The Sound That Leads Us Home

A reflection on Mantra, Truth, Love, and the Practice of Returning Inward.

As I sit down to inspire another blog post, I ask myself: what words are filling my thoughts?

My mind hears the language of harsh words, fear, distraction, and mental confusion. I notice how quickly the noise of the outer world can take me away from my balanced state of mind.

So I return to what I know.

I return to my practice.

I begin with sound, which precedes form. I begin with the sound of my own whisper breath. Thoughts arise, and my inner dialogue must be carefully chosen if I want to feed the deeper consciousness of my practice.

I set a small intention to make time and space. I want to invite sound and vibration as a pathway toward self-love. My mind wants to rush. It wants to turn practice into another item on the daily checklist.

But I know the respect of practice is not to demand what I want. It is to offer the opportunity for space to be revealed.

I do not know what that will look like.

I am only going to practice.

Sound, Form, and the Energy Body

The yogic teachings remind us that sound precedes form.

What we see as material form can also be understood through vibration, energy, and possibility. The physical body I live in is not only solid matter. It is also an energy body filled with vibrational potential.

Sound gives birth to form.

“In the beginning, there was the word.”

The sound.

My practice is mantra-focused. Mantras are sacred sounds that hold vibrational power and the potency to shift the limited reality that has been stuck in memory.

So often, our perception of the world is seeing only in material matter. We believe only what we can see. But mantra offers another way.

Mantra is protection for the mind.

“Man” means mind.
“Tra” means to cross over, or to protect.

Mantra helps us cross over the restless mind and begin to sense that maybe, just maybe, there is another way to see.

Mantra as a Pathway to Clarity

Our thoughts create the forms of our reality. If we feel bound or limited by that reality, practice can begin to shift our perception. Clarity can be revealed.

This is not an easy concept. It asks for a willingness to practice with an open mind and an open heart. It asks for a deeper commitment to the subtle tools of yoga.

I am always humbled to be a student, and I only offer the teachings that I have personally experienced. To teach is to meet the student where they are.

And so we begin with the grace of “not knowing.”

My entire commitment is to connect with the deepest part of myself that feels anything is possible. Reflecting on my life, I know I can shift the rudder ever so gently in another direction.

I must not strive to get there.

I must be willing to be here.

The effort is the commitment.

A slight shift from what I see in the outer landscape can open an inner place of possibility. What is the word for that feeling?

My mantra invites protection. It helps me cross over. I drop the language of fear and invite support. I ask to feel stable, steady, and held.

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From Gross to Subtle

The tools of yoga move from gross to subtle, from the outer layers of the body toward the inner landscape of breath, mind, heart, and spirit.

The outer orientation of asana is the mastery of the physical structure, beginning with the spine. It includes alignment, stability, strength, and range of motion.

The inner orientation of asana is to make the body a spacious container for the breath. This prepares us for the tool of pranayama.

The outer orientation of pranayama is mastery of the physiology through the autonomic nervous system. Breath influences digestion, respiration, cardiovascular rhythms, immune function, and hormonal balance.

The inner orientation of pranayama is to make the breath a safe place for the mind. This prepares us for meditation.

Meditation begins with the wandering mind and the field of attention. We learn to notice distraction. We learn to focus more deeply. We learn to stay with what is actually here, rather than becoming lost in every thought or feeling.

This is where mantra becomes so helpful.

I begin by repeating it as a chant. I feel it and hear it. I offer it as a way to focus. Then, silently, I allow the mantra to become second nature as it links my mind inward.

The inner orientation of meditation is to make the mind a stable place for the heart. This prepares us for deeper prayer.

Mantra is the sound of prayer without the attachment to ego-driven desires to get, to fix, to control, or to do.

Mantra is the sound of prayer without the need to fix, control, or do.

Prayer, the Heart, and the Kleshas

Outer prayer arises from a desire to let go of resistance.

Thoughts simply move through.

