Take Refuge from Consumerism with this Hatha Yoga | Yoga with Melissa 462

Full Hatha Yoga Class

This intermediate hatha yoga class is a place of shelter, safety, protection and relief from the excessive consumerism and drive to accumulate that has become characteristic the commercial push of Black Friday only hours after the celebration of American Thanksgiving.

In this intermediate hatha yoga class we will take the time to pause and remember the preciousness of our human life. We are healthy and have enough energy that we can practice yoga. We are of sane mind and live in countries that allow us to think and express ourselves freely. We are lucky enough to live in a time when the teachings of yoga are shared freely and are easy to access. In the information age, ignorance is a choice. I live in a country that is free of the danger of war and so I have enough safety to practice as well.

Each day I wake up is another precious day, this will not always be so. The time of my death is uncertain, the time of the death of those I love in my life is uncertain. Given that I know I only have limited time, and that eventually everyone in my life will be gone, I will not put things off, I will live in a way that I put the things that matter the most first.

My actions have power. The actions I choose to offer in this world can be skillful and mindful. I will do my best to avoid actions that harm myself or others by deepening my practice so that I may act with wisdom and insight.

Part of being a human means that there is suffering. There is physical and mental pain and illness. When we experience something we like we want more of it, if we don´t like it we push it away, and there are times when I am simply asleep at the wheel. May I always remember that suffering is a part of life and that life is continually changing.

In this hatha yoga class we will focus on heart and hip openers along with the warrior postures including warrior one, dying warrior, reverse warrior and warrior three. Poses like cat pose and gate pose will elongate your spine in preparation for some of the bigger backbends like camel. Modifications will be given throughout and props will be offered.