October: Svadhyaya

October.  Our first full month of Fall. On our exploratory journey we now reach Svadhyaya, the fourth Niyama, or ethical observance of yoga.  Self-study.  Please see below after this month's News!
 
NEWS:
 
This month by invitation I will be assisting Amy Weintraub when she returns to Yogaville to offer a weekend workshop: LifeForce Yoga to Manage Your Mood: Depression and Anxiety.  The workshop will take place from October 14-16 and will be held at the Yogaville Satchidananda Ashram in Buckingham, VA.  I’m really excited to be returning to Yogaville! It is a peaceful place nestled on the banks of the James River--each time I visit I feel recharged and renewed.  For more information on how you can join this training, click here.
 
A few weeks ago I also launched my first issue of a quarterly newsletter.  You can find it on the blog sidebar here if you didn't get a chance to check it out!  In the first issue I reflected on the transformational power of healing & my own path of discovery in yoga that has drawn me to yoga therapy.  I'm looking forward to exploring themes of contentment, space, and self-care in future issues.  I'd love this quarterly newsletter to  prompt reflection and offer support for your own personal journey; if there are topics you would enjoy or features you would like to see, please let me know!
 

October:  Svadhyaya
 
We have reached Svadhyaya – the fourth niyama or ethical observance yoga.  In Sanskrit its meaning is self-study.  In many respects it is the discovery of who we truly are.  And it is a path to healing.
 
If we trace our exploratory journey together back to February, we found ourselves exploring what makes up our truth.  We examined how in yoga there is a belief that we are made of several layers or sheaths that include our physical, emotional/energetic,and mental "selves," as well as two additional layers.  These additional layers are where the wisdom of our intellect resides--as an objective witness within--as well as a layer of bliss, which is unlocked in the silence and where we can connect to the essence of who we really are.   
 
Essentially, Svadhyaya is opening ourselves to the observations of our inner witness. 
 
Just what sort of observations are we talking about?   Well . . .

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