Dear Yogi/nis,
The New Year is an opportune time to ask a question that serves. Question has the word quest within it…… Am I living up to the person I want to be? As our lives have the possibility of evolving, this is my quest.
The Ashtanga Yoga journey has been my pole star for 48 years, revealing its gems and supporting my well-being along the way physically, psychologically and spiritually.
Patanjali’s yoga sutras, which begins with:
1.1 atha yogā-anuśāsanam Now begins the teaching of yoga.
After 48 years of practice it’s always been about starting fresh, everyday, and through the cycles of my life. Here I discovered the secret of staying awake and present in my life-by continually seeing the familiar as new, and growing my awareness. Our routines are like roots. The more established they are, the more resilient we are. It is the simple act of movement with breath that brings us profoundly into the moment. And in a world full of change, it’s this predictable, steady rhythm that helps to keep us grounded.
1.13 tatra stibitau abbyāsah; Practice is an exercise in staying.
Sādhana is practice with purpose. Yoga repeatedly connects us to a feeling of Oneness, totally immersed, completely absorbed, in the flow. When it comes to the practice of yoga and the mind, there is no better motivation for attention than interest. Whatever thoughts I have do not distract or take away from the experience. And yet, the mind is awake, and the spirit alive in my body.
Last year I studied the sutras with Peg Mulqueen and found it a fountain of richness to look again at the many out takes from practice stated in the sutras. I have arrived at a new phase of this journey, with my focus shifting more intently to the inner life expressed.
In 2025 I am offering some events in Europe. I look forward to sharing yoga with you this coming year. I will be joining Jacob Handwerker and Jana Wettich in a retreat in the Atlas Mountains and Sahara desert of Morocco; a workshop in Crete at yogaHeraklion and in the fall in Frankfurt, Germany and Biarritz, France. As other locations get confirmed I will add them to my website. Stay tuned and contact me anytime if you have questions.
Wishing you that which matters this coming year: joy, resilience, possibility, gratitude, and love, and peace in our lives and the world.
Yours in yoga, Kathy
To see my upcoming workshops and event click HERE.
Contact me at: kathycooperyoga@icloud.com
