Greetings and a Happy Full Moonish to you,

First some inspiring news from Edible Gardens: Public Garden Feeds 200,000 People Each Month  This kind of news can open our minds to healthy and fun community expansions.

Perhaps you saw the article in the New York Times Magazine called How Yoga Can Wreck Your Body.  I’ve been sent the article by friends and family far and wide. The article is chocked full of scary stories of serious injuries attributed to yoga. I thought one salient point was this

‘Asana is not a panacea or a cure-all. In fact, if you do it with ego or obsession, you’ll end up causing problems.’

Anytime we move away from our true bodily sensations and breath and move toward performance or competitiveness, we are putting ourselves in a precarious position.

But even more unsettling to me was the article’s implicit definition of yoga as poses, as if that is all yoga is! Why that is like thinking…that a canned pea is the same as a freshly harvest pea from a pod. I mean, seriously, what would we be missing if our only experience of vegetables was from cans? This may seem a silly metaphor but I am always trying to shed light on the true bounty, the riches, the absolute sensuous delight of all of yoga. This emphasis on rigid rules for yoga poses with absolutes (in the article luminous yogis are quoted giving strict alignment rules) just seems to me to forget a rule taught me by my primary teacher, Betheyla,

No pose is more important than the person.

Finally what about the ulitmate purpose of yoga, happiness, peace of mind, equanimity. I’ll sign off with a sweet quote from Ramana Maharishi:

Thank you for bringing your hands to YogaNow. I’ll be subbing for Mike at 5:45 on Tuesday (that’s today!) and will be teaching every Wednesday at 5:45 pm. I hope you can join me and each other at YogaNow.

with love and affection,
namaste,
Meta.

PS The title of this blog, is from the yoga text, The Yoga Sutras, by Patanjali. Among other brilliance he lays out an eight path model for yoga, of which poses is one, that’s one of eight.

Big Sur, CA

Greetings and New Year Salutations!

I hope your holiday celebrations were joyous and you are invigorated for this moment, now. I spent the New Year at a most spectacular spot, Esalen in Big Sur, California. I attended a silent meditation retreat but honestly went AWOL at some point because I just couldn’t be in a room with my eyes closed when that was ocean calling. Nature is meditation and inspiring, at least for me.

One of the strong reminders I received at Esalen was my love of yoga & teaching. I took a yoga class every morning and it was great to be a student, for sure. And yet, I missed you all at YogaNow. Locations for the classes continuing in April are emerging and they will be announced soon. In the meantime, meet me on the mat, there’s yoga morning, noon and night at YogaNow.

What we focus on increases, we learn in yoga. So here is some good news from the Good News Network: The Surprisingly Upbeat State of the World.

Enjoy your choices.  Sending love and hoping to meet you very soon on the mat!

namaste,

Meta.

Greetings and Happy New Year,

First let me offer you a small gift of a visual delight: Underwater Astonishments

I hope this auspicious year, 2012, is the beginning, a new beginning, of a fabulous period of growth and fruition for you. To that end, you might consider what your intention or sankalpa might be for this beginning. Yoga teaches us to use discrimination, viveka, to understand and discern the root of past suffering and happiness and to look with a cool eye toward the truth of our lives. Then, based on this clarity, we begin to envision what our next direction, our aspiration might be. Next is the practice of doing the work, be it poses, breathing, meditation, job, family, whatever, and release attachment to outcome. That’s the yogic formula and you might just want to drink the champagne of intention, practice and detachment this year (or sankalpa, abhyasa, viagraghybham). 

I’ll be on a short silent retreat this year for the beginning of the new year, at a beautiful spot, Esalen. As you know, this is a year of change for YogaNow, and me, so I felt that a slight pause before jumping into the year would be correct. I’ll return on January 5th and happily, voluntarily, joyfully teach at YogaNow until March 31st, and then at various locations around town. I have already found some beautiful spots but if you have a spot let me know, too, please!

The schedule has ungone some necessary changes, please be sure to check it out. For example, I’ll be teaching Monday and Wednesday at 545 pm and there isn’t currently a Thursday night class (though a class may begin there shortly). We have two YogaNow teachers who are traveling in India in January, Aparna and Mike. Aren’t we lucky to have such committed and sincere teachers? So we have subs for Aparna’s morning classes, Cypresse and Lori. For Mike’s classes, Mikiala is teaching the noon ones and we, Meta and Mikiala, will share teaching the Tuesday 545 pm class. The Saturday Ashtanga class will be on a hiatus until Mike returns in February.  Okay, so that’s a lot of information, so you can definitely check the web: Class Schedule.

And now for some inspiration, check out this link of another Ted talk: Amy Purdy:Living Beyond Limits
with so much love and looking forward to meeting on the mat!

Happy New Year! Meta.

