In 2014 the United Nations General Assembly declared June 21 the "International Day of Yoga" and it has been celebrated annually on June 21 ever since. Because so many people around the world embraced yoga to stay healthy and fight social isolation during the pandemic, the theme for 2022 is "yoga for humanity." How can you not like a day that is literally for humanity (the most abundant and widespread species of primate on the planet)?
yoga
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The theme music is "Maxixe" performed by Edson Lopes and the background music is "Organic Meditations One" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com), both under CC BY 3.0.

I have been teaching some "pop-up" Bhakti Vinyasa yoga classes and those will continue through February, and potentially longer depending on my schedule.
Bhakti Vinyasa is a strengthening, purifying, dynamic, devotional, and rejuvenating physical yoga practice fusing hatha vinyasa yoga (the union of body, breath, and movement) and bhakti (gratitude, compassion, devotion, open-heartedness, and humility).



Most people who try meditation probably think of it as an activity done in silence. They might learn the common meditation technique where they observe sounds that happen to arise and notice the temporary nature of those sounds, but they probably would not expect those sounds to continue throughout their meditation. In other words, sound is understood to be a departure from the "real work" of sitting — or struggling to sit — peacefully in silence. Fortunately, there is more than one way to meditate and there isn't some rule that the only allowable "meditation music" is repetitions of John Cage's 4' 33".

The CDC, American Academy of Sleep Medicine, Sleep Research Society, and many other sleep experts agree that adults need seven or more hours of sleep per night. Children need even more sleep. Further, sleep experts advise that a lack of sleep can lead to a wide variety of negative consequences. One "Consensus Statement" from representatives of these organizations warns:

This Sunday, September 12, will be the grand reopening of the new Spirit of the Lake studio at 6140 Lake Linden Drive in Shorewood. There will be free outdoor classes and in-studio classes running throughout the day, as well as chair massages, free hourly give-aways, and an opportunity to connect with the Spirit of the Lake yoga community. Sign up online to save your spot as the indoor classes are limited.

The house feels a little bit emptier today because both of my kids are at school for the first time in what feels like a very long time. My wife and I walked them out to the bus stop this morning and when I got back to the house it hit me that today was going to be different. During the past 18 months of this COVID-19 pandemic, our kids were usually home, but today it was just me and my wife. And our two dogs. So the house isn't empty — it just feels emptier.

This morning I decided to teach my online Hatha Yoga class on our deck rather than inside our house like I usually do. Like my recent encounter with geese while teaching yoga at the Minnesota Arboretum, this class featured a visit from the local wildlife.
Since my incident with the geese, and again today, I have been contemplating the topic of equanimity.