Year in Review

This time last year I was sitting in a very empty house in Philadelphia surrounded by some friends and many empty bottles of champagne...all sitting on the floor. This week I am dedicating my blogs to the many things I have learned over the year. I thought I kick the week off with an artist I didn't even know existed. But after 6 months of working just below her solo exhibit at the RISD Museum staring at her work and at her catalogue's sold in the store...and yes meeting (that's a stretch) her in person. Her art has strongly influenced my practice and teaching style.








"radiating, almost spiritual, beauty. Steir’s work, tied to nature and the progression of time with, as she noted, “gravity and levity” as partners, provide the viewer with respite in their calm physicality. Compounded with the eastern philosophies and painting traditions that have influenced her, one is left with an understanding of transience, the fleeting nature of beauty, and the delicate fragility of the natural world. An awareness of our unconscious “moving through space” as tied to nature provides us with a precious desire to protect it."

Dwell in Possibility

5 Day Ashtanga Yoga Intensive at Motion Center with Jill



A chance to go deeper with the daily practice of Ashtanga Yoga. Class will be held for 5 days with enrollment limited to 8 students. In the Mysore style yoga practice method, each student practices the same sequence of poses at their own pace. Over 5 days, a relationship develops between teacher, student, and the practice. This method provides time for observation, assessment and direction. The effects will encourage and inspire you!

You do not need to have an already established Ashtanga Yoga practice to
participate in the intensive. It is open to anyone who wants to cultivate
a relationship with yoga through commitment and consistency.

Space is limited and filling up fast! Contact Motion Center (just awared best yoga studio by RI Monthly) to enroll.

"Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it. Begin it now."

-Goethe

Yoga Wars

My dear friend Cyndi told me that some friends/students in Philly were sad that I wasn't actively bogging anymore. Like I said in my last post I was needing to put a reign on my ranting and start focusing on being more and more positive, like a modern day Patanjali, being positive in a positive way.

An article in the New York Times about Anusara yoga and its founder John Friend exploded on the Internet last week. Let me be clear I did not read the whole article, it was long and frankly I believe there is nothing as silly as reading about yoga. Yoga is about doing. I also knew that there was going to be a lot of debris flying...look don't mess with people's life changing vehicle.

Ever since I starting practicing Ashtanga Yoga I have heard all the criticism. Mostly from yoga students who have never practiced Ashtanga Yoga let alone met Guruji or traveled to Mysore, India. I have stopped arguing about yoga and what method is right, what method is more spiritual, what method is true...My advice.. stop reading about yoga and start a practice.

Shraddha

If you think making it to the mat is difficult

http://www.johnromeo.net/page1/page1.html

Bady Lady Blogger

It is not that I haven't had musing of late. Some of my close friends have had to endure long monologues on frustration, loneliness, shock, and defeat. Then I remembered the advice of two wise men:

"what's your business." Mike, my husband
"mind your business." Shri Brahmanada Sarasvati

and yesterday morning when 10! students piled in a room and began practicing in silence more then half had their very first lesson with me I nearly cried.

What's my business? I teach yoga and I inspire students to go the extra step, to question what they heard and what they think they know. There are way too many announcements about upcoming events and how the Mysore program at Motion Center will be expanding to 5 mornings a week in September!

Please pass the word tomorrow is Guru Purinam and I am so blessed to be holding Shabda Sunday. Guruji was born on the full moon in July and his birthday was celebrated every year on that auspicious occasion. We will honor Guruji and all the teachers through sound and silence, mantra and meaning, studying yoga and also studying the ONE studying yoga.