“The yogis are back, Jill,” Daniel said to me teasingly. I had earlier, in front of him, worried and fretted about the summer attendance levels of one of my classes. They had been quite small, and I let that shake my confidence. But September brings a rush of practitioners back to the studio, folks who travel over the summer season and are getting back into their local habits, folks who have outdoor-only fitness routines over the summer season and can finally convince themselves to slip indoors again. Classes were big this month, and they felt full of new energy. The days went by in a blur.
September reminded me of a koan that keeps tapping on the window of my attention. I spent most of my days moving my body and guiding others in moving their bodies. How does this deep focus on the physical form actually get me to the more important stuff, like spiritual enlightenment, say? Like liberation from suffering, say? This paradox shakes my confidence, too; it makes me question the usefulness of my life and career.
There are a few teachings that give me some framework for considering this physical/non-physical riddle. One, the path (of eight limbs, three bodies, five sheaths of consciousness, five obstacles toward understanding…) is not linear. Two, the practice is a practice and I will never complete it. Three, the concept of the koshas, the layers of being that veil my True Self, reminds me to examine all of my energies. The outermost layer, the physical body (I’ve heard this one, annamaya kosha, translated as food sheath or [less appealing] “meat sheath”) is just an area to explore, via asana, to find its edges and boundaries and ranges. We hope our dedicated movement practice allows us the clarity then to understand we are more than our physical form. Other practices help us explore the deeper and deeper layers (energetic, mental, wisdom, bliss) until there is nothing clouding our view of our atman, our soul.
It’s easy for me to feel overwhelmed by how much work I’ve got ahead of me to penetrate each of these layers. But another view of “I’ve got too much going on” is “I contain multitudes”. With no time limit on our practices, we can compassionately prod and examine and push through all of our selves, again and again.
The Deets
September by the numbers:
- 65 classes
- 71.5 hours of teaching time
- 459 students in attendance
- 9 locations/platforms
Schedule Updates
No changes to my weekly schedule this month, but I am looking forward to a special event in November. Please join me for Yoga in the Greenhouse at Allendale Farm! I’ll be leading a 75-minute class in the dreamy, warmly lit greenhouse at this lovely Brookline farm. Many of you know my love for locally grown produce runs deep, and I feel so honored to teach for this community.
Your Words
A selection of sweet comments and funny feedback from students and peers, received or overheard.
- Wow, I love this so much.
- I really missed seeing you all summer. It feels really good to be here with you now.
- You have such a powerful mind, to weave together this sequence and move us so clearly through all those shapes.
- You fixed my updog! It used to hurt my low back so much.
- How do you put classes together? It always feels so smooth, like butter, like a ganache.
- I’m cranky and I don’t want to be here.
- This was my first class with you, and I wanted to say how much I enjoyed it and the way you teach. I’ll be back.
- Just wanted to share that your magic and teachings felt especially grounding to receive last evening. My body feels awake in ways it has not for a bit. And my heart and soul loved.
- This is like medicine.
SomerJill 
Oh dang, keeping things VERY real this month.
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