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iHanuman

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Gratitude

Interestingly, if you execute a search for the word gratitude, some of the top results are links to research by academic institutions such as Harvard Medical School. Research has been conducted on the beneficial effects of gratitude on our health and wellbeing and has shown that by expressing gratitude, you decrease the focus on negative emotions and report improved mental health. Gratitude research has also shown long lasting positive effects on brain scans.

Gratitude is in line with our yoga practice as it brings us right into the present moment. We are typically grateful for something that we already have instead of focused on the past or the future. Gratitude acts similarly to one of the antidotes in Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras to the fluctuations of the mind. Sutra 1.33 emphasizes expressing compassion, friendliness and happiness to cultivate a favorable disposition of the consciousness.

The holidays may be difficult for many. This is one of the reasons why we practice. So we have the tools for when the present moment is uncomfortable or challenging. Take care of...

posted: 1 year 2 months ago
John Schumacher in Seated Pranayama
posted: 1/2/23
After a temperate October, we have transitioned into the cooler days and nights of Fall - the perfect time of year to take stock of the year's inventory. To the best of our ability, we take an honest inventory to reflect on our gains and losses. What are we ready to let go of and what do we want to take with us into the new year? Grief is the emotion associated with the autumn months and so is an appropriate season to mourn any losses - physical, emotional or spiritual. It is comforting to know that one of the greatest remedies for both overcoming and strengthening our response to grief...
Sara Agelasto in Setu Bandha Sarvangasana
posted: 10/13/22
I taught a sequence for anxiety in my monthly restorative class this past week. The supported version of Setu Bandha Sarvangasana (Bridge Formation Pose - shown below) was included in the sequence. I adapted this week’s sequence of poses from BKS Iyengar’s Book,Yoga: the Path to Holistic Health. The original sequence is about 2-3 hours long - perfect for a therapeutic session, but I adapted this one to make it accessible to all levels and to fit into a 75 minute class. Setu Bandha Sarvangasana is such a therapeutic pose, all on its own. I remember my first in-person class...
Sara in Paryankasana for National Yoga Month
posted: 9/20/22
NEW Free All Levels Iyengar Yoga Classes, Free Beginner Iyengar Yoga Class Series, New Monthly Membership & More Downloads Coming Soon! I am so excited to finally turn the calendar pages to September. Not only is it my birthday month and one of my favorite months of the year, but it is also National Yoga Month. What better time to start or restart your yoga practice. As you know, we created a beginner yoga series offered for free on our YouTube Channel, for you to refresh yourself with some of the foundational poses for starting your yoga practice. This month we have now also added 4 new...
Lois Steinberg, PhD. in Urdhva Padmasana
posted: 8/16/22
Summertime Fire Relationships, Routine & Spontaneity  Live Yoga Classes, FREE Intro to Iyengar Yoga Series,  Summer Intensives with Lois Steinberg, Intermediate Yoga in Fiji with Elise Miller & More! The ability to relate to other people arises from the fire energy of the summer season. The emotions of the summer season encourage fluidity, flexibility and going with the flow. Summer is the season we spend more time with family and friends and highlights the strength of our relationships. During a season when it feels like everyone is on vacation or at a party, if you...
Lois Steinberg in Kapotasana
posted: 8/16/22
Guru Purnima & the Full Moon in July: Clips with Abhijata Iyengar. New Live Yoga Class! FREE Introduction to Iyengar Yoga Class Series! Introduction to Asana with Lois Steinberg and Beginning Yoga with Erich Schiffmann! The full moon in July is known as Guru Purnima and is the time when we honor our gurus. A guru can take many forms and translates as the one who brings us from the dark to the light. We think of our yoga teachers, who through asana and pranayama practice, as well as guiding us on the eight-limbed path of ashtanga yoga, help us to remove...
Sara Agelasto in Bharadvajasana II
posted: 7/23/22
Welcome Summer!  With the Memorial Day weekend, we officially welcome the summer season. For many of us, the start of summer means a lack of routine or a total change in schedule, especially if you are in the academic profession or have kids in school. Everything is upended in an instant! And for some of us, this is fantastic! We need a change of schedule to break up the routine, but sometimes this can feel like too much change and might be disorienting.  This is one of the reasons that I look forward to starting a new class this summer to help you stay grounded...
John Schumacher in Virabhadrasana I
posted: 6/2/22
Last month may have been the first month since we started iHanuman (15 years ago!) that we did not send out a newsletter and I realized it was probably time that we let you all know about some things we have been up to. We have all been transforming through this period of time, we have to! And we have all had difficult circumstances to navigate. I have shared about some difficult family circumstances that I have endured which is requiring me to show up in different ways for my family and my community. This impacted me so much that I took a sabbatical from teaching...
Bobby Clennell in Rope Sirsasana
posted: 3/14/22
In Honor of Women's History Month, We Celebrate Women's Yoga Expert Bobby Clennell. Discounted Yoga for Women's Health Classes, FREE Yoga for Beginners Class Series and Charitable Donations Towards Women's Health in Ukraine.  This month, we celebrate Women's History Month, which places a particular emphasis, this year, on women as healers. iHanuman has chosen to highlight one of our teachers who has dedicated her life to the study and teaching of yoga for women. Senior Iyengar Yoga Teacher, Bobby Clennell, studied directly with Geeta & BKS...
Heart with Hands
posted: 2/17/22
Finally, in February, we welcome the return of the light with Candlemas on Feb 1 - the midway point between the Winter Solstice & the Spring Equinox. This year it also marks the Lunar New Year! You may have noticed an increase in energy as the days become lighter for longer. Hopefully, you have spent some time in reflection and are starting to feel the call to begin to plant seeds to grow your vision for the New Year. February is a great time to get organized and dive deep into your goals for the New Year, but it is also a time to continue to nourish the water element and...
Photo Credit: Jade Stephens at Unsplash
posted: 1/13/22
Happy New Year! I wrote this at the end of 2021, but wanted to send it along as I believe it is still relevant and timely. And be sure to read the end for news on the release of a FREE Class Tonight! Here we are at the end of the year, exhausted, and trying to decide what to do for the holidays. This time of year is characterized by the metal element. Metal is shiny, strong, and flawless. Precious metals are valued for their beauty and rarity. The higher the quality of metal the more it's worth.  Metal strives for perfection and a sense of value.  Before we move more fully...

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