Wood & Water Yoga

09/26/2025

🌹✨ Yoga Sutras Reflection ✨🌹

In My Bharath My Culture training on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, we were given a simple but powerful image:

👉 You can look at a plant and see only the thorns…
or you can notice and appreciate the one rose blooming among them.

How we choose to see makes all the difference.

🌀 We cannot erase the thorns — just as we cannot erase every painful memory.
🌀 But yoga teaches that we can add good thoughts, cultivate gratitude, and shift our attention toward what nourishes the heart.
🌀 This is the essence of mettā — loving-kindness: choosing to meet ourselves and others with compassion instead of criticism, to rest in goodwill rather than in suffering.

✨ To practice mettā is to look at the whole plant — the thorns and the rose — and gently choose to water the beauty, to lean toward what heals, without denying what hurts.

Yoga does not ask us to pretend pain isn’t real. It asks us not to be defined by it. With mettā, we remember: the heart is vast enough to hold both suffering and love, but it will always blossom where we place our attention. 🌿

💚 Yoga for people, not profit. Rooted in lineage, rooted in practice.

09/26/2025

🌿✨ Women’s Retreat: Shakti Sadhana ✨🌿
📍 Sat Manav Yoga Ashram, Industry, ME
🗓 Fri, Oct 10 – Thu, Oct 16
🔗 Retreat Info & Registration

I was recently told about this retreat, and I didn’t want anyone who practices with Wood & Water Yoga to let it slip by.

I honestly can’t believe there are still 4 spots open. What a gift here in Maine. We are so fortunate to have an ashram that honors lineage right in our own backyard.

✨ This retreat feels like the perfect way to recuperate from a busy summer.
✨ Navigating a life transition? This is one of the most meaningful ways to honor that shift.
✨ Or maybe you’re simply longing for stillness, depth, and community — this is it.

What’s inside:
🌸 Daily sadhana, asana & pranayama
🔥 Fire ceremonies (Dhuni), chanting, and puja in temple space
🌿 Healing nature immersion, herbal therapies, and sisterhood
🎨 Traditional mehndi/henna as part of the celebration
🥗 Nourishing organic meals, with intention held in a sacred container

💚 If you’ve been feeling the call, consider this your sign. This isn’t just a retreat — it’s a chance to step into living practice, rooted in tradition.

🔗 Reserve your space here: Shakti Sadhana Retreat

09/24/2025

🍂✨ Jill here! As the weather cools, our outdoor season is winding down — but community yoga continues! ✨🍂

🌿 Last Outdoor Gathering
Join us for the final free outdoor yoga class with Skowhegan Outdoors:
🗓 Sunday, September 28
🕘 9:00 AM
📍 Solon Overlook

🌿 Community Yoga Indoors (October Schedule)
For over two years, I’ve been honored to offer free community yoga with Skowhegan Outdoors, and that commitment is not changing. These classes are about connection, accessibility, and the simple joy of practicing together — always free and always open to all.

As the weather turns colder, Skowhegan Outdoors is moving community yoga indoors for the month of October at a temporary location in Skowhegan. Classes will be held at Riverview Yoga Shala, owned by Lidi Jang, who is also hoping this series will help introduce people to her business.

🧘 October Free Community Yoga
📍 Skowhegan Riverview Yoga Shala
⏰ Wednesdays, 5:00–6:30 PM

✨ Oct 8 & 22 → Jill Satnam
All-levels flow, meditation, and yoga nidra.
(I will also continue hosting free community yoga in other locations, including with Madison Recreation.)

✨ Oct 1, 15, 29 → Lidi Jang
Yin yoga — slow, grounding, and restorative.
(Lidi also offers additional classes that can be booked at cost through her site.)

🍁 As the seasons shift, I’m grateful for every opportunity to keep practicing together — moving, breathing, and resting in community.

Send a message to learn more

09/21/2025

🌞✨ Listen to the Birds, Not the News ✨🌞

The world is loud right now — headlines, debates, breaking news. It’s easy to get swept up in anxiety and distraction.

But yoga — and especially the wisdom of Sāṅkhya philosophy — reminds us of a deeper truth:
🌿 The news, like the weather, belongs to Prakriti — the ever-changing play of nature, politics, and mind.
🌿 Beneath it all rests Purusha — pure awareness, steady and unshaken.

When we step outside, breathe, and listen to the birdsong, we tune into that steadiness. Their song calls us back to presence, to something timeless and real. 🐦

This is why we practice together at Wood & Water Yoga:
🌊 To remember that peace is not found in the noise, but in the stillness beneath it.
🌲 To connect to nature’s wisdom, where the body softens, the mind clears, and the heart opens.
🕉 To live not in constant reaction, but in conscious alignment.

