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Bbfitclub, Princeton, IL (2026)

10/08/2026

✨ BEYOND THE POSE THURSDAY

Vijnanamaya Kosha | A Different View

There is something that happens when you climb high enough to see the landscape from above.

The road that seemed endless suddenly looks small.

The forest that surrounded you becomes part of something much larger.

The twists and turns begin to make sense because, for the first time, you can see where they lead.

Nothing below has changed.

Your perspective has.

Today we move into the fourth of the Five Koshas: Vijnanamaya Kosha, the layer associated in yogic philosophy with wisdom, discernment, insight, and deeper awareness.

Yesterday, with Manomaya Kosha, we explored the thoughts and emotions moving through the mind.

Today we climb a little higher.

Vijnanamaya isn’t about escaping our thoughts or emotions. It’s about developing the awareness to observe them without automatically being carried away by them.

Imagine standing down on that road in this photograph.

From there, you might see only the next curve.

But from above?

You can see the road.

The lake.

The forest.

The mountains.

And the horizon beyond them.

Sometimes our lives are like that too.

When we’re right in the middle of something, our view can become very narrow.

Why is this happening?

What should I do?

What if I’m wrong?

What if this doesn’t work out?

Wisdom doesn’t always arrive by thinking harder.

Sometimes it begins by creating enough space to see more than the piece directly in front of us.

🌿 THE SACRED PAUSE

The next time you feel yourself reacting quickly, pause.

Take one slow breath.

Then imagine stepping back far enough to see the whole landscape.

Ask yourself:

What do I know?

What am I assuming?

What might I not be seeing yet?

And perhaps the most powerful question:

What else might be true?

That is discernment.

Not believing every thought.

Not ignoring every feeling.

Not pretending we always know the answer.

But learning to look at our experience from more than one vantage point.

Because sometimes we don’t need a different path.

We need a different view. 🏔️💙

Tomorrow we’ll move into the fifth kosha, Anandamaya Kosha, traditionally associated with bliss, deep contentment, and an inner sense of wholeness.

Move with intention.
Breathe with awareness.
Honor the body you’re in today.

10/07/2026

🌊 WELLNESS WEDNESDAY

Manomaya Kosha | The Mental & Emotional Layer

Have you ever noticed how clearly the world is reflected when water becomes still?

The trees haven’t changed.

The sky hasn’t changed.

The surface has.

Today we move into the third of the Five Koshas: Manomaya Kosha, the layer associated in yogic philosophy with our thoughts, emotions, sensory impressions, and reactions.

In many ways, the mind is a little like this water.

All day long, we’re receiving information.

Something someone says.
A facial expression.
A memory.
A sound.
A text message.
Something we see online.

The mind receives it, interprets it, and often creates a story around it.

And sometimes one little ripple becomes another…

and another…

until it’s difficult to see clearly.

That’s why yoga isn’t necessarily about stopping our thoughts.

It’s about learning to notice them.

There is a subtle but powerful difference between:

“I am anxious.”

and

“I’m noticing anxiety.”

Between:

“Everything is going wrong.”

and

“I’m noticing the thought that everything is going wrong.”

That small shift creates a little space between what we’re experiencing and how we respond to it.

Modern psychology sometimes uses a related idea called cognitive defusion or decentering, learning to observe thoughts as mental events rather than automatically treating every thought as fact.

🌿 Today’s practice: NAME • NOTICE • BREATHE

When something stirs the waters today:

NAME IT.
What am I feeling or thinking?

NOTICE IT.
Where do I feel it in my body?

BREATHE.
Take one slow, comfortable breath before responding.

You don’t have to push the feeling away.

You don’t have to replace it with a positive thought.

And you certainly don’t have to judge yourself for having it.

Just notice the ripple.

Because sometimes clarity doesn’t come from trying harder to figure everything out.

