Happy New Year!

Welcome to 2007! Here's hoping your holidays were filled with warmth, joy and grace, and that you now find yourself refreshed, focused, and ready to sink your teeth into life and take a really big bite! We have lots to snack on here at Wake Up Yoga so please peruse these offerings to whet your appetite: Ashtanga-Vinyasa Primary Series Monthly Intensive Classes, Couples Massage Workshop, Body Rolling and Vinyasa Yoga Workshop, Brand New Beginners Series (Fairmount and West Philly), Mommy & Me Yoga, and Prenatal Yoga (Fairmount and West Philly).

That's it for the moment regarding special events. I would like to take a moment to tell you about some new classes that are being offered at Wake Up Yoga West:

We've added a 12 noon Tuesday Vinyasa class with the very lovely Lisa Joy Young, who will also be teaching a Thursday morning 9 am $5 flow. Jill Manning, freshly returned from India, will be teaching a Thursday, 4 pm Vira Rasa Flow class. And Angela Boltz, transplanted back to Philadelphia from San Diego, will offer a $5 All Levels Vinyasa class on Saturdays at 12 noon. Also, Biz Magarity will be teaching a Sunday, 4 pm Sringara Rasa Flow class, a lovely way to close out the weekend. This class on Sundays will be followed by a 6 pm Restorative Yoga class being taught by our very own Beatriz Avalos. We're also tremendously excited to offer a Wednesday, 4-5:15 pm West Philly Teen Yoga Class, also taught by Beatriz. The contribution for this class is by donation, and the class is open to individuals between the ages of 12-18. A parental consent form required!

Also, at the Fairmount location, we will continue with our once-a-month Buddhism Dharma Talks with Michael Carroll, one Friday evening a month from 7:30-9 pm, for a $10 suggested donation. The dates we have secured so far are: February 16, March 16 and April 20.

And finally we are resurrecting the Once-a-Month Friday Evening Restorative Yoga Class in the Fairmount studio, being offered from 7:30-9 pm, beginning on January 19. I'll be teaching the first one... and maybe subsequent offerings as well. Future dates are: February 2, March 2, April 6 and May 4. The Restorative Class will be regularly priced, and offered without pre-registration. Restorative Yoga is a sublime opportunity to surrender the weight of your body, as well as the weight of your thoughts and feelings, into the ever supportive and generous earth, as represented by creatively arranged blocks and blankets. You will unwind, de-stress, and relax. Restorative Yoga is a gift you so deeply deserve!

So that's what our Yoga Smorgasbord is offering to kick off the New Year. Hopefully your Yogic appetite has been duly inspired and you will be able to nourish yourself in body, mind and spirit with our offerings. If you are planning to enroll in a series that starts next week, a gentle request: please call by Thursday this week (January 4). I'm heading out of town for a long weekend to rest up and prepare for our very exciting Teacher Training program which officially kicks off on the 10th. If you can register before I'm gone, things will progress much more smoothly! Thank you for understanding. We at Wake Up Yoga are looking forward to spending our time with you, cultivating peace and equanimity in our collective heart so we all have that to share with the world; ever in search of truth and deeper levels of understanding. We are grateful to each and every one of you who shares your spirit with us, and wish you and your loved ones a New Year ripe with Inspiration, Vitality and Joy!