Since 2003, it’s been my job to come up with a new weekly theme to teach over the course of my weekly yoga classes. These themes are meant to (hopefully) inspire the students, and me. Since my awareness is quite spongy, ideas come from everywhere: books, movies, quotes, snippets of conversations I have—or hear (eavesdropper!), from thoughts that have been growing and evolving to the point of ripeness, and from those that seem to spring from the center of my brain, unbidden and grown up. Some ideas are half-baked and take a while to fully form, and some arrive almost too quickly, pouring through the trap door in my brain so fast that I cannot write with enough speed to capture their full essence. And some I return to, again and again, to refresh and remind myself—and others—of their meaning. So that’s what I’m doing this week: refreshing.

The Sanskrit word “Namaste” is a regular word in my vocabulary, and in the vocabulary of yoga students everywhere. As a matter of fact, it’s so well known in our popular culture that it’s often said in a way that is devoid of meaning, or meant to poke fun at yoga culture itself. Now, I’m not above poking fun right where it needs to be poked, but I want to elevate and—dare I say it—protect words that feel sacred to me. Namaste feels that way.

At the end of class, we touch our palms together in front of our hearts and bow to one another as we say this word, which essentially means, “The Light in me bows to the Light in you.” In other words, my heart sees your essence, recognizes it, and honors it. It feels profoundly simple and profoundly deep at the same time. And when I remember what I am saying and why, my affection, my appreciation, and my devotion to everyone in my presence rings in every cell of my being. There’s a little voice inside that says, “Remember this.”

There are a lot of things I do and say that, when I’m not paying attention, become routine, rote, or unremarkable. Every once in a while it’s important to me to remember the why, and to let the seed of that knowledge replant and unfold itself in me in an entirely new way. Here’s to refreshing and remembering.

Happy New Year. Namaste!

Posted by: Beth Award

We arrived in Guatemala City together on a Friday night, worlds away from the cold March air in Seattle. Jenny Hayo had convinced me of the power of this remote location on an enormous lake beneath two towering volcanos. She had taken two previous groups to Lake Atitlan and was my tour guide en route to the retreat we were leading at Villa Sumaya.

In March 2010 I was ready for a vacation. 8 Limbs Phinney Ridge had opened the previous fall, after a complete built-out that had drained me on all accounts. I had concerns about teaching on a retreat when in need of one, but by the time I arrived on the dock of Villa Sumaya, the hours of travel without having to juggle work, care for my children, cooking, and the rest of it left me relaxed and ready to find the balance that one has to when leading a retreat – the give and take that we as yoga teachers are always dancing with.

Most of the group joining us had also spent the previous night in Antigua, the “old city” and former capitol of Guatemala, a beautiful cobblestone and bright walled town full of old-world charm, not unlike the French Quarter of New Orleans. Before meeting for a group van to the lake, many of us made out way to a local café for huevos and coffee and some last wi-fi coverage. We could see the surrounding volcanos from the streets, bougainvillea climbing out of the walled courtyards that lined the sidewalks. I left an out-of-reach outgoing message on my cell phone to enable me to fully unplug for the entire week and enjoyed a delicious breakfast, completed by fried plaintains.

By plane, taxi, van, and finally boat, we stepped off of our last leg of travel into a garden paradise with innumerable textures of growth and tile winding up the hill from the clear lake. After a tour we each settled into our rooms, all overlooking the lake and its counterpoints, the volcanos, which were more stunning than photographs can show. I was most taken by the gardens just below our rooms, complete with hammocks, wooden lounge chairs, and a covered area for those seeking shade.

Each morning we rose before dawn in silence, a couple of us tapping on one another’s doors to walk quietly to and from the lake for a wakeup plunge. AM practice led into breakfast, after which silence was broken and we all enjoyed time to explore the lake, read on the lawn, or nap. Some days were lazy, others included excursions to neighboring towns to better experience the rich Guatemalan culture and lovely people surrounding the lake. All of our transportation was by boat or foot, a welcome change for us urbanites. Every afternoon we would again gather in the yoga temple for lecture and practice on the Koshas, before dinners on the terrace, surrounded by flowers and vines.

By the end of the week I had shed every last stitch of stress and control. After a bodywork session in the “Buddha Hut” I experienced a deep emotional and physical release, one that lasted for days and ushered in my 40^th birthday with a new freedom and perspective.

