Fall Class Schedule

• Tuesdays at St. James Church begins September 6th, no class September 13^th
• Mondays at Ledyard Senior Center begins September 12^th (Loretta will do tape)
• Fridays at Ledyard Senior Center begins September 16th
• Mondays at IPT begins September 19^th
• Mondays at Ledyard Center School begins September 19th
• Wednesdays at Ledyard Center School begins September 21st
• Private lessons by appointment
• www.yogahealsus.com/classes for current schedule
• Some classes fill quickly.  Register now!

Links

Russill Paul blog

Mother Maya Peace Vow

Swami J on Meditation

In your meditation today....

May your body be still and comfortable....

May your head, neck and trunk be aligned....

May your breath be smooth, slow, serene, and with no pauses....

May the flow of thoughts in your mind not disturb you....

May your meditation today bring you peace, happiness and bliss....

Contact

Karen O'Donnell Clarke

karen@yogahealsus.com

Egrets - A Poem by Mary Oliver

Where the path closed

down and over,

through the scumbled leaves,

fallen branches,

through the knotted catbrier,

I kept going. Finally

I could not

save my arms

from thorns; soon

the mosquitoes

smelled me, hot

and wounded, and came

wheeling and whining.

And that's how I came

to the edge of the pond:

black and empty

except for a spindle

of bleached reeds

at the far shore

which, as I looked,

wrinkled suddenly

into three egrets - - -

a shower

of white fire!

Even half-asleep they had

such faith in the world

that had made them - - -

tilting through the water,

unruffled, sure,

by the laws

of their faith not logic,

they opened their wings

softly and stepped

over every dark thing.

Message from Karen

Dear Friends,

One morning, on the way to yoga class, I passed by these three egrets and I couldn't pass them by without stopping to take this photo.  And there's a fourth in the background.  About a week later, hurricane Irene blew through.  Then, like many who were in the path of the storm, we were without power - for 7 days.  Living in the "country" as we do means no running water and no flushing toilets.  For several days we got by on water that we'd stocked up for drinking and flushing.  And cooking on the grill.  And using our camping lanterns.  Even a few oil lamps got put into service.  It seemed that we could really be without power even longer than a week. 

Well, not entirely without power.  We were able to use a friend's generator to keep the fridge going for a few hours a day.  And the internet. How wonderful it was to have a technology holiday, if only for a little while.  And how dependent we are on all things electric.  Cell phones, illumination, heating and cooling, food storage and preparation, entertainment...

So, we went to bed earlier.  Used a lot less water.  Visited with friends and neighbors who suddenly, like us, had more time to visit. 

A week has passed already and life returns to normal. 

Yoga Classes:

The fall class schedule is posted at www.yogahealsus.com.  Please note that there are no classes next week except Friday at Ledyard Senior Center. 

During the fall session, we will continue to focus on the first 5 limbs of Patanjali Yoga, with special emphasis on the Yamas and Niyamas.

Yoga News:

The State of Connecticut began collecting sales tax on yoga classes as of July 1, 2011.  Any classes that are sponsored by a municipality (Ledyard Parks & Recreation, Ledyard Senior Center, Montville Senior Center) are unaffected.  Classes at St. James Church and Independence Physical Therapy will pay sales tax.  The current class schedule lists the cost and sales tax.  I'm not sure how the new tax affects you if you are using your Health Savings plan to pay for classes. 

Workshops for yoga teachers holding a Connecticut

Sales and Use Tax number may be exempt.  You may want to check with the CT DRS for clarification. 

Yoga Workshops:

Stay tuned for workshop news.  Dates will be announced in the next newsletter.  Workshops will include the 10 Steps to Freedom, Chair Yoga for Level 1 and 2 Classes, and Yoga for Seniors.  Later in the fall, there will be a few evenings of Yoga Nidra and Restorative Yoga.

Remembering 9/11

The anniversary of 9/11 brings with it a time of traumatic memory and strong emotions.  A lot has happened to our country and our world in the past 10 years.  The events of 9/11 and what followed has brought us together as a nation and torn us apart.  The repercussions keep on coming.  It is my sincere wish that we come together as a country to help make this world a better place.  Just like the egrets,

Even half-asleep they had

such faith in the world

that had made them - - -

tilting through the water,

unruffled, sure,

by the laws

of their faith not logic,

they opened their wings

softly and stepped

over every dark thing.

Om shanti, Karen

Patanjali Yoga Sutras 2.16

– Freedom is Waiting

Interpretive Translation by Joseph Le Page –

That which is to be undone is the suffering yet to come.

...

Commentary by Joseph Le Page – Freedom is Waiting

Grace is always waiting to awake, the sacred cloak that wraps you in its soft embrace, and only asks you to let go of control, to release the belief that life should always go your way, for the Divine can only guide when you entrust the reins to the light that leads to Spirit’s true domain.

Wisdom is always waiting to arise, the spiritual maturity to see with your own clear eyes, but what you see as “spiritual life ” may only be your old beliefs in spiritual disguise, for only when you leave behind the core beliefs that bind the mind can wisdom’s light truly shine.

Openness is your heart’s natural state, an innocence that receives all of life as grace, but you’ll need to release the belief that your true heart can ever break, for the essence of love is always untouched within your heart’s own dwelling place, waiting only for your unconditional embrace.

The present is always waiting to be lived, knowing that this moment is all there is, and asks only that you leave behind your limited concept of time with its bitter sweet past and future promises, for ti...me can only reveal the truth that already exists within - the timeless Self that is creation’s one true gift.

Peace is the language of your soul, a deep serenity that unfolds as you come to know that all of life’s battles are only reflections of your own shadow, and in the letting go of all you still believe life owes, the peace that surpasses all understanding is bestowed.

Compassion is the true voice of your heart, knowing that each person finds their own place and time to embark on the journey to their true treasure, waiting within them from the start, but you’ll need to release all the judging beliefs that hold you apart, to take your place in the communal space on life’s single sacred ark.

Wholeness is the only thing you’ll ever really own, a sense of completeness that naturally unfolds as feelings of defectiveness lose their hold in the light of conscious...ness that steadily grows, for nothing you can earn or learn will fill a cup that is already full, your essential Self, always inherently whole.

Joy is your own inner spring, a natural delight that arises as your heart learns to sing, but you’ll need to dissolve the clouds of fear and doubt that constrict your true being, cultivating the ease that allows you to freely drink from your own joyful inner stream.

Oneness is always waiting to be recognized, the single source of life, and only asks you to step outside your narrow room of “I” and “mine”, to realize that all the seemingly separate strands are always intertwined, revealing the world as it appears through Divine eyes.

Love is always waiting to awaken within your being, a softer way of seeing and feeling that asks only for resentments release, the glue that binds you to your own blind beliefs, for even if the road is long to find the source ...of love you seek, it’s a small price to pay for your heart’s perfect peace.

Freedom is your very essence waiting to be perceived, knowing who you are beyond the conditioned personality, but you’ll need to see that your plans and beliefs are not life’s end, but only a means, to reveal your authentic being, always free, waiting as your destiny.

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