There is a longing to let go of personality and patterned habits of attachment, aversion, and fear. In the teachings, these are called the kleshas — those habits of inner language rooted in learned behavior.

They are the familiar thoughts of resentment, insecurity, jealousy, greed, envy, and pride.

They are the ways we keep ourselves comfortable in our discomfort.

The inner orientation of prayer is to make the heart a soft, open vessel for the Divine. It prepares us for sound. It allows the vibrational gifts of our nature to reveal themselves as loving, compassionate, courageous qualities of inner wisdom.

Words no longer hold us hostage to old beliefs.

Sound opens a space of pure potential.

The deeper place of this knowing rests in an orientation of silence as pure light. The intellect will never fully comprehend the immense space of this light, because words cannot fully wrap around the experience.

This experience is also constantly changing.

The effect is a peaceful, calming reality of feeling fully alive. There is a profound sweetness in being held by this experience.

The mind resting in that presence will meet each of us where we are. No human being is the same. We are not programmed for the fixed identity that the outer layers of society may try to dictate.

The Divine arises through each of us as our own unique experience. It is expressed as clarity — a way to respond in our own special way, in our own words.

The ability to extend kindness can become more effortless.

Practice in Turbulent Times

Humanity is asking us to pay attention and shift.

Our physical bodies are the vehicles through which the essence of love can be expressed throughout our life journey. Regardless of the challenges we are facing as we witness a changing world, commitment to practice becomes an assertion of human freedom.

Practice releases the energy we possess and allows us to take creative leaps together. The field of possibility opens. The beauty of living can be fulfilled with inner contentment.

We are here to illuminate and shine, and to allow resistance to be removed.

Now the practice is to stay open as we navigate turbulent times of change. We must feel rooted in the words that feed the loving heart.

Let us share the words that arise from our thoughts. May they inspire right action. May they extend from our true nature, filled with language that inspires healing.

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Satyagraha: The Force of Truth and Love

I wanted to share the mantra that inspired this post: Satyagraha.

Satyagraha was Gandhi’s call for a movement rooted in truth, love, and nonviolence. He inspired India to embrace the movement's calling, as expressed in the mantra, which means “The force which is born of Truth and love and nonviolence.”

The immense vibration of this word reminds me, with a smile, of the sword of light in the Star Wars saga and the phrase, “May the force be with you.”

But the true force is not domination.

The true force is love.

It is the sword of light that cuts through the darkness of our thoughts.

As we celebrate our nation’s 250th anniversary, may we return to the words that feed truth. May we practice the language of healing. May we listen for the sound that leads us home.

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What word, prayer, or phrase helps you return to the steadier place within yourself?

Blessings,
Laura Jane

Continue your practice
If this reflection speaks to you, we invite you to explore our weekly classes and upcoming workshops at Yoga Among Friends.

Gift of Sharing A "Hello"

Once the light returns and the days lengthen, I find the serenity of welcoming summer. In the Midwest, after our wild winter of cold and dark, we begin the ritual of going outside to say hello to our neighbors.

The greeting "hello" is humanity’s need for connection. It is the elixir the soul needs.

Welcoming is the ability to let in the sweet smile of one’s heart and the grace of acknowledging that we are in need of human kindness. A simple, direct nod and greeting allows for an experience of opening and receiving.

We, as humans, need shared moments that give us permission to feel alive and seen. We are in the midst of a human condition of loneliness and isolation. After COVID, we have forgotten how important it is to feel the energy of a collective embrace of belonging.

The greeting of hello is humanity’s need for connection.

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I never thought that when I named my yoga center, Yoga Among Friends, it would become such a profound legacy of my own personal need for community.

I knew how important it was for my own existence, as I had lived in LA for years and struggled to feel a true connection. I was going through a divorce, moving constantly to find a home, and not feeling comfortable fitting in with a religious organization or a health club gym that never called my soul.

I always wanted to have a community that allowed me to question and remain curious, without the rigid dogma of limited possibilities. I also never intended the practice of yoga to be seen as only body image or the identity of one’s physical abilities.

