 Transition into the energy of autumn. Gather your harvest from a full summer of light and activity. Reap the benefits and prepare your body and mind for the slower seasons, with a guided Yoga Nidra (Deep Relaxation), paired with the resonant full-body experience of sound bath.
Revel in the abundance of the Fall Equinox with us on September 22nd. You’ll leave vibrating with peace and harmony, ready to embrace the new season! In our intimate studio, we have space for only 8 participants at these special quarterly events. Spots go quickly and for this reason, we are not able to offer any refunds after booking. All sales are final. All-Access Members get 20% off. Book soon to save your spot!
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 Photo by Suzanne D. Williams on Unsplash The study of asana is not about mastering posture. It's about using posture to understand and transform yourself. - BKS Iyengar This blog post is part of our Yoga Sutras series. Want to start at the beginning? Yoga Sutra 2.46 स्थिरसुखम् आसनम् Sthira sukham āsanam Asana is a steady and comfortable position. You have probably heard one of us say “yoga begins off the mat.” It becomes like a broken record. But truly, the deeper you go into the Yoga Sutras, the more you realize how ridiculous it is that people are obsessed with asanas.
Don’t get me wrong, I love asana. It was my gateway to yoga. But I didn’t stop at asana, I now practice all eight limbs and can tell you for certain that the benefits I got from practicing the other limbs far outweighs the benefits I have received from mere asana (and I have gotten a lot of benefit from practicing yoga asana.)  Calling all 5KY devotees. It’s our lucky 7th anniversary and that means you are in luck.
Recharge your practice as we make our way toward fall with our Lucky #7 Challenge. Attend classes with us during our anniversary week (September 11-17th) and you’ll be entered to win a free week of yoga! To enter, sign up for (and attend) classes during our anniversary week. Each class you attend will enter you into the raffle one time. So attend as many classes as you can that week for your best shot at a free week of yoga. The winner will be announced on September 20th.  Photo by Robert Anasch on Unsplash Diligence is the mother of good luck. - Benjamin Franklin This blog post is part of our Yoga Sutras series. Want to start at the beginning? Yoga Sutra 2.32 शौचसंतोषतपःस्वाध्यायेश्वरप्रणिधानानि नियमाः śaucasaṃtoṣatapaḥsvādhyāyeśvarapraṇidhānāni niyamāḥ Niyama is purity, contentment, self-discipline, self-study, and surrender to the Universal Self As a complement to the five Yamas we studied last month, Niyama encourages us to cultivate inner strength through five essential observances: Saucha (purity), Santosha (contentment), Tapas (self-discipline), Svadhyaya (self-study), and Isvara Pranidhana (surrender to the Universal Self). These principles invite clarity, peace, and an unshakeable joy into our daily routines and interactions with ourselves.
Sutras 2.40 to 2.45 offer insights into the development of each of the five Niyamas. We’ll again use the practice of pratipaksha bhavanam to describe how we can “cultivate the contrary.”  What brought you to your yoga practice?
I had "dabbled" in yoga since I was in high school - taking classes here when the opportunity presented itself but never finding the right fit to develop into a longer commitment. It became more of a "practice" when I started classes at 5 Keys. What benefits did you notice once you started practicing consistently? Once I settled into 5 Keys and more of a routine (admittedly a very sporadic routine...), I noticed an increase in flexibility and upper body strength, lower cortisol and blood pressure; and reduced "mind clutter." What would you now tell yourself before you started practicing yoga? Keep looking for the right fit in type of yoga (I had no idea how many types there are...Hatha being my new favorite), skill level (don't hesitate to keep taking "Beginner" classes! You can always learn something new), and studio. A great teacher is always a plus but if you find a studio that is welcoming and gets you to the mat, trust that they will find the right teachers to bring everything together!  Photo by Megan Menegay on Unsplash The wise man should restrain his senses like the crane and accomplish his purpose with due knowledge of his place, time and ability. - Chanakya This blog post is part of our Yoga Sutras series. Want to start at the beginning? Yoga Sutra 2.30 अहिंसासत्यास्तेयब्रह्मचर्यापरिग्रहा यमाः ahiṃsāsatyāsteyabrahmacaryāparigrahā yamāḥ Yama is non-violence, truthfulness, non-covetousness, right use of energy, and non-possessiveness At the heart of this path stands Yama, the first limb of Raja Yoga, which serves as the first half of the ethical guidelines underpinning Patanjali’s method. Yama means control or restraint in Sanskrit. These are the boundaries we place on our behavior in order to live more harmoniously with the outer world. They offer a guide to navigating the complexities of external life - interactions with others, society itself, our senses, and environment - with grace and wisdom.
Yoga Sutra 2.30 introduces us to the five Yamas: Ahimsa (non-violence), Satya (truthfulness), Asteya (non-covetousness), Brahmacharya (right use of energy), and Aparigraha (non-possessiveness). In Sutra 2.31, Patanjali calls these principles the maha vratam (great vows) that are universal and applicable to everyone regardless of their social status, the place, time, or circumstances under which they live.  What brought you to your yoga practice?
Physical and mental health and to breathe better. What benefits did you notice once you started practicing consistently? More energy and focus. More peaceful state of mind. What would you now tell yourself before you started practicing yoga? It is my gift to myself every time I’m at 5 Keys. It’s the glue that holds my life together.  Photo by Joel Fulgencio on Unsplash There are no facts, only interpretations. ― Friedrich Nietzsche This blog post is part of our Yoga Sutras series. Want to start at the beginning? Yoga Sutra 2.33 वितर्कबाधने प्रतिपक्षभावनम् Vitarka bādhane pratipakṣa bhāvanam If troubled by negative thoughts, cultivate contrary thoughts. Yoga Sutra 2.33 is one of the Sutras I return to most often. In my view, this one gives perhaps the most practical advice that a practitioner can apply in their daily life.
For that reason, I’d like to move a little out of order here. We’ll study the eight limbs of Raja Yoga, one month at a time starting next month. Now let’s look at Yoga Sutras 2.33 and 2.34, which appear in the middle of Patanjali’s description of these eight components and specifically, the first two: Yama and Niyama.  Have you made it to a Serene 2nd Sunday yet? See what everyone's been talking about for yourself on June 9th.
There will be no S2S in July. So make sure to sign up for June's workshop to save your spot. Otherwise, you'll have to wait until later this summer for another chance!  Kick it with us all summer long at Gallagher Way! Free yoga classes next to Wrigley Field start today and continue through September. Come check out what we're all about and start your days off right this summer.
May 14th - September 26th
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