The Indian words Sthira Sukham Asanam – which translate to being steady and easeful in your practice – are a basic tenet of yoga. But in any language – yoga is good for the mind and body!

In a kind of awareness training, yoga involves mastering breath and movement. Becoming engaged with the breath, the mind begins to reflect, restore and respond. Meditational movement and breathing activates the cranial and vagus nerves in the parasympathetic nervous system, resulting in physiologic benefits such as better digestion, lower blood pressure, and deeper sleep, and psychological benefits – relating in part to increased Serotonin production during yoga – including enhanced cognition and memory, improved focus, and improved ability to regulate emotions.

Though there’s never a bad time to get started with yoga…there’s no better time than the present to ‘be here now’. It’s the perfect way to start the new school year – as a gift to the student, or as a part of any and every adult’s vow to get in shape and pledge to find more wellness. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Whether it’s just learning the basics and getting started – or taking it to a ‘higher plane

To practice yoga, it’s critical to work with a qualified yoga instructor and move at a guided pace. Sama Yoga Center and Academy in New Canaan was voted Best Yoga Studio, Best of the Gold Coast in 2021 and 2022, and is nationally recognized and accredited through Yoga Alliance. All teachers are Sama-trained to the highest standards, which makes sure that

students can feel safe in every class. Sama offers classes online and in-studio, indoor and outdoor, as well as yoga teacher trainings and yoga retreats.

Rebekah Jacobs, who runs Sama, has been teaching yoga for 14 years. Sama is a retreat- like yoga studio and training academy, with a beautiful meditation garden, floor to ceiling windows for wonderful views while practicing, and radiant heated floors. Rebekah comments, “It’s my joy to welcome all here at Sama. Yoga works! For the individual – and for the community!”