Greetings and Warm Salutations,

This time of year you may be beginning to feel the holiday stress of planning, giving, going, doing. The perfect antidote? YOGA of course – why not start the weekend with Joe’s fabulous Friday 6-7:30 pm class or the weekend classes of Saturday Flowing with Cypresse and Ashtanga-ing with Mike, and then Mixing it Up with Meta on Sunday. And no parking hassles – free parking thanks to the city of Albuquerque.

Here’s a story that moved me to tears of gratitude and connection, so I offer it to you:We Will Always Remember You

So many ways to say thank you. I couldn’t resist playing with Google Translate for a sampling of thanks from around the world at the bottom of this missive.

Have a splendoriferous Thursday, take a deep breath, smile, give yourself a hug and try some yoga now…no, now…today, classes at morning, noon and night,

with great love and affection,
Meta.

Gratitude, Arigato, Merci, Gracias, धन्यवाद, Danke, grazie, obrigado, спасибо,cảm ơn bạn, teşekkür ederim, ขอบคุณ, நன்றி, tak, köszönöm, di ou mèsi, 감사합니다, शुक्रिया, dankie

آپ کا شکریہ, شكرا תודה

YogaNow News

Dearest and Most Cherished Yogis of YogaNow,

After over ten successful and exuberant years of yoga and community, YogaNow will close its doors at 215 Gold on April 1, 2012. I am ever grateful to you all for supporting the studio, each other, the teachers and me. I have enjoyed and cherished our time in practice and outside of practice.

To quote His Holiness, The Dalai Lama, I happily, voluntarily, proudly end it. The studio that is, but not our relationship. Even though we won’t have the same beautiful ceiling and space, I look forward to expanding our connection. I want very much to continue to create community, and I am seeking ways to do that, other than having a full time rented studio. I am looking forward to serving you, the student, without the day-to-day responsibilities of running a studio business.

I plan to continue to teach locally at a minimum on Sundays at 10 am and Mondays at 5:45 pm and daytime Gentle class beginning immediately in April. I’m looking for a space to rent by the hour for a few weekly classes. There are lovely spaces to rent that I know of and if you are aware of any, please let me know.

Do you have ideas for how to continue to stay connected? Please be part of the transition to the next phase. I invite you to co-create our world together.

My dharma has shifted to other yogic adventures and teachings. I plan to spend more time promoting the new edition of Vital Yoga: A Sourcebook for Students and Teachers. And importantly, I believe I must work to help support those who suffer from asthma. When I developed asthma over 23 years ago I was stunned to find that the prognosis was for a changed life of endless medications and depleted vitality.  It was through yoga and an entire yogic approach to asthma that has nurtured me to robust health and happiness. I feel directed, even compelled, to help others who want to find another way to deal with asthma, a way that includes all aspects of life and healing. I know I didn’t just get better just for my own benefit; I healed so that I could help others as well. If you have any connections to reach out to those who work with asthma, please let me know.

Once again, I need to say, thank you, thank you, thank you. Please continue to take classes at the studio until the end of March, and please continue to take classes in our new spaces. The other teachers will be posting where they will be teaching in April so that you can follow your favorites.

Thank you to all the teachers of YogaNow, past and present, you have offered your heart and soul in the service of yoga and I know we are all grateful to you.

The details: No refunds on bundles, you have 4 months to use the bundles. Or at the end of March you may be able convert classes to purchase used yoga props.

So much gratitude to you, to all the teachers of YogaNow past and present, and most especially to yoga for all that it offers,

Deep bows and many blessings,
Meta.

Greetings and Sunny Salutations!

Tomorrow’s date is unusual, 11.11.11, and there are many opinions about what that repeating date might mean to each of us and the world. There is a festival of music on the banks of the Ganges River in India 11.11.11 India and some predictions are fear-based, of course. My favorite attitude comes from an article in Tamasthu to “Keep Smiling”

There’s nothing better in this world than to know that you have made someone happy. People seldom notice old clothes if you wear a smile! We often tend to miss simple pleasures in this roller-coaster ride called life. We are often burdened with so much responsibility and stress in day-to-day life that we forget to stop and smell the flowers.

• The joyous expression on a mother’s face when she sees her child take his first step independently.
• A child who finds himself riding a bicycle for the first time without trainer wheels.
• Or simply smile at a stranger… it’s probably the only sunshine he will be seeing in the day!

Turn your frown up-side down. It costs nothing and gives more light.

And then there is the special elixir of gratitude, which in just two weeks we celebrate as a nation and family. YogaNow offers a yoga class at 10 am on Thanksgiving, to start your holiday with yoga and community, you might even bring your visiting relatives. Here’s a sweetly nourishing Tedx Talk on Gratitude, sent to me from wonderful YogaNow yogi, Lauri Dickinson: Gratitude Louie Schwartzberg

Hope to meet you on the mat and see you smiling. Many blessings all around,

Namaste,

Meta.

