Wednesday 5:30pm Breath, Chant, Mala & Silence with Forrest

All are welcome to attend this class! Please wear appropriate and comfortable attire to practice in. 

You can bring your mat, or we can loan you a mat. Blankets, bolsters, blocks, and straps are available for your practice.

योगश्चित्तवृत्तिनिरोधः ॥ १.२ ॥

yogaścittavṛttinirodhaḥ || 1.2 ||

"Yoga is the cessation of the fluctuations of the mind." -Patanjali

What are these fluctiations of the mind? It's the mind chatter that draws our attention away from the present moment.

In our overstimulated world, how do you manage the chaos in your mind? How do you process the noise of social media?

Did you intentionally breathe today?  When was the last time you had a moment of peace and silence in your daily life, even for just a few moments?

According to Harvard Business Review, recent studies prove that making time for silence can restore the nervous system, help sustain energy, and condition our minds to be more flexible and conscious to the complex environments in which we exist.

Wednesday 5:30pm Breath, Chant, Mala & Silence with Forrest might be the midweek peace you seek!

Join us as we take a moment in the middle of the week for some light Yoga movement, Breathwork & Chanting with Japa Mala, leading to a moment of community silence and the chance to draw your senses inward to meditation. Although Yoga class should be the best time for some personal silence, this has become rare as most western yoga classes play some sort of music and a somewhat constant instruction from the teacher. More moments of silence can benefit yogis and yoginis in thier personal practice by allowing them to experience the breath-body connection while also quieting thier minds. 

Japa Mala meditation encourages pratyahara, or sensory withdrawal, leading us into a state of dharana – sustained concentration, where the mind holds steady on an anchor or focus. These states are the prelude to true meditation, called dhyana in Yoga philosophy. This technique of meditation is truly helpful for those who are very busy mentally, who struggle to ground the mind or focus on a single point, or who feel challenged  trying to slip into a state of internal quiet; certainly an excellent starting point for beginners. You can bring your own mala beads or we can loan you a set while you are here.

Yoga offers us a path to greater understanding and a deeper connection to ourselves and others. This path requires our patience, compassion, reflection, and connection. It all starts with serving each other in a way that inspires unity through inclusion. Unity is what yoga is all about. 

This class is open all shapes, sizes, backgrounds and experience levels. Yoga is for EVERY BODY!

See you at Melrose Yoga on Wednesday's at 5:30pm! - Forrest