stealing another person’s belongings. But, beyond that, we practice not stealing someone’s experience, time, or attention. We practice not stealing from ourselves in our asana practice: If the body loses its alignment, then one body part may “steal” responsibility, stability, or mobility, from another.  This “stealing” may both cause, and be caused by, imbalance.

Think of the practice of Asteya as you would the legs of a chair. Remove, or “steal” a leg, and it will fall over, dumping us from our comfortable seat, causing discomfort and suffering (dukha), not to mention embarrassment when we’re caught. Take too much, and you’ll end up on your derriere.

Back to February… In the boredom of February, it becomes harder to continue our practice than it was in the powerful, exciting beginning of the year. This is the time to engage our Tapas (drive), and stick with the reality, rather than running off to Tahiti.  What has to change is our approach.

If our practice in January was powerful and life-changing, as we intended, then February may seem mundane. So, we may alter our approach and expectations for our practice (the entry point). In this way, we may be able to discover a new facet to our practice. Make it new, find a different way to do the same thing, inquire about our experience, “receive” rather than “take”, “give” rather than “push”, open our minds and bodies a little differently to the same experiences we took on so enthusiastically in the recent past. And see what happens then!

As we leave January behind, I’d like to say a big “thank you” to the current Mindful Yoga Collective students who introduced a friend to my classes there.  Welcome, to the new faces!

And, if you took advantage of the 3 Private Lesson Special for January, be sure to contact me to schedule your sessions. I’ll be delighted to work with you.

Finally, for February….

Sunday Restorative Yoga will be held on Feb. 7 and 21, 5:00-6:30pm. (Join Charlotte and Marlene for First Sunday Mindfulness on Feb. 7 from 7pm.)

Weekly Classes:

• Mondays and Fridays, 9:15-10:45am @ Mindful Yoga Collective
• Wednesdays, 9:15-10:45am @ Metric Yoga
• Wednesdays, 4-5:15pm @ Metric Yoga

See you at the studio, or at your private lesson. It’s wonderful to work with each of you! Thank you for your practice.

Intro 2-for-1 Special @ Mindful Yoga Collective

Current students bring a new student to Dana’s class at MYC, and both of you take class for the price of one. Introduce a friend or family member!

Two ways to redeem the 2-for-1:

• Current student uses their studio pass; new student attends for free.
• New student purchases either a single-class or class pass; current student attends for free.

(This offer is only available for Dana’s classes at Mindful Yoga Collective, from Jan. 1-31, 2016.)

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Private Lessons: Buy 2, get 1 free

Receive a third lesson free with purchase of two lessons. A series of three private, one-hour lessons can help you set up your personal practice, give you an opportunity to ask questions and learn how to practice better in class, or simply allow you to fit in an hour practice at your convenience.

Details:

• Private lessons may be held at your place or at Dana’s. If held at a studio, rental fee will be charged.
• Must purchase between Jan. 1-31, 2016.
• All three lessons must be completed in 2016.
• No refunds, non-transferable.
• Contact Dana for details!

Wednesday, Dec. 30

9:15am All Levels Class @Metric Yoga

4:00pm Basics Class @ Metric Yoga

Thursday, Dec. 31 *New Years Eve*

9:15am All Levels Class @ Mindful Yoga Collective

Friday, Jan. 1 *New Year’s Day*

No class; Friday classes will start from Jan. 8 @Mindful Yoga Collective

Sunday, Jan. 3

5:00pm Sunday Restorative Yoga @ Mindful Yoga Collective

*This class is a perfect lead-in to your week.  All levels and abilities of practitioners are welcome. It is a combination of both active and passive restorative poses. Each student receives personal attention, assistance, and guidance in the poses. As well, you will learn how to skillfully use props to support and deepen the postures for maximum benefit. 

Join Sunday Restorative Yoga this weekend, December 6, 5:00-6:30pm at Mindful Yoga Collective!
Sunday Restorative Yoga offers an opportunity to refresh the body and mind, and prepare for the upcoming week. Using a variety of props, such as bolsters, blankets, chairs, blocks, and belts, the body can be supported in poses for longer periods of time. This allows the mind to settle within the body, calming the breath, finding ease, and allowing for a deep experience of one’s Self.
This class is appropriate for any student, from beginner to advanced, who would like to deepen their practice.
(Class fee is the same as for regular classes.)

MYC has an abundance of props, and I’ll be there to guide you through the 90-minute class.

What a wonderful practice today at Mindful Yoga Collective. Using the wall for standing poses, we prepared for the Thanksgiving holiday by accepting the support of the wall and organizing ourselves effectively, all the better to go meet the world in a balanced state. (Thanks, Charla C, for the reflections.)
…Oh, and we did talk about  long, heavy femurs, melty marshmallows, and big, soft baby thighs, too….

