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image courtesy of Karen Fuchs
Come to your Senses
Pratyahara is the fifth limb of the yoga system. It is the transitional step in the yoga method that moves the practice from the outward actions of the previous limbs, including movement and breath practices, to the more subtle, inner actions that consist of practices for the mind, primarily meditation. In the practice of pratyahara we begin to refine the indriyas, or the sense organs, in order to perceive more clearly rather than letting the senses be tugged around the world by attachment to whichever objects come our way.Sunday, November 24th I'll be teaching a Pratyahara Workshop at Om Factory NYC that combines movement and breath practices with acute sensory awareness to develop greater experience of the purer, clearer state of pratyahara. When there is pratyahara, the indriyas can do their ultimate job of joining with the mind to perceive the true, whole self that lies within. This is attainable through yoga. Click HERE for more info on the workshop.
Also, check out Om Factory's blog HERE to read a bit more of my musings on the proposed connection of neurogastroenterology, the study of the brain-like bundle of neurons in the belly, and the sensory experience of wholeness in being.
Fall Schedule
My Space chums are concerned about our evolvement because they say we are all connected. "Everything is part of everything." They started talking about a little something they call "interstellar interspecies symbiosis." To hold up my end of the conversation, I asked them to elaborate. So they brought up the Quantum Inseparability Principle. "Every particle affects every other particle everywhere." They tried to bring quantum physics down to a level I could more clearly misunderstand. Then one of them mentioned the Bootstrap Theory, and at the point they got into the Superstring Theory, frankly, I think even they were in over their heads. But here's what I got from it all: seems like there's some kind of cosmic Krazy Glue connecting everything to everything.
J. Wagner, The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe; performed by Lilly Tomlin
Vanderbilt Center for Integrative Health www.vcih.org
To book private sessions, email via link to the right "view my complete profile"
So I'm getting married, fourteen wonderful years later. He is the love of my life and I am so excited to take this next step together with him. But this next step first requires a wedding involving many family members and loved ones. A joyous and happy occasion for everyone, though I've started to ponder exactly why I need everyone to be so perfectly happy with it all. It is a daunting, well quite impossible task to work with large and divided families while trying to maintain your personal sanity and happiness. Why, as the two of us strike out on our own together, am I striving to maintain, even strengthen, my interconnections and act from the state the Buddha calls 'interdependence" or the profound connectedness that is the true nature of reality.
It is true that we can start over, open new chapters in our lives, and begin anew. I absolutely believe we can make anything happen in this world, but we first must bring together the necessary conditions for something new to arise. The only way we know that something has been created anew is to relate it to previous states and current conditions. It is through relationship, or the understanding of this interconnection, that we manifest the nature of our reality. In my opinion it is relationship and interdependence that make reality attainable. And here, on planet Earth, this relationship or interconnection is a balance of give and take. I weed my garden and more peppers grow, I feel support from a friend and then give more to a student, etc.
The Tibetan Buddhist Karmapa, Ogyen Trinley Dorje says we must take this interdependence into account in our everyday actions because it "influences our lives directly and profoundly... in order to have a happy life, we must take an active interest in the sources of our happiness." And as we know the source of all states of reality depend on relationship, so perhaps I am not a crazy anti-bridezilla for seeking personal happiness by investing in the happiness of others! The Karmapa says, "if we respect and care about the happiness of others, we can insure the happiness of ourselves". Hmmm... wait this is sounding almost too good to be true. Maybe the Karmapa should be a southern bride for a few months, as the most often repeated advice I've received is, "it is your day; it only happens once; don't worry about others; do only what you want!" Ahhh, but yes, this is my life's work, understanding the relationship between Eastern Philosophy and the modern context. Thank you wedding and everyone involved for continuing my lifelong study, and thanks to to the Karmapa for showing that there is more than one way to be a southern bride (The Heart is Noble: Changing the World from the Inside Out, 2013).
J. Wagner, The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe; performed by Lilly Tomlin
Vanderbilt Center for Integrative Health www.vcih.org
Wednesdays 10:00am Gentle Yoga - Foundation Level
Thursdays 4:00pm Relax & Renew: 2-part Holiday Series* (12/5-1/16)
Thursdays 5:30pm Gentle Yoga - Foundation Level
Thursdays 5:30pm Gentle Yoga - Foundation Level
Studio Dakini (12 South District) www.studiodakini.com
Tuesdays 12:00pm Vinyasa Yoga - Open Level
Thursdays 12:00pm Vinyasa Yoga - Open Level
Thursdays 12:00pm Vinyasa Yoga - Open Level
The Pilates Place (Bellevue) www.thepilatesplace.us
Wednesdays 4:15pm Align & Flow - Open Level
To book private sessions, email via link to the right "view my complete profile"
Foundation Level=beginner appropriate
Open Level=all welcome, modifications suggested
* Series Classes at Vanderbilt require pre-registration and do not accommodate drop-ins.
