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"...a clear and peaceful mind is the ground for joyful living." Swami Rama
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BEGINNING
MEDITATION with K.O.
Thursdays,
Jan 24 - Feb 21, no class 2/14
5:30-7:00 pm
Cost: $65
Learn how to begin a home meditation practice.
Class size is limited to 8 so please pre-register.
Google Map link
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SESSION
DISCOUNT
Refer a friend to the Beginning Mind and Body Yoga or Yoga for Health class and, if they sign up, you will receive $20 toward your next class or private yoga session.
Share the beauty and breadth of yoga and, as always, I appreciate your continued support!
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FEATURED
Practice, Practice, Practice
A very Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year to you all!
During the meditation satsangs, I've been talking a lot about practice (especially meditation) – why we practice, why we don't practice, and why we want to practice. So for the next few newsletters, I would like to share with you some excerpts from those conversations.
In the last newsletter, I wrote, in part, about the importance of practice during the good times. Often we use the pressure of suffering to inspire us to practice, and we see the space between the suffering periods as good or happy. Yet it's hard to do the real work of self-transformation when things are rough. What we don't realize is that it is these calm and content periods where clearing ourselves and transforming ourselves of the deep causes of suffering are the most fruitful.
Another possible scenario is the reverse: what happens if you find that, instead, your practice does occurs when life is stable, but as soon as life gets chaotic, you bail?
Either way, you want to see what is underneath not practicing – the subtle (or not so subtle) reasons for avoidance. I'm not referring to all the things you have to do and the schedule conflicts that might make it more challenging, but instead, the deeper reasons we avoid practice, such as:
-Not wanting to become quiet and then see the contents of your mind?
-Not feeling worthy of taking care of ourselves?
-Feeling scared about change in general.
-Fearing that the suffering we don't know might be worse than the suffering we do know.
-And many more…
I liken practice to putting money in the bank that earns compounding interest and not practicing to taking money out. The more money you have in the bank, the more interest you earn. If you have $100,000 in the bank and you take out $100, that's only 1% so you might not notice, but if you only have $1,000 in the bank and you take out $100, now you've taken out 10%, which will have a much bigger impact. Practicing (putting money in) and not practicing or stressful situations (taking money out) is just like that!
My teacher often says, "What's stronger, your habit or your intention?" So make your resolution and intention to practice more so that you can move through life with calm, ease, clarity, and contentment. As Bill Murray said in the New York Times recently, "The more relaxed you are, the better you are at everything: the better you are with your loved ones, the better you are with your enemies, the better you are at your job, and the better you are with yourself "
Yours, in service,
KO
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WHAT'S NEW
Schedule of Upcoming Classes
I'm pleased to announce that Good Space Yoga will continue to offer the periodic Meditation Satsangs and Restorative Yoga Workshops, and will once again offer Beginning Meditation.
Please go to Good Space Yoga for a description of the classes, as well as the full class schedule.
To see the January-February full class schedule, please go to:
http://goodspaceyoga.com/classes-yoga.html
Become a fan on Facebook! I post links to articles of interest, inspirational quotes, updates about events, and notes about various experiences.
http://www.facebook.com/goodspaceyoga
SPECIAL OFFERINGS:
Beginning Meditation with K.O.
Thursdays, January 24, 31, February 7, & 21 (no class 2/14)
5:30-7:00 pm, Cost: $65
Learn how to begin a home meditation practice. Systematic methods for mantra meditation and stress reduction are covered each week. Many relaxation and concentration techniques, as well as gentle physical warm-ups, are explored to prepare the body and mind for sitting. Lectures on philosophy, lifestyle techniques, and group discussion are included. Class is limited to 8 so please pre-register.
Meditation Satsang with K.O.
Monday, January 28,
Thursday, February 28
Thursday, April 18
5:45-6:45 pm, Cost: $5 each
This gathering is intended to help support and deepen people's meditation practices. The enrollment has been wonderful, and I am excited to continue offering it! Class will include a 15 minute lecture, a 15 minutes period of question and answer, followed by 30 minutes of seated meditation.
Restorative Yoga with Amy Noren
Thursday, January 17
Thursday, March 14
6:00-7:30 pm, Cost: $10 each
Restorative Yoga allows space to deeply relax, renewing health, wellness, and vitality. Holding fewer poses with many props creates a safe space to deeply release tention thereby enlivening every cell. No yoga experience is necessary, however, the ability to get up and down from the floor is helpful. Focus is on individual comfort.
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Home Practice
This practice might look confusing and a bit complicated, and it is ;-) The movements are simple, but they contain asymmetric movements of the arms that engage the mind's attention quite fully while working the body in some interesting ways. It's a great way to train attention and create integration of the right and left sides of the body and brain.
Remember, old practices, newsletters, and recipes can be found on my website's goodspaceyoga.com/homepractice webpage. Enjoy!
Asymetric Cross Crawl Practice
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Yoga Therapy
Special Offer: Sign-up for a 6-8 week class session and get your first yoga therapy session for $40/hr (regularly $70/hr).
What is Yoga Therapy?
Yoga Therapy adapts and applies Yoga techniques and practices to help individuals who are facing physical or emotional challenges, or who want to expand their yoga/spiritual practice. It offers a personalized practice that empowers the individual to progress toward greater health by managing their condition, reducing symptoms, restoring balance, and facilitating healing on all levels of our being. My hope is to inspire and empower you toward greater clarity and healing.
Please see my Therapeutic Yoga webpage for more information.
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Inspiration
Buddha (taken from Loving-Kindness by Sharon Salzberg)
We are what we think.
All that we are arises with our thoughts.
With our thoughts we make the world.
Speak or act with an impure mind
And trouble will follow you
As the wheel follows the ox that draws the cart...
Speak or act with a pure mind
And happiness will follow you
As your shadow, unshakable.
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