November 2013 focus and schedule

Posted on November 1, 2013 by 4yoga

Many people who begin the physical practice of yoga notice that their awareness about non-physical parts of themselves changes.  This process of moving inward from the denser layer of our bodies towards our true nature is the goal of yoga!  We get hung up on (attached to) so many obstacles along the way: what we think we know, our appearance, what we “like,”what we “don’t like,” and on and on.

The seat of our true nature can be found in the heart region and is experienced as bliss, that state of consciousness where Love excludes no one and no thing.  The Sanskrit words Sat-Chit-Ananda are a beautiful pointer to our true nature.  They are usually translated as Sat–existence, Chit–consciousness, and Ananda–bliss.

Here is a little practice using relationships for this month, especially at potentially stressful times of holiday functions.  As you are with someone in conversation, be aware of all thoughts that are judging (I like/don’t like this, I know this or that, etc).  Just noticing them is a big first step.  Then try to let go of them or not be influenced by them.  Notice your breath and drop down into your heart space. Practice listening from your heart. See what happens!

We hope to practice with you in November; to review the month’s class schedule, please see either the attached file or the calendar section of the site.

November special events:

  • Friday, 11/22  6:45 p.m. Talk/meditation led by Juanita (all are welcome, no charge).
  • Thursday, 11/28 (Thanksgiving Day):  9:00 a.m. Mixed-level class (all levels are welcome).

Studio access:  If you arrive at The Pots Place after a class has begun, remember that you can still join us.  Just go to the back entrance facing Mariah’s (look for the blue building) and press the buzzer next to the door; the teacher can then unlock that door remotely.

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October 2013 focus and schedule

Posted on September 24, 2013 by 4yoga

October invites us to “come to our senses,” witnessing the changing color of foliage that delights our sense of sight, feeling the cooler air on the skin as a reaction to the sense of touch, and experiencing the sense of smell by catching a whiff of the musky fallen leaves.

Our yoga practice is not confined to showing up for class or sitting in a cross-legged posture to meditate.  In fact, the essence of all yoga practice is in learning to focus your attention on what you are experiencing.

A great practice both on and off the mat for this month is to use the senses as doorways to go beyond them.  If you want to do this, each day choose one of the five cognitive senses (hearing, touching, seeing, tasting, or smelling) and spend some time focusing your attention on that sense.  Just notice what you experience!  You may notice that the practice brings you to an expansion of your awareness, to a deeper experience of being fully present in the moment.  Happy Sensing!

We hope to practice with you in October; to review the month’s class schedule, please see the calendar section of this site.

October special event and schedule adjustment:

  • Friday, 10/11:  6:45 p.m. Talk/meditation led by Juanita (all are welcome, no charge).
  • Saturday, 10/19:  10:00 a.m. start time for Basics class because of The Medical Center’s 10K Classic.

Studio access:  If you arrive at The Pots Place after a class has begun, remember that you can still join us.  Just go to the back entrance facing Mariah’s (look for the blue building) and press the buzzer next to the door; the teacher can then unlock that door remotely.

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September 2013 focus and schedule

Posted on August 31, 2013 by 4yoga

The transition month of September brings us to the end of summer days.  Transitions in life are inevitable and challenge us to come back to our center as we adjust to that “wobbling ” of change.

Mastering transitions is a skill that our yoga practice can help us with.  In a practice, you can be aware of all the stages of every pose and notice how it feels to finally settle into the expression of, let’s say, child’s pose, and then how it feels to release that pose and move into the next pose.  There may be a resistance to change if it is one of your favorites, or a relief if it is a pose that you don’t like.  Just notice that there is something there in response to the change no matter what it is.

One way to stay in your center throughout any change that can throw you off balance is to breathe into your belly as you connect with the deepest core of what you believe in or what brings you great passion and  joy.  Take this feeling into the space of your abdomen with your breath and ground yourself there.  Allow yourself to be centered in this essence of who you are.

In this spirit of transition, the September schedule features a new class at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesdays.  We have added this Basics class, taught by Susan Polk, in response to requests to provide another Basics-level practice during the week and as an alternative to the 5:30 p.m. class time.  We look forward to seeing both returning and new students on Tuesday afternoons.

To review the full month’s class schedule, please see the calendar section of this site or pick up a hard copy at the studio.

