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Thought for the Day
Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will.
– Mahatma Gandhi
What counts most in life is not IQ but WQ, “Will Quotient.” No one can plead that he or she lacks will. There is will in every desire. Every desire carries with it the will to bring that desire to fruition. When it comes to something we like, we have all the will we need. Someone says, “Hey, come on, we’re going skiing!” and that is enough. We will get out of bed at three in the morning, drive for hours, stand cheerfully in the snow waiting for the ski lift, and in general suffer all kinds of discomfort with a will of iron. Yet as small a challenge as a letter to Aunt Gertrude will find the will against us.
To control our destiny, we need to harness our will, to do not what we like, but what is in our long-term best interest. If the will is strong enough, great things can be accomplished; if the will is weak, very little. In every endeavor, it is the man or woman with a firm will who excels.
I want to go on living even after my death! And therefore I am grateful to God for giving me this gift, this possibility of developing myself and of writing, of expressing all that is in me. I can shake off everything if I write; my sorrows disappear, my courage is reborn.
– Anne Frank
When you discover that everyone is contained in you and you are contained in everyone, you have realized the unity of life, which is the divine ground of existence. Then you are not just a person; you have become a beneficial force. Wherever you go, wherever you live, those around you will benefit from your life.
The life of such a person, such as Mahatma Gandhi in our own times, becomes a permanent, selfless force on this earth, because even after death his influence continues to bring people together, to make them aware of their trusteeship for the resources of the earth and for all creatures. Gandhi is still alive because he is still at work as a real force, advancing peace, good will, and unity.
Even one unassuming man or woman leading a selfless life, though he or she may live only a few years on earth, enriches all life for all time to come. Even if one person in a community is leading a selfless life, he will make his contribution, and she will slowly inspire others to make the same contribution, because human nature responds to such an example.
Click here for more Thought for the Day
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Message from Karen
Dear Friends,
Recently, while listening to NPR as I often do when driving, I heard an interview with a post-Katrina resident of New Orleans. When asked how things were going, she said that she wants to know what's the master plan, if there is one, for bringing businesses back. That got me thinking about having a master plan. Two things happened this weekend that got me thinking about perspective.
First, my dog. She's a 10 year old miniature poodle who stands on two legs and jumps on people to greet them. In discussing her lack of training (mea culpa) a friend suggested that being so low to the ground, it's hard for her to see anything higher than her head and harder to put things into perspective.
Then, I watched a show called "A Man Named Pearl" about a man in South Carolina who is famous for his stunning 3 acre topiary gardens, all hand sculpted over many years of patient nurturing. As I watched him sculpt bushes and trees, I wondered at his ability to see the big picture when his eyes were so close to the trees and bushes.
Did he have a master plan or did it evolve over time from intention and practice? What about you? One of the unintended consequences of Pearl's focus and devotion is that his work has helped to transform the small town of Bishopville, SC and brings joy to visitors from around the country. Check it out.
Do you have a master plan for your life that provides focus and direction? Or do you bounce from one thing to the next depending on whim, crisis or other people's master plans?
Understanding the chakras and how they work in your life can provide insights, clarify choices and provide tools for your master plan. Check out the link between your biography and your biology in Resurrecting the Self: A Journey Through the Chakras workshop on May 9th.
Spring is really here! Grass is growing, trees are budding and daffodils are blooming. Have a wonderful day. Peace and love, Karen
Click here for information about Pearl Fryar
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Spring Classes
New Session began March 30 for Ledyard Park & Recreation classes. Call Parks & Recreation at 464-9112 to find out what classes still have space.
New Session began April 2 for Ledyard Senior Center classes. Free chair class for Ledyard seniors on Thursdays from 1 - 2!
Join anytime: Tuesday classes at St. James Church in Preston
Some classes do not meet during the week after Easter - 4/13 - 4/17. Check class schedule for updates.
Click here for class schedule
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Resurrecting the Self - A Journey Through the Chakras
Saturday, May 10, 2009
1:00 - 5:00 p.m.
This workshop is an opportunity to deepen your yoga practice and experience the transformative work of self-discovery and personal growth as we journey through the chakras using postures, breathwork, chanting, visualization, affirmation and meditation. Students are invited to bring a journal and water. Dress in layers.
This yoga intensive is lead by Karen ODonnell Clarke, eRYT who has studied the chakra system as a model of human development & transformation with Anodea Judith, director of Sacred Centers and author of "Wheels of Life."
Special price $45 paid by 5/3, $54 at the door
Learn how your biography relates to your biology, how we manifest our destiny with and without intention, and how to create change through self-knowledge.
