It’s nearly half moon this evening, I noticed, as I stepped out on the rooftop of my Osaka share house. It’s quite shocking how swiftly the time here has sped by. Five and a half weeks down, and now with less than a month of teaching to go. But with extra classes, ashtanga and inner dance workshops at the end of the month and moon day satang-s, it will be a full and fulfilling month.

A latest addition to the schedule for the month is Moon Day classes, which Mo, the former ashtanga teacher/space holder held regularly. And it’s back by popular demand!

Usually a day to rest the body, to observe the pull of the moon, and to honor the effects on the moon on our moods and actions, new moon and full moon days are sacred. In keeping with the ashtanga system, there will be no yogasana practice. Instead, there is a chill Moon Day Satsang, where chanting, meditation and yoga philosophy discussions will be on the floor (literally so, where we will be sitting in a circle).

Last new moon, we reviewed the Sanskrit alphabet, as well as chanted asana names and counting. Around the circle, each person shared a word or sentence to describe yoga. It was a special time to share for so many who come in to practice and speed off to work.

We then discussed Patanjai’s yamas and how we can use the yamas (ahimsa/non-harming, satya/truthfulness, asteya/non-stealing, brahmacharya/putting one’s energy to the highest use, and aparigrapha/non-grasping) as a foundation for practice.

For many the ashtanga practice is a visceral experience that has been etched into the body with breath and movement. We know the experience instinctively but sometimes hardly have the words to express it. By exploring the yoga philosophy that powers the practice, we add to the depth of our understanding and experience.

Full Moon will be on 19 September. And Full Moon Satsang will start at 6:30-8:00, 6th Floor, Spirit Yoga Osaka. I will surely feel like howling so there will certainly be chanting and singing to Krishna, as the theme will be “The Yogic Warrior,” inspired by the Bhagavad Gita.

http://www.spirityogastudio.com/

Four-thirty am, Friday morning. I turn the key and open the door to a seemingly empty space. I delight in these moments, knowing that the space is not really empty but rather full of potential. I am the first one in this morning. I arrive early at Spirit Yoga to practice and then to teach my first class in Japan, which is a led primary series class. And despite the daze from traveling from Spain just the day previous, the class goes well, the breath is even, the energy is balanced.

I am grateful for this opportunity to share. Grateful that my friend and fellow teacher Momo Reina trusts me with the program he’s so skillfully cultivated and with his wonderfully attentive and dedicated students. Happy to be so warmly welcomed by the students and the studio. I will be teaching here in Osaka through the start of October.

Tomorrow is a new day. Mysore class resumes. A new teacher for Spirit Yoga ashtanga practitioners. New students for me. Uniting us: this unbreakable thread of yoga practice.

For schedule or more information on the ashtanga program, click Spirit Yoga link.