Seattle Yogini

Thanksgiving Yoga Classes

Catch me teaching yoga in different time slots from Wednesday (11/25) through Saturday!  You can easily register for classes or the workshop at www.mlcyoga.com

• Wednesday:  7:30 - 9pm  Level 2 (Ongoing Practice)
• Thursday:  Studio's closed!
• Friday:  10:30 - 12 pm    All Levels, Topic = Twists
• • Join us the Friday after Thanksgiving for a practice designed to help you deal with the big meal. Twists improve digestion, increase circulation (nervous and blood flow), and tone the muscles of the back and abdomen. They really help you get moving!
• Saturday:  10:30 - 12 pm    All Levels, Topic = Tapas
• • Tapas refers to discipline and effort. In this special post-Thanksgiving class, we will focus on the tapasya of asana (yoga poses) with a strong practice to generate heat, cleansing, and a refreshed perspective in the body and mind. Plenty of time will be set aside for a soothing Savasana, ensuring that the tapas are balanced with peaceful relaxation.
• Saturday, 2 - 4 pm   Workshop = Yoga Nidra
• • Yoga Nidra is the "sleep of the yogi". It is a state of deep physical and mental relaxation akin to Savasana but much longer. This is the ultimate healing opportunity, offering the time, space, and support needed to reach a level of quiet that facilitates true healing - of the body, mind, emotions and psyche. Kelly will lead students through a process that relaxes the body, quiets the mind, and reaffirms the presence of inner healing potential within each participant.

I look forward to seeing you in class!  Namaste

Maple Leaf Community Yoga video

Hello!  Since returning from the UK, we have been very busy preparing Maple Leaf Community Yoga for the holidays, with special classes, workshops, and prop sales.  It's been wonderful to brainstorm new offerings, but it has taken up every bit of creative, mental, and emotional energy...and I still have to publicize December's fun!

Tonight I wanted to share this lovely video about our studio, the power of yoga in real people's lives, and the (non-) effects of the "economic downturn" on our corner of the yoga world.  Remember when I wrote about our decision to opt out of the recession?

Okay, without further ado:

Please leave a comment on youtube about this video (you can navigate there by double-clicking on the image above).  Does it inspire you?  Does it motivate you to get out your sticky mat?  Are you a student who wants to chime in?  Let us know how yoga at MLCY has affected you...especially during this financially challenging year.

A great big hug of thanks to: Erica (one of our fabulous teachers!), Jim , Christian & Josh (kind students who shared their experiences), Sandra (a colleague shown teaching at Yoga Centers in some of the footage) , Marchella for the beautiful music, and the cameraman, Joel.

London and Edinburgh in Pictures

At the tale-end of my trip to London to assist Aadil, Rob joined us.  He and I had planned a week's holiday in Edinburgh to honor our anniversary.  The trip began with a lovely day in London.  We did some sight-seeing on Monday:  we peeked into Chaumet and purchased a beautiful little necklace for me, I took him to Liberty so that I could pick up a gift for my assistant, who kept things running smoothly at the studio while I was gone for those three weeks.  Then we took the tube to the Tower of London to check out the armouries in their exhibit, "Henry VIII:  Dressed to Kill".

The slide show below starts at the Tower of London, and then goes into Edinburgh.  It was a beautiful week, and we look forward to returning and soaking up more of Scotland some day.

There's music, so adjust your volume as needed!

Yoga on the road - Suggestions for maintaining your yoga practice while away from home

Maintaining a yoga practice while on the road can be a challenge.  By expanding your definition of yoga, however, you will find numerous opportunities to put the practice to work.

• asana: Some basic and poses are easily done in a hotel room, park, or even an airplane aisle. The sun salutations and the mroning series require minimal space and props (you might want a mat or something clean to lie upon, and you might need a strap or similar aid for the hamstring stretch). Simple standing poses can be done on the airplane, upon landing, or during a walk around your hotel's neighborhood:  a lunge for the hip flexors, calves and ankles, use a wall or the back of a chair for half forward bend to release the hamstrings and back, or a little shoulder stretch. Garudasana (eagle pose) and gomukasana (cow face pose) can be done in the car, on the train, or in a plane.  Neck stretches, simple seated twists, the wrist series and the foot series can by done anywhere there's room. 

