We really hope that you managed to have a good Xmas and new year and spent some decent time with your family and friends, and we'd both like to wish you all a happy and healthy new year.
It’s not always easy to relax during the Christmas period but hopefully you found some time for a little practice here and there, and if not, then classes will be back soon if you’ve been missing your yoga.
This month will see the start of our new Cedars Park afternoon class on the 15th January, and also our once monthly extended classes will be back after a two month break from the 27th January - the first of which will be focusing on the Manipura Chakra which not only ties in well with but also shares a connection with our theme of the month for January.
December Theme of the Month Recap
Ishvara Pranidhana (surrender), was the last niyama from the eight limbs of yoga, and possibly the hardest to grasp.
At its most basic level, the idea of Ishvara Pranidhana is of surrendering to a force that is higher or bigger than just our physical Self, maybe to try and look at the world that we see as one whole interconnected thing, free from distraction, and separate from our own egos.
It was a short month for classes in December but we will return to the Yamas and the Niyamas as our theme at a later date, where hopefully we can spend more time with Ishvara Pranidhana next time around.
January Theme of the Month
As we’ve now made our way through The Yamas and the Niyamas, for the first part of the year we’ll now be focusing our practice on The Five Vayus .
The first Vayu we’ll be focusing on is the Samana Vayu which is situated around the navel and abdomen region. It not only governs digestion but also how we digest our thoughts too. This will tie in well with the start of the year, as most of us tend over indulge over Christmas and new year! So we’ll be looking to stimulate these areas of the body with some nice twists, core work, and breathing exercises.
You can learn a little bit more about the Samana Vayu in my video below.
By mastery over the samana nerve current (the equalising vital air) comes radiance to surround the body.