Auspicious Beginnings: A New Year’s Day Practice

Friday, January 1, 2027 | 10 am–1 pm PST

Join us online or in person at our Berkeley studio.

Begin the year with intention, clarity, and a sense of possibility.

New Year’s Day offers a fresh beginning.  It is an invitation to pause, get quiet and set the tone for your year ahead. Together we will take time to appreciate where we’ve been, consider the things that matter most to us, and make space for the year ahead.

This annual New Year’s Day program with Heather is an invitation: a meaningful and uplifting way to welcome 2027 through yoga, reflection, and community.

This year, as always, we’ll draw inspiration from Gaṇeśa, the beloved elephant-headed deity honored at the beginning of any new undertaking.  Gaṇeśa is revered as the remover of obstacles.  Whether our obstacles are to be acknowledged, removed, melted or lept over, Gaṇeśa can invite us to consider the myriad of options we have to move forward with wisdom, courage, and an open heart.

Our program together will begin with chanting and an invigorating Iyengar Yoga asana practice, followed by an extended Savasana, quiet observation of the breath, and meditation. Together, these practices offer an opportunity to move from activity toward stillness, creating space for greater clarity and awareness.

Beginning again may feel like a personal undertaking, but it extends all around us. When we take time to nourish ourselves and reconnect with what matters, we are better able to show up for our families, our communities, and the world around us. In this way, our individual practice becomes part of something larger.

We’ll conclude our gathering with homemade chai and sweets, celebrating the sweetness of new beginnings and the joy of being together.

Come as you are! Leave feeling grounded, uplifted, and ready to welcome the year ahead.

Who is this workshop for?

All levels of practitioners are welcome. We recommend at least six months of consistent practice with an Iyengar Yoga teacher.

Tuition

$80 Early Bird — Save $15 when you register by December 15.

Regular tuition: $95

All registered participants will receive a recording available for 30 days.

REGISTRATION OPEN

ABOUT THE INSTRUCTOR:

Heather Haxo Phillips (she/her) is Director of Adeline Yoga and a certified Iyengar yoga instructor at Level 3. Among the highest certified Iyengar teachers in the East Bay, her additional certifications include:  Certified Yoga Therapist (c-IAYT), Relax and Renew restorative yoga teacher and Yoga Alliance E-500 level instructor. She has specialized yoga therapy training which includes scoliosis, musculoskeletal injuries and pain management.  One of her asana-related specialties is women’s health.

Heather has a deep commitment to the ancient teachings which includes mantra sadhana (chanting) and Sanskrit, pranayama and yoga philosophy.  You can expect to find aspects of this in all of Heather’s classes. Heather studies regularly with senior Iyengar teachers, Sanskrit and Vedic scholars, and directly with the Iyengar family in Pune India.

Heather serves as a mentor and assessor.  She volunteers for the Iyengar Yoga National Association of the United States where she chairs the ad-hoc Mentoring Committee.  She is past President of the Board of Directors for the Iyengar Yoga Association of Northern California.