Hello Beloved,

Our Yoga Teacher Training has just begun, and soon you may see some new faces in your Form and Flow classes, they are our wonderful new YTT students who will be interning classes for the next few months! You may see them taking notes in a corner, or assisting our Instructors from time to time, feel free to say hello when you see them! As they dive deeper into their studies we will also explore some fundamental aspects of Yoga. Next week we will discuss some of the 8 Limbs of Yoga, starting with what are called the Yamas. This week however, we'll take a glimpse at what we call yoga, and expand a bit more on the yoga sutras of Patanjali, with exploring sutra 1.2

As we explore/engage with it, Yoga is the integration of all aspects of the self with conscious awareness, the yoking of our true essence nature to our physical and mental experience. Put simply, it is a path towards awakening to our true nature, and releasing from everything that is not. But what is our "essence nature"? We can loosely say it is our fundamental sense of being, but it is also that which underpins all living things.

Now Let's Explore Some Sutra!

In the Patanjali's next sutra, we expand on the benefits of the practice of yoga, as well as explore some aspects of its purpose or goal.

sutra 1.2: "Yoga Citta Vritti Nirodha"

Yoga: the practice of yoga, yoga as a noun

Citta our mind, perception, or consciousness

Vritti: the modifications of consciousness, or the fluctuations of our mind

Nirodha: freedom from, or cessation of

So all together it can be understood as:

"The practice of yoga contributes to the freedom from the fluctuations of the mind"

or,

"Yoga is the cessation of the fluctuations of the mind"

We can be playful and expand this understanding by saying,

"Yoga is the awakening, and integration of our true nature, through the freedom from the fluctuations of our minds, and all that is not our essence".

It's a bit wordy, but when viewed this way, it's easier to understand the bigger picture behind the sutra, and find reflections within our own practice

On and off the mat we may be challenged by obstacles, difficulties, or experiences that cause a level of suffering or turmoil. In these moments we are given a more tangible glimpse of chitta vritti, or the "fluctuations of our minds". We can take these times as opportunities to utilize some of the many tools we have in our yogi toolbox. Engaging in the ever-constant practice of yoga can be very beneficial to us, even in the littlest moments.

We look forward to seeing you all in class this week!

With love and gratitude,

Adriane and the HOME Yoga Team