For 2011 and now 2012 we asked Douglas Ridings to take over the reins, an opportunity for this experienced teacher to share his wealth of knowledge in a more intimate and leisurely environment. Douglas Ridings and longtime 8 Limbs instructor Dawn Jansen will welcome this year’s group to the March 10-17 retreat. They are excited to usher this year’s group into their own journey of exploration and reflection.

We have extended the early registration rate through January 5 to help encourage those considering taking the plunge. Take my word for it – this place is special. Check out the photos posted on the 8 Limbs Facebook page and plan your next vacation now! More info on the retreat at www.8limbsyoga.com.

Posted by: Anne Phyfe Palmer

Like many yoga practitioners, I often wrestle with daily practice, called abhyasa in Sanskrit. This investigation has taken many shapes and forms over the years, but recently I found a brand new edge.

A month ago I realized that my relationship to asana was one that continued the pattern of control I have used for several decades to keep my physical body at a certain level of fitness and tone. I have been “using” asana rather than practicing it.

Finally ready to look at this old habit, my relationship to practice has been (no past tense here) quite the rollercoaster, taking me down some dark tunnels of denial (read Spiraling into Solstice on this Blog) and occasionally into patches of light. Turns out it was a pretty big draw, the whole fitness through yoga bit, it got me on the mat “religiously.” But it was fraught with attachment, raga.

Fortunately there are guides for this path of yoga. One particularly pithy one from 2,000+ years ago is the author of The Yoga Sutras. Patanjali offers us the following prescription for yoga, which he defines as the stilling of the movements of consciousness:

Abhyasa vairagyabhyam tannirodhah: Both practice and nonattachment are required to still the movements of the mind. (Sutra I.12)

In each Yoga Sutra, every word carries import. The one that I am finally addressing is nonattachment, vairagya, albeit in a rebellious and slightly destructive way. In the process, the two first words in that definition are being tested, and I am honestly just realizing this as I write. Of course my ego is rebelling. It’s being asked to give up one of its favorite cloaks. It deeply wants to be beautiful and strong and thin and muscular with nothing that jiggles. It loves it when my clothing fits. It loves attention.

But back to Patanjali. So this concept of practice, what exactly does it mean? Is it two hours of asana daily? Forty minutes of alternate nostril breathing? Standing on one’s head chanting OM?

“Practice is the sustained effort to rest in that stillness.” (Sutra I.13) Ah. That’s pretty straightforward, and something I can get behind, especially at this time in my life. It provides new interest in this daily habit I’d tired of.

This month I will maintain my observance of nonattachment to the physical fruits of practice, but bring fresh attention to abhyasa. Instead of only a duty, a prescription, I will come to the mat interested in resting in stillness. And borrowing from Sutra I.14, I will “cultivate skillfully,” practice daily for a minimum of 30 minutes, choosing a few asanas, a pranayama technique and a meditation practice that will align me with stillness, one day at a time. At least once a week I will attend a led practice, participate with the intention of moving into stillness, and practice nonattachment to what is served up by the teacher. I’ll let you know how it goes…

What is your own challenge in maintaining a daily practice at home and in the studios?

For many it is lack of sleep. If so, check out the “Falling in Love with Sleep” Insights from the Edge podcast, enjoy some Yoga Nidra (Yogic Sleep) with Tracy Hodgman in February and look for a Yoga for Sleep Workshop with Dawn Jansen in the Spring.

Don’t know how to design a practice? Ask your favorite teacher for a private, or take Dawn’s Individually Tailored Asana Workshop on January 21 and Seasonal Vinyasa with Melina in February.

Feet dragging? Learn how to Jump Through with Power and Grace with Tracy Hodgman (January 28) and get ‘em off the floor or build overall strength and endurance through Douglas’ Yoga Conditioning Series Mondays in February.

Dealing with Back Pain? Need more of an Introduction to Yoga? Want classes specifically designed for your 50+ age group? Click on the links to learn about these series at 8 Limbs.

Ready for instruction on Pranayama and Meditation? Check out Jenny’s Intro to Pranayama and Series this month and the two Meditation classes at 8 Limbs Capitol Hill, Thursdays at 8am and/or 8pm. Also check the notes section of class schedules for classes that focus on P and M.

