The 60th Newsletter ॐ

Dear Yogi,

Here we are, right at the beginning of the thirty-one days of total change and the transition into winter! Who else loves November as much as I do?

Thank you for reading this 60th newsletter, you’ll find details about a few events happening ahead, a favourite śloka of mine from the Bhagavad Gīta and little bit about how I have redefined “perfect yoga practice”.

Also there’s a short reminder on how to practice āsana from the Yoga Sūtras, we can all thank Patañjali for reminding us to keep it easy and relaxed (2.46-2.47), or as my friend Laura Grace says, “keep it light and breezy.”

Thank you for reading and I hope to see you soon,

Sarah x
(above photo is from the Monte Velho retreat centre, Portugal this past October)

ॐ A favourite one from the Gīta

I started reading and chanting the Bhagavad Gīta last year when I was filled with shame about the ending of my divorce. The book was the most uplifting and inspiring piece of writing. I was ready to read it. I was drawn to chant it and study it. There were some obstacles: not everyone finds this book easy to just pick up! I thought I knew all there is to know about chanting. I did not.

Considered the paramount expose on jñāna, karma and bhakti yoga, the Gītā is the “song” of God”, even the song of India! This is a short story found within the sixth chapter of the Mahabaratā - one of the two great epic Hindu literary sources. (The other is the Ramayana).

“Maha” means great and Bharatā means “great land of ancient King Bharat (India”). Therefore the Marabharatā is the expansive collection of stories relating to the ancient kingdoms of India.

This poem, the longest tale in the world, whereas embedded in the story lies the philosophy of how to live a successful and happy life. 2,800 ślokas - 700 verses that resonate with us all.

Learning the meter of the text is worth your effort because you will enjoy reading/chanting the book more!

I became proficient chanting (and even singing) the Bhagavad Gīta from a scholarly tip from James Mallinson: the whole story is in a metered śloka, also called an anuṣtubḥ, not in rhyme,

Mallinson says, “Śloka means metre of a text - most common in Sanskrit poetry - Rāmāyaṇa, Mahābhārata, Bhagavad Gita, many more: metre. Consisting of four lines of eight syllables each, and can be remembered as, “by the shores of Gitchee Gumee” (Longfellow’s Hiawatha). There aren’t any rhymes it is more of a pace or musical rhythm.”

And, “each verse has two lines of 16 syllables each, with each line further broken into two pādas ("feet", i.e. quarters, as the verse has four of them). Each of the two lines follows the same pattern, but the two pādas are different. The main difference is that the first pāda ends "di dum dum di" (i.e. a light syllable followed by two heavy syllables then another light one) and the second pāda ends "di dum di dum" The first thus sets up a sort of tension which the second releases.”

What is Trṣtubh metre"?

This happens during the dramatic moments usually to convey a war-like quality or a powerful impression. The ślokas take on a new metre, consisting of four lines of eleven syllables each.

This is called kṣatriya metre, or triṣtubḥ.

The śloka I am sharing below comes from Krṣna, when he is describing to Arjuna how to live a life without attachment.
It is in triṣtubḥ meter:

śloka 70, Chapter 2.

āpūryamāṇam acalapratiṣṭhaṁ
becoming filled (yet) unmoved, standing still,

samudram āpaḥ praviśanti yadvat
the ocean, the waters they enter in which way,

tadvat kāmā yaṁ praviśanti sarve
in this way desires who they enter all

sa śātim āpnoti na kāmakāmī
he peace attains; not the desires of desires.

Someone with personal desires will not experience true peace. But when all desires merge, like different rivers flowing into the vast, deep ocean, then peace is easily realised.

(Sanskrit by Winthrop Sargaent,
translation by Sri Swami Satchidananda)

We all feel satiated and filled when we are near the ocean. We feel that the ocean is content; gazing at a large body of water often is unfathomable and it looks placid even amidst the storms.

Have you ever felt so small when watching it, swimming in it or even floating on it? It is comforting in all it’s quiet glory. And this is why all rivers want to be near it and flow into it; it is content. The ocean wants nothing and it also begs us to be grateful for what have, what we have within us and around us.

Details on how to book the January Online Evening Bhagavad Gita Course:

Join me for 6-weeks of chanting the Bhagavad Gīta in January, starting Wednesday evenings:

Wednesday Evenings,

5:30pm-6:30pm GMT (Dublin time).

8, 15, 22, 29 January

5, 12 Feb

No experience is needed to join the course, this is for all levels and will be taught in the evenings so this could suit some of you better. All classes are recorded so you can listen at an alternative time or join live.

Book your Gīta Course

ॐ 1 December Pranayama Workshop

Join me for an afternoon of meditation, pranayama and chanting. This class is for anyone wanting to spend more time refining their breathing practice and clear any misconceptions they may have about the Four Purifications and the ashtanga yoga traditional pranayama.

I am delighted to share this event with you! You can attend live in Dublin (book via the Little Bird website) or online with myself. This class is from 3-5 pm on 1 December.

This class is for all levels of yogis, however attending one of the pranayama sessions before would be useful; of course email me if you have any concerns.

Book the Pranayama Workshop HERE

ॐ New Year’s Day Bhakti Bash

Join in me Dublin for an all-day ashtanga yoga celebration from 8:30-12:30 pm. The morning consists of meditation, pranayama, chanting and led ashtanga yoga. You can join online or in studio. Start 2025 with the focus you are looking for! Stay tuned for booking details to come in-studio here in Dublin.