September special events:
  • Monday, 9/2 (Labor Day):  9:00 a.m.  Mixed-level class with Kim (all levels of experience are welcome).
  • Friday, 9/20:  6:45 p.m.  Talk/meditation led by Juanita (all are welcome, no charge).
  • Friday, 9/27:  2-year anniversary of the founding of 4yoga!  Celebrate by practicing with Kim this weekend or by visiting Angie at the Information Booth at the Bowling Green International Festival in Circus Square Park on Saturday.
Updating email address:  If your email address is changing from “insightbb” to “twc” or another service and you would like to continue to receive our messages, please let us know your new address so that we may update our contacts list.  Many thanks to all of you who have already shared your new address with us.
Studio access:  If you arrive at The Pots Place after a class has begun, remember that you can still join us.  Just go to the back entrance (look for the blue building) and press the buzzer next to the door; the teacher can then unlock that door from the studio.
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New class for Sept.: Basics @ 4 p.m. on Tuesdays

Posted on August 18, 2013 by 4yoga

Based on feedback from members of our yoga community who wanted an option for a Basics practice during the week, we have decided to add a new Basics class for September.

This class will meet each Tuesday from 4-5:10 p.m., and we are delighted that Susan Polk of Don’t Worry, Be Happy Yoga has agreed to teach it.  If a Tuesday-afternoon class fits your schedule, we hope to see you next month at the studio at The Pots Place!

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21-Day Meditation Challenge

Posted on August 9, 2013 by 4yoga

Are you interested in starting a meditation practice but would like some guidance?  If so, the 21-Day Meditation Challenge may be for you.  This free, online program, sponsored by Oprah Winfrey and Deepak Chopra, identifies a daily centering thought and mantra.  It also provides an audio guide for a short meditation and an opportunity to explore further with the message of the day and a reflective journal.  The program is currently on Day 5, but you can return to programs for five days after they are initially posted, so you can still pick up near or at the beginning.

Thanks to Megan for letting us know about this program, and we look forward to hearing about your experiences from any of you who decide to participate in it.

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Delay in August email delivery to WKU addresses

Posted on July 30, 2013 by 4yoga

For anyone who has subscribed to our email list using a WKU address, we are sorry to announce a delay in delivering the August focus and schedule email to you.  When we sent the monthly email yesterday, all WKU addresses rejected that message, for reasons that are not clear either to us or to WKU’s IT Helpdesk.  

Angie submitted a request to the Helpdesk that the folks administering the WKU email system allow the message to be delivered, and we are waiting to see if that request is granted.  If so, we will re-send the email as soon as we can.  In the meantime, you can read the August focus here and see the August schedule here.  We will also have printed copies of the August schedule available for you to pick up at The Pots Place (inside the front door and upstairs in the kitchen off the studio).

If you would like us to use a non-WKU email address for your 4yoga communication, please send that address to us (4yoga.me@gmail.com).

Thank you for your patience as we work to resolve this issue.

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August 2013 focus and schedule

Posted on July 29, 2013 by 4yoga
“There’s a big, a big hard sun, beatin’ on the big people, in a big, hot world,” note the lyrics of Indio’s “Hard Sun.” This seems like an appropriate description of August in many places.  Yoga Sutra 3.27 states that by samyama (absorption by concentration) on the inner sun, knowledge of many subtle realms can be known.   This inner sun can be found only through meditation and can lead us to a greater awareness of our Self, that essence of who we are.  “Beyond the power of sword and fire, beyond the powers of waters and winds, the Self is everlasting, omnipresent, never changing, never moving, ever one.” – Bhagavad Gita.
 
As awareness of the Self increases (beyond the ego and its attachments), we experience less anxiety in our lives.  We can gain mastery over the fear of death and cease putting so much of our energy into making permanent what is impermanent, things such as our self-image and whatever we have created in our names. We can begin to identify with the life force that is beyond our personality.   As we continue to enjoy the glory of summertime, it may be useful to make some quiet time in each day for stillness in the body, to experience the even flow of the breath at the bridge of the nostrils, and contemplate the inner sun.  Celebrate your unique life and, as always, have compassion for yourself.
  

To review the August class schedule, please see the calendar section of the site.

August special event:  Friday, 8/23:  6:45 p.m. Talk/meditation led by Juanita (all are welcome, no charge).

Parking for Friday-night classes:  If you attend the Yin or Restorative classes on Friday nights, please note that Concerts in the Park continue in Fountain Square on Fridays in August.  You may find it convenient to park either in the Mariah’s lot behind The Pots Place or in the lot on Main Street across from U.S. Bank and to allow a little more time to reach class because of the increased traffic downtown.

Updating email address:  If your email address is changing from “insightbb” to “twc” or another service and you would like to continue to receive our messages, please let us know your new address so that we may update our contacts list.  Many thanks to those of you who have already shared your new address with us.
 