Sometimes it comes when we become still enough to see what was there all along. 🌊

Tomorrow we’ll move from the activity of the mind into Vijnanamaya Kosha, the layer associated with wisdom, discernment, and deeper awareness.

Move with intention.
Breathe with awareness.
Honor the body you’re in today.

10/06/2026

🌬️ TECHNIQUE TUESDAY

Pranamaya Kosha | Follow the Breath

Sometimes we spend so much time looking for the right direction that we forget one of the simplest paths back to ourselves is already happening.

Breathe in.
Breathe out.

Yesterday we explored Annamaya Kosha, the physical body.

Today we move one layer inward to Pranamaya Kosha, the layer associated in yogic philosophy with prana, traditionally understood as vital life energy.

And one of yoga’s primary ways of exploring prana is through the breath.

I love the little trail sign in this photo:

↑ Main Route
← To Exit

Because sometimes our breath can become a kind of main route back to the present moment.

When we’re stressed, frightened, rushing, or overwhelmed, our breathing pattern often changes without us even realizing it. But breathing is unusual because although it happens automatically, we can also consciously influence it.

That gives us a doorway.

Modern science doesn’t measure prana as a biological energy, but it does show us something fascinating: changing the way we breathe can influence our physiology, including aspects of heart rate and autonomic nervous-system activity.

So today, instead of trying to think your way into calm, experiment with your breath.

🌿 TRY THIS: 4 IN • 6 OUT

Sit or stand comfortably.

🌬️ Inhale gently through your nose for 4.
🌬️ Exhale slowly for 6.

Don’t take the biggest breath you possibly can. Let it remain easy and comfortable.

Repeat for 5 rounds.

Then release the counting and allow your breathing to return to normal.

Notice.

Has anything shifted?

Your shoulders?
Your jaw?
Your heartbeat?
Your thoughts?

There is nothing you need to force.

Just follow the breath.

Maybe that’s one of yoga’s quietest lessons:

We spend so much of life searching for the path…

and sometimes the path has been moving through us all along. 🌬️🌿

Tomorrow we’ll travel another layer inward into Manomaya Kosha, the realm of thoughts, emotions, and sensory experience.

Move with intention.
Breathe with awareness.
Honor the body you’re in today.

10/05/2026

🌿 MINDFUL MONDAY

Annamaya Kosha | The Physical Body

Yesterday we introduced the Five Koshas, an ancient yogic framework for exploring the different layers of our human experience.

Today we begin with the layer we know best:

Annamaya Kosha, the physical body. 🧘‍♀️

The Sanskrit word anna means food or nourishment. Annamaya Kosha is sometimes called the “food body” because this physical body is literally built and continually renewed from what nourishes it.

But nourishment is bigger than what’s on your plate.

Your body is also shaped by movement, rest, sleep, sunlight, hydration, touch, breath, and the environment you live in.

It’s the body that carries you through your life.

The feet that meet the earth.
The lungs that expand with every breath.
The muscles that help you move.
The heart that keeps beating without being asked.

And yet, we can spend an extraordinary amount of time judging this body instead of experiencing it.

Too big.
Too small.
Too stiff.
Too weak.
Too old.
Not flexible enough.

Yoga invites us into a different relationship.

Instead of asking:

“What does my body look like?”

try asking:

“What is my body telling me today?”

That shift from judgment to awareness is part of the practice.

🌱 Today’s simple practice

Stand or sit quietly for one minute.

Feel where your body makes contact with the earth.

Notice your feet.
Notice your hands.
Notice where you’re holding tension.

Then take one slow breath and ask:

What would nourish my physical body today?

Maybe the answer is movement.

Maybe it’s water.

Maybe it’s nourishing food.

Maybe it’s rest.

Maybe it’s simply listening.

You don’t have to fix anything.

Begin by noticing.

Tomorrow we’ll move one layer inward to Pranamaya Kosha, the layer associated in yoga with breath and vital energy. 🌬️

Move with intention.
Breathe with awareness.
Honor the body you’re in today.

