As I look towards 2019 and contemplate the role of yoga in my life, I am struck by the difference between how I am being on the mat, and how I am off the mat. Practicing or teaching, when I’m on the mat the quality of my attention sharpens, colors “pop”, and I am present, receptive to the direct experience of each moment. Off the mat, I’m distracted, multi-tasking, behind my timeline in my actions, ahead of my timeline in my thoughts, often missing the moment I am in (“excuse me, can you repeat what you just said?”).

Hmmmm.

So it is this introspection that has brought me to declare the theme for 2019 to be an exploration of what we discover on the mat – in terms of svadyaya (self-study and study of the “maps of the territory”, e.g., the sutras, Bhagavad Gita, Hatha Yoga Pradipika, and modern teachers like Michael Singer, Pema Chodrin, Sadhguru, Ekhart Tolle, etc.) and tapas (devoted
practice) – and how it occurs/does not occur when we move about in our daily lives.

We’ll examine the nature of consciousness (citta) and how the qualities of consciousness (gunas) and aspects of consciousness (ahamkara, manas, buddhi) and the deep ruts of old habits and thoughts (samskaras) filter and disrupt the experience of mindful absorption in the present moment (samadhi). The seeds of these concepts will be explored in asana classes, discussed in our bimonthly philosophy class, and contemplated in writings via this newsletter and social media. And, if you’d ever like to sit down to talk and reflect over a cup of tea, we can do that too.

I look forward to traveling with you in this next year –
Namaste.