As we process everything we are seeing and hearing in the news, from Iran to Minniapolis and on our own streets, we want you to know we are sanctuary for you no matter who you are and where you are from. We remain steadfast in our comitment to embracing our entire community with love, support and solidarity and affirm our support for you, your freedom and rights.

This month we turn to the teachings of The Bhagavad Gita, the beloved yogic text, for support and practical guidance to help us navigate our challenging world. The Bhagavad Gita was born from a crisis – teachings spoken at a moment of despair. Yet from this moment came some of humanity’s greatest spiritual teachings. In our darkest hour, The Bhagavad Gita teaches us to remember that we carry within us the same divine strength that guided Arjuna through the battlefield of Kurukshetra. We are taught that every challenge we face can be an opportunity for spiritual growth.

The Bhagavad Gita begins with Arjuna’s complete breakdown – a warrior paralyzed, unable to act, overwhelmed by inner conflict.  Krishna’s response to Arjuna’s crisis provides a roadmap for navigating life’s most challenging moments through the paths and practices of yoga as skill in action. This teaches us difficult times can serve as a spiritual purpose: they strip away our illusions, force us to find inner strength we didn’t know we had, and lead us to a deeper understanding of life and our true selves.  The word “crisis” in Chinese is composed of two characters – one representing danger, the other opportunity. We can use the teachings of the Gita to address the personal daily challenges we face like fear, Loss and grief, financial hardship, relationship breakdown, health challenges, family conflicts, spiritual darkness – the feeling that life has lost its meaning as well as actions we take to face injustices in our world. Each verse offers both comfort and practical guidance for moving forward through faith, action, devotion and surrender.

For Self-Compassion & Inner Strength: Chap. 6 Verse 5 – from The Bhagavad Gita

“One should uplift oneself by the self and not degrade oneself, for the self alone is one’s friend, and the self alone is one’s enemy.”

This verse emphasizes personal responsibility in healing while recognizing that we can be our own worst enemy through negative self-talk. Practice treating yourself as your own best friend – with kindness, patience, and encouragement rather than harsh criticism.

1.Take all appropriate actions to improve your situation, but release attachment to specific outcomes. This reduces anxiety while maintaining hope and effort. Focus on the process, not just the results

2. Ask yourself: “How might this challenge be serving my spiritual growth?” “What qualities is this situation asking me to develop?” This transforms powerlessness into empowerment and growth.

3. When you’ve done all you can, practice conscious surrender. This isn’t giving up, but recognizing that some things are beyond our control. Trust in the larger intelligence of life itself

During periods of intense turmoil and change many of us are feeling overwhelmed. There is a collective need for nurturing and soothing our nervous and emotional systems. This is where practice helps. At Lotusland Yoga SF we practice all Eight Limbs of Yoga as a holistic path addressing the whole person in every class, with the purpose of benefiting our world.

January Blessings to you all Lotusland Loves,

And..It’s January 4th and we’re waking up to stories of even more WTH’s & OMG’s in the news as we move toward more uncertain and scary times, our practice calls for action generated through our contemplative practices of Yoga and meditation like compassion and wisdom in action along with our fear and anger. There is much we can do from home to use our privileges and personal practice for the purpose of peace. Let’s keep using our voices and platforms to speak out against injustices and celebrate love. We can make calls and send donations to organizations directly helping those suffering instead of buying more things we don’t need. We can all contribute in some way.

Jasmine’s 11 am Class on Saturday, Love Saves the Day, continues to support the ACLU defending the rights of all people nationwide. “With immigrant rights, trans justice, reproductive freedom, and more at risk, we’re in courts and communities across the country to protect everyone’s rights — and we need you with us.”  Visit https://www.aclunorcal.org and see how you can get involved!

January was not on the original 10 month Roman calendar from February to December! It was a transition month since it was the darkest and coldest, named after the Roman God Janus, the god of duality, beginnings endings, transitions, with two heads: One looking into the past into the future to symbolize change and passage through time, governing new years, journeys, birth, and war/peace, and was invoked first in Roman rituals as the god of all gateways, including the month of January. He presided over all new ventures, from the start of a day or year (hence January is named for him) to major life events like birth and death. Janus represented movement, change, and the middle ground between states, such as between youth and adulthood. As the god of doorways, he guarded passages and held the keys to heaven, symbolizing access and thresholds. His two faces looked to the past and future, embodying reflection and foresight, and the concept of seeing both inside and outside.

We can use January as a month of not only taking action outward but action inward, caring of our selves, our physical and mental health and hibernating in our cocoons so we can emerge and take forward action in the world anew!  The new year is about starting slow…This time is guiding us towards developing a deeper and more honest relationship with ourselves by taking peaceful pauses through committing to a life devoted to what we most value.  We can come out changed and more self aware and at peace if we take advantage of it and then engaging in actions in the world that are aligned with our values and beliefs and finding ways to contribute that resonate with our inner truth and understanding.

Yoga means inner union with our true selves, the divine within, so committing to solitary time with ourselves through a commitment to our daily personal practice, or sadhana, is what leads us not only to personal liberation but living and acting in service to the happiness and freedom for all beings.

The Solstice occurs twice a year — one at the start of Summer and one at the start of Winter. Solstice literally means “sun stands still” — and if you watch the sun you will see that it drops lower and lower in the sky as we approached Winter Solstice, which occurred yesterday Sunday, December 21st at 7:03 am, the sun literally stood still–meaning it will not keep going lower or higher and then… it was reborn and started to move higher in the sky so starting today the days will incrementally grow longer again!!

So the Winter Solstice marks the rebirth of the sun… and the start of Capricorn season — the first day of winter in the Northern Hemisphere, when the night is longest and the Sun is symbolically reborn, and the arrival of summer in the Southern Hemisphere, when the Sun’s light reaches its peak. It’s the beginning of a new astrological cycle, which makes it a powerful moment to plant seeds for what you want to grow over the coming year. From here the cycle shifts again, and light and warmth seep back into our lives!

As the Sun rises today, take a spirit journey and connect with your spirit and inner light. Allow the winter sunlight to bring you new HOPE!
An ancient solstice tradition is the burning of the Yule Log, representing a year of health, fertility and continuation. In ancient times it provided warmth, while the celebrations and festivities lasted throughout the longest night. This magical ritual was believed to protect those who used its warmth from evil. The ashes were spread over the land to bring fertility and made into talisman to protect the people and cattle from disease.

We also turn to our practice and ignite our tapas, our spiritual fire to awaken our minds, spirits and hearts and light the lamps of our inner light to bring more beauty into our world.

“Thousands of candles can be lighted from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared.” – Buddha