I roll out my mat in the center of my living room. I used to practice asana three to five times a week. I used to relish in the familiarity of the shapes, the fluidity of my breath synced with movement…

“…that’s why I keep practicing… not to change myself, but to learn how to love myself as I am, no matter what.”

“This year’s new year’s class theme is Bravery and Beauty. Our yoga practice will be accompanied by stories of the brave and beautiful-hearted monkey known as Hanuman.”

“What yoga teaches us is that traversing the darkness is part of life.”

“Yoga has been foundational to my healing journey, releasing intergenerational trauma that lives in my body and mind, and in doing so, I have been able to reconnect and align with my authentic self.”- Angelica Castro

I wanted to be a bodyworker since I was a teenager. Therapeutic bodywork was a regular maintenance for me while healing from minor dance injuries. Massage was a window into a pain-free existence for me as a performer, a tap dancer, and avid mover shaker.

How might this ritual impact your day-to-day?

Find all of the links to resources mentioned in Social Justice Saturdays here!

This past October we were fortunate enough to have Dianne Bondy teach us about inclusivity in yoga studios. View resources from that event here!

In every yoga class, we bring attention to the breath. The simple act of bringing attention to the breath, changes it, as Judith Lasater says. When we establish this as a habit in our life, breath becomes an eternal tool for calming and focusing the mind and bringing ease and relaxation to the body. Attention to breath grounds us in the present moment and brings us back to our center of being.