Two foundational practices of yoga are stated in yoga sutra 1.12, where we learn that our thought patterns (mentioned in yoga sutra 1.2) are controlled through practice and non-attachment (abhyasa vairagyabhyam tat nirodhah).

First, let’s talk about practice. A great teacher once declared that all the intellectual knowledge in the world doesn’t stand up to the benefits of an ounce of practice. For example, let’s use meditation as a practice that you decide is worth your investment of time. It is better to set a goal of 5 minutes a day for meditation that is sustainable, rather than 30 minutes that you may enthusiastically intend to do but you cannot sustain.  This is the first step in making meditation a practice:  set an attainable goal and stick to it!  Don’t give up because “nothing happens,” or intense emotions surface, or you are not able to be in a state of bliss.  When sitting in your practice, just notice how the mind wants to slip into the habitual grooves of thinking about work, school, relationships, or to be in any other place in time (past or future) other than now.  This is the practice—to watch the mind and call it back to breath, sensations in the body, present-time emotion, or mantra…to experience what is happening now.

Now we come to non-attachment.  You may think to be successful at this practice would result in you becoming a bland, boring person. To the contrary, success at non-attachment means you are in the world with Everything—not just attaching to the things you love or avoiding what you don’t love.  The world becomes a sensory playground of delight when you don’t have to possess or control it. As a practice, contemplate the meaning of this statement: Love is what’s left when you let go of everything you love.

March updates and special events: 

• Yoga and Meditation opportunities at The Downing Museum.  Join us in March for springtime at The Downing Museum:  this month Cassandra will teach the yoga class on Saturday, March 10, and Alice will continue to lead the meditation class, which meets on Saturday, March 24.  For details and to register, see this post.
• Yoga for All Series #3 on Sundays.  To secure one of the remaining spaces in the 3-week March installment of Ashley’s Yoga for All series, which meets on Sundays at 2 p.m., complete this brief registration form.
• Yoga for All Workshop.  Curious about Yoga for All but haven’t been able to commit to a full series?  Join Ashley on Saturday, March 17, at 11 a.m.  In this 90-minute workshop, she will introduce the Yoga for All philosophy, lead students through a practice, and offer refreshments and time for Q&A.  Complete the registration form to reserve your space.
• Opportunities to practice with Debbie.  We are delighted to welcome Debbie Marquette back to the studio for five classes in March!
• Living Our Yoga Yin class.  On Friday, March 30, Alice and Angie continue team-teaching the Living Our Yoga Yin series, which combines a traditional sequence of Yin poses with exploration of selected yoga sutras.

For a full list of March classes, please see the calendar page–or pick up a hard copy at The Pots Place.  We also post a brief update each morning on our Facebook page, should you find it convenient to keep up with us there.

Accessing studio after class has begun:  Remember that even if the front door is locked when you arrive, you can still join us for class. Just 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.

Daffodils at The Downing Museum (Feb. 24, 2018)