Grateful Yogi's Classes & Workshops, Fall 2010!

Each night, as the leaves rustle outside my windows, I am reminded that the majority of my life's joy comes from the simplest, yet most awe inspiring moments: as the leaves begin to change, I find myself gasping to take in the beauty that makes up this world. I listen to the sounds of crunching leaves beneath my feet, or find myself stunned in stillness at the grace of a sunrise or sunset. The smell of the rain. Squirrels running through the trees. A hug from a close friend, or smile from a stranger. All of these things are so incredibly powerful--as powerful as they are often effortless. As the New England summer fades--and just as the fluctuations of our mind ebb and flow from moment to moment--I continue to find steadiness and stability in my yoga practice. My own breath comforts me. The strength or softness of my yoga practice, dependent upon the day, reminds me that my body and mind are always in flux--and that it is my choice as to whether I embrace each movement and breath with awareness of love and harmony, or whether I bring to it my own habitual struggles or frustrations. Through yoga, I learn again and again to trust myself, to listen to my body's or mind's intuition--and how to understand the difference in the two. Whether you've been practicing yoga for months or years--or if you're just considering your first yoga class, I hope you'll join me in a yoga practice this fall. Below you'll find some new classes on my regular schedule, as well as some fabulous workshops of all kinds (Gentle? Power? Ashtanga? You'll find it here!). Towards the bottom of this email, you can find class descriptions, and as always, you're free to contact me privately with any questions and/or concerns. Please visit the following studio websites for information on pricing, locations, directions, and so forth: Samadhi Yoga Studio: www.samadhiyogastudio.com and West Hartford Yoga: www.westhartfordyoga.com

Also,for *new* students to Samadhi Yoga Studio in Manchester--I have FREE CLASS passes available! If you've already been to Samadhi but would like to bring a first-time friend, family member, acquaintance, etc., I'm happy to give you a FREE CLASS pass for them. Contact me privately for details.

In the coming weeks, whether it's through yoga, in your car, or walking outside--take time to notice the sounds and colors of the changing leaves. As you listen and watch them, take moment to breathe with gratitude, compassion and awe. Walk with joy in your heart, so that you are more inclined to speak and act with kindness, never doubting your ability to love fully and freely. Enjoy these days--not because you have to, because you can.

Ongoing, weekly scheduled classes:

Mon, 930-1045am, All Levels Yoga--Samadhi (Manchester)

Tue & Thur, 6:00-7:15am, Ashtanga--Samadhi (Manchester)

Wed, 4:30-5:45pm, All Levels--Samadhi (Manchester)

Thur, 915-1030am, Gentle Yoga--West Hartford Yoga

Upcoming additional classes:

Wed, Sept 29, 730-800pm, **FREE** Led Meditation--Samadhi (Manchester)

Wed, Oct 10, 730-800pm **FREE** Led Meditation--Samadhi (Manchester)

Sun, Nov 14, 3:00pm-4:00pm, **$5!!** All Levels Community Yoga--West Hartford Yoga

Workshops/Special Series/Events:

“Body-Peace Flow” A Special Event Yoga Practice

Sat, Nov 6, 10:30am-12:30pm, Samadhi Yoga Studio

Many of us harbor personal histories with body image issues: eating disorders, body dymorphia, obsessive dieting, and/or other struggles with self esteem. In this two hour all-levels yoga flow, students will be encouraged to acknowledge and release what often hinders us the most: self-disappointment, self-loathing, fear, and shame. Through pranayama (breath), asana (movement), and meditation, we will cultivate an awareness of body/mind/spirit in a compassionate and healing way. Through yoga, we invite self-acceptance even to our most vulnerable spaces; in doing so, we transform our bodies and minds into vehicles that offer support, nurturance, and a greater sense of love and inner peace.

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Ashtanga, Full Primary Series (2hrs), led once per month:

Sat, Nov 13, 12:00-2:00pm, Samadhi Yoga Studio

Sat, Dec 4, 1200-2:00pm, Samadhi Yoga Studio

In this once-per-month workshop, you will be led through the full Primary Series of Ashtanga (in regularly scheduled classes, we are unable to practice the full series due to time limitations). See description below or on website for details on Ashtanga.

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Give yourself the gift of *Restorative Yoga* this Holiday Season!

Sat, Dec 18, 1:00-3:00pm, West Hartford Yoga

For many of us, winter months are full of work, travel, and holiday and family gatherings; while such occasions are intended to be joyous and festive, they can also be demanding, hectic, and stressful. In this 2 ½ hour Restorative Yoga practice, release stress, tension, and anxiety through a series of supported yoga postures designed to relax the body and mind deeply and completely. Soothe and stimulate the muscles, organs, mind, and spirit as you reclaim and rebalance your inner prana and apana (masculine and feminine energies). Cultivate ease and gentility in this quiet, meditative yoga practice, as you unwind into a greater sense of inner peace and calm.

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Class descriptions:

Gentle Yoga: All levels of fitness and flexibility are welcome; gentle yoga offers students ways to explore postures safely, peacefully, and with ease. Gentle yoga offers students a chance to confront depth and intensity of movement through patience and softness. Using the breath to initiate movement, we each find our own experience of asanas (postures) through our own level of flexibility and strength. Gentle classes move at a relaxing pace to encourage peaceful movement and meditations; such practices are helpful for stress relief, soothing aching muscles and injuries, and offer a sense of peace and calm to all students. Gentle yoga is wonderful for newer and more advanced students; no experience necessary.

All Levels Yoga: Encouraged to go at your own pace, you will be offered modifications to intensify or soften your yoga practice based on your level of energy, experience, and need on any given day. All Levels yoga offers students a chance to connect with breath, movement, and meditation in order to build strength and flexibility in body and mind. Connecting our asanas (postures) to pranayama (breath) allows us to understand and explore our bodies peacefully and mindfully. Learn to listen to the intuition of your body and quiet the mind, while building strength and flexibility in the core, legs, back, arms, and so forth. Leave feeling at once refreshed, relaxed, and invigorated. No experience necessary.

Ashtanga: This rigorous class builds mental and physical strength and flexibility through a challenging series of postures separated by vinyasa sequences. Ashtanga harmonizes the breath with a set series of poses to produce an intense internal heat and purifying sweat to detoxify the body In this class, we will build physical flexibility and strength in the legs, core, back, and arms, while expanding our mind-body connection through challenging our willpower, attention, and mental focus. This class is open to all levels of practitioners, but prepare yourself for a challenging class! No experience necessary.

Power Yoga: In power classes, we cultivate heat in the body, while diving into a deepened, more intense strength building practice. In this safe space, students gain a greater ability to witness and accept their strengths and weaknesses through basic and advanced postures that challenge stamina, endurance, and personal will. In power classes, explore, endure, build patience and strength, increase confidence, all while utilizing the breath to maintain inner calm and equanimity. Such practices introduce new ways to make room for patience and compassion, ultimately leading us to feel rejuvenated in body, mind and spirit. This class is often heated, so be prepared to sweat as we build core strength, upper and lower body strength; we may explore inversions and/or arm balances. While this is open to all levels, newer students should be prepared to go at their own pace.