Practicing yoga teaches me how to slow down, how to notice, how to let go and to be more accepting of the present moment. As my practice has evolved over the years, and especially during Yoga Teacher Training, I have become more aware, more interested and more appreciative of yoga as a spiritual practice rather than just a physical practice. Patanjali's Yoga Sutra outlines the eight limbs of yoga and just one of those is Asana (poses). In addition to the Asanas we practice on the mat, the Yamas and Niyamas that we studied last summer, Pranayama (breath work), the Chakra system and meditation are also as important to helping me live the fullest expression of my life. As the winter solstice approaches at the end of this week, representing the shortest daylight of the year, I find myself turning inward to tend to my heart and soul....to find my inner light. Slowing down, reading more, bundling up and sharing moments with those I love are all ways that I harvest light. How do you tend to your internal fires in order to find the warmth and light of the season? I hope that you'll join me in class this week, our practice will be slower and kinder and warmer to help us tend to and harvest the light that is so sparse this time of year.