So today — turn down the news, step outside, and let the birds remind you of who you truly are. 🌞🌿🐦

💚 Yoga for people, not profit. Always free, always community.

09/06/2025

💫 10 Reasons Why Mantra Actually Works 💫

At Wood & Water Yoga, we practice from the heart: yoga as a living tradition, not a commodity. One of the most transformative tools we share is mantra — sacred sound that unites body, mind, and spirit.

Why does it work? 🌿
✨ Each mantra is a precise vibrational formula that shifts energy in the body and mind.
✨ Mantras purify mental patterns and anchor us to the present moment.
✨ Repetition builds new neural pathways, reducing anxiety and strengthening attention.
✨ Chanting awakens dormant capacities, aligns us with the Divine, and transforms repetition into a living prayer.
✨ Ultimately, mantra integrates body, speech, and mind into sacred alignment.

When we chant together — whether by the lake, on the mat, or under the trees — we’re not just making sound. We’re tuning into centuries of wisdom, collective devotion, and the deep stillness within. 🌊🌲

🕉 Join us in practice, and experience how mantra carries you into peace, clarity, and connection.

💚 Yoga for people, not profit.

08/27/2025

🌞🧘‍♀️ Recovery Yoga in Community 🧘‍♂️🌲

Today’s practice reminded us why we gather — not for perfect poses, but to show up as we are, breathe together, and find peace in nature.

💚 Our Philosophy
We aren’t like a lot of yoga programs — and that’s ok.
At Wood & Water Yoga, we believe yoga is for people, not profit. Guided by the Yamas and Niyamas, we:
• Work to remove barriers to access
• Partner with Pure Outdoors and treatment facilities to serve SUD populations
• Teach outside in nature and in spaces beyond traditional studios
• Stay rooted in a lineage-based program that honors the authenticity of yoga

🌞 What to Expect
• Accessible yoga for all bodies & abilities
• Prāṇāyāma (yogic breathing practices) for grounding and focus
• A safe, supportive community space
• Practices centered on self-compassion, presence, and resilience

🌿 Free & Community-Oriented
Our public space programs are always free — yoga should belong to everyone. If you feel inclined, donations can be made to Spirit’s Place or the Humane Society, extending compassion off the mat and into our shared world.

✨ Yogic Reflection
The Yoga Sutras remind us:
“When disturbed by negative thoughts, opposite ones should be cultivated.” (YS 2.33)

Recovery Yoga is about cultivating steadiness, hope, and renewal — both within and beyond the practice.

📍 Wood & Water Yoga | Community-based + accessible
📅 Weekly/Monthly Sessions (check our schedule)
💲 Always free in public spaces | Optional donations support local causes

Come practice in gratitude, breathe in nature, and heal together. 🌲

08/27/2025

🍎🍂 Wood & Water Yoga – September with Skowhegan Outdoors! 🍂🍎

Join us outdoors this fall as we breathe, move, and align with the changing season. These sessions are always free because yoga is a practice of generosity (dāna) and community. Offering yoga in this way honors its roots — a reminder that transformation and balance are gifts to be shared, not sold.

📅 September Yoga Schedule
• Sun, Sept 7 — Robbins Hill Scenic Overlook | 9:00–10:00 AM
• Sun, Sept 14 — Apple Pick & Practice at The Apple Farm (Fairfield, ME) | 9:00–10:00 AM 🍎
• Sun, Sept 21 — Robbins Hill Scenic Overlook | 9:00–10:00 AM
• Sun, Sept 28 — Robbins Hill Scenic Overlook | 9:00–10:00 AM

✨ Yogic Reflection:
Just as the apple ripens slowly on the tree, the Bhagavad Gita reminds us that “a person of discipline ripens in wisdom, steady through the seasons.” 🍎 In fall, we gather what has grown, practicing santosha (contentment) and gratitude for what the earth and our own efforts have borne.

✅ RSVP required: skowheganoutdoors [dot] com
🌞 All levels welcome. Classes are outdoors and weather-permitting.

Come practice in gratitude, harvest peace, and share breath with community. 🌲🍎

08/27/2025

🌊🧘‍♀️✨ Lake George Paddle Board Yoga – A Morning of Balance & Reflection ✨🧘‍♀️🌊

Yesterday we gathered at beautiful Lake George for paddle board yoga, and the water reminded us once again how practice adapts when we listen deeply. As the wind picked up, we shifted from boards to the shoreline — carrying the same presence and intention into our waterfront practice.

