Join us online on December 12 for a nourishing mixture of chanting and discussion to help us prepare for hibernation. With winter on the horizon, we will reflect on how to sustain ourselves with a balance of strength and ease. The Yoga Sutra says a posture should be sthira and sukha – steady and comfortable. We will explore what this stability means and how we can develop it in times of uncertainty. We will also consider how to use this support to find happiness and peace as we move toward the end of a challenging year, looking forward to a new one with inner contentment.

Join us online for an immersive and practical workshop. Sanskrit texts were traditionally taught through oral transmission. It was thought that through chanting and memorization, knowledge seeped into one’s consciousness on a level beyond the literal meaning of the words. There is a specific method to how verses are structured and categorized and this affects the intonation. Through both discussion and practice, we will explore how meter works, focusing on proper pronunciation and its effects. We will also look at some of the philosophy that verses convey.

What exactly is dharma? This complex word has a wide range of meanings, from the basis of natural order to social duties. Join us for an online retreat (August 22–23) to explore its implications in times of upheaval, with a focus on finding our purpose by acting with virtue. We will consider how to determine what is true, when it is right to resist injustice and by what means, and which underlying principles shape ethical conduct. There will be a mixture of study, discussion and practice, reflecting on how ancient teachings apply to modern challenges.

As we look forward to emerging from isolation, this weekend immersion (May 23-24) explores how yoga philosophy and Sanskrit can help us to nurture collective consciousness. We’ll be reading and chanting from texts, and discussing their practical relevance in challenging times. As taught in the Bhagavad Gita and Yoga Sutra, an important goal of yoga is to alleviate suffering. We will consider this in two different ways that are ultimately one: taking care of the self and the world as a whole. Newcomers to Sanskrit welcome!