Expanding the Space of Our Being & Knowing

Shanti Yoga School has always honored the uniqueness of each of us.

Since our beginning in 2001, our approach to yoga education has been rooted in a simple understanding: there is no single body, single path, or single way that yoga is supposed to look.

Recently I came across Robin Caton’s essay, “No Borders, No Boundaries.” She invites us to look more closely at the boundaries created by our ideas and assumptions—and suggests that in doing so, we may “expand the space of our being and knowing.”

That stopped me.

Because isn’t that what education—at its best—is meant to do?

Not simply give us more information, but expand what we can see.

Where Does the Pose End?

Where do YOU end?

The black line in this photograph seems to say: Here is the pose.

Looking at it, I’m reminded of a paper doll—a person contained within an outline, expected to fit a predetermined shape.

But people aren’t cutouts. And neither is yoga.

What happens when we look beyond the line?

What is the pose doing? What is its function? What happens when this particular person—with their particular history, abilities, needs and possibilities—meets the pose?

Asana becomes a question, not a fixed answer. No single answer that fits every BODY.

And perhaps the boundaries aren’t always where we think they are.

This morning in Costa Rica, I can hear the howler monkeys long before I can find them in the trees. Look more closely and suddenly there they are, moving through the canopy.

And the hummingbirds? Sometimes it’s almost impossible to see where the bird ends and the plant begins. You need to look closely and not assume.

Yoga invites us to look more closely, too.

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Adapting the Pose to the Person

This has been at the heart of Shanti’s Advanced Studies and Teacher Training since 2001.

We learn anatomy and alignment not to make every person conform to the same shape, but to give teachers the knowledge and confidence to ask:

Who is the person in front of me?

What do they need?

How can yoga serve them?

But honoring individuality doesn’t stop at the edges of the mat.

Every person brings their own history, culture, identity, experience, abilities, age, beliefs and ways of moving through the world.

Difference isn’t something we need to work around. It is something we can learn from.

At Shanti, we don’t teach you what to think. We teach you to look more closely, ask better questions, understand principles rather than simply prescribe forms, and expand what you think is possible.

That is the heart of yoga. And it is the heart of Shanti.

This September, we’re taking that exploration on—and off—the mat.

From Ignite Your Yoga, to exploring asana from function rather than form, to Chair, Yin and Restorative practices, to Doug Keeney bringing Yoga for EveryBody into the Boise community at Pride—we’re exploring what becomes possible when we look beyond the lines.

Different bodies. Different experiences. Different ways of knowing.

Not obstacles to yoga.

Part of what yoga asks us to see.

Welcome Back to School.

Let’s look beyond the lines together.

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We have a vibrant month planned in Boise—with hybrid, in-person, and community gatherings designed to support your growth, meet you right where you are, and deepen your practice from the inside out.

📚 Shanti Book Club – Ignite Your Yoga

Begins Sunday, September 13, 1:00 - 3p

In-person at Boise River Yoga or 👉 click Live Online via Zoom

We kick off our fall book series with Ignite Your Yoga: How to Live, Practice and Teach as an Authentic Yoga Steward by Susanna Barkataki. This accessible, meaningful text aligns beautifully with living yoga both on and off the mat. If attending in person at Boise River Yoga, please contact Jarrett Phipps at jarrettphipps@gmail.com or 850-386-2269.

First Meeting Focus: Part 1 of the book

Reflection Prompts to Consider while reading:

Which Yamas and Niyamas seem most relevant or most challenging to you right now?

As you focus on the inner limbs during your reading, what changes do you notice in your yoga practice?

Jarrett is a 200 hour Shanti grad currently working on her 300. Each 300 hr student selects a thesis or direction for their research.The Shanti Book Club along with her work with the Christina Phipps Foundation and Yoga for Oncology Survivors is part of her focus for the 300 hr certification.

🌟 Special Community Event, September 19,

Center Stage, Ann Morrison Park, 11 – 11:45a

Opening Ceremony Yoga, “Louder than Fear: A Pride Community Yoga Practice”, led by Doug Keeney🌈

Come roll out your mat in the fresh park air and join Doug as he leads this inclusive opening practice!🙏

Doug Keeney, also a Shanti 200 hr grad working on his 300 hr project, offers accessible, body-positive yoga classes. Click here to check out his schedule which is always focused on movement, breath, strength, and self-care in a supportive, welcoming space for every body.

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September Asana Intensive:

Form follows Function

Adapt the Pose to the Person, Not the Person to the Pose

Boise River Yoga, Orchard St.

When asked why there are so many yoga poses, a guru answered, "Because there are so many different people." We share the same essential human needs—to live healthier, more peacefully, and more happily. Yoga asana is a dynamic tool, and each individual requires a unique way of using it. There is no set blueprint, color beyond the lines, expand your boundaries!

Asana is a question, not a fixed answer. Each individual's body is the answer.

Join us for these two immersive Sunday intensives in Boise.

Sunday, September 20

11:30 – 4p Asana Lab: Foundations of Yoga Asana with Kimberly Azzarito

In this first session, we explore the fundamentals of the major asana groups through embodied practice and teaching.

We examine the function and common patterns of each group while asking a central question:

How do we adapt the pose to the person?

This is a hands-on lab. You’ll practice the asanas, explore how they function in your body, and begin teaching them to others. The will be a break.

Sunday, September 27

11:15 - 4P Adapting Asana — The Pose Meets the Person

With: Bill Dial, Jarrett Phipps & Doug Keeney

11:15 AM – 12:15 PM | Heart of Yoga with Bill Dial: Integrating adaptable teaching principles that honor the individual first."

12:30 - 2p Chair Yoga with Jarrett Phipps: Explore what shifts when we alter our relationship to gravity and base stability. Click Christina Phipps Foundation Video for her innovative Chair Class "Going to the Beach".