The Yoga4All Sangha honored the Winter Solstice 2025 with our heart-centered awareness, staying with our theme of relationships.
Here is a recap and reflection:
Monday 12/15/2025
Tejpal started the week by moving us into the ethereal spaces. Our bodies grounded, we moved into the spirit of oneness with our most precious allies; the elementals that surround and define our conscious and unconscious relations- rocks, plants, trees; all spirit matter became us. An earth altar provided us the opportunity to sit with our chosen stone- a contemplation of relationship with something that no longer served, and a witnessed released in and among each other and our circle of stones.
An angel card in our pockets, Tejpal’s magical cards always speak to the heart of the matter.
Tuesday 12/16/2025
Gopal’s breadth of work in dance and theatre transformed not only us, but the space of St. Andrews as we moved throughout the room, weaving our physical bodies with one another through time and space. We learned about the habit body, the trance body, and many other subtle yet powerful nuances of relationship to and with our body- the portal to our relationship with the universe. The teachings touched into the depths of the soul and psyche. We learned these sacred teachings are not written down, yet passed on through oral tradition. This knowledge felt so potent as we each had our turn expressing our body, our voice as conduits to a different reality of self. A finale of feeding one another small bites of savory sweets felt a deepening of relationship within our sangha and with the imprint overlaying our own soul.
Wednesday 12/17/2025
Our beloved Sangha member Jess guided this evening’s practice offering a deep and reflective rest and meditation. Her gentle voice and prompts allowing us a pure sense of freedom to go within the precious resources of our Be.ing; discovering a felt sense of relationship to our body and our awareness. We used this sensing for further exaltation as we pair bonded with another in exploration of a shared rhythm and expression in movement. Sharing reflections of our inspired sketches afterwards felt to be a beautiful tapestry of our hearts and strength within our precious relationships with each other.
Thursday 12/18/2025
Our Thursday morning mojo, led by Sant Saroop Barb, was indeed the mirror of the grand rising morning sun, with our relationship to the outer and inner light of self. Stretching and chanting into the morning, followed by a dharmic walk through the streets surrounding St. Andrews, chanting Gobinday, Mukanday, Udaaray, as we faced the light, facing the rising sun and turning our backs towards that same light- each providing a sacred renewal to the seen and oftentimes unseen light we hold inside. A glorious breaking of the fast with quiches and breads nourished our community fully and heartily.
Friday 12/19/2025
Ivana Liv Daspreet welcomed us in at sunrise- our bodies, hearts, and minds opened fully from the week’s events thus far, inviting us now to contemplate our boundless boundaries. Each of us is given an opportunity to share thoughts and musings on who and what we are, inside and outside of boundaries. Each reflection weaving a precious shawl that felt true to our own discovery of boundary and protection, while simultaneously wrapping each of us in its warmth and depth. A seal of protection as we ended inside a blissful, peaceful meditation, ensconced in the living, breathing heart of our sangha.
Saturday 12/20/2025
Rested and recalibrated, we met at the mid-morning hour of light with Libby Tej Bhagwati. Reminded of the humble spaces of fears and the illusions of beliefs around those fears that we fall prey to, the practice this day transformed the deeper relationship to our compassionate response, we are so very capable to gift ourselves. Libby’s guidance to the celestial bodies- our communication so clearly delineating the cosmos, heightened our awareness of our sacred pause, sacred breath, and sacred stillness. Rajpal delighted as only she can, bringing us deeper into the celestial with her sacred toning bowls and chimes.
In grand style, our sangha was treated to a glorious and never-ending feast afterward, bringing the kriya full circle. A sacred and delicious holiday party in pure and inimitable Yoga4All style!
Sunday 12/21/2025
A grand and gorgeous culmination of the retreat was celebrated this 2025 solstice. Many of us gathered throughout the day, gathering, preparing, and readying for the evening ahead, which made this day’s event, led by Sant Saroop Barb, beautifully aligned and potent. After blessing the space at St. Andrews with yoga, our Sangha walked to the labyrinth, following Raj Pal, guiding us, pied piper, with the beautiful sounds of her gong. Nambir holding point at the labyrinth, playing gong as we entered under the prayer flags hung earlier in the day. Slowly and in full presence, each one of us entered the labyrinth, saged and readied with Amelia’s sparkle cards drawn earlier, in our hands. Our card set in the altar reflecting both a beginning and an ending of a cycle, and the reality of nonlinear time that each entails- yet marked by Solstice to provide us with a guidepost.
And then we danced! Our bellies filled with homemade soups and golden milks- the possibilities of abounding in even more love and deepening relationship to ourselves and with our beloveds.
Our transformation juxtaposing the solstice light, our spiritual potential for human consciousness, and a time for receptivity, enlightenment, and mostly our potential.
Bless.ed Be to Yoga4All
By Marci Faith
