 We know holidays are hard for many people. Likely, that has never been truer than this past week, with more distanced and sparse Thanksgivings than any time in history, probably even the Great Depression, when food and money were scarce but no pandemic made community itself dangerous for our health.
Hard has different meanings, though. For some, "hard" meant challenge, stimulating creativity and adventure such as a chilly porch picnic. For others, digital outreach reaped more connections than a simple meal gathering. Yet others gained a retreat for quiet reflection and self-connection, a gift we rarely allow ourselves.
 Just as "hard" and "challenge" can also mean adventure and creativity, in speaking of multiple meanings, I must also mention:
"For those who celebrate Thanksgiving" a phrase that reminds me that in America the holiday carries more nuance and ambiguity than the simple meaning of harvest or gratitude that I have heretofore imbued in it.
Here is an article that speaks to that nuance for the First Americans. Awareness is something you cannot undo, however late it arrives. If this holiday was more painful than usual for you or me, it is more painful for them, always, and especially this year, as the pandemic disproportionately affects Native American communities.
 So I honor harvest, family, feasts, gratitude. And I also honor the important awareness that this holiday's mythology carries pain for many. Both/and. This is the plurality of our nation of immigrants. Can we hold both truths to be equal, and real? Can we weep even as we celebrate? I think we can. I think we must.
Especially now. We know what both feel like: Grief and Gratitude. We can co-exist, as they can.
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Restorative Teacher Training Online
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 Mother Mary Restorative Yoga Teacher Training, in its 9th year in NYC, goes virtual (see here) from January 15th through March 8th. Great for yoga teachers, personal trainers, educators, healers, parents, students.
 In the safety of your home/office, learn to expertly offer and guide Restorative yoga for all levels and populations and settings, including yourself, and your loved ones. Mary's Teacher Training Manual, Zoom recordings of our training modules, and 2-week passes to Mary's classes per module, all support your learning.
Receive a 100-hour Pure Yoga Advanced certification for the 4 levels, or 25-hours CE for each module, or the option to take just single day Reiki I and II certifications. Payment plans customized per individual needs.
Level 1 Basics: January 15 - 18
Level 2 intermediate: Jan 29 – Feb 1
Level 3 Reiki I + Restore: February 19 - 22
Level 4 Reiki II + Restore: March 5 – 8
 1-day Reiki I: Feb 20
1-day Reiki II: March 6 (has pre-reqs)
Yoga Nidra Teacher Training: March 19 - 22
PRICING:
*$375/Level ($350 if taking 2)
*$1200 for 4 Levels/100 Hours (save $300)
*125-Hours (+ NIDRA) $1400 (save $475)
*Reiki 1-Day: $200 (Both for $350)
Email me with questions or for details.
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Photo Thanks; Email Privacy
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AcroYoga and Thai pics dressed in white with Jonny Nobleza and Alexandra Ruiz by Kadri Kurgan.
Central Park Acro with Adam Rinder and me by Wari Om.
Vermont Stratton Mountain AcroYoga with Laura Ziegel and me by Linda Mittel.
Other photos courtesy of: Pure Yoga, Crossroads Community Services NYC, Heifer International, NYCNVC for The Compassion Course, and Raul & Raphael Aranas.
Thanks for my "M" logo to Janel DuRoss.
As always, I honor your privacy, and invite you to Reply, Forward, Subscribe, Unsubscribe anytime. It is an honor to pilgrimage with you in time and space.
OMMMMary
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Park AcroYoga semi-privates go indoors for the winter!
For Partner AcroYoga and Partner Thai Bodywork workshops by appointment, email me.
 We mask, sanitize, ventilate, and pod-distance, even as we learn, grow, and laugh, strengthening hearts, minds, bodies, tribes, and immune systems!
 Email me for safety protocols, schedule, rates, & questions.
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Thanks to my friend Natalie for pre-vetting these 3 groups that work on behalf of Native American causes:
*Armpodcast
*Defend O'odham Jewed
*K'é Info Shop
And ~ a few of my favorite charities for your consideration this giving season:
*Heifer International: livestock and farming education for communities globally
*Crossroads NYC Community Services: meals and pantry
*God's Love We Deliver NYC: healthy meals delivered to the homebound
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 Zoom with me 3x/week, 3 different classes. Schedule and links are always here ~ on my MaryAranas.com website.
Live: once Equinox NYC Club classes resume (somewhere, over the rainbow...) meet me in the Upper East Side clubs, 3x/week, 3 styles of class!
NEW: Buy the Compassion Book to grow along with the year-long Compassion Course that I host groups for!
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