This is a monthly focus following the content in each newsletter on how yoga shows up in our lives off the mat and in our world. Teachers will guide the conversation on topics covering philosophy, deep inquiry, all related to our monthly theme.
Here is the values list for January:
Accountability
Achievement
Activism
Adaptability
Adventure
Altruism
Ambition
Authenticity
Balance
Beauty
Being the best
Being a good sport
Belonging
Career
Caring
Co-creation
Collaboration
Commitment
Community
Compassion
Competence
Confidence
Connection
Contentment
Contribution
Cooperation
Courage
Creativity
Curiosity
Dignity
Diversity
Efficiency
Environment
Equality
Ethics
Excellence
Fairness
Faith
Family
Financial stability
Forgiveness
Freedom
Friendship
Fun
Future generations
Generosity
Giving back
Grace
Gratitude
Growth
Harmony
Health
Heritage
Home
Honesty
Hope
Humility
Humor
Inclusion
Independence
Initiative
Integrity
Intuition
Job security
Joy
Justice
Kindness
Knowledge
Leadership
Learning
Legacy
Leisure
Love
Loyalty
Making a difference
Nature
Openness
Optimism
Order
Parenting
Patience
Patriotism
Peace
Perseverance
Personal fulfillment
Power
Pride
Recognition
Reliability
Resourcefulness
Respect
Responsibility
Risk-taking
Security
Self-discipline
Self-expression
Self-respect
Serenity
Service
Simplicity
Spirituality
Stewardship
Success
Teamwork
Thrift
Time
Tradition
Travel
Trust
Truth
Understanding
Uniqueness
Usefulness
Vision
Vulnerability
Wealth
Wellbeing
Wholeheartedness
Love the first newsletter! Thank you. I first started yoga as a way to get in touch with my inner being. As time went on and I grew to love it, I continue yoga to stay healthy and strong both physically and mentally. It helps me with my anxiety and sleep. It makes me feel energized!
Great connect letter !
I was first drawn to yoga during a recovery period. Needed to get hold of my true self .
Needed something that would become part of me. 26 years later … I still love rolling out my Matt and
Still excited .
Agreed! Lovely first email and I enjoy the prompts to reflect. Yoga is a practice of peace and calm for me (even when I’m sweating it out). I first did yoga with my mom as a little kid. No mats, no props, no cute leggings. Just the living room carpet and this book, and we would go through the poses with my siblings as she cued our breathing. She would also read aloud these bedtime meditations that I still use sometimes as visualizations to calm myself or fall asleep. I haven’t thought about these memories in quite a while!
My Why? Yoga helps me to stay balanced, both in my body and my mind. It brings an attitude of gentleness with myself, that I don’t have naturally, and I choose classes that support me to learn and practise this.
Thank you for the newsletter. Loved it. I first started yoga to be physically stronger and get more in touch with my inner self. Have a more peaceful mind. I’m afraid I have gotten away from that since 2020.
Reading your newsletter this morning made me realize how important that “why” is to my life. I intend to get back to that starting today.
Love the addition of the monthly newsletter! Thank you! I first tried yoga in the early 90’s and was a “clock watcher”. Rediscovered it when I was sidelined with a surgery in 2013, with a completely different focus and purpose, and I’ve never looked back, nor do I ever look at the clock anymore when I’m on my mat!!!
Fiji, thank you so much for the lovely newsletter. I did yoga many years ago when I had my first son and it was a wonderful experience. Indeed, life went on and I get involved in another kind of physical exercises. I came back to yoga in 2020, online at DYWM. I saw the opportunity to do Yoga Teacher Training at DYWM, not to be a teacher but to learn more about the practice. Yoga is a complete exercise, it put together your spirit, soul and body and it have helped me to be healthier mentally and physically.
Fiji, what a great idea to initiate some deeper thought as to why we do yoga. DYWM and your teachings especially, have changed my life. When I was young I went to yoga classes to get in touch with myself more, then life happened.
When I needed to feel more grounded, build confidence, accept self later in life, I found DYWM through a friend and haven’t looked back. I look forward to my daily morning practice wherever I am! We’re travelling now in a motorhome and I’m finding some great outdoor spots to connect and I even practice in the cramped motorhome when it rains… always varied because of the options I’ve learned through daily DYWM practice with a variety of instructors. Long story, but my ‘why’ is to start the day feeling grounded and balanced, to build confidence, feel the energy flow and go deeper into myself to accept who I am. Thank you again, Fiji, for your gentle guidance.
Hi,
I love this new newsletter and the opportunity to reflect and feel more connected to the DYWM community.
I live in the UK and was introduced to you during the first covid lockdown when I could no longer attend a class in person.
I have practiced online with so many of your wonderful yogis and discovered so much more about yoga than I knew before.
I first practiced when I was a newly qualified teacher and one of my colleagues ran an after work season for staff. My WHY then was to de stress after a tough day/week teaching teens. I loved how we moved our bodies in challenging ways and that the buzz I felt was so different from all the gym classes etc I was used to doing. I also loved the focus on breath and meditation we did although I don’t think I realised why I loved it then.
Fast forward 25 years and my WHY now is all about listening to my body, awareness, observation and just being with whatever comes up and being there for myself. My WHY is also that it brings me a deep sense of peace every time I step on my mat.
Thank you Fiji and friends xxx
So happy you enjoyed the first of many deep dives into the real nature of ourselves and our practice. I look forward to learning more about your 26 year journey!
An attitude of gentleness is such a beautiful thing to say, I think I will start to use this in my teaching. If we can learn to be gentle with ourselves we can then extend that kindness to others.
What an honest reflection, and one that I think most of us can relate to!!! I always think that much of the love affair with yoga has to do with timing, we are open to it when we are ready and not a moment before. Sometimes the body breaking down creates that opening too!
Initially I could not recall why I was drawn to yoga. Then I remembered a Rodney Yee AM/PM DVD that I picked up in the Chapters store I worked in years ago, at a time when sleep was difficult. He helped prepare me for my nights. Now I find my yoga practice prepares me for my days! Energy wise. Mood wise. And I reading the previous posts, I was reminded of how big a role yoga played in my recovery from a fractured bone, at a time when a lot of movement was difficult.
. Rediscovered it when I was sidelined with a surgery in 2013, with a completely different focus and purpose, and I’ve never looked back, nor do I ever look at the clock anymore when I’m on my mat!!!