Circles

With the beginning of 2025, a new year and a new practice, I found myself being drawn to the shape of circles. Why? Well, a circle is continuous, much like our lives – constantly moving forward, with new beginnings, middles and endings, as our energy ebbs and flows. Circles, much like Yoga, symbolise completeness and wholeness, encouraging us to let go of any boundaries or limitations we can often place on ourselves. So, it seemed a good theme for moving forward into 2025.

This past practice focused on making circles with the body, moving fluidly around the mat in a Mandala flow. This style of practice, with constant changes in direction, helps quieten a busy mind while bringing focused attention and awareness to the present moment. From an emotional and spiritual perspective, circles serve as a powerful reminder of the interconnectedness of all things, inviting us to find balance and harmony within.

So, here’s a recap of what we covered in class.

Understanding the Mandala Sequence

In this practice we explored a Mandala flow, a dynamic flow that travels around all sides of the mat. It can help you get in the zone or “flow state”, helping you become more present with yourself, connecting body, mind and breath.

A Mandala is a circular geometric design, widely used in Hinduism, Buddhism as well as other indigenous cultures. Meaning “circle” or “centre,” Mandalas have a focal point from which everything radiates outward, symbolising “the self” or the “universe.” Used in meditative practices, they enhance concentration, self-discovery and the practice of mindfulness.

The Circle as a Reflection of Life

Life itself mirrors the nature of a circle. We all have experiences, we learn, we grow, we expand, we change. Yoga gives us space to look at ourselves and to be curious. It helps us understand the circle of emotions that we all experience and how these emotions can change moment to moment. We learn to accept how and what we are feeling, when we are feeling it, with the view and space to ask “Why”.

Some thought-provoking questions we explored:

• Who is in your circle? Are they supportive or draining? Do they celebrate your progress in life?
• Who brings you joy, and who do you avoid? Why?
• What do you surround yourself with? Are your surroundings positive or negative? What do you consume? What do you watch, listen to and engage with? How does that make you feel?
• Are you aligned with what you’re doing in life? Does your work, your environment and your routine reflect who you are at the moment?

Taking a moment to reflect on these questions fosters curiosity and deeper self-awareness. Yoga is about learning to live consciously, connecting to a deeper part of ourselves that can transform a physical practice into a spiritual journey, if you so choose.

Yogic Philosophy: Samsara & Karma

We also explored the concepts of Samsara and Karma in Yogic philosophy.

Samsara is the cycle or circle of birth, life, death and re-birth, this continuous flow of existence.  It’s about physical life and death as well as the patterns and repetitions we experience in daily life. e.g. repeating habits, emotions, finding ourselves in the same situations, making the same choices etc.

Samsara is like being stuck on a spinning wheel that goes round and round experiencing everything and all things in-between, over and over again.  So, what keeps this wheel spinning? It’s all about attachments and actions and this is where Karma comes in. (cause and effect) If we don’t learn and grow from all our experiences, the cycle continues until we do. The saying is “the lesson is repeated, until the lesson is learned”.  The ultimate goal is to try and break free from this repetitive cycle, called Moksha in Yoga, which means liberation.

The ultimate aim of Yoga is to transcend Samsara to find peace and oneness with the Universe.

So, how do we use Yoga teachings practically in our daily life? We can break the cycle with.

• Meditation – Quiet the mind
• Self-Inquiry – Understand why you do what you do
• Detachment – Let go of attachments
• Ethical Living – Yamas & Niyamas
• Mindfulness – Be aware of thoughts, words and actions
• Compassion & Forgiveness – Break karmic cycles
• Selfless Action – Serve without attachment to outcomes

Remember, Karma is the principle of action and its consequence. Every thought word or action sets into motion a ripple effect which means everything returns to its originator. It’s about balance and accountability in our lives and not what some believe it to be as a punishment or reward. Samsara and Karma go hand in hand and are deeply linked to one another.

The Chakras: Spinning Circles of Energy

Finally, we couldn’t talk about circles without mentioning the Chakras.  Keeping it short and sweet, Chakra means “wheel” or “circle” and are the energy centres (Subtle Anatomy) in the body represented by spinning wheels or discs.  Each chakra is associated with qualities and attributes and finding balanced energy among them is key to emotional, physical, mental and spiritual well-being. Learning about what the chakras are and how the practice of Asana and Pranayama can help find that fluctuating balance is a wonderful and empowering way to support you in living your life.

I hope you’ve enjoyed making circles in this practice as well as looking at the circles in your own life.  Learning to lean into the space around you and within you takes practice, which you do every time to step onto your mat.

As always, thank you for coming to class.

KP x

Quotes from Class

“As a New Year circles round again, you are not the same person you were a year ago and I think that’s a beautiful thing”.

“Our lives are like Mandalas, a vast limitless circle. We stand in the centre of our own circle and everything we see, hear and think forms the mandala of our life”.

“Know your circle. Make sure everybody in your boat is rowing and not drilling holes when you’re not looking”.

“Protect your space and your circle. Invest in people who you know will feed you just as much goodness as you do them”.

“Karma says, if you focus on hurt you will continue to suffer, If you focus on the lesson you will continue to grow”!

“Align with your Chakras and you align with the Universe. Inner peace comes from harmony within”.