I always saw the teachings as a way to embrace self-love and acceptance, and as the gateway to feeling one’s true inner beauty.

When I started teaching yoga, there was never a dress code defined by the fashion industry. I would laugh when most questions about coming into the studio were, “What do I wear?” My response has always been, “Wear what feels comfortable for you.”

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Yes, outer identity is what keeps us separated, when the true gift of practicing yoga is that we can drop the outer shell of our containers and be seen as a living, breathing expression of a smile.

It takes a willingness to explore the coming inward and the dropping of an outer protection that hides our inner light. This is not done in one class, nor is it expected to result in some huge transformation.

It is a willingness to be committed to sitting with our awkwardness and to witness the frustration of our physical bodies breathing and moving in new ways.

The shifts in thought that keep us hostage to old beliefs and habits slowly come to our awareness. And with that awareness, a profound shift begins.

Self-love is not self-pleasure or the need to fix ourselves. It is self-acceptance. It is the ability to meet oneself right where one is, and to experience the welcoming of our true self in loving kindness.

It is the ability to receive the greeting of a simple hello that can nourish the empty space in our hearts that has longed to be seen.

Namaste is the simple hello that says, "The light in me sees the light in you."

How beautiful and how lovely to be seen.

Namaste is the simple hello that says: the light in me sees the light in you.

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Ready to step into the studio? Explore our class schedule and find a practice that feels supportive.

I hope to inspire you to come into the studio as a safe haven. To feel the support of being enough, and the willingness to risk dropping the armor of protection that the mind has learned.

Sometimes the mind overprotects and prevents life from coming in.

To breathe, one needs an open physical space, and the mind must feel safe. Tension is a physical response to fear, and it is normal when we are conditioned to doubt everything.

Trust is not the intellect, but the grace of feeling the ease of the intelligence, letting go and allowing something other to be revealed.

Feeling comfortable in our skin is a lifelong journey as we age and navigate all the stages of life.

To celebrate living and to share our hearts together is the true grace that keeps me committed to this sweet studio.

This summer, we are celebrating so many great teachers who are sharing their own expressions of these teachings.

Where in your life are you longing to feel welcomed, seen, or simply greeted with kindness?

We are community, and we are all saying hello.

I hope you join us in a greeting of love.

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Frequently Asked Questions

• What does Namaste mean in yoga?

  Namaste is often understood as a greeting of respect and recognition. At Yoga Among Friends, it is a simple reminder that the light within each of us can recognize and honor the light in another.

• Is Yoga Among Friends welcoming for beginners?

  Yes. Yoga Among Friends welcomes new and returning students with supportive guidance, thoughtful options, and a compassionate place to practice at your own pace.
  
  If you are new to the studio, our Start Here page can help you begin gently, learn what to expect, and explore the current New Student Intro Offer

• Can yoga help with loneliness or feeling disconnected?

  Yoga is not only a physical practice. Practicing in community can help create moments of connection, belonging, and shared presence, especially when we are longing to feel seen and supported.

Not sure where to begin? Reach out and we’ll be happy to help you find a class that feels supportive.

Need a Tuesday Evening Reset? Meet Grounded Power Flow

A stronger, steadier yoga class with Lisa Manecke, beginning Tuesday, May 26, at Yoga Among Friends.

Some yoga stories begin with a deep spiritual calling.

Lisa Manecke’s began with a co-worker sprinting out the door with a yoga mat.

It was 1997, and Lisa was working as a marketing assistant in Indianapolis. Once a week, her marketing manager would leave work with her mat tucked under her arm. Lisa asked where she was going.

Yoga.

What Lisa noticed next stayed with her. If this co-worker missed yoga, she was not happy. But when she went, she seemed centered, energized, beautiful, and, as Lisa remembers, “soooo cool.”

So Lisa signed up for a yoga class at the Y the very next week.

“I have been hooked ever since,” she says.

