Nirodhaḥ Yoga Blog
What brought you to your yoga practice?
I was looking for physical activity that would also support my emotional life. What benefits did you notice once you started practicing consistently? My mind is quieter and I have the ability to focus on one part of my body at a time while I am practicing. I feel stronger and I can access breath work and yoga poses in my daily life not just in the studio. What would you now tell yourself before you started practicing yoga? The routine of practicing three days a week at Five Keys has had a profound impact on my well being. It’s a welcoming supportive community that I am happy to be a part of.
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Concentration is the key that opens up to the child the latent treasures within him. - Maria Montessori This blog post is part of our Yoga Sutras series. Want to start at the beginning? Yoga Sutra 3.1 देशबन्धश्चित्तस्य धारणा deśabandhaścittasya dhāraṇā Concentration is fixing the mind to one point. If we followed just this one sutra, we would learn to meditate and eventually reach enlightenment. How often I hear some variation of “I can’t meditate, my mind is too busy!” But this is exactly what the practice is designed to do: reduce the busyness of the mind.
Join us to usher in the wisdom, transformation, calmness and creativity that may come from the Year of the Snake! Lay back and relax as you are enveloped in the sounds and frequencies created by crystal singing bowls, gong, chimes, and other instruments.
Sound baths may help reduce pain, anxiety, muscle tension, blood pressure and heart rate, among other benefits. It is the perfect wellness complement to your yoga practice, and a wonderful opportunity to bring your intentions for 2025 back into focus after the hectic first weeks of January. No previous experience is required to attend. But space at this popular event often sells out. So make sure to reserve your spot early. Once purchased, your ticket is non-refundable. 5KY all-access members (including intro offer passes) get $15 off! ![]() Photo by Patrick Hendry on Unsplash Great things are done when men and mountains meet. - William Blake This blog post is part of our Yoga Sutras series. Want to start at the beginning? Yoga Sutras Book Three: Vibhuti Pada Now we come to Book Three of The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. From hereon, Patanjali tries to explain both the process and fulfillment of meditation, which he calls samyama (the three-step process of concentration, meditation and enlightenment that BKS Iyengar describes as “the art of integration” (175)) and the benefits that one achieves through the eight-limbed path of Raja Yoga and specifically, the culminating three steps of that path.
However, because the last steps in Raja Yoga go beyond the mind, it is difficult for anyone (even a yoga master) to describe what happens in words. January 5th-11th It's that time of year again. Big resolutions and not so much follow through. Every year, the same desire to feel healthier, calmer, and happier. And every year, those desires go unfulfilled. Instead of trying the same old tricks that have let you down in the past, what if you committed to yourself for just one week? No resolutions, no disappointment, just one week to reset yourself and redirect yourself toward your own best path. We promise you will see a difference in just seven days. A daily yoga practice anchors us and frees us from habits that served us in the past but are no longer needed in our lives now. By setting a new healthy habit, letting go of habits that aren’t as healthy will happen gradually and naturally - feeling better the longer you practice. Connect with our supportive community that will keep you inspired and motivated throughout the year, ensuring you start and end 2025 with mindfulness and balance To kick start your journey to (or back to) yoga this year, we are pleased to offer folks new to 5KY a weeklong trial of our all-access pass for just $15.
Our all-access passes offer unlimited classes in the studio, live streaming and on-demand, so a daily practice is within reach! Pass is only available for students brand new to 5KY. ![]() Photo by Harli Marten on Unsplash Silence is a true friend that never betrays. - Confucius This blog post is part of our Yoga Sutras series. Want to start at the beginning? Yoga Sutra 2.55 ततः परमा वश्यतेन्द्रियाणाम् tataḥ paramā vaśyatendriyāṇām Then one achieves perfect mastery over the senses. One of the main reasons people start practicing yoga is to learn how to become calmer. With all that is going on outside ourselves, it can be really difficult to learn how to be calm.
That is why yoga’s process is one of involution, or one of leading the practitioner within and un-layering the conditioning that leads a person to feel stress, overwhelm and fear. What brought you to yoga?