10/04/2026

🌿 SUNDAY RESET | Beyond the Physical

Most of us first come to yoga through the physical body.

We stretch.
We strengthen.
We balance.
We breathe.

But yoga has always asked us to look a little deeper.

In yogic philosophy, there is an ancient concept called the Five Koshas. Kosha is often translated as “sheath” or “layer.” Together, they offer a way of exploring ourselves beyond muscles, bones, and movement.

🧘‍♀️ Annamaya Kosha • the physical body
🌬️ Pranamaya Kosha • breath and vital energy
🧠 Manomaya Kosha • thoughts, emotions, and sensory experience
✨ Vijnanamaya Kosha • wisdom, discernment, and deeper awareness
🤍 Anandamaya Kosha • the subtle layer associated with inner contentment and bliss

Think of them less as five separate bodies and more as layers of our human experience, each influencing how we experience the others.

Your body can affect your breath.

Your breath can influence your state of mind.

Your thoughts and emotions can change the way your body feels.

And beneath all that activity, yoga invites us to discover something quieter.

This week at BB Fit Club, we’re going Beyond the Physical.

Each day, we’ll explore another layer of the koshas, where ancient yoga philosophy meets practical modern life. And when modern science helps us understand something, we’ll explore that too, while keeping science and spiritual tradition distinct.

Because yoga was never only about what your body can do.

It is also an invitation to notice what is happening within you.

🌿 Sunday Reset

Before the week begins, take one quiet minute.

Close your eyes.
Notice your body.
Notice your breath.
Notice your thoughts.

Then ask yourself:

“What changes when I stop doing for a moment… and simply notice?”

No need to find an answer.

Just notice.

Move with intention.
Breathe with awareness.
Honor the body you’re in today.

10/03/2026

🌉 BONUS | NOT EVERY BRIDGE IS MEANT TO BE CROSSED

Some bridges carry us forward.

Some take us back to places we’ve already outgrown.

And some simply remind us that we have a choice.

We spend so much of life building bridges: between people, between who we were and who we’re becoming, between where we are and where we hope to go.

But growth also asks us to recognize which bridges still belong in our lives.

Not every connection needs to be destroyed.
Not every door needs to be slammed shut.
Not every bridge needs to be burned.

Sometimes we simply stop crossing it.

There is wisdom in knowing the difference between a bridge that challenges you to keep going and one that continually leads you somewhere you no longer belong.

Maybe the question isn’t:

Which bridge should I burn?

Maybe it’s:

Which bridge is worth crossing now?

🌿 You are allowed to choose the path that supports who you are becoming.

✨ Move with intention. Breathe with awareness. Honor the body you’re in today.

BB Fit Club • Bending Beyond Fitness

10/03/2026

🌿 SATURDAY | SIMPLE PRACTICE

THE BRIDGE PAUSE

I’ve crossed a lot of bridges in my travels.

Some are sturdy and still.
Some sway beneath your feet.
Some make you stop halfway across just to take in the view.

And maybe that’s one reason I love the symbolism of Bridge Pose.

A bridge connects where you are with where you’re going.

But you don’t always have to hurry to the other side.

Sometimes there is value in simply pausing in the middle.

So after a week of exploring Bridge Pose, today’s practice is simple:

🧘‍♀️ Come onto your back with your knees bent and feet grounded.

🌿 Press evenly through your feet and slowly lift your hips.

💪 Let your glutes and the backs of your legs help support you without chasing height or forcing your low back.

🌬️ And then…stay.

Take 5 slow, steady breaths.

Feel your feet beneath you.
Notice your breath moving through your ribs.
Notice where your body is working.
Notice where you can soften.

Lower slowly and rest.

Repeat 2–3 times, and if it feels good in your body, stay for 8–10 comfortable breaths on your final round.

No pushing.

No trying to make the pose look a certain way.