“I have been hooked ever since”

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From One First Class to a Lifetime of Practice

Nearly three decades later, Lisa still practices almost every day. Yoga has moved with her through many seasons of life, and it has become something she can return to again and again.

“You really don’t need anything to do it,” Lisa says. “You can do it anywhere — and I have. Any amount of yoga makes you feel better about life.”

That lived love of practice is what she brings to Grounded Power Flow, her new Tuesday evening class at Yoga Among Friends in Downers Grove.

Grounded Power Flow begins Tuesday, May 26, from 6:00–7:15 PM. This active, steady evening class blends mindful movement, breath, strength, and spacious stretching to help students release the day and reconnect to themselves.

Maybe you have had a moment like that, too — seeing someone return from yoga a little softer, lighter, or more like themselves, and wondering, What is happening in that room?

What Lisa’s Class Feels Like

Lisa describes her teaching style as traditional, with a foundation in Ashtanga-based flow. Her own practice is rooted mostly in Ashtanga, and she brings that steady structure into class in a way that is clear, curious, and accessible.

She likes to demonstrate. She likes to pause and workshop a pose. She likes helping students discover a new way in.

“I love to teach students something new,” Lisa says, “or a different way to get into a pose.”

So yes, you can expect to move.
You can expect to build heat.
You can expect strength, stretching, breath, and moments of learning along the way.

Lisa puts it more simply:

“Expect to have fun, sweat, stretch, strengthen, and breathe deeper than you’ve breathed all day.”

“Expect to have fun, sweat, stretch, strengthen, and breathe deeper than you’ve breathed all day.”

This is a full-body practice with steady movement, accessible strength-building, heart-opening stretches, and the kind of breath that helps you return to your body after a long day.

It is active, but not frantic.
Strong, but not harsh.
Grounded, but never boring.

Who Grounded Power Flow Is For

Grounded Power Flow is best for students who want a more active yoga practice that still feels mindful, grounded, and supportive.

This class may be a good fit if you are looking for:

• steady movement after a long day

• a class that builds strength without losing breath awareness

• an evening reset that helps you release stress

• a practice that feels energizing, but not frantic

• a way to reconnect to your body with more presence and ease

This is not meant to be the gentlest offering on the Yoga Among Friends schedule. If you are brand new to yoga, working with an injury, or looking for a slower, more restorative class, another class may be a better starting place.

But if you are ready to move, breathe, strengthen, and leave feeling clearer than when you arrived, this class may be exactly what your Tuesday evening needs.

A Teacher with Deep Roots and a Light Heart

Lisa completed her 200-hour teacher training through Moksha Yoga Chicago in 2004, where she also managed the Lakeview studio. During that time, she immersed herself in every workshop she could.

Over the years, she has practiced with and studied among many influential teachers, including Pattabhi Jois, Ana Forrest, Tim Miller, Kino MacGregor, Shiva Rea, Seane Corn, Baron Baptiste, Rod Stryker, Dharma Mittra, and others.

That depth is part of what makes her teaching feel grounded. But Lisa does not make yoga feel overly serious or out of reach.

Her favorite teaching themes say a lot:

“Any yoga is better than no yoga.”

“Inversions are like happy pills.”

“Backbends are like pancakes. The first two don’t count.”

That is Lisa.

Deep practice, light heart.

Deep practice, light heart.

A traditional foundation, but room to laugh.
A teacher who loves yoga, lives yoga, and still remembers exactly what it felt like to be inspired by someone walking out the door with a mat.

Now she gets to be that person for someone else.

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Join Lisa on Tuesday Evenings

Lisa’s hope is simple: that students leave class feeling better than when they arrived.

Less stressed. More relaxed. A little sweaty. More spacious.

And grateful they carved out the time to practice.

Join Lisa for Grounded Power Flow on Tuesdays from 6:00–7:15 PM, beginning May 26, at Yoga Among Friends in Downers Grove.

Come ready to move, breathe, strengthen, sweat a little, and leave feeling more like yourself.