February’s class theme is japa — a beautiful Sanskrit word that means ‘repetition’. Traditionally, japa refers to the meditative repetition of a mantra. In texts like the Yoga Sutras , mantra japa is described as a pathway to steadiness of the mind. Traditional mala beads consist of 108 beads, one  for each repetition of a mantra We are, of course, familiar with the mantra Om, which we chant at the beginning and end of our classes. According to the teachings of Patanjali , r

Prana is sanskrit for 'primary energy' and according to yogic scripture our bodies are simply a vessel of this life energy.