“Happy New Year!!” say our friends, family, acquaintances and even strangers at this time of year. But what is happiness and where does it comes from?
Perhaps you know that “ananda” means joy and that Ananda Yoga is one “limb” of the 8-fold path of yoga which helps the practitioner to discover that:
Joy is within you!
Yes! Joy is inherent! It is our birthright — always there, no matter what is going on, completely independent of external circumstances.
I first realized this truth around 1993, about a year or so after I learned to meditate, while attending my grandmother’s funeral. As you can imagine, it was a sad, somber event. During the evening vigil service, I found a side pew area to sit quietly. While practicing a simple meditation technique, I was amazed at the deep inner joy and gratitude I felt for my grandmother’s life and all that I had received from her. I was blown away that I was at a funeral in a room filled with grief — and yet, this joy was so palpable!
But how do we find this inner joy?
Practice! Of course!
As one of my students said a few years back, “the more I practice yoga, the better I feel!”
Wherever you are in the journey, I invite you to get started on the path of discovering that Joy is, in fact, within you. Any of the programs below are a great place to start. In-person series classes start soon! So click the links to register now.
- How to Meditate begins January 3; 6 weeks early evenings in West Sac
- Yoga Basics: 4 weeks; choose SYC Thursday evenings and/or Lion’s Roar Dharma Center Monday late mornings.
- Online? Join us anytime! 4 mornings per week
Questions? Call 916-606-0799 or send an email.
All the best to you & yours in 2024,
Sandi Russi, E-RYT, RScP