Studio access:  If you arrive at The Pots Place after a class has begun, remember that you can still join us.  Just go to the back entrance (look for the blue building) and press the buzzer next to the door; the teacher can then unlock that door from the studio.
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July 2013 focus and schedule

Posted on June 28, 2013 by 4yoga

July is travel month to many:  vacation time!   An excerpt from Swami Rama in The Essence of Spiritual Life comes to mind:

The most ancient traveler in the universe is love.  It is love that travels from the unknown to the known, from eternity to eternity.  Those who want to realize the greatest delight should realize themselves in others.  This is the definition of love.  Loving somebody does not mean hating others.  Remember this.  If you love somebody, that means loving all.  Your love should travel to expansion, not contraction.  May we light the fire of love that burns out the ego and enables us to pass from fearful fragmentation to fearless fullness in the changeless whole. Learn to love yourself.

Safe travels if you are traveling, and when you are in town, we look forward to you sharing your spirit and energy with us in this community yoga practice during July.  To review the July class schedule, please see the calendar section of this site.

July special events:

  • Thursday, 7/4:  9 a.m. Mixed-level holiday class with Kim (all are welcome), followed by a casual potluck brunch.  We will provide hot tea and juice; please bring anything you would like to share.
  • Friday, 7/19:  6:45 p.m. Talk/meditation led by Juanita (all are welcome, no charge).

Parking for Friday-night classes:  If you attend the Yin or Restorative classes on Friday nights, please note that Concerts in the Park will begin in Fountain Square at 5:30 p.m. on Fridays in July.  You may find it convenient to park either in the Mariah’s lot behind The Pots Place or in the lot on Main Street across from U.S. Bank and to allow a little more time to reach class because of the increased traffic downtown.

Updating email address:  If your email address is changing from “insightbb” to “twc” or another service and you would like to continue to receive our messages, please let us know your new address so that we may update our contacts list.

Studio access:  If you arrive at The Pots Place after a class has has begun, remember that you can still join us.  Just go to the back entrance (look for the blue building) and press the buzzer next to the door; the teacher can then unlock that door from the studio.

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June talk and meditation: Fri., 6/14 @ 6:45 p.m.

Posted on June 5, 2013 by 4yoga

This month’s talk and meditation session was accidentally omitted from the June schedule; however, we are delighted to announce that Juanita will be hosting that event on Friday, June 14, at 6:45 p.m. (immediately after that night’s yoga class).

As always, the talk and meditation session is an opportunity to discuss aspects of yoga with other students in a casual setting and to participate in a guided meditation.  There is no charge for attending, and we hope that all interested students participate.

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June 2013 focus and schedule

Posted on May 28, 2013 by 4yoga

Each month, every newsletter is a marker that we are in a different place than we were last month.  Sometimes external circumstances have changed; other times something internal has shifted.

The river of life flows on carrying us through the whitewater of emotional upheaval and then pooling into still, calm places. It reflects the light of the sun and moon. Our practice of hatha yoga (often using the metaphor of sun/moon energies), which uses physical poses to balance energy and increase awareness of our bodies, can ultimately help us to find our center–the place inside where we can weather (witness) the constant change of this river of life and not be tossed about by it. Being thrown off course by changing circumstances in our lives is inevitable. However, we can find stability by mastering the ability to pull back into our center, the core of who we are. It is like moving into the eye of the hurricane, or sitting in the center of a spinning wheel.

Here is a centering practice to become familiar with. Stand in Mountain Pose.  Be aware of the dimensions of length, width, and depth in your body. Connect with your dignity as you stand firm and tall, your past and your future as you sense your back and front, and your connection to your community as you sense the side body and the ability of the arms to reach out.  Now, connect with what you care passionately about.  Bring your awareness about two inches below the navel center (the center of gravity in the body) and “embody” this sense of what you stand for.  Feel centered in this space.

Returning to the river of life metaphor, the kindergarten rhyme comes to mind:  “row, row, row your boat, gently down the stream, merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily, life is but a dream.”  Happy June!

To review the June schedule, please see the calendar section of this site.  Although we have placed the Beginner’s class on hiatus for the summer, we continue to welcome new students at any time.  We especially invite students who are beginning or returning to their yoga practice to join us for either of the Gentle classes (at 9:30 a.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays) or either of the Basics classes (at 9 a.m. Saturdays and 4:30 p.m. Sundays).

Please remember that if you arrive at The Pots Place after a class has begun, you can still join us.  Just go to the back door (look for the blue building) and press the buzzer next to the door; the teacher can then let you in from the studio.

On a housekeeping note, we have accumulated several lost or forgotten items at the studio (e.g., black pants, black socks, ivory wrap).  If you think any of these items is yours, please check for and claim it this month.  Kathie has asked us to donate unclaimed items to Goodwill at the end of June.

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