Philosophy, psychology and practice of yoga: Journey towards harmony with the spirit.

Sophia Reinders draws on her rich professional experience as a Jungian oriented psychotherapist and certified Iyengar yoga teacher to unfold and describe the psycho-spiritual ground of yoga psychology, in which the practice of yoga is embedded. Through asanas, breath work and kinesthetic awareness meditation, Sophia leads students through the experiential exploration of the eight limbs, or living principles of yoga, the five koshas, or sheaths of the physical and the subtle body and the chakras, energetic centers of actualized and potential consciousness, aligned along the central axis of the subtle body. As the energy of the chakras comes alive through her guided experiential explorations, Sophia leads students to self-discovery about areas in their bodies and their lives that may heal and transform through increased awareness.

Exploring the eight limbs, or living principles of yoga and the yogic path, we will clarify the spirit and the intent of these practices. Through asanas, breathing practices and kinesthetic awareness practices, we will explore the five koshas, or sheeths of the physical and the subtle body. We will engage in the art of yoga which consists in refining, transforming, aligning and integrating the qualities of energy and consciousness within each dimension of our physical-mental-emotional being through sustained practice and growing awareness.

Sustained practice over time creates, in the view of the ancient yogis, a physical and mental-emotional vessel capable of sustaining empathic action and of giving rise to the intuitive realization of Spirit at the core of our being.

In this process of sustained practice, then, we may become more and more fluid in our bodymind. We may also become more and more constructive, creative and aware in our ways of being in the world: In the quality of our actions, thoughts and emotions, and in relating to others, to self, and to life all around.

About Sophia
Sophia Reinders weaves two large bodies of study-yoga and Jungian Psychology-into a tapestry of possibility for embodiment. For Sophia, both yoga and analysis are roads to transformation and the useful information about the self that surfaces in each type of practice can be used to feed the other. Her class focuses mainly on the chakra system and its relationship to the alignment of the spine in asana. From this, she leads students to self-discovery about areas in their bodies and in their lives that may benefit from attention.

To find out more about her work, please visit: www.wisdombody.com.