As autumn deepens in the month of November, we can reflect on the life-flowing energy of the natural world moving deeper into the core as an opportunity to practice self-reflection.  As Patanjali explains in the Yoga Sutras, the niyamas are the second of the eight-limbed system of Astanga yoga; they specifically address your relationship with yourself.  Svadhyaya, the fourth niyama, is translated as, “to get close to yourself” or “to study yourself.”

To explore svadhyaya in your next yoga practice, notice how the tendency to move into a forward fold or standing pose is to move from your face, to follow your eyes. Now, envision that you have a center tube of energy that follows your core in front of the spine, running both upward through the soft palate of the mouth and out of the crown of the head and downward through the tailbone into the legs and the earth.  Move from this tube, from a place deep within you.  With your awareness there, you will be much more able to sense the feedback from the plexus of nerves that extend out from the spine at the chakra centers.  There is a wealth of information available to us by sensing in.  All you have to do is just notice, just notice what comes.  You may be amazed.

November updates:

• Time change for Sunday-morning class.  By request, we have adjusted the time of the Sunday-morning Basics class:  it will now begin at 10 a.m.
• Hiatus for early Wednesday class.  We are placing the 5:30 a.m. Wednesday class on hiatus but will consider returning it to the schedule in January if there is interest.
• Date for talk/meditation session.  In November, Juanita will offer this special session on Friday, November 20, at 6:45 p.m.  As always, there is no charge for this session, which provides an opportunity to ask questions about and discuss meditation and experience a short meditation.
• Thanksgiving weekend schedule.  On Thanksgiving (Thursday, November 26), Angie will offer a 9 a.m. mixed-level class.  All students are welcome to join us for this practice, which will include modifications to make it accessible to everyone.  The rest of the weekend provides the usual class schedule (two classes on Friday, one class on Saturday, and three classes on Sunday), so if you are in town for the holiday, please join us.

For a full list of November classes, please see the calendar section of the site or pick up a hard copy at The Pots Place.

Accessing studio after class has begun:  Remember that even if you are running late when the gallery downstairs is closed, you can still join us for class.  If the front door is locked, come to the back door of The Pots Place (look for the blue building) and ring the buzzer.  The teacher will then unlock the door remotely for you to enter through the pottery studio.