Chill Yoga

09/14/2026

First, watch.

Before any pranayama — before Ujjayi, before Viloma — comes a quieter instruction.

Watch the breath.

Not change it.
Watch it.

Geeta S. Iyengar named it clearly:
“Pranayama is not breath control.
It is the expansion of the life force.
You do not control the breath —
you remove the obstacles that restrict it.”
— Geeta S. Iyengar, Yoga: A Gem for Women, Chapter on Pranayama

Not control.
Removal.

The breath already knows how to breathe. Our work is to stop standing in its way.

At BKS Iyengar Yogashala, this begins simply.

You sit.
You settle.
You watch.

Is the inhalation long, or short?
Is the exhalation smooth, or does it catch?
Where does the breath stop — at the chest, the throat, the belly?

No technique yet.
Just attention.

Only when the breath is observed, and the body prepared through āsana, do we begin to shape it.

The breath is powerful. It deserves respect. Pranayama is learned progressively, under a qualified teacher.

Before you sit for pranayama, ask yourself:
Can you watch ten breaths without trying to change a single one?

What do you notice when you stop trying to control the breath?

We read every one.

09/12/2026

YES !! 🙏🏻👏🥳

09/11/2026

This is so good … had to share! 🙏🏻

We often don't see life as it is; we see it through the lens of what we have already decided.

Pre-assumptions can close doors before we even knock. A fixed mindset makes us defend yesterday's understanding, while an open mind gives us the freedom to learn from today.

Spiritually, openness is humility.
Practically, it is better decision-making.

Pause. Observe. Listen. Then decide.

🪷HarDeep🪔

09/11/2026

Your teacher says extend.
Not simply stretch.

What is the difference?

In an āsana, it is easy to feel one part pulling and think that more sensation means more extension.

But extension asks for something different.
The action has to travel through the whole body.

From the root of the leg to the foot.
From the shoulder to the fingertips.
From one side of the body to the other.

Not one part pulling harder while another part becomes dull.

Guruji put it precisely:
“Each muscle has to be measured…
how one has to balance each and every part of our body,
that is known as self-study.”
— B.K.S. Iyengar, 1984 Barbican Centre demonstration

Measured.
Balanced.

Not simply pulled.
A stretch can remain merely physical.
Extension asks intelligence to enter the action.

The body extends,
but awareness must extend with it.

It is not only about taking a muscle farther.
It is about making more of the body participate —
and more of the body known.

So the next time your teacher says extend,
and your first instinct is to pull harder —

pause.

Ask:
Where is the action beginning?
Where is it travelling?
And where has my attention stopped?

What does “extend” ask of you that “stretch” does not?

We read every response.

Curious to feel the difference in your own practice? Join us and explore Iyengar Yoga with us.

09/08/2026

Human contact and sleep ! 💤
I’d like to add building muscle 💪 and walking to the list …

When life gets busy, people often drop sleep and social connection first, then try to compensate with more complicated wellness habits. The evidence suggests those basics deserve a much higher place on the list.

Sleep shapes mood, anxiety, attention, appetite, and the ability to follow through on tomorrow's choices. Social connection is linked with long-term health and survival, and it gives stress somewhere to go besides inward. Exercise, gratitude, kindness, and meditation can help too, but no single tool replaces rest or relationships.

Try a smaller repair this week: protect one consistent sleep cue and make one specific human contact. Send the message. Take the walk with someone. Put the phone outside the bedroom.

Read my full article about which happiness habits have the strongest evidence behind them below. 👇

09/05/2026

Take time to Breathe this weekend.

09/04/2026

Yoga is more than the pose. 🧘‍♀️ It’s where breath, body, and awareness come together. 🌿

Move beyond the pose. Find the deeper practice. 🤍

09/01/2026

I have two spaces available at the 530p Thursday class .
Please dm if you are interested . 😊
7:15p class is full.

08/28/2026

FALL YOGA SERIES : ( 10 weeks )

ROOT & RELEASE
🍁 join us beginning September 3rd for 10 weeks where we embrace all that Fall 🍂 brings… practicing yoga poses and Ayurveda with every class.
love Chill Yoga