Root to Rise: From the Ground Up

There are so many wisdoms we can learn from our yoga practice, both on the mat and off it. As we come into the winter season, the time for introspection, warmth, rest, and recovery, I find the most important thing to be Slowness. Being unhurried in our actions, our reactions, our reflections. Taking the time to grow. Accepting that growth is often slow.

Yoga teaches us that the process, the journey, is just as important as the destination or the result. In fact, it’s an integral element in achieving that result or reaching that destination. But most importantly, it’s a journey that evolves within us.

That’s why I created this new series Root to Rise: From the Ground Up, streaming now exclusively on InnerDimensionTV.com. Teaching now for over 15 years and in my 50s, I’ve realized how an unhurried, mindful, focused practice can expand your concept of how your body can move. We are all designed to move. Alignment is happening all the time. This anatomy-focused 7-part series highlights movement, mobility, stability and strength for different areas of our body starting from the ground up. Each 30-minute flow class, which targets specific body parts, is designed for those who want to greater understand the functionality of their bodies in the movement and flow of a yoga practice. We will move slowly. We will move more mindfully and use our bodies to see ourselves differently.

Being able to see into ourselves deeply enough to actually understand what we’re seeing requires us to practice Shani. Shani is embodied in the intentional slowing down between impulse and reaction, watching the process, understanding the process, transforming the process. It empowers us to practice mindfulness, giving us the choice of how to respond so we are not passively controlled by impulse.

The first steps towards Shani can be deceptively simple: observation and awareness.

Watching ourselves. Noticing ourselves.

But this can be difficult. We tend to perform our reactions for an external audience only, our awareness focused on our exterior environment. Bringing that awareness towards our internal processes is the first step on the journey to intentionality and mindfulness.

Take the time this winter season to rest deeply and simply watch yourself. Take an introspective journey, whether through yoga, journalling or contemplation, to become aware of your internal processes. Notice how you transition from impulse to reaction. And then simply try to do it slower. I look forward to seeing you on the mat, yogis.

Make sure to check out Jenny’s new series Root to Rise: From the Ground Up, streaming now exclusively on InnerDimensionTV.com!

By Jenny