“Connection is why we are here; it is what gives purpose and meaning to our lives. ” – Brene Brown
Weekly Focus: Kula (community)
Kula is a sanskrit word translated as community, clan or tribe. In a sense it can also mean family. Kula is any group of like-minded individuals who come together and share a common philosophy or mind-set.
Kula provides us the opportunity to seek abundance in our relationships. Whenever we feel lonely or lost, it can be helpful to find gratitude for the abundance of loved ones in our lives. Take a look to consider and notice who is there for you on a daily basis, from pet to co-worker, somebody’s got your back.
Any group of individuals who come together to practice yoga can be considered kula — a group of likeminded individuals feeling a sense of belonging and inclusivity. We can also find kula elsewhere in our lives. In fact, it is likely that you have many communities around you, when you stop to count it. It is easy to feel alone in this world, and that is a feeling that can come honestly and naturally to most of us at various points in our life. However, most of us are not alone, and many of us do have the privilege of enjoying a full life with many forms of community.
How do you engage with your community not only in the obvious sense of socializing or participating in activities, but how do you engage on an emotional level through shared emotion and story-telling? How can we acknowledge the many forms of connection we have to increase our feelings of abundance?
Kula can be all around us. Consider the places you experience a sense of belonging:
- The gym
- The yoga studio
- Your family
- Close friends
- Book club
- Volunteer groups
- A church or spiritual group
- The list may go on…
Consider writing down on one piece of paper the many forms of kula or community you have in your life. Hang this in a prominent place and anytime you feel a lacking or loneliness, take a moment to read the list, and find gratitude for those that support you.
Passive Pose of the Week: Parsva sukhasana (seated side stretch)
Stretch left, stretch right, and look for those connections around you that already exist.
- Come to a comfortable cross-legged seat, perhaps sitting up on a cushion or folded blanket.
- Bring your arms to the ground beside you.
- As you inhale, reach your right arm up to the ceiling, and use an exhale to lateral bend to your left. Only reach as far as is comfortable to you.
- Allow the left hand to be an anchor, maybe walking it further from the body to support the stretch.
- To increase the stretch, imagine anchoring through your right seat, pressing the hip into the floor.
- Breath fullness into your ribs taking 3 – 5 breaths here.
- Lift through center on and inhale and repeat on your second side.
This posture is easy to pepper into any part of your day. Many of us sit so much at work — taking a moment to stretch our the sides of the bodies can help us remove the crumpling posture of sitting in a chair. Stretching the sides of the bodies will help us to feel full and abundant in the ribs, providing the opportunity for deep breaths. And if you are sitting all day, you can also take this lovely lateral bend while standing! Give those legs a nice stretch as well.
Active Pose of the Week: Ashta chandrasana (high crescent pose or eighth of the moon pose)
Hold space for those around you with this big and open pose.
- Begin standing at the top of your mat with your legs together in mountain pose.
- Step your left foot back about 3 – 4 feet. Bend your right knee so that you are in a standing lunge position.
- Lift the back heel and feel strength and energy in your left leg.
- Reach your arms overhead, alongside the ears. Try to let the arms soften slightly, reducing any tension in the shoulders.
- Hold here for 3 – 5 breaths before switching sides.
Ashta chandrasana is a big and powerful pose. This pose builds strength and focus in the body and the mind. At the same time, this pose opens up the space around the heart and the lungs, increasing our capacity to breath and metaphorically allowing an openness in our hearts and emotions. Ashta Chandrasana is challenging — as you hold here, try closing the eyes and imagine sending energy to and from your heart space, seeing it pass through you, and connecting you to those individuals closest to you. Shift the focus to the emotional quality of this posture rather than the heat that may be building in the body. How does this change your relationship to the pose?
Join us in class this week to practice in community! See the fulll schedule HERE.
