Community Conversations is a way to build community through conversation. Coming together as a community is something we highly value at Satya. While each of us leads lives across a diverse array of experiences, beliefs, and backgrounds, the practice of yoga is what unites us all – building a greater connection with ourselves, and each other.  Community Conversations is a space where members of the Satya community – and beyond – continue the unifying practice of yoga through purposeful, facilitated conversations. Much like the physical practice of yoga asana (poses), the practice of intentional conversation is a practice of connection and awareness. As we exercise our capacity for purposeful and patient communication, we gain a greater understanding of ourselves and others, build a stronger sense of community, and carry compassion forward into the rest of our lives.  

This practice integrates fundamental tenets of yoga philosophy, namely ahimsa (nonviolence) and satya (truth), while using the framework of Community Building Circles (CBCs) to facilitate the intentional conversation. In each 90-minute conversation, Madison will guide participants through thoughtfully prepared questions that center around a particular theme, to which all participants have the opportunity to respond. In order to ensure a respectful space for all, conversations follow community-established guidelines.

Community Conversations is a way to build community through conversation. Coming together as a community is something we highly value at Satya. While each of us leads lives across a diverse array of experiences, beliefs, and backgrounds, the practice of yoga is what unites us all – building a greater connection with ourselves, and each other.  Community Conversations is a space where members of the Satya community – and beyond – continue the unifying practice of yoga through purposeful, facilitated conversations. Much like the physical practice of yoga asana (poses), the practice of intentional conversation is a practice of connection and awareness. As we exercise our capacity for purposeful and patient communication, we gain a greater understanding of ourselves and others, build a stronger sense of community, and carry compassion forward into the rest of our lives.  

This practice integrates fundamental tenets of yoga philosophy, namely ahimsa (nonviolence) and satya (truth), while using the framework of Community Building Circles (CBCs) to facilitate the intentional conversation. In each 90-minute conversation, Madison will guide participants through thoughtfully prepared questions that center around a particular theme, to which all participants have the opportunity to respond. In order to ensure a respectful space for all, conversations follow community-established guidelines.

CURRENT THEME THROUGHOUT AUTUMN 2025:

This season of Community Conversations is inspired by Paul Tillich's The Courage to Be. According to Tillich, courage is essential to human existence. Courage is what drives us to act intentionally as we navigate the many challenges and uncertainties of life. When we feel overwhelmed by tragedies of the world, be they near or far, courage is what enables us to create positive change. Courage calls us to be brave in the face of doubt, demands that we act rather than surrender. As we collectively strive to create a better world, courage is what makes every one of us powerful, resilient, and capable.

Each conversation in this theme will ask individuals to explore this idea of courageous being. We will each have the opportunity to share about our unique expression of being courageous, as well as listen to how others find courage within their own sense of self. Through honest dialogue and compassionate listening, our community will learn about courage and being.

Community Conversations is a way to build community through conversation. Coming together as a community is something we highly value at Satya. While each of us leads lives across a diverse array of experiences, beliefs, and backgrounds, the practice of yoga is what unites us all – building a greater connection with ourselves, and each other.  Community Conversations is a space where members of the Satya community – and beyond – continue the unifying practice of yoga through purposeful, facilitated conversations. Much like the physical practice of yoga asana (poses), the practice of intentional conversation is a practice of connection and awareness. As we exercise our capacity for purposeful and patient communication, we gain a greater understanding of ourselves and others, build a stronger sense of community, and carry compassion forward into the rest of our lives.  

This practice integrates fundamental tenets of yoga philosophy, namely ahimsa (nonviolence) and satya (truth), while using the framework of Community Building Circles (CBCs) to facilitate the intentional conversation. In each 90-minute conversation, Madison will guide participants through thoughtfully prepared questions that center around a particular theme, to which all participants have the opportunity to respond. In order to ensure a respectful space for all, conversations follow community-established guidelines.