This flow became a living reflection of the Yamas and Niyamas — the ethical and spiritual foundations of yoga:

🌿 Ahimsa (Non-violence): meeting the waves with gentleness, not resistance.
🌿 Santosha (Contentment): finding joy whether floating or grounded on shore.
🌿 Aparigraha (Non-grasping): letting go of expectations about what practice “should” look like.
🌿 Tapas (Discipline): showing up with commitment, even when the conditions shift.
🌿 Svadhyaya (Self-study): noticing how our minds react to change, and choosing patience.

Yoga is never about the perfect setting — it’s about meeting each moment with presence. Whether on a board, a mat, or bare feet in the sand, the practice continues.

💙 Grateful for this community, for Lake George, and for the reminder that yoga flows wherever we do.

Send a message to learn more

08/27/2025

🌸🐘✨ Ganesh Chaturthi 2025 ✨🐘🌸

On this day, we honor the symbol of the elephant-headed being — a reminder of strength, wisdom, and the ability to transform obstacles into stepping stones on the path of awakening.

Rather than seeing obstacles as barriers, we can meet them as teachers. Every challenge reveals where we can soften, deepen our compassion, and discover clarity. 🕉️

Just as the elephant moves slowly yet steadily through the forest, our practice invites us to be patient, grounded, and unwavering. Each mindful breath clears a space for awareness; each act of kindness dissolves confusion.

Today, may we:
🌿 Recognize our inner strength.
🌿 Welcome obstacles as opportunities.
🌿 Step forward with courage, humility, and joy.

💛 From all of us at Wood and Water Yoga—may your path be clear, your heart open, and your spirit at ease.

08/19/2025

🌿 The 8 Limbs of Yoga: More Than Poses 🌿

Many people first meet yoga through āsana (postures). And while movement is a beautiful entry point, the ancient path of yoga offers so much more—it is a complete guide for living with balance, integrity, and peace.

🕉️ The Classical Arc of Practice
In Patañjali’s Yoga Sūtras, the 8 limbs of yoga are described as a journey that begins with bahiraṅga (outer practices) and gradually moves toward antaḥraṅga (inner practices). This “outer-to-inner arc” teaches us that shaping our actions and calming the body and senses prepares us for deeper meditation and spiritual freedom.

✨ The 8 Limbs of Yoga

Yama – Ethical principles (non-violence, truth, moderation, non-stealing, non-possessiveness)

Niyama – Personal observances (purity, contentment, discipline, study, surrender)

Āsana – Postures that steady the body and prepare the mind

Prāṇāyāma – Regulation of breath, cultivating energy and focus

Pratyāhāra – Withdrawal of the senses, turning inward

Dhāraṇā – Concentration

Dhyāna – Meditation

Samādhi – Union, deep absorption, the freedom of inner stillness

🌸 Living Yoga Off the Mat
The first two limbs—Yamas (ethics) and Niyamas (personal observances)—give us practical guidance for daily life:

Practicing ahimsa (non-violence) might mean choosing kind words when we’re frustrated.

Satya (truthfulness) asks us to live authentically instead of pretending.

Santosha (contentment) reminds us to pause and be grateful for the simple things.

Tapas (discipline) helps us stay steady in our commitments, even when it’s hard.

These principles ripple into every part of life: how we treat ourselves, how we show up in relationships, and how we engage with the world around us. They are the heart of yoga as a living practice, reminding us that transformation begins with everyday choices.

✨ At Wood and Water Yoga, we honor yoga as a whole path of living, not a product. Join us in exploring yoga from the outside in, and from the inside out. 🌿

08/19/2025

🌿 This Morning’s Practice at Robbins Hill Overlook 🌿

What a gift of perfect weather for today’s 9am free yoga at Robbins Hill with Skowhegan Outdoors. We flowed through many twists, grounding ourselves in the beauty of the overlook and in the heart of practice.

🕉️ The Yoga Sutras remind us:
“Yoga is the stilling of the fluctuations of the mind.” (YS 1.2)

🌸 The Hatha Yoga Pradipika guides:
“Steadiness, health, and lightness of the body come through practice.” (HYP 1.17)

⚔️ And the Bhagavad Gita teaches:
“Selfless action is the path to freedom.” (BG 3.19)

Today, our asana became an offering — moving, breathing, and twisting together under an open sky.

✨ NEXT FREE CLASS ✨
📍 Paddleboard Yoga at Lake George Regional Park
🗓 Tuesday, August 26th at 9am
🧘‍♀️ All-levels class — paddleboards are free to use!
🌊 Everyone is welcome.

Yoga is not a product, not a luxury. It’s a practice for all beings — and we’re honored to share it in our community spaces, free of charge.

08/17/2025

This morning we shine brighter at Parkman Hill. Thank you all for joining us 🙏