I consider sthira and sukha – effort and ease – and how these concepts can lovingly bolster my practice this January. I invite you to join me and do the same. Where are you pushing, and is it a space that actually requires pressure? Where can you create space for ease, whether physically or mentally or emotionally, maybe all of the above? What does “balance” feel like within your body? How can you honor that?

How to sustain a yogic mindset amidst the drama and challenges of life? Practice.

One of the more well-known sutras in Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras describes the need to live your yoga with such commitment that it becomes completely established in you. Towards the end of our program we discussed at length the importance of maintaining our daily Sadhana – our practices. Our amazing teachers did not mince words – to teach yoga from a place of authenticity and skill, we need to live our Yoga. Learn to prioritize our inner world over the external world.

A tall order in this busy life.

The wise & compassionate Teacher here at Sattva, Anand Mehrotra, says: “Master your mind, master your energy, master your life.” So by 8:30 we are in Bramanda hall for the 90-minute Morning Journey with Anandji. Learning to master our energy. Young Jedis. [...] Experiences may include but are not limited to: healing, detoxifying, powerful emotions, releasing old patterns of thought and behavior, transcendence, deep love, bliss. These practices are powerful.

As September rolls in, we’re refreshing our weekly yoga schedule to align with our shifting routines. Each of our teachers brings a unique and important interpretation of yoga. Finding the right class with the right teacher at the right time can be a challenge, but we hope you'll find your rhythm with us this fall. As the well-known yoga teacher Ganga White once said, “In truth, yoga doesn’t take time – it gives time.”

Yoga aims to cultivate individuals who contribute positively to the world, living in harmony with themselves, the earth, and others—striving not only to do no harm but also to actively improve our shared existence.

In both Yoga and Buddhism, the principle of Bodhicitta, loosely translated as "practice for the benefit of all beings," underscores this intention. Sometimes in our classes, we include a dedication or prayer to embody this principle. This simple act encapsulates the essence of Yoga: each time you allow your inner light to shine, the universe becomes more loving, peaceful, and joyful.

I had spent years of hard work to get to this point - schooling, certifications, a successful business, money, a comfortable life. My situation represented the American Dream - what I had been working for my whole life. In a few minutes, it was gone.

I want to encourage everyone, everywhere to meditate. It seems like such a big commitment AND it truly can change your life.

Seek out your yoga - your truth, your way of being - rather than clinging to someone else’s ideals or attaching to one particular way of thought.

On the yoga mat we train a lens on our bodies and this can be uncomfortable. In my years as a yoga studio owner and teacher, and simply a person in the world, I have come to understand how fraught our relationships with our bodies can be.

Yoga is an integral component of my life. It helps me to connect to unconditional contentment. I hope that I can share my love and knowledge of yoga.

How we can elevate diversity and inclusion in yoga? What does that look like for you? Does that mean venturing out and exploring new class styles or teachers? Does that mean holding spaces that elevate Black yogis, such as this one? How can we make room for everyone on the mat to be their most authentic self?

Mindfulness is a practice, a way of living your life through awareness. The act of noticing and letting that noticing thoughts, emotion, images or sensation taking place in your mindbody complex. It’s the act of tuning into each moment with openness; without judgement.

‘Yoga’ is everywhere now, but independent studios have become more of a rarity, having been replaced by corporatized yoga business models. The major difference between a yoga company and a yoga studio is simple: one operates under a model of high volume and profit and the other operates under guiding principles of depth, connection, and self-exploration.

Gentle yoga (and approaching yoga gently) requires deep listening to our minds and bodies which is not an easy process. If we approach this process kindly, with self-compassion, we begin to strengthen and stretch mind, body, and spirit.

I strive to share with all of the students who attend my classes that contentment is a practice; it doesn’t just happen to you. In yoga, this concept is called santosha. Santosha is choosing peace over anger, contentment instead of frustration, and love in the presence of judgement.

Meditation occurs in an entirely different domain than the activities of our daily life. Meditation is being, not doing.

We practice being human, our outer and inner fitness improves, and hopefully we take that out into the world with us and live our yoga.

There are many reasons why I meditate, but the one that has kept me going all of these years is that it is fun! There is great joy in regular meditation. It is like going on a wonderful vacation every day.

If you have reached a point in your practice where even though the classroom setting feeds your body and mind, you know there are deeper meanings to the postures, breathwork and meditations that you would like to delve deeper into, maybe it is time to consider a teacher training program.

Tom Thompson’s life is about waking up from the trance we live.