Just enough effort to support yourself and enough stillness to notice what’s happening.

Because maybe that’s the lesson of a bridge:

We spend so much time thinking about where we’ve been and where we’re headed that we forget there is something worth experiencing right here in the middle.

Stay.

Breathe.

Notice.

Then, when you’re ready…

keep crossing. 🌿

Move with intention.
Breathe with awareness.
Honor the body you’re in today.

10/02/2026

🌿 BONUS FRIDAY | FROM BRIDGE TO WHEEL

We’ve spent the week building our Bridge.

Now… are you ready to see where that foundation can take you? 😉

Bridge Pose → Wheel Pose
Setu Bandha Sarvangasana → Urdhva Dhanurasana

Wheel takes many of the elements we’ve been practicing in Bridge and asks for more: more shoulder mobility, more strength through the arms and legs, more openness through the front body, and more awareness of how the whole body works together.

But here’s the important part:

Wheel isn’t a “better” Bridge.

It’s simply another place the practice can go.

🌿 TRY THE PROGRESSION

Begin on your back with your knees bent and feet grounded.

1. Lift into Bridge first. Notice how your feet, legs and glutes support you.
2. Lower down and place your hands beside your ears, palms grounded and fingers pointing toward your feet.
3. Press firmly through your feet and hands as you begin lifting your hips and chest.
4. If it feels appropriate for your body, continue pressing through the arms as you lift into Wheel Pose.
5. Breathe. Stay only as long as you can maintain a steady, supported shape, then lower with control.

And if today your body says, “Bridge is plenty, thank you very much,” listen to it. 😂

Yoga isn’t about collecting increasingly difficult poses.

It’s about learning when to explore and when to stay exactly where you are.

This week started with building a foundation.

Maybe that’s the lesson we finish with:

A strong foundation doesn’t demand that you go farther.
It simply gives you options. 🤎

✨ Move with intention. Breathe with awareness. Honor the body you’re in today.

BB Fit Club • Bending Beyond Fitness

10/02/2026

🔬 FOUNDATIONAL FRIDAY

BRIDGE POSE: WHAT’S ACTUALLY HOLDING YOU UP?

All week we’ve been talking about support.

And in Bridge Pose, support isn’t coming from one muscle doing all the work.

It’s a conversation.

Your feet press into the earth.
Your hips extend.
Your glutes and hamstrings contribute.
Muscles along the spine help stabilize and lift.
Your abdominal wall helps organize the trunk.

And research is giving us an increasingly interesting look at just how much the details matter.

A recent review of the supine bridge exercise found that changing things such as foot position, knee and hip angles, single-leg variations and added resistance can change which muscles are emphasized.

Another EMG study comparing conventional stabilization exercises with yoga-applied versions found that the yoga back-bridge variation produced greater activity in several trunk and gluteal muscles than the conventional back bridge used in the study.

That’s an important reminder for our yoga practice:

A pose isn’t just a shape.

How you enter it, where you place your feet, how you distribute pressure and how you organize your body can change what’s happening beneath the surface.

And here’s another interesting piece of newer research. In a 2026 study of 81 healthy women, six months of regular yoga practice was associated with measurable changes in the mechanical properties of the hamstrings and trapezius. The researchers used shear-wave elastography rather than simply asking participants whether they felt more flexible.

That doesn’t mean Bridge Pose alone caused those changes.

But it adds another piece to something we’re learning about movement:

Consistency matters.

Tuesday we learned the pose.
Wednesday we looked beneath the surface.
Thursday we asked what supports us. 🌳

And today science brings us right back to the same idea:

Strength isn’t created by one part working harder. It’s created through coordination.

That’s true in Bridge Pose.

And perhaps there’s a little wisdom in there for life, too. 🤎

✨ Move with intention. Breathe with awareness. Honor the body you’re in today.

BB Fit Club • Bending Beyond Fitness

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