March 9, 2026 - Making Sense of the Dharma

Last week, we welcomed some lovely new students into the fold. We explored the fundamentals of breathing, of posture, and of alignment, weaving together a class the culminated in a supported but powerful lengthening pose (warrior III or virabhadrasana III at the wall). It was a lovely practice, with playfulness and attentiveness that was wonderful to witness.

Atypically, I didn’t really present a theme, although there were certainly elements of the contemplative work we’ve been learning up to this point. The last few sessions, we’d be focusing on the dharma - the idea that we are living in a Life-creating and Life-sustaining, ordered universe. I confess, however, since the beginning of the war in Iran, I’ve found it difficult to connect to the idea of dharma because this conflict stands as such a strong example of an non-dharmic world - disordered, painful, and life-denying.

I won’t share too much more about this, nor will I shared the class sequence. I’ll simply say that I’m trying to understand where pain, thoughtlessness, and fear of this magnitude fit into the model of a dharmic world. It’s moments like these, perhaps, where I recognize the limits of my cognition in trying to parse out the “whys” and “what ifs” of such a conflict. So if you’re like me, and want to spend some time with affirming and lively people, come to yoga. It may be, if only for an evening, a moment to feel rather than think, to listen to what your body and being may wish to share with you, and to feel the gentle, nurturing company of others.

Saprema <3