Remember–no classes on Wednesday at Metric Yoga, or Thursday at Mindful. See you again on Monday, Nov. 30.

Have a warm, joyful, and balanced holiday. Remember to lean in and engage fully. Remember to accept support, organize yourself, then go out to meet the world. 

And when the kleshas arise, the destructive mental/emotional afflictions, the buttons that get pushed, remember this:

“Seeds of unhappiness,
Sources of fear,
Cause conflict and strife.
Roast them in the flame of awareness and clearly hear,
The inner essence of life.”
–Nicolai Bachman

Or, just watch this…

Monday, Nov. 23, 9:15-10:45am @ Mindful Yoga will be held.

All other classes are canceled.

Classes resume on Monday, Nov. 30, 9:15-10:45am @ Mindful Yoga Collective.

Enjoy your holiday with gratitude, compassion, ease and joy!

Join me for this wonderful retreat! Registration link below, or feel free to contact me with questions.  Hope to see you there!

“YOGA EXPERIENTIAL RETREAT” 

Nov. 15, 2015, 1-4pm at Snowbird Resort’s Cliff Lodge Spa 

Relax, renew, and treat yourself to an afternoon of yoga and meditation at Snowbird’s Cliff Spa. We will start slowly and quietly, viewing the mountains and setting an intention for the practice. Our asana practice will grow from the ground to standing poses, into twists, and into refreshing inversions for all levels of practitioners, and finish on the ground again with restorative poses, relaxation, and quiet seated meditation. Ahhh! Three hours goes by in a flash! Finish with a visit to Cliff Lodge Spa and the rooftop pool; access included in retreat fee, so you may come early or stay late to enjoy them. Please bring yoga mat and plan to be in the studio 15 minutes before class start time. $60.00

Book this retreat through the University of Utah Lifelong Learning (Class Code: LLHL 102):

https://continue.utah.edu/lifelong/class/llhl_102_yoga_experiential_retreat

This morning, we chanted the Invocation to Patanjali, and Mary Ann asked about it after class. I often spend time introducing it to students–the who, what, why, etc.

But recently, we’ve been a little old school, simply practicing call-and-response, so the brain doesn’t take over as much, and the mind can begin its journey towards receptivity/passivity before the asana begins.

So, in answer to Mary Ann’s question:

First, a blog post about chanting, which also includes some helpful links for more information about Patanjali as well:

http://yogaspy.com/2015/11/02/do-you-sing-do-you-chant/

One of the links, goes into even more detail….

http://www.iyengaryogacentre.ca/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/Patanjali-2.pdf

And finally, a link for listening to the Invocation. Each teacher chants a little differently–that’s okay, everyone! The link on this page is of Geeta Iyengar, the daughter of B.K.S. Iyengar, leading a call-and-response version.

http://yogashalaboulder.com/chant-to-patanjali/

Now, did you notice the quotation in the first link at the top of this post, from Geeta Iyengar? If not, here it is, the essence of “why we chant”:

“We chant so that at the very beginning that feeling of sanctification comes from inside, with the feeling of surrendering oneself, because nothing can be learned in this world unless you have the humility to learn. So the moment you think of the Lord [Patanjali] at the beginning of doing a practice, you know that you are very small in front of that greatest soul. Once that is understood then the other problems which always arise while practicing, mainly concerned with the ego, will be affected. You know that you are ‘coming down’ to learn something. And you can’t learn anything unless you come down; if you think you are on the top and you know everything, then you are not a learner at all. In that sense, the chanting helps.”

And now, the learning of yoga can begin!

“Atha yogaanusasanam”  (Yoga Sutras, 1.1)

Israeli Iyengar teacher, Eyal Shifroni, offers suggestions for both beginning and advanced practitioners for developing/deepening their home practice. Don’t think about it too much – set aside a short time, and get on that mat. It may improve not only your in-class practice, but your day as well.

http://eyalshifroni.com/establishing-and-structuring-self-practice/

Last week’s passage from The Yoga Sutras…Sutra 1.33
“Maitri karuna mudina upeksanam sukha dukha punya apunya visayanam bhavanatah cittaprasadanam”

“Through cultivation of friendliness, compassion, joy, and indifference to pleasure and pain, virtue and vice respectively, the consciousness becomes favorably disposed, serene and benevolent.”
– B.K.S. Iyengar, Light on the Yoga Sutras

Maitri = friendliness/lovingkindness

Karuna = compassion/mercy

Mudina = empathetic Joy/gladness

Upeksha= Equanimity/indifference

Sukha =  pleasure/happiness

Dukha = pain/suffering/sorrow

Punya = Virtue

Apunya = Vice

Visayanam = regarding or concerning something

Bhavanatah = conception/remembrance/recollection

Citta = consciousness

Prasadanam = graceful diffusion

According to Mr. Iyengar, “These qualities keep the mind in a state of well-being.”