A novice first glancing into a yoga room might believe they were seeing a simple exercise class, recalling p.e. from middle school. The exercise part isn't wrong, but it is only part of the story. What isn’t immediately visible, yet quickly palpable, is that yoga helps us merge our physical experience with a mental, emotional, and spiritual uplift that paves a path to freedom from suffering. Not permanent (no such thing), and not instant (that’s why it’s called a practice), but real and accessible.
Sometimes yoga is about making shapes with the body. Sometimes it’s about the breath. Sometimes it’s sitting or lying still, longer than feels comfortable. And sometimes, it's blasting the music of Prince, dancing with abandon, and then melting to the floor to be bathed in the soundscape of Tibetan bowls, gongs, and bells.
As Pamela Ayo Yetunde writes in Dearly Beloved: Prince, Spirituality, and This Thing Called Life, spiritual seekers can “find and embrace the enduring liberatory love Prince expressed in his music as the spiritual transcendence [we] seek.” She reminds us, too, that “being intentionally joyfully gathered makes it easier to get through this thing called life.”
Carve out some time for that communal uplift that is yoga's unique signature. Spring classes are underway – click below for the current schedule and reserve a spot for your mat, your breath, and your true spirit.