Introducing this year's theme at YS...togetherness!

Together (adverb):

in or into one place, mass, collection, or group

in a body : as a group

in or into contact, connection, collision, or union…

in or into association or relationship

at one time i.e. simultaneously

in succession

by combined action i.e. jointly

in or into agreement or harmony

in or into a unified or coherent structure or an integrated whole

as a unit : in the aggregate

considered as a whole : counted or summed up

(Merriam Webster)

There are many definitions of yoga, and yet the most literal is my favorite. Yoga derives from the Sanskrit root yuj, which means “to yoke” or “to join.” The yoke refers to the wooden crosspiece connecting two oxen working in the fields. For the sake of this year’s theme, I am interested in the way that our individual self joins with a collective self. It is in the joining of the two that the work becomes easeful. As a choir nerd, I am transported to the Bible passage featured in Handel’s Messiah: “His yoke is easy, and his burden is light.”

What does it mean that when we are bound together, we become more free?

During a year and a half of necessary isolation, we said, “We are in this together.” While physically separated, we shared an experience. We became painfully aware of our togetherness as the virus spread through countries far away. We witnessed fires and floods that reminded us that we are joined with the natural world. We fought for racial justice because we knew that our individual liberation was wrapped up in the liberation of all. We did not detach or disassociate, even though we wanted to. We couldn’t. The connection was too obvious. Through the repeated stripping away of our individual sense of control, we accepted our collective identity. We used it as fuel for our yoga practice, as inspiration for our lives. 

“Together” is the theme we will explore at Yoga Sanctuary this year. 

Our year will be divided into three seasons this year: Fall, Winter, and Spring & Summer. For each season, we will hold togetherness through a different lense.

FALL: GROWING TOGETHER

What does our community stand for? Who is welcome here? Who historically has not felt welcomed? How do we rectify this? 

WINTER: LISTENING TOGETHER

What is our collective identity? What part do we play in the whole? What do we know and what is a mystery? When we look inside ourselves, what do we find? How do we rest?

SPRING & SUMMER: PLAYING TOGETHER

How do we invite play back into our lives after such a long and hard slog? Can we access the childlike joy that we each possess? Can we hold joy alongside the harder parts of life? Does being together make this easier?

Each season, we will build marketing content, community events, and educational offerings inspired by these sub-themes. 

We are a kula, a community of like-minded individuals, who together can grow, listen, and play. As Glennon Doyle Melton often says, “We can do hard things.” And, we can also do easy things! And in-between things. Key word is “we.” So much of our experience means more when we are in community, when we honor our part in the whole. Let’s embrace our togetherness this year, and remember what brings us together in practice.

Yours,

Lindsay