• nutrition & lifestyle: Just because you're away from home doesn't mean you should give up your healthy choices! It's still a good idea to avoid alcohol, caffeine, tobacco and sugar. In fact, if you avoid those things at home then you really should continue to do so, lest you feel the shock of sudden change while you're away. Continue to hydrate, get enough sleep and take good care of your body, and it will run more smoothly as you explore new places.  If you use further support for your health, such as Alaskan Essences, Young Living Oils or Sunrider Herbal Foods, then pack whatever you feel necessary in order to maintain your customary regimen as closely as possible.

• applied philosophy: Travel offers excellent opportunities to put this aspect of yoga to use in new and interesting circumstances.  Stay joyful, flexible, patient and present.  Maintain your center even if you find yourself in a storm of jetlag-induced confusion. 

• meditation: Purna Yoga's meditation "snacks" are perfect during travels because they each take only a couple of minutes and their results can last for hours. Since travelling can be over-stimulating, the mental centering and cocooning snacks are especially beneficial.

I find it very helpful to maintain as many of my yogic practices as possible while I'm away. It helps me feel more grounded to keep a little sense of connectedness to the familiar.  My yoga practice, which is so much more than asana, offers me tools for staying centered and present during any situation - even when I'm somewhere as busy and different as London.

So here's to our fearless exploration of the mind, body, spirit AND world! May your yoga practice support you wherever you land.

What are your tips for keeping up your yoga practice(s) while you're travelling?

*** Check out my Facebook page for the London Trip 2009 photo album. Look for Kelly Pretlow.

How do you put a price on value?

Our Prop Wall:  chairs, pads, blocks, bolsters, sandbags, and more!

One of the biggest challenges a small business owner faces is pricing.  How do you determine a price for the product or service you offer?  How do you help people understand the high value of your business, and the way in which value is translated into price?  How does your price set you apart from similar businesses in your area?

As a boutique yoga studio, Maple Leaf Community Yoga offers a unique experience:  semi-private yoga instruction for regular folks.  Teachers who are highly trained, experienced professionals.  A space that is clean, peaceful, and conducive to the inward work of Purna Yoga.  The opportunity to strengthen community relationships.  What we do here matters.

It is life-changing.

It is valuable.

Our Rope Wall accessories.

How much should it cost?   This summer we did a whole re-organization for the studio.  Based upon student surveys and suggestions, we developed new programs.  We built a new website, hired more teachers, scheduled in new classes, created a new look, designed a new logo, and set up a new payment structure that empowers students to organize their own class schedule.  New prices ensure that we will be able to continue to offer our students that which they desire:  small classes, expert teachers, safe yoga experiences.

The fabulous Rope Wall and the fabulous husband!

If you are a small business owner, whether it's a storefront business or an etsy shop, how do you determine your prices?  Join the conversation and we'll help each other succeed!

On Being the Solution

 Maple Leaf Community Yoga is, as the name implies, a neighborhood yoga studio.  Its home is in the street-level office space of an apartment building two blocks from my home.  I walk back and forth multiple times a day and, in so doing, bump into lots of Maple Leaf residents.

I run into current students.  I run into past students.  I run into "potential" students.

Lately, the phrase "Oh, I've been meaning to...(sign up for classes, get back into yoga, make an appointment for private instruction)" keeps popping up.  To the point that I finally threw my hands up in exasperation and took a look into myself to figure out what this was all about.

You see, as a yoga practitioner I believe that if an issue is irritating/exasperating to me, it is because I hold part of the problem within myself.  It appeared that some non-committal/best intentions/mañana mañana part of me is attracting people who like the idea of yoga classes but not enough to commit - at least, not today.  I decided it was time to find that part within myself.

For years I have been "meaning to" get back into dance.  I danced throughout my childhood, and as an adult my classes and opportunities for dancing - other than in my own living room - have been few and far between.  I have had in mind to join a dance class or two for a couple of years, but kept missing the sign up dates (due to poor planning) or just not getting around to it, or on the evening of the class deciding I'd rather stay home.  Enough!

