How does your garden grow? With the flowers and foods you want? All from the seeds you sow? What about the seeds you didn’t sow–those persistent, hardy plants we call weeds? With regular diligence, it is possible to maintain your garden and watch it manifest the bounty you intended when you planted it.

Our minds are much like a garden. Left unattended and untrained, the mind can produce countless unintentional/irrational thoughts that can, in turn, produce negative moods and emotions that sprout and generate more “weed” seeds from the resulting negative behaviors. We can become trapped in a looping cycle of anxiety, depression, fear, anger, etc. On the other hand, allowing for the unplanned, spontaneous thought to grow could be considered being open to inspiration and intuition, the highest form of knowing.

In this month of light (more minutes of light than any other month), we can challenge ourselves to discern which weeds/thoughts to keep and which to let go of. Your thoughts are subtle and powerful. Use your potential to cultivate peace and contentment in your life by developing the practice of witnessing your thoughts. Bask in the bounty and realization of the powerful, divine being that you are.

July updates:

• Independence Day class. We continue our holiday tradition by offering a mixed-level class on Monday, July 4, at 9 a.m. Join Shigeko for this class that will be accessible to everyone and provide challenges for all levels of students.
• Monthly talk and meditation session. Juanita will host this session on Friday, July 22, at 6:45 p.m. As always, there is no charge for this informal gathering, which provides an opportunity to ask questions about and discuss meditation and to experience a short meditation.
• Living Our Yoga Yin class. Angie and Alice continue this series on Friday, July 29, at 5:30 p.m. with a focus on the second niyama, Santosha (contentment). This class incorporates readings and teachings to enhance students’ experience and to create conditions that may take them deeper into the mind, body, and spirit aspects of this wonderful gift of yoga. The traditional yin asanas remain the same as in our classic yin class.

For a full list of July classes, please see the calendar page or a hard copy available at The Pots Place. We also post updates each morning on our Facebook page, should you find it convenient to keep up with us there.

Accessing studio after class has begun: Remember that even if you are running late when the shop downstairs is closed, you can still join us for class. If the front door is locked, come to the back door of The Pots Place (look for the blue building) and ring the buzzer. The teacher will then unlock the door remotely for you to enter through the pottery studio.