Let us know about your own path with practice and we’ll consider it for a blog post. Send entries of up to 300 words to: annephyfe@8limbsyoga.com.

Posted by: Anne Phyfe Palmer

P.S. Thanks to great teachers BKS Iyengar and Chip Hartranft for their enlightening translations of The Yoga Sutras.

Traveling during the upcoming holidays has its pluses and minuses. You know it will be great to see family and friends, but the enhanced airport security measures stress you out. Then there’s sitting in a safety-oriented airplane seat that was not built for comfort. With a few planning tips and yoga poses to do at the boarding gate and on the plane you can arrive feeling rejuvenated and refreshed.

Travel guru and 8 Limbs Teacher Training Graduate, Michael Huffman, was a road warrior for 20+ years in corporate America as a compliance manager. According to to this veteran traveler, flying doesn’t have to be stressful. Some of the stress-reducing tactics he’s developed include planning tips, ways to relax en-route to the airport, essential things for your carry-on bag and yoga poses to do at the boarding gate.

These ‘Strategies for Zen-like Air Travel’ include some suggestions to make the visit ‘home for the holidays’ more relaxing and pleasant:
• Planning 24 Hours Ahead of the flight:
- Clean a stainless steel water bottle & let it air-dry overnight
- Put a drop of lavender essential oil on a blindfold
- Packing List Essentials for the Carry-On Bag:
- Ear plugs to reduce body fatigue from engine noise on board
- A sweater or fleece you can roll up and use as lumbar support

• On the Way out the Door & En-Route to the Airport:
- Wear slip-on shoes and empty all pockets of cell phones, keys and coins prior to arriving to speed through security
- Take a few inhales and exhales en-route to the airport; Inhale 1-2-3-4, Exhale 4-3-2-1

• Boarding Gate Yoga (find a place away from TV monitors):
- Sitting in a Chair: Easy forward bend and elbow circles
- Sitting on the Floor: Badha Konasa and Virasana Twists

In addition to those ‘Strategies for Zen-like Air Travel’, Michael has developed 24 sitting and standing poses that can be done on the plane in his Practical Yoga Series: AIRPLANE YOGA. Each yoga pose includes an illustration and a text description of how to enter the pose. To find out more information about Michael, his Practical Yoga Series, as well as the iPhone App and iBook ‘enhanced’ versions, visit his website at http://thezenguy.com/store/airplane-yoga/

This time of year is known as the “Holiday Season,” especially in politically correct Seattle where I learned quickly to say “Happy Holidays” rather than “Merry Christmas” and “Happy Solstice” on December 21st.

In these times of wonderfully mindful recognition of diversity we honor the many types of holidays this time of year holds – Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Solstice, Christmas, and New Year’s.

What we find in most holidays this time of year is the theme of light. It is a time of darkness in the natural world – short days and long nights. There is great power in this veil thrown over more of each daily cycle. It connects us to deeper layers of our subconscious and often leads to great introspection and creativity. And it calls into greater relief its counterpart – illumination.

Throughout history, humankind has drawn inspiration from the amazing power of light and brought it into their Winter Celebrations. And whether we are bowing to the light of the Sun, the flickering glow of a candle, or the sparkle of Christmas lights, we all have what is called jyotismati, or inner light, which Patanjali, in Yoga Sutra I.26, says is free from grief or sorrow (visoka).

This Sutra is one of several in the first Pada (Chapter) of the Yoga Sutras that offer the practitioner suggestions for bringing about the state of yoga that is described in Sutra I.2 as citta vrtti nirodha, the reduction (cessation in some translations) of the fluctuations of the mind. If we concentrate on this inner light, our mind will be calmer, more at peace.

This season of lights, may you draw from all of the sources of inspiration and illumination within and without to send out a beacon of serenity to the world around you, a true gift to self and others.

May your Holidays be bright and full of love.

Posted by: Anne Phyfe Palmer

Listen to this sutra and a meditation on inner light on the Yoga Journal website.