Bhakti Bash Online

ॐ Thank you, Christine Hoar

Post retreat to Portugal, the beautiful Monte Velho resort, I want to thank every single one of you who joined myself and Christine. It was a lovely retreat with beautiful company. And for singing rounds of Tvameva, I am also forever grateful.

The stunning Algarve, Portugal.

ॐ Edinburgh, see you soon!

I’m headed to Edinburgh this upcoming weekend to share yoga, see friends and enjoy the beautiful city. Thank you to Ashtanga Yoga Edinburgh (Emma Isokivi and team) for hosting me. Karen Kirkness thank you for housing me. I look forward to seeing you all! Some of you may even join me for a walk up Arthur’s Seat! If we get out there on that hill, let’s chant some prayers for peace!

The workshop ahead in Edinburgh only has spaces available for the Saturday workshop - if you’d like to attend, join me for pranayama, led class and chanting. Book your Saturday workshop HERE.

Below are the specifics for the Saturday workshop:

08:30-09:15 Guided Pranayama
Learn how to breathe with sound during this exploratory breathing class; using ujjayi breath and other breathing and cleansing practices (kriyas) refine your knowledge of the bandhas (internal locks) and mudras (seals within the body and with the limbs). Sarah will teach the Four Purifications as taught by the late Baba Hari Dass followed by the first and second pranayama of the ashtanga yoga tradition. No prior experience is needed for this descriptive and informative breathing class.

09:15-11:15 Led Primary Series + Backbending
This guided class is a thorough investigation of the primary series with significant emphasis on the backbending portion of the series. To begin we will take a detailed look at the four main backbends of the primary series: upward facing dog (Urdvha Mukha Svanasana) and Purvottanasana (Stretch of the East), including Setu Bandhasana (reclined bridge pose). Learn how and why these three backbends counter all of the forward bends of the series enabling you to extract traction and ease and balance in the predominantly forward bending practice of the primary series. Also we will refine and take a skill look at Urdhva Dhanurasana (upward bow pose) and find out why Sarah often is called "Sarah one-more Hatcher" during this portion of the workshop.

11:15-11:45 Short Break 11:45-12:45
Chanting and Philosophy The last hour of the morning will consist of chanting the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali as well as a few key slokas from the Bhagavad Gita. No experience chanting or singing is required, come with an open mind and heart.

ॐ Why the “perfect practice”
is the one you always do

Eating your favourite porridge one morning, you may just have the best combination in the bowl: a perfect texture of cooked oats, with nutty melted ghee and bright fruit… along with the coconut flakes and a Tablespoon of maple syrup and almond butter, you find yourself relishing a masterful breakfast.

Not sure how you make your winning porridge (because the above is how I make mine), but I am guessing you don’t make it the same every day. Yet there are some days, where it is just right.

Like yoga practice. I have now been on my mat this year more days that I can count, and there hasn’t been one single day that the practice has been the same. In fact, some days it just goes along and there may be be just posture where I find that fleeting joyful moment or glimpse of ease and serenity. Truth be told, the rest of the time there is at least one snag (often a few) in the meditative effort.

For some, the battle is just getting on the mat. For others, it is physical pain and soreness during the practice or after; for some it is that their minds just don’t stop chatting the whole time.

What about you? Are you one of these or is your battle with your yoga practice different?

For a while there, my yoga practice was really about conformity. I wanted to do it just right. Like the tradition says.

Put your hands here because _____.
Do it like ____ because it is better this way.
We do it like this because it feels better.
Don’t do _____ because if you do it isn’t ashtanga yoga.

This whole narrative ended a couple of years ago, right around that same time I was feeling ashamed to be that person - the one who failed their marriage. This was also when I started chanting and reading the Gīta. I dug myself out of a dark place where I found light: I was to mind myself in a kinder way. Self love and care often is the path for many of us. I needed nourishment and peace from my practice. The first thing my practice told me was that it needed to change.

First of all I stopped trying to perform or do a practice in a certain way. My breath started getting extremely long so the vinyasa or moving fast or moving heat quickly went right out the window. I slowed down, and I shortened my practice: I started practicing just an hour instead of longer. I started blending some series together, just like I make my porridge: some days lots of primary, some days lots of advanced, other days a lot of standing asanas. Practice became intuitive and I no longer put it on paper that it had to be certain days of this or that.

The “perfect” practice is the one you do every day. This practice may look different every day - it is varied, negotiable, trauma-informed, and one that is balanced with meditation, pranayama, chanting and āsana. Each and every time you get on the mat - without judgment of what you did on the mat that day - is perfect practice.

Do I call myself a traditional teacher or practitioner still, then? Yes, I only would prescribe modifying your practice only when or if needed.

So if you feel like you didn’t “finish” your practice or it isn’t “good enough” or you aren’t “strong enough” do yourself a favour and make your porridge a little bit different each time. Get on your mat and modify the series you are working on, try something new and above all, design your practice so it is nourishing to your soul. Prioritise it, get on the mat with vīryam (energy!) and do all you can to make it as Patañjali prescribes below:

ॐ Yoga Sūtra 2.46 and 2.47

2.46 Make posture (āsanam) steady and comfortable.

sthira-sukham āsanam

2.47 Do the postures with special and relaxed effort, with bliss, and with meditation and transformation as the goal.

prayatna-śaithilyānanta-samāpattibhyām

ॐ Save the Date:
Purple Valley Tenerife, Spain
26 April-3 May, 2025