Register now. Contact yogahealsus@yahoo.com or 860.204.0797
Click here for workshop information
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Workshops for Yoga Teachers
April 17 & 18, 2009
Teaching Adaptive Yoga for Multiple Sclerosis
Sioux Falls, South Dakota
May 24, 2009
Yoga Mind, Body & Spirit: A Multi-dimensional Approach to Teaching Yoga
Breathe Yoga Studio, Pensacola, Florida
May 29 & 30, 2009
Teaching Adaptive Yoga for Multiple Sclerosis
Birmingham, Alabama
June 26 & 27, 2009
Teaching Adaptive Yoga for Multiple Sclerosis
Divine Yoga Center, Southlake,Texas
June 28, 2009
Yoga
Therapy in Practice: A Multi-dimensional Approach to the Application
of Therapeutic and Adaptive Yoga
Divine Yoga Center, Southlake, Texas
CEUs available for Yoga Alliance RYTs
Presenter: Karen O'Donnell Clarke, eRYT
Click here for information
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Yoga Heals Us T-shirts
Coming soon! Women's short sleeve V-neck and crew neck styles in white, key lime, salmon, pink and iris. 2 styles - loose fit and contour fit. Yoga Heals Us logo. Same low price as last year: $17
Interested?
Click on the link below to seach by style number for color and size specifications:
Bella 1005 (I ordered sizes M - XL in pink, white and green) (contoured fit)
Anvil 652 (I ordered sizes M - XL in white and key lime) (loose fit)
Gildan 2000L (I ordered sizes M - XL in iris and salmon) (loose fit)
Click here to see styles
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About Yoga Heals Us Logo
In 2006, as part of my 10 year celebration I designed a logo that for me symbolizes the gifts of Yoga.
The design of the logo begins with the symbol of OM in the center of a circle. OM has many meanings but the one that resonates most with me is that OM is the vibrational sound of creation and unity.
OM rests inside the circle of life that rests inside the intersection of ascending and descending triangles. These triangles symbolize the intersection of downward and up ward flowing energy at the heart chakra.
The lotus flowers on either side symbolize polar energies of masculine and feminine as well as light and dark. The outer layer of 12 lotus petals symbolizes the heart chakra and the 12 signs of the zodiac.
The words "Breathe, you can relax now...Yoga Heals Us refers to my belief that Yoga can heal us and ultimately the world. Fellow yogini, Lisa Myerson, took my idea for the logo and create the graphic. This graphic graces the front of the Yoga Heals Us tee shirts.
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Contact:
Karen O'Donnell Clarke
yogahealsus@yahoo.com
860.204.0797
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Save the Date! April 24th
Dinner and a Movie
Join Ledyard High School's Environment Group ECO's for Earth Week.
When: Friday, April 24, 2009
Where: Ledyard High School
Time: 6:00 p.m. Dinner and Movie "The Human Imprint"
Dinner: Vegetarian friendly, possibly Vegan friendly as well
Dessert: 8:30 p.m. Dessert and Discussion
Admission price: about $18
Contact: Mrs. Montgomery, the ECO's advisor, at Ledyard High School
The group is also planning a town wide cleanup for Saturday, April 25th.
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Wisdom
I slept and dreamt that life was joy.
I awoke and saw that life was service.
I acted and behold, service was joy.
- Rabindranath Tagore
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Radical Self Acceptance
Meditation is commonly described as a training of mental attention that
awakens us beyond the conditioned mind and habitual thinking, and
reveals the nature of reality. In this guide, the process and the fruit
of meditation practice is understood as Natural Presence.
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Click here for How to Meditate
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Yoga's Trip to America
"In America is the place, the people, the opportunity for everything
new," wrote Swami Vivekananda before he left India in 1893. Vivekananda
had learned from his guru, Sri Ramakrishna, that the world's religions
"are but various phases of one eternal religion" and that spiritual
essence could be transmitted from one person to another. He set about
to bring that transmission to our shores. His first speech was at the
World Parliament of Religions in Chicago. "Sisters and brothers of
America," he began, and the audience was on its feet, giving him a
standing ovation. Our love affair with the East was born, and so began
a steady stream of Eastern ideas flowing west.
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Click here to read article
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Anna's Kenya Blog
A friend of a friend wrote this from Kenya.
Greetings, friends!
I write you from my black-and-brown animal-print couch, an enamel mug of peach
tea on the cushion beside me, my houseful of volunteers just departed with
backpacks and water bottles for a day at the clinic. These are the sweetest
moments of my life in
Ken ya —when the
house is quiet (if not clean—that’ll come later today), the sun is slanting in
the grilled windows in long golden bars, and I’m alone to savor what has been
given me. It doesn’t matter that the landlord called me this morning saying he
needs another 15,000 shillings. It doesn’t matter that I haven’t bathed for
five days. The wonder of my daily life here, the delight of exploration, of
knowing I am contributing in my own small way to making the world a better
place—the resonance of being where I know I’m supposed to be—makes everything
worthwhile. I’m living my dreams and it’s a gift every day.
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Click here to read Anna's blog
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