Thanks to Dot Brown who tipped us off to the article in Oprah magazine about the benefits of yin yoga. And just think; we offer it right here in our own little town of Bowling Green! Check it out; here in this link and with a direct experience in one of our classes!
http://www.oprah.com/health/Yin-Yoga-Good-for-Joints-Slower-Yoga

“What is wrong with it’s (the mind) seeking the pleasant and shirking the unpleasant? Between the banks of pain and pleasure the river of life flows. It is only when the mind refuses to flow with life, and gets stuck at the banks, that it becomes a problem. By flowing with life I mean acceptance- letting come what comes and letting go what goes. Desire not, fear not, observe the actual, as and when it happens, for you are not what happens, you are to whom it happens. Ultimately even the observer you are not. You are the ultimate potentiality of which the all-embracing consciousness is the manifestation and expression.” -Nisargadatta Maharaj

Dear friends,

The glory of summer is upon us with long days in the light, abundant growth from the earth, and the blazing sun in the sky. The fruits of the planted seeds are manifesting into the fruits and veggies we look forward to eating all year, and many of us shared at the yoga community potluck (yum). As always, we can use the metaphor of what we see in nature as a reflection of what is happening in the world of our selves. Let’s assume that we have the common goal of cultivating a garden of peace in our minds. We all have planted seeds (karma) in our mind gardens. Some of these seeds will produce actions and speech that are like weeds choking out the peace. A yoga practice that is like weed killer is tapas (translated from the Sanskrit as heat or divine fire), which seems like a good practice as we experience upper-90-degree temperatures.

This transformative fire is created when we restrain the urge (training the senses) to act or speak in harmful ways as weed seeds sprout. Inner dialogue and meditation are ways to be more aware of this process. To practice tapas is to practice accepting the discomfort that arises as the result of your choice to stop the seeds of negative karma from sprouting into harmful actions and speech. (It feels good to blame someone, eat the whole gallon of ice cream, be a grouch, etc.) Some seeds have undoubtedly sprouted and the tapas practice in this case is to accept whatever uncomfortable circumstances you may find yourself in as if you have chosen it.

And now join us for a month of practice! In July, we are continuing the June schedule, including the evening flow classes at 5:30 p.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays. We are also offering a 4th of July class and have scheduled two talk and meditation sessions for this month: on Friday, July 13, and on Friday, July 27.

Please be aware: our generous host, Kathy Wise-Leonard, is planning to have the interior of the studio painted near the end of the month. When we know the specific dates for that painting to take place, we will let everyone know which classes will need to be cancelled. In the meantime, see the list below for July highlights or either of the attached files or the website calendar (https://4yoga.me/calendar/) for a full schedule.

July guest teachers and special events:
Wednesday, 7/4: 9:00 a.m. special 4th of July flow class with Erica
Friday, 7/13: 6:45 p.m. yoga talk and meditation with Erica (everyone welcome, no charge)
Monday, 7/16: 5:30 p.m. flow class with Linda Hendrickson
Tuesday, 7/17: 9:30 a.m. gentle class with Susan Polk
Friday, 7/27: 6:45 p.m. yoga talk and meditation with Erica (everyone welcome, no charge)
Classes meet at Dance Images (1803 Creason Street, Bowling Green, KY), and the fee for each class is $5. If you have any questions or feedback for us, please send an email to this address or talk to one of us before or after class. We hope to see you in July!

Namaste,
4yoga

There were so many requests for the recipes from the potluck that I thought it might be a good idea to post yours here if you wish to do that in the comment section of this post.  -Erica

In contemplating this month’s focus of attachment, I came across some commentary in the Bhagavad Gita, a classic text in the yoga tradition. It basically said that attachment and desires are like static in the mind, blocking the clarity of the channel of intuition, the program we want to hear. This keeps the mind constantly restless. To have the stance that we take actions in the world as part of the flow of the source of creation(whatever name you have for this is ok) and not for our egos reduces this static. Nothing is mine, not even my body! My mind and body are vessels of action and expression in the play of divine creation. Here is a metaphor for the play. Just as the light coming through a projector passes through the film which creates the illusion of many objects onto the screen and creates the movie, at their essence all the objects are light. Enjoy the play of your life. (Brian is waiting for the musical 🙂 )   -Erica

Make Today Breeze…Not A Battle..
“Make today a breeze not a battle.Never fight. Nothing is worth fighting for. Wisdom never fights, it waits patiently, speaks positively, sees benefit in everything …knowing that all needs will be met at the right moment, in the right way.
If we think life is a struggle… we will always be struggling,
If we think life is a breeze, our attitudes and actions will convey lightness and easiness.
And that’s what attracts everything we need, and much more.
Let us make today a breeze not a battle.” Swami Rama

As we continue to follow the upward movement of energy from the core roots and heart compassion, we come to the fifth chakra, vishuddha, in the throat. Here we express the truth of who we are in our voice. Willpower is a key issue of this chakra. As a practice off the mat, a suggestion is to see if you can only speak, shout out or sing what is true for you this month. Just bring awareness to your speech and notice how often you do or do not speak what is true for you! On the mat, some asanas that focus on vishuddha are fish, camel, shoulderstand and modifications. We look forward to another month of practice with you! Om….

In May, we are also excited to announce the launch of a new Sunday-morning class. Lindsey Bale will offer a 9 a.m. Sunday class we are calling “Sunergy” (Sunday + energy). Sunergy is an energetic practice incorporating classic poses designed to invigorate your Sunday morning. It is not any particular style of yoga, but a name we created to indicate that it is somewhere between flow and basics. The practice is suitable for students at all levels except complete beginners (we welcome beginners at any of our basics or gentle classes). Lindsey has been a part of the yoga community in Bowling Green and completed the teacher training with Angie and Kim in April 2011. She has recently returned from Africa for her work and is ready to join us with her enthusiastic approach to yoga.

In addition to adding the Sunday class at 9 a.m., we have moved Saturday basics class to 9 a.m. to make the weekend morning schedule consistent and easy to remember. Although we are discontinuing the 8 a.m. Saturday class, we hope to see those of you who attended that class at one of our other weekend offerings.

Here on the website, there are two ways to access the May schedule:  a PDF to provide an easily printable version and the online calendar.  Both are available at the Class Calendar tab above–or via this link: https://4yoga.me/calendar/ .  And hard copies are, of course, always available at class.  We also invite those of you on Facebook to “like” 4yoga there for regular brief updates throughout the month.

May guest teachers and special events:

• Friday, 5/4: 6:45 p.m. yoga talk and meditation with Erica (no charge, everyone welcome)
• Friday, 5/18: 5:30 p.m. class will be restorative with Lindsey Bale
• Monday, 5/28 (Memorial Day): 9 a.m. mixed-level class with Lindsey Bale (all levels welcome)
• Tuesday, 5/29: 9:30 a.m. gentle class with Kathie Downs

All classes meet at Dance Images, 1803 Creason Street, and the class fee is $5. If you have any questions or feedback for us, please ask one of us at class or send an email to this address: 4yoga@gmail.com