Hello, all. It’s the day of the Winter Solstice, and I just had the privilege of teaching a yoga class that started right as the sun was at apogee, or the furthest point from the earth. Because Tuesdays are my day to teach Yin and restorative poses, the class was slow, with an emphasis on holding asana and focusing on the breath. I always enjoy teaching yoga, but today’s experience seemed especially beautiful, with the watery sunlight seeming a bit brighter because of the experience.
There’s a really cool meme going around Facebook right now that shows the sun’s analemma, a technical terms for the pattern that is created by the sun’s movements over the course of a year. Many of us see the infinity symbol in that pattern, which is a beautiful idea in and of itself. Today, I see a connection between the astronomical events and the importance of one’s sangha, or spiritual community. If you will indulge me for the space of today’s blog, I’d like to send some gratitude out into the world. As you read the following paragraphs, please feel free to stop and think about your own categories, perhaps sending out more thankfulness into the world. It’s been a couple of dark years, and here’s hope that we can finally turn it around in 2022.
I am blessed to be a yoga teacher at the Cancer Support Community in Pasadena, California. Some of the students I work with have been attending my class since 2017, when I began. I’ve learned so much here, both about teaching yoga and about life itself. These women aren’t cancer victims; they are survivors and warriors who show me weekly what it means to truly live the Serenity Prayer. Thank you, ladies — you are my inspiration and provide a lovely path for me to practice my karma yoga (the yoga of service.)
I am also grateful for my own teachers, who have shown me both how to teach and how to live. I came to yoga teaching in a rather unusual way, as a method of “kicking fifty’s butt”; when a group of us all turned that age in 2012, we each chose a physical challenge to demonstrate our ongoing vitality. My ego’s been beaten out of me in many ways since that less than service oriented beginning; I’ve learned a completely different way of proving myself in the process. Thank you to Rene Quennel of Yoga Tevana, who guided me through my 200- and 300-hour trainings. Thank you also to Addie deHilster of Moved to Meditate, who introduced me to Yin Yoga but also to Jivana Heyman, founder of Accessible Yoga. Between these three individuals, I’ve been given the joy of constant learning, and have been able to establish a foundation for my own teaching that’s served me well over the last few years.
Of course, I have many sanghas, one of which is composed of the people I’ve met and worked with along the way. I remain – perhaps forever – in awe of De Jur Jones and all she does to bring yoga to everyone. I love all the teachers take at Yoga Tevana and love all the teachers there, especially Katya Zakharenko, who’s Zoomed into my house to bring me yoga during the pandemic. Keep your lights shining, ladies — you provide me with inspiration and hope.
Reader, if you’re still with me, you’re a part of my sangha as well. I hope this blog has brought you interesting perspectives on the yoga world, and that my writing has helped your practice in some way. Please leave a comment if there’s anything you’d like me to write about in 2022, any questions you have about the yoga world, any thoughts on which you’d like my perspective. My practice grows as I continue to take classes, teach classes, and write. May this Winter Solstice bring you joy, serenity, and love.
Yoga Cielo Stellato 