• Seva Project: Beginning November 23, bring in new gift items to help fill stockings for the Salvation Army's Christmas Cheer Program, which registered 7,200 children in need this year. Then, sign up here to join Kristina, Rayneen and fellow yogis for some holiday seva on December 15 for a stocking stuffing party!

• As a small thanks to our beloved blue community, we invite you to our annual, free Gratitude Flow class on Thanksgiving morning. Kristina will be guiding this all-levels flow & stretch practice, and we expect a full house. Save your spot now!

• Treat yourself to Gratitude Kundalini Yoga and Sound Healing with Amanda May on the Sunday after Thanksgiving: November 25 from 6-8:00 pm.
   

Q & A with Kristina

How does your practice change in the Autumn?
I love Autumn. It is the season that I feel the most alive and has always been the season I thrive in. Because the nights are longer and the mornings are darker, my morning meditation practice is easily much quieter and longer. It usually feels like I could sit forever enveloped in the morning darkness and quiet. (It does help that my dog, Charlie, sleeps in longer when there is no sun peeping in the window.)

What does equanimity mean?
Upeksha, the fourth of the brahmaviharas, might be most easily translated as equanimity. It is a state of mind which allows us to respond to all of life's fluctuations in such a way that we are opposite of the way James Bond likes his martini: stirred, but not shaken. This understanding of upeksha as equanimity stresses the importance of balance. A balanced heart is not an unfeeling heart. The balanced heart feels pleasure without grasping and clinging at it; it feels pain without condemning or hating; and it stays open to neutral experiences with presence. 

 Insight meditation teacher Sharon Salzberg speaks of equanimity as a "spacious stillness of mind," within which we can remain connected to others and all that happens around us. The state of balance, of oneness, that we seek to acquire through our practices of yoga and of upeksha is Samadhi. It may seem to have nothing to do with our everyday activities, but on another level Samadhi is the most important thing in our lives. This concept of equanimity brings with it the possibility of a deep living and deep hope about our growth as human beings. Patanjali teaches that we are always capable of experiencing Samadhi- that at any moment we can become whole and fully present.

Do you have any advice for first-time meditators? 
Don't stop! I promise it gets easier the more you do it. All you need is 12 minutes a day. Even 5 minutes of mindful breathing can go a long way. And, please ask the blue teachers questions. We are practicing along side of you, and have techniques that can help when you are first starting out.

Practice with Kristina every Saturday (10 am), Sunday (4 pm), Wednesday (7 pm), and Friday (noon), starting on November 16. Kristina is offering Reclaiming Equanimity, a 4- week practice featuring meditation, breath work, and restorative yoga later this month.