So I'm getting married, fourteen wonderful years later. He is the love of my life and I am so excited to take this next step together with him. But this next step first requires a wedding involving many family members and loved ones. A joyous and happy occasion for everyone, though I've started to ponder exactly why I need everyone to be so perfectly happy with it all. It is a daunting, well quite impossible task to work with large and divided families while trying to maintain your personal sanity and happiness. Why, as the two of us strike out on our own together, am I striving to maintain, even strengthen, my interconnections and act from the state the Buddha calls 'interdependence" or the profound connectedness that is the true nature of reality.It is true that we can start over, open new chapters in our lives, and begin anew. I absolutely believe we can make anything happen in this world, but we first must bring together the necessary conditions for something new to arise. The only way we know that something has been created anew is to relate it to previous states and current conditions. It is through relationship, or the understanding of this interconnection, that we manifest the nature of our reality. In my opinion it is relationship and interdependence that make reality attainable. And here, on planet Earth, this relationship or interconnection is a balance of give and take. I weed my garden and more peppers grow, I feel support from a friend and then give more to a student, etc.
The Tibetan Buddhist Karmapa, Ogyen Trinley Dorje says we must take this interdependence into account in our everyday actions because it "influences our lives directly and profoundly... in order to have a happy life, we must take an active interest in the sources of our happiness." And as we know the source of all states of reality depend on relationship, so perhaps I am not a crazy anti-bridezilla for seeking personal happiness by investing in the happiness of others! The Karmapa says, "if we respect and care about the happiness of others, we can insure the happiness of ourselves". Hmmm... wait this is sounding almost too good to be true. Maybe the Karmapa should be a southern bride for a few months, as the most often repeated advice I've received is, "it is your day; it only happens once; don't worry about others; do only what you want!" Ahhh, but yes, this is my life's work, understanding the relationship between Eastern Philosophy and the modern context. Thank you wedding and everyone involved for continuing my lifelong study, and thanks to to the Karmapa for showing that there is more than one way to be a southern bride (The Heart is Noble: Changing the World from the Inside Out, 2013).
Spring & Summer Classes
I'm getting tough this spring & sticking up for what's serving me best in my schedule, thanks to help from this little guy in Cambodia a few years back. So apologies that the class schedule looks a little slim, but isn't the process of refining life the purpose of yoga anyway? I can promise what remains on the schedule is potent. Join me!
Vanderbilt Center for Integrative Health www.vcih.org
Mondays 10:00am Back Care - Foundation Level
Mondays 5:15pm Teen Yoga Series* (7/8-8/26) - Foundation Level
Wednesdays 10:00am Gentle Yoga - Foundation Level
Thursdays 4:00pm Yoga for Fibromyalgia Series* (8/8-9/12) - Foundation Level
Thursdays 5:30pm Gentle Yoga - Foundation Level
Studio Dakini (12 South District) www.studiodakini.com
Tuesdays 12:00pm Vinyasa Yoga - Open Level
Thursdays 12:00pm Vinyasa Yoga - Open Level
The Pilates Place (Bellevue) www.thepilatesplace.us
Wednesdays 4:30pm Align & Flow - Open Level
To book private sessions, email me via the link to the right "view my complete profile"
Foundation Level=beginner appropriate
Open Level=all welcome, modifications recommended
* Series Classes at Vanderbilt require pre-registration and do not accommodate drop-ins.
OFSY Graduates 2013
Congrats to the most recent graduates of the
Om Factory School of Yoga!
clockwise from top left: David, Zakkiyya, Laurie, Rin, me, Anna, Mandy, Mai,
Vanessa, Emma, Holly, Joe, Cindy, Cassandra, Anastasia, Sarah, Keisha, & Janie
Read more about their personal journey on the Om Factory blog here.
As always, teaching training is a humbling yet fulfilling experience for us all.
Spring Yoga Deal!
I always find a renewed energy from jumping into spring's daylight saving time, even if an hour diminishes into thin air. What better way to use this extra energy than by rolling out your yoga mat for practice. Check out this great deal offered on my yoga classes in Bellevue, just in time to enjoy the spring's fresh air and extra sunlight.
click below to purchase
Away to NYC
Om Factory School of Yoga, the interdisciplinary 200-hour Hatha Vinyasa teacher training I co-created with the talented Holly Coles, starts in less than 2 weeks. For more information and registration click here.This means I will be away from my Nashville classes January 17th - February 19th. All classes will continue with substitutes except Wednesdays 4:30pm at The Pilates Place and Thursdays 7:30pm at Studio Dakini.
If you are in the NYC area, I will be teaching the following group classes at
Om Factory (265 West 37th Street between 7th and 8th Aves, 17th floor):
Wednesdays 6:30-7:45pm Vinyasa Open
Thursdays 1:00-2:00pm Alignment Open
Thursdays 5:15-6:15pm Vinyasa Foundations
I will also be scheduling in-home private yoga session on weekdays. Contact me directly through email via the link to the right view my complete profile to schedule a session.
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