A class holding a standing warrior pose, the picture layered with warm streaks of evening light

Halloween · Saturday, October 31st · Magic Forest

From Darkness to Light

A Day of Yoga, Breath and Fire

Yoga · Pranayama · Yoga Nidra · Sauna

$140The day, lunch included
20% offYoga on Main members and students
11:00 to sunsetPractice, lunch, forest, fire
SaunaIncluded, after the walk
All levelsNo experience needed

As the world grows darker, let’s gather together to turn toward the light within, connect with our inner wisdom, and honor the cycles of nature.

On the last day of October, we will spend the whole day at Magic Forest, from late morning until after the sun goes down. We begin with a long, unhurried practice: gentle therapeutic movement, Ashtanga yoga, mudrā and prāṇāyāma, and yoga nidrā to close.

After lunch, we walk along Spring Creek and enjoy the fall foliage. When we get back, we light the sauna fire and enjoy a magic show as Andrew talks about the five elements in Indian philosophy. As it gets dark, we build a fire and sit around it together.

Many cultures have marked the last night of October as a turning toward winter, when the nights lengthen and people gather close. Halloween carries ancient associations with death and rebirth. In a different way, the Indian traditions of tantra and haṭha yoga also explore the mysteries of life, death, and transformation through practices involving the body, breath, and mind. These traditions have their own histories, and each contributes something to the rich cultural inheritance of the world.

Join us for a day of yoga, friendship, nature, and honoring the changing season. Everyone is welcome, regardless of their experience with yoga.

The prayer behind the day

Asato mā sad gamaya
Tamaso mā jyotir gamaya
Mṛtyor mā amṛtaṃ gamaya

Lead me from the unreal to the real, from darkness to light, from death to immortality.
Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad 1.3.28

The middle line gives this day its name.

The shape of the day.

Darkness

Release

We begin on the floor. Soft balls under the back and the feet, slow stretching, then an hour of Ashtanga at whatever pace your body asks for. Grounding work, and quiet enough to notice what you are ready to put down.

Fire

Transform

Agni, fire, is the yogic name for the heat that digests and clears. Mudrā and prāṇāyāma work directly with it from the inside, and in the late afternoon the sauna gives it back to the body from outside.

Light

Renew

Yoga nidrā, half an hour of guided rest, with a saṅkalpa, a short resolve, held at its center. Then, as the sun goes down, we build a fire and sit around it together.

The three name the arc of the day. On the clock, yoga nidrā comes before lunch, while the body is still quiet from practice, and the fire waits for dusk.

A full class folding forward on their mats in a wood-beamed yoga room, a teacher assisting at the center

Schedule.

10:30: Arrive and settle in
11:00: Opening talk with Andrew and Mila
11:20: Therapeutic movement: self-massage, slow stretching
11:50: Ashtanga, all levels
12:50: Short break
1:00: Mudra and pranayama
2:00: Short break
2:10: Yoga nidra, led by Mila
3:00: Lunch
4:00: A walk along Spring Creek
4:45: Magic show around the fire
5:00: Sauna
Sunset: Sit around the fire

These timings are flexible. The practice keeps its own pace, and nobody will be hurried.

The practice.

The morning is one long practice, about three and a half hours with two short breaks. We will explore yoga in depth, moving from the physical to the more subtle practices.

We begin with gentle therapeutic movements to loosen the body, open the joints, and prepare for Ashtanga yoga. As we move through the postures, we will explore the mythology, symbolism, and deeper meaning behind them, connecting the physical practice to the larger yoga tradition.

From there, we turn to the more subtle techniques of haṭha yoga, exploring the classical mudrās and prāṇāyāma taught by Guruji, Dr. B.N.S. Iyengar. This is an opportunity to experience these teachings through practice rather than simply hearing about them.

All practices can be adapted and done without holding the breath. If you have any health conditions that might be relevant, please let us know when you register.

Yoga nidra.

Mila leads the yoga nidrā, yogic sleep: about half an hour of guided meditation, lying down. Please bring your favorite yoga props, such as blankets, bolsters, and eye bags, so that you can be completely comfortable during this session.

The afternoon.

We cook lunch for everyone: kitchari, the rice and mung dal dish Ayurveda turns to when the body needs something easy to digest, with salad, mango chutney, fruit and a big pot of chai made with ginger and turmeric. Bring your own drinks and snacks if you like. You are welcome to bring a dish to share, but you don't have to.

After lunch we walk in the forest along Spring Creek, over soft sand, with the fall foliage all around us. When we come back, Andrew does a magic show around the fire while the sauna heats up. Then the sauna, and as the sun goes down, we sit around the fire together.

A lantern glowing on a mossy stone among the trees at Magic Forest

A yogi balancing in a standing split on a sandstone outcrop against bare winter trees

Andrew Eppler demonstrating Thai bodywork on a mat while a circle of students watches

A teacher assisting a student on the mat while another student looks on

Two practitioners in handstand side by side in a sunlit, wood-floored yoga room

A seated Thai bodywork stretch on a striped mat, the arms drawn back

A side-lying Thai bodywork stretch, the practitioner leaning over his partner’s hip

A man sitting in lotus and smiling, beside flowers and a brass gong

A man practicing pranayama cross-legged on fallen leaves under an oak tree

A full class in downward dog in a wood-floored yoga room

A man seated on white sand by the creek, green trees behind him

A man standing by a campfire at dusk as a group sits around it on blankets

A large circle of students seated on mats in a bright, open yoga room

A group seated around a fire at night, torches burning behind them

Four women walking away along a grassy path toward the woods

A group practicing on blankets in the forest below a stone outcrop

Students reaching forward on their mats across a wooden floor

A teacher assisting a student in a seated forward bend

Two hands pressing into a back in Thai bodywork

A young tree in blossom in a meadow under a blue sky

A yogi balancing in half moon pose on red sandstone by the creek

A wood stove on a tiled hearth beside a bucket of kindling

One student standing to lift and extend the leg of another lying on a blanket

Pairs practicing Thai bodywork stretches across a bright studio floor

A student working a partner’s leg in a Thai bodywork stretch, others practicing behind

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What to know.

Wear what you would wear to practice, and bring layers. Late October in Oklahoma turns cool quickly once the sun is down, and the end of the day is outdoors.

Eat a light breakfast, and early. Lunch comes at three, after the practice. A full stomach makes prāṇāyāma uncomfortable and the twisting work worse.

The practical part

When: Saturday, October 31. Arrive around 10:30 to settle in, so we can start at 11:00. We finish after sunset.
Where: Magic Forest, 20180 Fulkerson Rd, Noble, Oklahoma 73068.
Get directions
Bring: Your mat and your props for yoga nidrā: blankets, a bolster, an eye bag. We have some bolsters, but perhaps not enough for everyone, so bring yours if you have one. Also water, warm layers for the evening, and a towel and swimsuit for the sauna.
Provided: Lunch, chai, and cushions to sit on.
Experience: Not necessary.
Cost: $140 for the day, lunch included. Yoga on Main members and students pay $112, which is 20% off.

Andrew and Mila.

We are Andrew Eppler and Mila Rybakova Eppler, the owners of Yoga on Main in Norman, and we have both practiced yoga for a long time. Follow either name to read more about each of us.

Register for the day.

$140, lunch included, or $112 for Yoga on Main members and students. Saturday, October 31, at Magic Forest in Noble. Arrive around 10:30, and we start at 11:00.

If the money is the obstacle, call or message us. There is usually something we can work out.