Dear YogaNow friends and family,

As I write this post a storm is brewing out the window and of course, we hope for rain. This is the first day of the Jewish New Year, 5772, so to all those of the Jewish tribe, Happy New Year! To everyone, Happy New Moon. The new moon, the new year, always new beginnings are open to us. And I find the Bhagavad Gita reassuring:

~ On this path effort never goes to waste, and there is no failure. Even a little effort toward spiritual awareness will protect you from the greatest fear. ~

Please join Elise Espat for the Introduction to Mysore Ashtanga Yoga this Saturday, Oct 1, 2-4 pm

Elise Espat

http://www.vitalyogathebook.com/workshops-and-retreats/workshops/…there will be a short video viewing, explanation and discussion, breathing practice and everything you need to know to begin Mysore. This is a workshop for everyone!

Note too that the Tuesday morning class is now 9:30 am, along with every other morning class.

As the seasons change you may want to consider a season cleanse, called panchakarma. This is a wonderful way to honor your body and the change in the air. Here is a web site with more information on panchakarma: http://www.ayurveda.com/panchakarma/index.html.

May I suggest a simple panchakarma, perhaps three days: a monodiet of kitchuri (many recipes for this including in Vital Yoga: A Sourcebook for Students and Teachers, p. 210-11); warm oil self massage daily; extra sleep; restorative yoga at home, for example, legs up the wall.

You are also invited to Friday at the Movies, an event co-hosted with the Albuquerque Ashtanga Shala, Friday, October 28, 2011, 7:30pm.  Join us for a screening of the new film “Yoga Woman”. View trailer here.

May your transitions be easy and your choices for attention nourishing,

with love and gratitude,
Meta.

Greetings and End of August Salutations,

I hope you are all enjoying the weather and happily not hurricanes and tornadoes. I read this morning that this was the hottest August on record and I hope you have been staying cool and using yoga as a tool for calmness of mind and spirit. If not, it’s never too late to come to a yoga class, yoga is always there for you!

Chilling in the shade

We will have one 10 am class on Labor Day, all weekend classes happen. You might just want to begin the national holiday in community in yoga.

There is still time to join our next YogaNow Personal Enrichment and Teacher Training Apprentice Program which beings October 2.  This dive into yoga is a gift to yourself to uncover your own truth and beauty. You certainly don’t have to want to be a yoga teacher but you do have to be willing to learn and grow with yoga. We won’t be offering the training again in October 2012 so if you are considering, this may be your time now!

We are welcoming two new teachers, Joe and Allegra Wolf. They will be teaching classes already on the schedule and also adding a Wednesday morning Ashtanga Vinayasa for all levels – beginner and seasoned practitioner.

Our Friday evening class is changing times – will be a new time 6-7:30 pm beginning Sept 9. It is now called Happy Hour Vinyasana and here is the description:

Happy Hour Vinyasana

A great way to unwind from the week before starting your weekend. This class is designed to give you a strong foundation in fun, while being both safe and effective. This is a fluid vinyasana class, using elements of the Ashtanga approach, but resequenced to lend a sense of playfulness and accessibility for everyone. We explore the dynamic synergy between effort and letting go. You will leave feeling refreshed, energized, and relaxed, with the night still young. So come and join us in this breathing, moving, and feeling mediation.

May the new month be sweet and your moments be now,

with love,

Meta.

Greetings and August Salutations to you!

The beauty of New Mexico at sunset

I hope this finds you all well and diving into your moments.

YogaNow is pleased to offer a free class this week, Wednesday, August 24, 7:30-9 pm to meet new to Albuquerque and YogaNow teachers, Allegra and Joe Wolff.  They will team teach this 90 minute yoga class. Here’s a bit about them:

Joe and Allegra moved to Albuquerque from San Francisco this summer to enjoy the simplicities of mountains, the southwest and spend more time with family.

Allegra has been practicing Ashtanga yoga on and off since 2004 but was first introduced to Kundalini yoga in 2002. She finds it is important to establish a variety in her personal asana practice from day to day and so the yoga she teaches is a playful combination of ashtanga-vinyasa influenced poses ranging from the gentle and subtle to the challenging intensity of more rigorous poses.

THIS Saturday is the Yoga for Asthma class, 1-2:30 pm, please come if you have any respiratory distress and want to work with your breath!

Also join Cypresse and Friends on Sunday:

Flash Mob Yoga
You’re Invited!
August 28, 2011
Albuquerque Art Museum, 2000 Mountain NW 
(across from Tiguex Park)
Arrive 1:50 to wander around out front, acting interested in the art installations….at 2pm, we begin with 2 sun salutes, into our own flow of poses before ending promptly at 2:10. Optional to go to Old Town Plaza afterward and have a drink.
Come with sunscreen, your creativity and your drishti!

Flash Mob Yoga is sweeping the country, here’s an article about one in nyc http://www.yogadork.com/news/mega-yoga-flash-mob-planned-for-nycs-grand-central-station-august-24th/

and a pix

many blessings all around,
many opportunities to practice yoga!

namaste,

Meta.