Move Yoga Off Your Mat
Happy February to all of you wonderful Yogis! Because January ushered in many new students to our Being Yoga studio, we want to extend a warm “Welcome” to all of them. We are excited to have them with us, and, in fact, we rejoice in the knowledge that they have embarked upon an amazing journey with us.
Because each new yoga journey begins by practicing postures (or asanas) literally on the mat, it might seem contrary that we have chosen, “Move Yoga Off Your Mat” as the studio’s Theme of the Month. We have done so, however, because practicing the yoga asanas is indeed the beginning of a journey—one that starts on the mat but outwardly radiates to positively influence every aspect of one’s life off the mat. Please read on:
As many of you know, Yoga was developed in India thousands of years ago by spiritual seekers striving to reach higher levels of consciousness. They developed a system of mind-body practices to help them attain their goals. The practice of the asanas was developed to strengthen and rejuvenate the body so that the mind would be free to pursue the spiritual and mental (philosophical) aspects of yoga and accelerate their lives towards greater peace, happiness, and even enlightenment.
We, at Being Yoga, offer classes in both the physical (“on the mat”) and philosophical aspects (“off the mat”) of yoga. While we, of course, encourage students to maintain a consistent physical practice, we also encourage them to take it further by studying and practicing the philosophy of yoga. We encourage students to read our newly adopted Teaching Code of Ethics (please follow the Teaching Code of Ethics link) as an introduction to Patanjali’s “Eight Limbs of Yoga” which is considered to be the foundation of yoga philosophy.
Also, for a more in-depth study of this philosophy, please join us Thursday nights (8:30 – 9:30 pm) to meet with Arley Gaines, our highly respected Guru (teacher) of the philosophical Kriya Yoga tradition. And, we are very proud and excited to invite everyone to meet at our studio on March 5 for a presentation by Mr. Gaine’s Guru (and world-recognized expert of Kriya Yoga) Roy Eugene Davis. By understanding and practicing Kriya Yoga, students will take yoga off the mat to the next level, expediting and enhancing its amazing benefits of health, joy, peace of mind, and, perhaps someday, enlightenment.