If you missed practicing with fellow ashtangis in the studio and having a chat while sipping some delicious chai I have a great news for you. This coming Wednesday October 21st and the following October 28th instead of practice in the park there will be self-practice outside of YiY, on the parking lot along the fence.
There will be also Zoom session for those who prefer to stay home but I won’t be observing and helping you with the practice.
by
Ganesh Balachandran
I recently listened to this book , “The psychology of money” by Morgan Housel. I found a praiseworthy mention of this book in Om Swami’s blog. It was written during the corona virus pandemic and offers a perspective of investing during turbulent times. The book has a lot of sage advice and written with much wisdom. One of the things that struck me the most was the chapter on “The power of compounding” and how applicable the principles of investing are to our yoga practice (which is meant broadly to include all limbs of yoga like meditation and not just asanas).
The author says that while there are over 2000 books written about how Warren Buffet attained his fortune not one bears a title close to describing the true reason- investing every day for three-quarters of a century. He says that the true path to wealth is regular investment even if it is small. This is so true of yoga as well. My meditation teacher, Gil fronsdal, would say that success in meditation comes not through long stretches of intense meditation done infrequently but by daily mundane sits, however short they may be, done over a long time. Patanjali says the same in the Yoga sutras (picture below: Courtesy: Dr. Shriram Sarvotham).
Morgan Housel, in his book, mentioned something that I found particularly interesting. He says, “Big gains in investment happen during 1% of the days that are tumultuous when everyone around you is losing their cool. On those days, if one can maintain a level headed approach to investing, great benefits arise.”. Further the next time you encounter a tumultuous situation, the fact that having kept your cool in a previous situation created positive results, only reaffirms your confidence to stay cool again. This is so true of yoga. When going through a difficult phase in our life, the ability to continue our practice not just gives positive results (as opposed to plunging into melancholy and negativity) but also re-affirms our commitment to our practice during future difficult times. This is the power of compounding in yoga.
Hello everyone!
We will have led primary outside again this coming Sunday 7-8.30am. Please sign up on the website and let’s meet at the studio in the back parking lot.
If you want to attend Philippe’s meditation class right after, I can set up my computer either outside or inside the studio and we can all attend from there.
Hope to see you there (or over zoom if you prefer!),
-anne
If you think Moon Days are overrated, this 06:30am class is for you!
From Seth Godin’s blog:
Once you realize that you can improve, amplify and refine the things that other people call attitudes, you may realize that they are skills.
Which is great news, because becoming better at a skill is something we’re able to do.
Some people call these, “soft skills.” That’s because they’re not easy to measure. But for me, they’re real skills. The skills that actually determine how far we’ll go and how it will feel to work with us as we move forward.
These attitudes include compassion for those in need and critical thinking instead of mere compliance.
Hello everyone!
Fall is right around the corner so if we want to have a led class outside, it’s now or never. Let’s get together on Sunday morning from 7:00am-8:30am in front of YiY where I’ll guide you through the primary series. The session will be held on zoom as well so you can join us from your home if you prefer. Please sign up beforehand.
Hope to see you there,
-anne
This week I recommended the documentary My Octopus Teacher.
In the film the documentarian dives into the same kelp forest every day to visit the same octopus. His routine doesn’t vary – each day anew he struts to the same beach in South Africa, wades into the same ocean front, and ducks under the surface to observe, study, play with and film this very same cephalopod and her environment. He remarks that people always ask him, “Why are you going to the same place every day?” He responds: “That’s where you see the subtle differences.”
People often ask us as yoga practitioners, “Why are you doing the same routine every day?” Our answer: “That’s where you see the subtle differences.”
Also the octopus has 8 limbs. Coincidence? I think not.
Thursday, October 1st is Moon Day. No Zoom Mysore. Enjoy the rest.
Just a reminder that I will see you in the park tomorrow for Mysore practice. It is getting darker with every week but I will bring some candles again. And you might be a bit chilling at first but it shouldn’t last too long before you get some heat going. So come to the park and practice under the open sky with birds singing around you.
The meditation session on Sunday has moved from 8:00 to 8:30am.
Also I’ve updated the Meditation class page with the closing chant and useful links.
