December Newsletter: Practicing The Yoga of Reflection
Greetings friends,
December is here and in middle Tennessee the colder weather is finally settling in a little heavier. This is our first winter holiday season in our new home, and my partner & I decorated the exterior of our house for the first time! I must say, hanging lights on your house is way harder that it looks!
As you approach the end of this year I invite you to reflect on your experiences of 2021 through the yogic technique of smriti sadhana--the practice of memory contemplation--to intentionally look back on what happened during the course of the year in order glean any new insights, Self-knowledge or Self-discovery to cultivate wisdom & clarity for 2022.
What's more is you can practice smriti sadhana any time of the year! One way you can invite intentional reflection into your yoga asana practice by taking a few moments while resting in śavāsana or in an easy meditative seat to intentionally recall your time on the mat from the end to the beginning. Try recalling as much as you can remember such as the sequence of movements, the way you were breathing and the various sensations you felt in the body.
Another easy way to invite the practice of smriti sadhana into your everyday life is by writing in a sadhana journal. The great thing about journaling is everyone can do it; you don't have to be a professional writer--or even a "good" writer--to partake in daily journaling. Simply take 10 minutes as you wind down for the evening to write about as much of your day as you can remember such as tasks you completed, challenges you were presented, obstacle you overcame or anything else that comes to mind. Write about anything you noticed with the breath or the sensations you experienced in the body throughout your daily experiences.
This month's newsletter will be brief, so I'd like to wish you happy holidays for the winter! Stay safe, rested, happy & healthy as you move into the new year. As I reflect on my year, I acknowledge & honor the myriad of challenges, celebrations, changes, disappointments, surprises & victories that unfolded in my life and delivered me to the space I exist today. The new year will hold some exciting opportunities for me, including release my first sound meditation album and applying for grad school at Maryland University of Integrative Health to pursue a Master's of Science in Yoga Therapy starting autumn 2022. As I prepare to embark on a new academic journey into my yoga practice & career I'm grateful for the encouragement, love & support so many of you have provided me this year and throughout the years. I look forward to experience life as it continues to unfold 💖
Experiencing that this objective world is the product of his subjective consciousness, the yogi can create anything he or she desires
~Śhiva Sūtra Vimārśinī (3.17)
