Yoga Connections

Discover the connections between yoga and the traditions expressed in Himalayan art.

Yoga is a system of philosophy and practice that seeks to help people align their body and mind in order to transform their experience. One translation of yoga is “yoke,” the tool used to connect an ox to a plough. Like yoga, the art objects in our collection, intended for ritual purposes as well as aesthetic ones, seek to link the worldly and the transcendent.

This month Melissa French joins us to discuss a work of art that will inspire a conversation about yoga, its philosophies, and its visual representations. A breathing exercise will allow participants to internalize the discussed concepts.

About the Speaker

Melissa French was captivated by yoga after her first kundalini class in 1999. The class piqued her imagination and she continued exploring multiple styles of yoga for over a decade, eventually training to teach. French found her “yoga home” when she discovered the measure and metaphors of Katonah Yoga taught by Nevine Michaan and Abbie Galvin. Learning a new way of practicing and teaching yoga at Katonah informed her own journey toward reformation, transformation, and transcendence.