Thursday, December 21, 2006

Holiday Schedule and Winter Solstice Celebration

This Weekend: Friday/Saturday: normal; Sunday, December 24: 10 am class at both studios; CLOSED Christmas Day.
Next Weekend: Friday/Saturday: normal; Sunday, December 31: 10 am class at both studios; 4-6 pm Open-Level Vinyasa class taught by Beatriz at Wake Up Yoga West; CLOSED New Year's Day.

The end-of-the year holidays are upon us. Ready or not, the 10-day slide to the end of the year has begun. If your schedule is anything like mine, at this moment you simply cannot take the time to read even an enjoyable (if lengthy!) post. I shall spare you that for the moment, and inundate you with opportunities to deepen your own practice next week, when hopefully you will have more time to reflect and plan for the New Year.

In the meantime, this is just a gentle reminder that tomorrow evening, December 22, we are having a Winter Solstice Celebration and Grand Opening Party at Wake Up Yoga West, at 4916 Baltimore Avenue. The evening will begin with a free yoga class being taught by Beatriz at 5:30 pm. We shall learn exactly how many mats will fit in this beautiful and bright new space! After the class, sometime around 7:30 we'll have a vegetarian potluck offering (bring whatever you'd like to share). There will be live music: Thomas Flanagan on Sitar, accompanied by his friends (to be announced!) on Tabla and perhaps some other instruments. Mike Mergen, the beloved Jill Manning's husband, is showing some of his photographs from their 6-week trip to India, which will be for sale (last minute holiday gifts?), and 20% of the funds generated will be offered to Operation Shanti, a non-profit organization caring for the welfare for the street children of India. We will also have some copies for sale of the Sringara Rasa Flow Audio CD recently 'released' featuring Corina Benner (me!) and accompanied by Craig Ebner on sitar. Students have already expressed excitement to be able to pop in the CD to feel the warmth, energy and love that we all generate here, while moving and breathing and even sweating a bit. At least one student told me that's she's taking me with her to Las Vegas for the holidays... I've never been to Las Vegas, so I hope we all have a good time! The CD sells for $15, including tax.

We'd also like to create an 'altar of intention' as an opportunity for students to write down: 1.) what they'd like to create in the New Year; 2.) what in their lives needs more attention and more love in order to fully thrive; 3.) what in their lives they are willing and ready to let go of, to create the space for this new growth. After the party, we may take these intentions and offer them to a sacred fire (not in the yoga studio!).

In any case, if you have the time to bless the space with your energy, please join us. If your dance card is already full, enjoy yourself thoroughly, and if you feel so inspired, please send us your blessing on the waves of a kind thought. Have a beauty-full holiday!

Friday, December 08, 2006

Dharma Talk Tonight and Holiday Party Tomorrow Night

Just a sweet reminder that Michael Carroll will be here this evening for our once-a-month Dharma Talk in the Fairmount studio. Tonight's discussion is: "The Spiritual Wisdom of Dharma - How ordinary life can reveal the awakened state." Sounds like it ties in nicely with many of the week's class topics: Santosha/contentment. The talk is from 7:30-10 pm, and there is a $10 suggested donation. Hope you can make it! Michael Carroll will continue these talks in '07, but the next one isn't until February, so come get your fill tonight!

Also, a reminder that we're hosting a Holiday Party/CD Release party tomorrow night, Saturday, December 9 from 7:30-9:30, at Wake Up Yoga in Fairmount. It's a short little soiree, and all you have to bring is yourself (and if you'd like, your beloved, your friend, and/or your child/ren). There will be prosecco, a light Italian bubbly wine that is quite refreshing, and everyone's favorite preparer-of-spirit-infused food, Marla Wilner is making some hors d'oeuvres. I wouldn't recommend coming with a very hollow, hungry belly, but there will be some light snacks to tickle your tongue.

We are also launching an audio yoga class CD that I have created with the help of some very skilled friends. The offering is a sringara rasa flow class, appropriate for people who have some familiarity with yoga practice, names and postures. My friend Craig Ebner accompanies the class on sitar, and the CD really does seem to convey the energy, enthusiasm and soothing vocal patterns that many people say they appreciate in the classes I teach. The CD is a great tool to help jump-start your own home practice, and may help you connect deeply with yourself on those days when you can't get to the studio, or perhaps are traveling for business (or pleasure!).

Also, please remember that we are having a Winter Solstice Celebration/Grand Opening Party for Wake Up Yoga West at 4916 Baltimore Avenue on Friday, December 22. From 5:30-7 pm, Beatriz will teach an all-levels, FREE yoga class, and from 7:30-10 pm-ish, we'll have a vegetarian potluck party (bring anything you'd like to share!), Thomas Flanagan on sitar with some friends accompanying him on Tabla and maybe some other instruments, and we'll build an alter of intention for the new year, so that you can infuse your own dreams for 2007 with this inspired, group energy. Jill Manning will be back from India (I think she returns this weekend!), and her husband, Mike Mergen will be displaying many of his India photographs on the wall. I hope you can come!

That's it for now. I really hope to see you either this weekend at Fairmount, or in two weeks at WEST, or both! We do have so much to celebrate, and the more joy we collectively find, the more we have to share with the world. This may be the greatest gift we can offer!