Wake Up West Update!

Wow! Autumn's late afternoon sky often leaves me breathless and almost giddy. The glow of our distant sun reflecting off of buildings and highlighting the fading glory of so many lifesaver-candy-colored leaves often startles me into moments of pure, vivid aliveness, complete with wonder, awe, and the bittersweet recognition of how precious and fleeting everything truly is. Winter sometimes feels like he will drag on forever, and summer has her timeless frivolity, but the autumn insists you realize his days are numbered; the autumn wants your appreciation and attention. Here's hoping that your days have moments of properly paying homage to this wondrous season, which surely will enhance your relationships and your experience of being alive. You, too, just might shed a tear for the miracle of it all!

I am so excited to report that, barring unforeseen challenges, Wake Up Yoga West will be open next Monday, November 6! Hurray! Thank you to everyone who emailed and phoned to offer your support and encouragement and services to help. The West Philadelphia community has really extended itself to welcome this new studio into the neighborhood, and we look forward to spreading our passion for yoga to all who are drawn to practice at 4916 Baltimore Avenue. Our first class that day will be a $5 flow at 9 am with Beatriz. Next we'll have a 12 noon Vira Rasa Flow with Renata. And at 6 pm, I will teach a Vira Rasa Flow class (I'm just filling in at Wake Up Yoga West until Jill returns from India; while I'm there, Jeremy K. will be taking over the Vira Rasa Flow class at Wake Up Yoga, Fairmount). We're hoping to have the full opening schedule on the website very soon. In the meantime, there are some tentative schedules in the door, and hopefully they will be distributed throughout the neighborhood this week.

The general operations of each studio will be very much the same. We'll keep a card file on premise for those students who want to house their class card at only one location. However, for students who are excited about utilizing both locations, we'll give you a 'punch card,' that you'll bring with you to class to be signed in. The good news about keeping your card at one spot is that it will never be lost. The good news about using both locations is that, depending on where your day's travels take you, you have more options. Both have benefits and both have drawbacks so you'll just make the decision that works best for you. I looked into getting swipe cards, like they use at Mugshots to keep track of how many cups of coffee you've bought, but that seems like an unnecessary expense right now (although it seems cool!). We'll work it out. And, after all, it's really about the yoga!

And speaking of Yoga - boy do we have some fine offerings for you! I'd like to just bring your attention to two of them right now. To find out more about these events and others, please visit the workshops page.

We will begin advertising some series at the new space (Brand New Beginners, Prenatal, and Mommy & Me) to start in the New Year. And I anticipate having a Grand Opening Party sometime in December (details soon!). Also, please save the date: Friday, December 22. Here at the old original Wake Up Yoga we'll be having a Winter Solstice and Holiday Celebration. This will be a potluck, with some live music and an opportunity to see your yoga friends in party clothes! I hope you will be able to share with us in reflecting upon the year past, and setting an intention for the year ahead.