Hello, and Happy new year. 2013, my new year resolution is that I'm not making any resolution. I think this requires a bit more elaboration. In the past every year I would make this huge list of promises to myself and they lasted for a short while. So this year I decided to "just" trust in the practice. Trust to the process I'm in. Trust into my practices and commit to being presents in this progress. So what made me decide to share this? Few days ago I had an breakthrough in my own practice. We were practicing hand to hand balancing and I really wanted to "make it" and every time we tried, we fell. At some point our spotter said “just hold it in place and wait to it to happen". It sound easier than it feels but just holding tight in the pose, opening the shoulders, keeping in communication and ... It happened! For a millisecond, but it was there ... Not a new year resolution, something you swing, push, effort, just creating the condition and holding to them to let it happen. In Patanjali Yoga Sutra 1:12 he gives us the essence of yoga practice: abhyasa vairagyabhyam tan nirodhah “Practice and detachment are the means to still the movements of consciousness” Patanjali offers two ways to achieve the stillness of the mind, practice and non-attachment. Abhyasa- having an attitude of persistence. To become well established by doing the practice for a long time, this for the practice to unfold on different levels going deeper and deeper to the core of being. Vairagya - Learning to let go of the attachments, fear, false identification, matter of speech and thoughts that diminishes, things that are clouding the true Self. The first one is an active form - choosing a lifestyle of action and speech that will lead into a positive direction. The other is a passive, diverting from destruction, choosing the ways that will support the spiritual path. Only by balancing both one can achieve stillness. These two have to go hand in hand otherwise one is in danger of getting caught in the ego. So I'm keeping the hard work I've been doing in the past year. Still figuring out family clarity and opportunities for more openings. New exploration in my teaching, incorporating my Acro practice with Therapeutics Yoga and the joy of understanding the language of the embodiment here and now. Many new things to try and experience. My mission for this year is to create the condition and hold the space and see what will come. My schedule has changed as for January 15th.: Tuesdays 12:30pm open level World Yoga CenterWednesdays 7:00am early bird open level at World Yoga Center Sub’s at the JCC - so stay tuned via Facebook for notifications I still have some opening for privates as well. Privates are a great opportunity to go deeper in the practice, either to challenge yourself or overcome an injury. Contact me Yoga@BenReuven.com Namaste Yael