Wood & Water Yoga

04/11/2026

Today in our Yoga Sutras study, Guruji shared the powerful connection between mind and body. 🌿
Most physical ailments begin as AADHI—mental stress or agitation. This turbulence disrupts our PRANA, blocking the NADIS (energy channels) and eventually manifesting as ADHIJA VYADHI (physical disease).
As Patanjali teaches in PYS 1:30, illness is the first obstacle to a steady mind. Through Yoga, we clear these blocks and restore our natural flow. ✨

04/10/2026

Friday night practice 🙏🏻

04/10/2026

This version takes that second option and weaves in the schedule in a way that feels like a natural extension of your practice—less like a "to-do list" and more like a devotional rhythm.

The Continuous Thread: A Daily Sadhana

Three years of daily, unbroken practice have taught me one thing: we are always beginners.

For a long time, I had a consistent practice, but it was missing the grounding of a true lineage. I had read the texts, but I hadn't yet studied them at the feet of a teacher. Finding that connection was the missing link—it turned a routine into a refuge.

My Daily Sadhana

5:00 AM | Personal Sadhana: This is where the day begins, in the stillness of meditation
7:30 AM | Meditation Teacher Training:** Meeting daily with Guruji to receive the authentic teachings of our lineage.
10:45 AM | Yoga Sutra Training:** On Tuesdays and Fridays, I join my "My Bharath, My Culture" cohort to dive deep into Patanjali’s wisdom with Balamurali Sir.
5:00 PM | Asana Practice:

I spent years reading these texts on my own, but studying them through an authentic lineage is a different world entirely. It is the difference between reading a map and finally walking the forest.

If you're seeking the same connection to the roots of yoga, I’d be honored to share what has been so generously shared with me. Reach out if you'd like to learn more about the texts behind the practice.

04/06/2026

Monday mornings are for teaching yoga at ROAR 🙏🏻

03/29/2026

The Dharma Talk from this morning's class: 🧘‍♂️✨

The Story: Buddha and the Mucalinda Cobra 🐍
After becoming enlightened, Buddha sat by the banks of the Neranjana River under the Maclinda Tree. 🌳 There he stayed in deep meditation for weeks. During the sixth week, a rare, unseasonal storm erupted, flooding the lands with downpours and heavy winds. ⛈️ Seeing that Buddha was exposed to the elements, the Naga King Mucalinda Cobra came from the waters, encircling his body 7 times beneath him to lift him, and raised his hood like an umbrella to shield him. ☔️

After 7 days of shielding him, and the passage of teh storm, the cobra revealed himself as a boy, and bowed to the Buddha. 🙏
This moment shows harmony between the wildness of nature and the inner peace of enlightenment in those whose minds are still. When the mind serves as the witness, rather than becoming involved in the wildness, the wildness moves to protect it. 🌊💎

The Mucalinda cobra rising under and over Buddha also symbolizes Kundalini rising, and the shielding is teh state of Samadhi, where the energy is stabilized and the practitioner undisturbed.

The opening verse of the Isha Upanishad addresses the divine presence in all living creatures, from cobras to Buddhas. 📜🕉️

"Everything animate or inanimate that is within the universe is controlled and owned by the Lord. One should therefore accept only those things necessary for oneself, which are set aside as his quota, and one should not accept other things, knowing well to whom they belong."
— *Isha Upanishad, Verse 1* ✨📖

03/27/2026

You can’t teach trauma-informed yoga unless you know about yoga, fully and deeply—beyond the Americanized asana practices that dominate the wellness industry today. 🧘‍♀️✨

In my role as a psychology and yoga professor, I’m often asked about what it means to be "trauma-informed." This term has become increasingly popular over the last decade, sparking trainings, courses, and workshops (oh my!). 🎓

But the first step to being trauma-informed is knowing the facts: 70.4% of people worldwide experience at least one trauma, yet only 3.9% of the world's population develops PTSD. 📊

The good news is that 89% of people who experience trauma report strengthening themselves in at least one area of their lives—including personal strength, a new path or purpose, and a deeper spiritual connection. You are far more likely to experience post-traumatic growth than PTSD. 🌱💪

The Critique:
Our healthcare system is for-profit, so "trauma-informed" approaches churn a profit. It is more profitable for several industries to address trauma than to cultivate healing. But if a training isn't rooted in the 8 limbs, you’re just teaching western-therapeutic strategies—and are you qualified to teach those? 💸🚫

The Practice:
Authentic yoga, rooted in the 8 limbs, is trauma-informed; its purpose is to relieve human suffering (Duhkha) and remove illusion. All of the classes I teach are trauma-informed because they are more than asana:

🔹 The class is tailored to the individuals in attendance.
🔹 I don't provide hands-on assists.
🔹 I keep my eyes closed during teaching to avoid activating the amygdala of participants, allowing them to feel less judged while encouraging them to turn inward.
🔹 Classes include chanting, invocations, and dharma talks. 🕉️

Trauma-informed yoga trainings that don’t address the yogic texts—the basis for much Western therapy—can do harm and contribute to a system where trauma is pervasive. We must move beyond simple asana and back to a yogic lifestyle. 🕊️🕯️

I am looking to host a free or donation-based workshop on this topic for yoga teachers to benefit a local non-profit, and I am currently seeking a venue for this event. 🏛️🤝

Dr. Jill Satnam
Psychology and Yoga Professor
Wood & Water Yoga

03/23/2026

🌟🎉 Get ready for a fantastic evening at Joe's Flat Iron Café and Skowhegan Outdoors Basecamp Gear Library tonight at 5 PM!

Join us for a delicious community dinner that promises yummy bites and great vibes! It’s the perfect chance to kick back, connect with the awesome folks at Skowhegan Outdoors, and dive into the exciting initiatives shaping our community's future.

03/23/2026

Today was our first Free Monday Yoga Class at ROAR in Skowhegan!

What IS recovery yoga?
Easy! It’s authentic yoga! All authentic yoga is naturally trauma-informed and recovery-oriented. When yoga is practiced as a "technology" to help you center yourself and connect with others—specifically within the context of the Yamas and Niyamas (which align perfectly with the 12 Steps)—it supports sobriety, mental health, and, above all, bliss! ✨

We hope you’ll join us for a welcoming, gentle, all-levels practice every Monday.

When: Mondays at 10:00 AM 🕙

Where: ROAR

Experience: All levels welcome! 🕊️

03/18/2026

03/18/2026

The Prison Yoga Project is a remarkable program.