Yoga for all levels with Sarahjoy Marsh

Our schedule will include morning meditation, in depth asana classes and round table discussions on yoga philosophy in day to day life. In addition, Sarahjoy welcomes teacher's into this week and will devote some time for training questions, observation and hands-on adjustment skills.

Specifically, as our time together falls over the Equinox, the mid point between the shortest, darkest day of the year, and the longest, brightest day of the year, we will explore the balance of opposites in asana, pranayama, philosophy, and dharma. While the world can appear to be a place of contradiction and chaos, there are growing numbers of 'urban yogis' in the world. How can we balance our longing to commune with our need to stay in communication? How do we balance the necessity of stillness with the responsibilities of action? Where do we take refuge in a world built on consumerism?

By observing the spokes on the wheel of yoga, we build our practice from hatha yoga, to jnana yoga, to raja yoga, to bhakti yoga to karma yoga. Like rungs on a ladder, we begin at the foundation of Hatha, or forceful, yoga, bringing the forces of wakefulness into the body and heart. The we step up to Jnana yoga, the yoga of wisdom and inquiry, where we allow the questions of the heart to surface. As we suspend our need to have answers to these questions, we allow the silence of our true nature to respond. From that intelligent quietude, we step into Raja yoga, the royal yoga, where we discover that essence which has been at the heart of existence all along.

From here, it is a natural step into Bhakti yoga, the yoga of devotion, where we allow the force of the human heart to commune with the essence of the Infinite Mystery. And finally, Karma yoga, the yoga of action, arises as a natural response. The Karma, or action, is not built on expectation, but rather the spontaneous action that arises out of a clear heart. From here, the wheel turns back to Hatha yoga, as we nourish our bodies to sustain the journey of the heart.

Seated firmly in yoga, we see the world's seeming contradictions in the infinite and timeless substratum of existence. From this vantage point, we discover the ground of yoga that infuses all manifestations. Captivated by this knowing, we move in the world with affection and grace.