CURRENT THEME THROUGHOUT SUMMER 2025: Curiosity as Liberation Remaining open while experiencing strong sensations, thoughts, or emotions requires a certain amount of curiosity. Observing without judgement in an effort to be present with everything as it is requires practice This is the work of these conversations, that can lead to a sense of freedom when we choose how to respond instead of habitually reacting. Each time we make a conscious choice, it is liberating, and in starting this process for ourselves we can more easily bring it out into the world, and into many different aspects of our lives.

Curiosity is a radical act. To be curious is to admit that there is something you have yet to understand. When faced with what feels like certainty, curiosity challenges you to remain humble. This practice of being open to new ideas, beliefs, and experiences is often an uncomfortable one: rather than relying on habitually easy patterns of thought, curiosity relinquishes assumptions for the sake of possibilities. Curiosity frees us from dogmatic constraints, inviting uncertainty for the sake of itself. The humble act of asking a question is challenging, but this unique experience of wonder is what liberates the mind.

Community Conversations invites everyone to practice this humbling act of curiosity. As we listen to ourselves and one another without judgment, we gain a greater capacity to remain curious about the world around us. With compassionate uncertainty we learn to invite new ways of understanding each other.  

Signing up for the full 3-Part Series with John Mackey. 

This will include the Lower Body practice on September 13th, the Mid Body practice on October 11th, and the Upper Body practice on November 8th. Each session is held in-person at Studio Satya, from 2-4:00pm, and will include the following, with an emphasis on each section as noted above. 

1) A short slow flow practice to heal and release tight sore muscles and fascia in the hip and low back, reducing restriction and pain. We will incorporate conscious awareness of each movement to reacquaint the subconscious mind with the greater movement. This flow is based on the healing work of Gary Kraftsow.

2) A full yin practice for healing the tougher tissues, bones, cartilage, ligaments, tendons (based upon the work of Paul Grilley and Bernie Clark. As we strengthen these tissues, the muscles can act with full strength rather than moderate their applied force to keep from injuring the joint. Meditation with music to coax the cells to rebuild.

3) A short integrative Hatha Flow practice to put all of the principles together. We will move continually with strength, new freedom and movement with automatic muscle memory.

4) Time for Q&A, and myofascial release work on requested areas.  

Community Conversations is a way to build community through conversation. Coming together as a community is something we highly value at Satya. While each of us leads lives across a diverse array of experiences, beliefs, and backgrounds, the practice of yoga is what unites us all – building a greater connection with ourselves, and each other.  Community Conversations is a space where members of the Satya community – and beyond – continue the unifying practice of yoga through purposeful, facilitated conversations. Much like the physical practice of yoga asana (poses), the practice of intentional conversation is a practice of connection and awareness. As we exercise our capacity for purposeful and patient communication, we gain a greater understanding of ourselves and others, build a stronger sense of community, and carry compassion forward into the rest of our lives.  

This practice integrates fundamental tenets of yoga philosophy, namely ahimsa (nonviolence) and satya (truth), while using the framework of Community Building Circles (CBCs) to facilitate the intentional conversation. In each 90-minute conversation, Madison will guide participants through thoughtfully prepared questions that center around a particular theme, to which all participants have the opportunity to respond. In order to ensure a respectful space for all, conversations follow community-established guidelines.

CURRENT THEME THROUGHOUT AUTUMN 2025:

This season of Community Conversations is inspired by Paul Tillich's The Courage to Be. According to Tillich, courage is essential to human existence. Courage is what drives us to act intentionally as we navigate the many challenges and uncertainties of life. When we feel overwhelmed by tragedies of the world, be they near or far, courage is what enables us to create positive change. Courage calls us to be brave in the face of doubt, demands that we act rather than surrender. As we collectively strive to create a better world, courage is what makes every one of us powerful, resilient, and capable.

Each conversation in this theme will ask individuals to explore this idea of courageous being. We will each have the opportunity to share about our unique expression of being courageous, as well as listen to how others find courage within their own sense of self. Through honest dialogue and compassionate listening, our community will learn about courage and being.

Change is the one constant we can count on—yet our natural instinct is often to resist it. Whether in our bodies, relationships, careers, or within our communities and the wider world, change can feel unsettling, overwhelming, and even frightening.