My quest for healing and self-discovery shaped my journey to yoga. After enduring years of chronic anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, and physical pain from conditions like spondylolisthesis, scoliosis, and a pinched ulnar nerve, I found myself stuck and dissatisfied with my life. Although I practiced yoga, it wasn’t until I was overwhelmed by persistent negative thoughts that I fully embraced it as a means of mental focus and healing. Yoga became my sanctuary, helping me calm my mind, alleviate anxiety, and relieve physical pain. Through this practice, I developed self-love, built strength, and shifted my nervous system from stress to relaxation. What is your approach to teaching? As a yoga and wellness practitioner, my approach is grounded in mindfulness. My goal is to help students learn how to connect with and honor their bodies for where it is at now, not where they think they need to be. I encourage students to tap in and listen more closely to their intuition and learn how to trust their heart-mind and grow in their yoga practice without judgment or self-criticism so that the experience of yoga feels safe and approachable. Why did you choose to teach at 5KY? I chose 5 keys because their philosophy and values align very closely with my own. Plus, I like the cozy intimate setting, which is helpful for those who prefer a smaller class size. What makes your soul sing? I am an amateur singer. In a literal way, singing makes my soul sing. Haha! Singing and performing have always been a part of my life. It makes me so happy to belt out the big soaring notes and just let my heart feel free. What brought you to your yoga practice?
I had been interested in Buddhism and eastern spiritual practices since I was in high school but became more fully interested again in my late 40s when I started a regular meditation practice. My interest in meditation is what actually led me to yoga. As I read more about meditation, it became clear to me that the practice of yoga could enhance my meditation practice. What benefits did you notice once you started practicing consistently? First I learned that yoga was a wonderful way to become more centered, focused and calm in a way that was different from meditation but also a complimenting it . I also learned that yoga was good for my body. As I practiced more regularly, I found that my body became both stronger and more flexible. As I have aged, this has been a wonderful benefit. If I don’t practice regularly at this point, I really feel it in my body. Apart from Asana practice, the more I have practiced, the more I have learned about the other aspects of yoga including the precepts of the yoga sutras. These have helped to provide a compass in my life that I did not expect at all. What would you now tell yourself before you started practicing yoga? That yoga has so many benefits beyond the obvious ones of helping you stay in shape! More importantly, I would tell myself that yoga is a constantly evolving endeavor - a practice and not a goal. I used to hope that I could eventually do poses perfectly but I realize now that perfection is not the goal nor is it really attainable. It is the process of evolving toward any given pose or any given mindset that is the focus. ![]() Photo by Anne Nygård on Unsplash The highest revelation is that God is in every man. - Ralph Waldo Emerson This blog post is part of our Yoga Sutras series. Want to start at the beginning? Yoga Sutra 2.52 ततः क्षीयते प्रकाशावरणम् tataḥ kṣīyate prakāśāvaraṇam As a result, the veil covering the light of the Supreme Self is dissolved. The final four Sutras within Book Two both summarize and hint at what Patanjali will spend the next two books covering. This process starts with the fifth limb of Raja Yoga, pratyahara (withdrawal of the senses). I find this limb so important that I will spend this month and next discussing the four Sutras which explain pratyahara.
What brought you to your yoga practice?
Physical therapists, my chiropractor and doctor all recommended yoga as part of treatment plan to address osteoarthritis/past injury in my hip. After exploring several studios I was discouraged with class offerings and approach to yoga. It all felt very rushed and I wasn’t offered much instruction, or general benefits of yoga. My doctor suggested I look for something called “gentle yoga”, which led me to Five Keys. I was pleasantly surprised that Five Keys was right in my neighborhood. Everyone was welcoming, answered all my questions and have led/guided me to what I consider will be my life long yoga practice. They showed me that I can do yoga! What benefits did you notice once you started practicing consistently? More flexibility, improved range of motion, and a sense of stillness and peace for myself. What would you now tell yourself before you started practicing yoga? Keep trying, there is a place/people to show you the way to yoga. You will see a difference in your flexibility, mobility and general health. You’ll feel good! |
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