As a little girl, my biggest wish was to dance. And not just any dance would do, it was the willowy limbs and lithe torsos of the ballerinas and their graceful, effortless movements that stirred something magical awake inside me. They swayed like supple trees, free to move in any direction while rooted miraculously on the tips of their toes. From the first time I watched Nutcracker broadcast on public TV I was hooked. “Mom, I wanna dance ballet” was my mantra for months on end. That mantra was always met with my mother’s response of “you’re just not built for it, Terilyn, God blessed some people with bodies and others with brains, use the brains God gave you kid.” This seed was planted deep in my psyche and I grew up knowing to avoid all things athletic and express art on paper not on pointe.

Now, what I know to be true is the gods gave me some of the most open and supple hip joints, sincere love of movement and a flair for the dramatic that could rival a prima ballerina. My mother, best intentions aside, was the one who gave me my first of many lessons in self imposed limitations and stereotypes. Is it any wonder I have spent my entire career using the strength of my body to liberate the mobility of others through massage therapy or that my first onsite massage gig was at Pacific NW Ballet?

It was around this same time when I was 8 and 9 years old that the TV show “That’s Incredible!” gave me my first glimpse of a yogi. I was mesmerized by the way he calmly contorted his body while kissing his feet then placing them both behind his head, such obvious love for his own body and no limits to what he could do. Wow. I spent the next few years watching TV in danurasana or baddha konasana and always kissing my toes.

I can still remember walking into my first vinyasa class at the gym and finding Amelia, an amazing teacher in that unlikely place. The candles, and music set the stage, her voice sounding like incantations as the Sanskrit flowed out like her native tongue. Oh yes I’d found my dance teacher at last. Tough but always encouraging, she made you believe you could do the impossible, she seemed to believe in me so much I couldn’t help but believe in myself too. Limitations and stereotypes seemed to truly amuse her and slowly I saw how funny it was that I would ever put myself in a category of “too heavy or too weak,” “not built for that pose.”

I found true liberation flowing with my breath, linking asana like a sacred dance, a dance of reclaiming my passion for movement, of connecting with a loving, forgiving, strong divine force that drove me back to my mat again and again. I found my inner athlete, my inner ballerina and I wasn’t afraid to let her loose. I was experiencing grace.

Now I have the honor of sharing what has proved to be my most beneficial lesson: we only touch on a glimpse of our true power when we experience grace, and that wisdom is gained from letting go of judgment and stereotypes and remaining open to possibility and that secret heart’s desire.

I am so grateful to the 8 Limbs community of students, teachers, managers and directors for always supporting who I am as a teacher and yogini without limitation or judgment.

As I stand in front of a full room of yogis, spilling out of my large yoga top with extra large enthusiasm for this divine dance, I know we create sacred space for us all: the young and old people, the big and small people, all walks of life, to move beyond our perceived limitations and experience liberation and grace. Find what you love and share it with everyone!

Namaste, Terilyn

Terilyn Wyre teaches 6 classes a week at 8 Limbs West Seattle and now at 8 Limbs Capitol Hill (Sundays at 5pm). Terilyn will be subbing Anne Phyfe’s Monday 7:15pm practice at 8 Limbs Capitol Hill on November 14 and 21. Come and check out the amazing space she holds.

Just before the anniversary of 9/11 my sister sent me an article written by a friend of hers that introduced me to the term satyagraha. Made up of two Sanskrit words: satya – truth, and graha – seizing, holding, or insistence, this term refers to what Mahatma Gandhi called “the force which is born of love”, as well as to the passive resistance Indian movement that Gandhi renamed Satyagraha and that influenced Nelson Mandela and Martin Luther King Jr.’s civil rights movements.

This year, for this Thanksgiving month Newsletter, I am grasping, “graha-ing”, this term to invite us to all consider what it is we hold to in truth, what force in us is born of love, what “soul force” can we strengthen. Yes, Thanksgiving is the season of gratitude and giving thanks, and I will attest to that list of graces in my life in a heartbeat. I have written 10+ newsletters about it, taught whole yoga classes themed on it, and felt literally steeped in it when my yoga teacher visited 8 Limbs earlier this month. Truly, if we have computers and can read this newsletter, it’s a given, we are fortunate, so what’s next? What do we plant into that rich garden of gratitude?
In traditional Yoga Nidra, yogic sleep, to plant a seed of intention deep in the subconscious, one cultivates a feeling of gratitude and follows this directly with internally stating a Sankalpa, or Intention, a positive action that one will take. Might we this month plant in our traditional season of thanksgiving and gratitude a commitment to satyagraha, to truth force, and fill the human desire to grasp with satya.

