Updates and More!

Well the New Year has been launched with tremendously warm and vibrant vibrations here at Wake Up Yoga — both locations! Our Brand New Beginner's Series are both overflowing with excited students, and the Pre- and Post- Labor Mamas have been easing their stress and increasing their connection with spirit and child, again at both studios. We have POWERFUL and TRANSFORMATIONAL workshops scheduled for the winter/spring and daily opportunities for you to drop into the depth of yourSelf, clear out the clutter, and restore/maintain your connection to the intention you hold for your life: perhaps to live powerfully, peacefully, with compassion and joy. For more details, click here to visit our workshops page.

Also, be sure to save the date for our Vernal Equinox One-Day Retreat on Saturday, March 17, from 9-5 at the Fairmount studio. Details to come... plan to be there! We will celebrate the beginning of springtime, when all the world feels ripe with possibility. The day will likely include: Pranayama, Yin Yoga, Vinyasa Yoga, Lunch and Snacks, Live Music and time to sit, calm the mind and cultivate gratitude in the heart. Promises to be rich and intoxicating!!!

We will also have a Vernal Equinox Morning Retreat in Fairmount, with Jill Manning, March 19—23. 6-8 am each day. Again, details to come; stay tuned! The week will include daily breath awareness/pranayama, asana practice, quiet contemplation and more.

There is definitely more, but I'm currently out of time as it is time to teach. You may find it amusing to know that I came to the studio hours early this morning. My intention was to send this email and practice yoga for 2 1/2 hours. When I arrived, the heat wasn't working, I couldn't connect to the internet, and the toilet wouldn't flush. Practice for me this morning has been a trip to the Home Depot for space heaters (and a heated conversation with the landlord!), an hour on the phone with tech support, and the very easy linking of a chain to a bar (thank God the toilet was easy to fix!). I've been smiling the whole time (wearing a hat, a scarf, a sweater and a jacket) thinking to myself and repeating out loud, "That's a good one, God!"

This practice could be likened to what is referred to in the Yoga Sutra as Praktipaksa Bhavanam. Essentially it means: when plagued by negativities, cultivate the opposite. We've all ruminated in our own negativities, souring our mood and poisoning our very cells, and very likely felt miserable the entire time. The practice of Praktipaksa Bhavanam encourages the dedicated student to notice the negative turnings (the judgments of others and self, delight we may take in others misfortune, any thoughts of revenge or even nursing our own wounds) and literally find another perspective. Choose another interpretation, or even as Paul JJ Alix has offered, "Imagine giving that person flowers." The practice, when steadfastly employed, can immediately shift your whole world. I'll invite you to see if this helps you maintain calmness in your field of consciousness so that you may come to see and know who you truly are.

Sending Blessings and Love...