The Inner Core

I would like to share a quote from Erich Schiffmann:

“Think of it like this: The farther you are from knowing your truth and experiencing the love that you are, the unhappier you will be; the closer you are, the happier you will be.  Keep it simple. It works like this because goodness is at your core and happiness is the feeling tone of your original nature. It is not elusive.  It is not someplace other than where you are, nor is it something you evolve or transform into or earn.  It’s right here, yours already. Feel you. Bask in the exquisite experience of being alive, of conflict-free high energy peace, and become thoroughly familiar with the core tone of who you are.” 

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Announcing March schedule!

March is a month of transitions.  Daylight savings time begins and the evident signs of spring are begining to draw us out of winter hibernation.  A response to these stirring energies of change can be to focus on strengthening our core foundation–our inner fire which connects us to physical, mental and spiritual aspects of ourselves.  It is out of this core strength where we can find stability for movement in the outer limbs as we move about in our lives.

In our 8:00 a.m. flow class on Saturdays, we will “fire it up” with practices that will include the breathing and abdominal exercises of agni sara, uddiyana and mula bandhas, as well as an energizing core focus in the flow of asanas.

Join us for an energizing month of practice:  see this link for an easily printable calendar of 4yoga’s March schedule:  2012-03_4yoga_schedule.  We will also have hard copies of the file available for pick-up at classes, and the schedule is always available through the calendar section of this site (www.4yoga.me/calendar).  If you are on Facebook, please “like” 4yoga there for brief updates throughout the month.

March guest teachers and special events:

  • Sunday, 3/11:  4:30 p.m. basics class with Susan Polk
  • Friday, 3/16:  6:45 p.m. yoga talk and meditation with Erica (no charge, everyone welcome)
  • Thursday, 3/22:  9:30 a.m. gentle class with Leslie Weigel
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Yoga as a way to address grief

We are late sharing this news story from the Louisville Courier-Journal, but we wanted to let other folks learn about one way that yoga is being used in Louisville:  Grief center offers yoga therapy.  From the beginning of the article:

Hosparus is combining the ancient practice of yoga with poetry to try to help people cope with the death of loved ones.

A six-week program called “Moving and Breathing Through Grief” starts Feb. 20 at the Hosparus Grief Counseling Center in Louisville. The weekly sessions, open to those who preregister, represent a different approach to supporting people who are grieving.

Many thanks to Regina for sharing the story with us!
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Sunday contemplation

I used this quote from Swami Rama recently in class and thought I would post here for contemplation/discussion!

The goal of life is not the drama being played, but the lesson that it offers. Every human being is the playwright of her or his own drama. Most people forget this. They think the dramas of their lives are created by God, or by others, or by the chance of mathematical probability in an inconceivably vast universe. They also fail to remember that the drama of life is just that, a play that is momentarily being acted out for a desired result. Instead of understanding life as a play, they take life to be the ultimate. Then the lessons promised by the drama are missed and a great deal of pain and sorrow is experienced.

So it is. This is how our individual development is shaped. We create and recreate dramas that we fail to see as such dramas. We mistake them to be the ultimate, and get tossed about in the turmoil of pain and pleasure. Finally the day dawns that we turn toward another perspective. We are able to step back and watch the drama from a distance. The pain diminishes and the wisdom and humor of the drama become more apparent.

~Swami Rama

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Yoga room opens in SFO

Joe McFarland passed along this article about a newly opened yoga room at the San Francisco airport.  Sounds like a great place to recover from the stress of travel these days!

Airport officials believe the 150-square-foot (14-square-meter) room with mirrored walls is the world’s first airport yoga studio, said spokesman Mike McCarron.

The room, open to all ticketed passengers, contains a few chairs and yoga mats but no instructors or televisions. No shoes, food, drinks or cell phones are allowed.

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Yoga competition in southern Indiana

At class this morning, a student shared an article from the Louisville Courier-Journal about a recent yoga competition held in southern Indiana.  Because one of the features many of us enjoy about yoga is its non-competitive nature, this event struck us as quite odd.  We are curious:  what do you think about the idea of yoga as a “sport”?  Use the “leave a comment” box below to add your feedback and ideas.

The article notes that

The competition is sanctioned by the United States Yoga Federation, which develops and promotes yoga Asana as a sport. The group is working to form an international federation and to have the sport qualify as an Olympic event.

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February schedule available in calendar format

We are happy to share a version of the February schedule in an easily printable calendar format with times, class levels, and teachers’ names all visible.  To download a PDF copy, please click here:  4yoga-calendar-2012-02

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Questions about classes

Hi everyone,

4yoga would like your feedback on our class schedule.  We have several questions in mind; answer any that apply to you, including those we may not have thought to ask.

  • What would be your ideal Saturday class offering? Morning? Afternoon? Flow? Basics? Something else?
  • Would you like the Sunday 3 p.m. beginner’s class to continue, perhaps as a Beginners 2 class, building on the first sequence?  Or would you like it to remain open to those brand new to yoga?
  • Is there anything else you’d like us to offer (keeping in mind that, at least for now, we don’t have a space for weekday evening classes)?
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