Service Description

https://youtu.be/KqYx2ZuVwuo This is the 2nd video in a special deep-dive into the Niyamas - yoga's positive duties and observances, and the second limb of yoga's 8-limbed path. The 2nd Niyama is Santosha. The root words of Santosha are "sam", complete, and "tosha", acceptance. Think of Santosha as complete acceptance for yourself. One way we can work towards this is by slowing down the impulse to act out of habit, versus discernment. Santosha is being in our true nature, or getting closer to our true nature - accepting the moment as it is, without bypassing the very real discomforts, pain, cruelty, etc. we may be experiencing. Santosha is coming to accept and appreciate what we have and who we are, knowing that this too will changed, as we are always being transformed. Before starting class, you may ask yourself "what brings me joy?" We start by moving the body to acknowledge how we feel. Then, we transition into a few asana that challenge us (perhaps physically, perhaps by asking us to think more about how we feel) - Kapotasana (pigeon), Navasana (boat), Adho Mukha Dandasana (plank), and Vasisthasana (side plank), challenging ourselves to find joy and contentment in physically-demanding shapes. Class ends with a few rounds of Simhasana Pranayama (lion's breath), and a meditation on what complete acceptance might feel like, reminding ourselves that Santosha, like most of yoga, is an active practice. Closing, we ask ourselves "have I ______ to contentment?" - calling us ourselves to "shift our focus from fulfilling an emptiness to experiencing contentment... When we seek contentment, or what Patanjali calls Santosha, we are closer to experiencing our own wholeness." –Judith Hanson Lasater

Cancellation Policy

Can't make it after all? Group Classes - please cancel 30 minutes before a session begins. 1-on-1 Sessions - please cancel 24 hours before a scheduled session.

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