Abhyaasa Yoga Studio in Downtown Naperville

The studio charge for Rock Your Asana! is waived the first Saturday of each month to give back to the community. In turn, we ask those who are able to contribute a donation of $5 to benefit a local or other charitable organization that Abhyaasa Yoga supports. This Saturday's class will benefit the Himalayan Institute's Humanitarian Projects. Help a great cause and enjoy this energetic Vinyasa class set to upbeat music. Come prepared to sweat, surf your edge and be challenged!

This class is designed for those students who would like a challenge in mind; suitable for all levels with modification.

_ Mindfulness is a focused non-judgmental awareness of each moment—being fully present in the now. Cultivating mindfulness transmutes yoga asana practice from the purely physical to that of a moving meditation.

The breath is a powerful tool to bring about mindfulness.  Vinyasa flow practice engages Ujaayi (victorious) breath to create heat in the body and a focal point for the mind, drawing the senses inward.  Over time this breath becomes a self-sustaining rhythmic vibration that you can tap into as life presents challenges. As your mind rides on the wave of each inhalation and exhalation, initiating every movement with this breath, the flow from one pose to another becomes a dance of consciousness.

Flowing through your practice, allow the breath to elucidate areas of tension or stuck energy, both in the physical and emotional bodies, by being aware of the quality of your breathing as you sustain and adjust each pose. Subsequently, direct this same breath to these areas, as a vehicle of prana or life force, to surrender to release andhealing.

Consistently creating the space in your daily routine for mindful practice has the power, not only to create healing, strength and flexibility of body and mind, but also to reveal a steadiness in thought and actions beyond the poses that can truly transform your life.

“Intention is the core of all conscious life. Conscious intention
colors and moves everything.”
-Master Hsing Yun

What is your Sankalpa? Though this word means resolution in sanskrit, it is actually not synonymous with a resolution that is adopted before the new year.

"The purpose of a sankalpa is not to fulfill desires but to create strength in the structures of the mind. The purpose of a sankalpa is to transform the whole life pattern (the vasanas), not only physically, but also mentally, emotionally and spiritually." (Svami Satyananda Sarasvati -1923-2009)

It takes time for a sankalpa to take root in your being and so it is very important to re-engage the sankalpa often and ernestly over a long period of time. This is a thought that is not an after-thought but one which is continuously in the forefront of the mind...the resolve, aim and purpose of your life here in this manifest reality. Pick your intention and hold it at your heart center.

As you begin each yoga practice, anoint your heart center and your sankalpa with your internal drsti... giving yourself an auto-adjustment when necessary throughout the practice, maintaining your awareness on the sankalpa at your heart center.

As you move off of the mat, maintaining the sankalpa in your heart to guide your actions throughout each day, you empower a resolve that lasts well beyond the good intentions of January.