Perhaps you are out I am as responsible as the next busy, employed, and basic-needs-met person of not stepping out in protest, or writing my Congressperson or marching on the Capitol. But I do what I can. I speak out, I share information, and I create a space for organizations to connect with people who believe in them. Thus this Thanksgiving Day, at all four 8 Limbs, you can practice satyagraha with the four yoginis and satyagrahis (one who practices satyagraha) who have volunteered to teach the benefit classes for local non-profits (see below).

And then take it to another level, in your own way. Our world is changing at a breakneck pace, in both amazing and scary ways. We all have the moment-to-moment opportunity to break from the habitual and move into a new awareness of truth, one we may have never even dreamed of.

Posted by: Anne Phyfe Palmer

Ten years ago a friend turned me on to yoga at another studio. I got way into the asana practice but the woo-woo factor was a little much for my more practical sensibilities. So I started checking out other studios. Then I found 8 Limbs.

What I found there then is what I continue to find here now – a light-filled soulful space that seems to float over the city, and an inclusive, less dogmatic approach to the non-physical teachings. I immediately felt more comfortable and, because of this, less guarded and more open to instruction.

Since then I’ve developed personal connections to instructors and practitioners alike. Many of the teachers who taught me ten years ago – Douglas, Melina, Jenny, Anne Phyfe – still do today. That consistency and their depth of knowledge has not only helped me evolve my practice but also contributed to my sense of belonging to a community of fellow practitioners. And to a connection to something larger than myself.

Despite my initial skepticism, I have over the years absorbed much of the yogic philosophy, though admittedly I’d be hard pressed to name any of it in Sanskrit. But it comes through: I am more patient, more aware of the present, more mindful of others. In short, I am a better person than I was ten years ago.

For me that’s what the 8 Limbs community is ultimately all about. Through the practice of yoga we find own way, follow our own path and reach a fuller expression of ourselves. Seattle is lucky to have such a community. I know I am.

Congratulations on 15 years of building community in Seattle.

Posted by: Dennis Montgomery

I was practicing with a teacher who moved over to 8 Limbs not long after the studio opened. When she moved out of the state shortly thereafter I stayed because the original studio is a great fall season space with the trees at the second floor windows. Over the years I have practiced with a few people trying not to jump around too much because I need a few classes with a teacher before I really started to see where they are coming from and how the practice can teach me.

Early years were very much about the physical practice and what I asana I could achieve. Maybe not the best attitude but attention to strength and alignment has helped me through a few small injuries. Thanks to Melina I even (just once) was able put my legs behind my head in tortoise pose. After taking the teacher training I realized it was about the small adjustments for me. By listening to how my body feels and where I am crunching up I have been able to get deeper in many asanas now where as I could not a few years ago.
This goes to my everyday life too. Listening to all that goes around me at home and work I have seen myself occasionally sorting through the different possibilities presented in a breath or two without jumping on to the one that may move me ahead but at a cost versus what is really a better way to move forward for me and those around me. I know I can make ice cubes, but if it is really that important to my mom that they be made with hot water, I can go back and change all the trays without feeling like cold water ice cubes are a mistake. For this I have Melina, Anne Phyfe, Douglas, Troy, Jenny and Jen to thank.

Posted by: Susan Fore

I moved to Seattle in August of 2006 and in September I found what was to become my yoga home at 8 Limbs. My first class was with Jenny and the detail of her instruction was nothing like I had experienced before. As I attended more classes with different teachers at 8 limbs I discovered this was a common thread and I signed up for a monthly membership which has graduated into an annual one.

I want to be able to practice yoga for the rest of my life and I really appreciate the expertise of the teachers at 8 Limbs. I am continually challenged by the them and continue to grow in my practice both physically and mentally. My mat is my sanctuary and that sanctuary rests very happily and comfortably at 8 Limbs.

Happy 15 year anniversary and heartfelt thanks to Anne Phyfe, Jenny, Andreas, Douglas, Dawn, Jamie, and from the past, Greg, Maygan and Troy for the inspiration and guidance with my practice and increasing love of yoga.

Namaste and Sláinte, Tom