This three-hour workshop offers a supportive space to explore your relationship with change through the wisdom of yoga and mindful reflection. Together, we’ll ground in community and gently explore how change is showing up in your life right now, and how it lands in your body.

Through breathwork, gentle movement, journaling, and meaningful dialogue, you’ll discover ways to encounter change with a little more ease. We’ll close with a restful yoga nidra practice to integrate your experience. Come exactly as you are—no prior yoga experience is needed.

Our first Bike Ride Social was such a hit, we’ve decided to come together in this way more often. Mark your calendars for October 18th to experience Austin and the Satya community in a new way.

Ridealong with Madison & friends as we cruise through Crestview and Rosedale to meet for dinner at Central Market. On the way back, we will ride through the State Hospital and Triangle before rolling back to the studio. The full ride (meal included) should last for around 3 hours, with nearly 10 miles of distance covered. If you don’t feel like the bike ride itself is for you, please feel free to meet us at Central Market for the dinner portion of the evening!

Join in this sweet community ride, and experience Austin and our Satya community in a unique way.

Join Quentin for this time together, discussing When No Thing Works. In this time of collective acceleration—when institutions crumble, climate chaos intensifies, and polarization hardens hearts—Zen Rōshi and Native Hawaiian guide Norma Wong offers something different than solutions. She offers a way of being. Part poetry, part strategy, part spiritual teaching, When No Thing Works reads like sitting with a wise friend who sees both the falling-apartness and what's arising. With stories that spiral and return, with humor that lightens without dismissing, Wong invites us to:

• Lift our gaze from urgent chaos to see the horizon beckoning
• Move from "I" to "we" through breaking bread, sipping tea, sharing stories
• Find the critical juncture (机) where change begins
• Practice the leaps that collective transformation requires—not alone, but as "one and one and one"

Rather than offering answers, Wong opens doorways—showing us how to be at the threshold between a devolving world and an emergent one, how to hear what cannot be heard, how to move in the slipstream of these times with both urgency and patience. For those feeling the weight of "too much going much faster," for those seeking a different rhythm, for those ready to cocreate rather than merely resist—this book is invitation and companion.

"What we do with this, matters."

Join Quentin for this time together, discussing When No Thing Works. In this time of collective acceleration—when institutions crumble, climate chaos intensifies, and polarization hardens hearts—Zen Rōshi and Native Hawaiian guide Norma Wong offers something different than solutions. She offers a way of being. Part poetry, part strategy, part spiritual teaching, When No Thing Works reads like sitting with a wise friend who sees both the falling-apartness and what's arising. With stories that spiral and return, with humor that lightens without dismissing, Wong invites us to:

Lift our gaze from urgent chaos to see the horizon beckoning
Move from "I" to "we" through breaking bread, sipping tea, sharing stories
Find the critical juncture (机) where change begins
Practice the leaps that collective transformation requires—not alone, but as "one and one and one"
Rather than offering answers, Wong opens doorways—showing us how to be at the threshold between a devolving world and an emergent one, how to hear what cannot be heard, how to move in the slipstream of these times with both urgency and patience. For those feeling the weight of "too much going much faster," for those seeking a different rhythm, for those ready to cocreate rather than merely resist—this book is invitation and companion.

"What we do with this, matters."

Part 3 of the three part workshop. The yin and yang for the upper body focuses on the thoracic body, arms, and head and neck, with:

1) A short slow flow practice to heal and release tight sore muscles and fascia in the upper body, reducing restriction and pain. We will incorporate conscious awareness of each movement to reacquaint the subconscious mind with the greater movement. This flow is based on the healing work of Gary Kraftsow.

2) A full yin practice for healing the tougher tissues, bones, cartilage, ligaments, tendons (based upon the work of Paul Grilley and Bernie Clark. As we strengthen these tissues, the muscles can act with full strength rather than moderate their applied force to keep from injuring the joint. Meditation with music to coax the cells to rebuild.

3) A short integrative Hatha Flow practice to put all of the principles together. We will move continually with strength, new freedom and movement with automatic muscle memory.

4) Time for Q&A, and myofascial release work on requested areas.