Open Ayurveda

A winter yoga practice is so delicious.

Now that we have been on Daylight Savings Time for a bit, I’ve gotten used to the fact that our regular Sunday afternoon yoga class at Yoga Mandala occurs during magic hour. While my favorite place to be at sunset is probably outside gazing at the amber horizon in quiet contemplation, I don’t make that happen very often. It’s usually a busy, but soft time at home when I’m feeding and bathing my boy and ushering him gently off to bed. That’s why I’m so pleased that my public class falls at this time. To be in the mandir practicing through the sundhi–the joining of the opposites of day and night, in this case–feels so rich.

At this wintery time of year, our yoga practice is focused on keeping the cold, rough vata down (especially since it can be so windy in the afternoons here in the Berkeley winter) without letting the gluggy kapha stagnation accumulate. To that end, we have been focusing on P I, II & III series plus some long, steady holds in standing postures to open the channels and really let the asanas marinate. This allows the core warmth to be gently circulated and distributed throughout the body. Since winter seems to naturally lend itself to introspection, I’ve been enjoying highlighting forward bending and hip opening in a gradual, but consistent way.

Our class is a Hatha I-III and I’m always pleased to see the regulars and the brand new folks alike. If you’ll be new to the studio, let me know. My hatha class is strongly flavored by my favorite practice–Adi-Yoga–as I am ongoingly studying that with my esteemed teacher, Dharmanidhi.

Location: Yoga Mandala
2807 Telegraph Avenue
Berkeley, CA 94705
Time: Sundays 4:30 p.m.
Contact: 510.486.1989

Tags: Events, Yoga