Last week I contacted a teacher, went to try the class, loved it and am now signed up.  I feel so refreshed!  I feel so free!  I feel so...committed.  Not committed to dance, per se, but committed to finally doing the things that I keep putting off (organizing the office, anyone?).  Committed to following through on my dreams, even the simple ones about finding a once-a-week dance class.  Committed to my own growth and exploration.

Committed to that which brings me Joy.

Hopefully, others are finding their commitment as well.  Are you?

End of Summer Gifts

Well, I caught an end-of-summer headcold.  Yuck and a huge frowny face!  >:(

At least it wasn't Rob's flu.  Still, it was a clear and definite "wake-up call" to slow down.  I had been going going going during the time I was meant to be resting.  It was necessary, but I believe that neglecting my need to rest at such a critical time of transition was an unfortunate circumstance.  This cold, which first started showing up last Wednesday (that's ten days ago!) still has me walking around with a pocket full of tissues and sinuses in uproar.  Oh, well.  It has certainly made me rest!

There is a lot of good that's been going on, particularly with my studio.  That's for another post, though.  Today, I want to show some of the other end of summer gifts that we're enjoying...in pictures:

Gift the first:  Rob's new "Seattle Man Hat" for 2009.  It's completed now, and he lurves it, but I don't have a photo of him wearing it yet because (and I can't believe I'm about to write this) it's too warm to wear it still!

Gift the second:  I am trying to complete a sweater for myself...one that I will take with me to London this October when I go to assist Aadil.  So far so good, but I am still in denial that I'll actually be IN LONDON in three weeks!  Aack!

Here's the bodice, and a sleeve-in-process of Tilted Duster:

Some more gifts:  food-related wonders!  I've canned a lot this summer.  A friend and I had two jamming parties.  There are enough pickles for the year (I hope!  It's really sad to run our of sweet pickles in April!).  I have about five pounds of fresh frozen blueberries, a pound or so of gorgeous huckleberries and some raspberry puree waiting to be turned into...something.  More jam?  Also about 15 quarts of canned peaches to brighten our long winter mornings:

This quantity made about 9 of the quarts.  I enlisted Rob's help for the halving, pitting, peeling process:

Huckleberries can be hard to come by.  I was very happy to take these home from the Farmer's Market:

****Note****  For knitting-related details, check out my Ravelry pages.  Look for "seattleyogini"

Thoughtful Sidewalk Art

Sweet sidewalk art.  The little girl down the street left a pile of colored chalk out overnight.  Someone else came by and put it to good use!

Questioning the Answers

I have asked the question over and over again in prayer, in meditation, in the in-between moments that are the real stuff of life:

"What must I do?  How must I grow, change, re-form in order to live as You?  How must I change in order to welcome new life?  What must I do?"

But I don't like the answers that are coming now, finally, fast and furious through my body and mind.

I don't like them, and wonder,

"Could that really be true?"

There is nothing to do but continue to ask, continue to listen to the answer.  Have faith when the answer continues - and gets stronger - that I am not deceiving myself, making up an answer because I want one so sincerely.  As the answer continues, the same, I will know it as my answer and

I will act.

On Being the Caretaker

My husband has the flu.  It could be the swine flu, or just the regular flu.  That's pretty irrelevant as far as we're concerned.  Flu is flu, and when you have it bad you don't really care if it's swine, avian, Spanish or any of the other bazillion strains floating around out there.

He's been sick for a week now, bad enough to stay in bed for four days so far.  His fever comes in waves, peaking at a delirium-inducing 103F for hours before lowering enough that he can rest, only to return a few hours later.  Headache, muscle spasms, nausea (but, blessedly, no vomiting) are non-stop.  We have visited the doctor (we go to Naturopathic Doctors, reserving MDs for emergency / "put me back together because I got broken" events) and I have herbs, tinctures, frozen socks, cold compresses, and other wonderful tools to make him as comfortable as possible while his fever does its infestation-killing job.

Today he finally ate something more than broth or toast, which was a huge relief to both of us.  I got him an ice-cold smoothie made with apple juice, blueberries and banana.  He's also much more hydrated, finally, which is a very good sign considering how long he's had fever.  He was a little perkier today, and even commented that he had a craving for fridge-cold pumpkin pie!

*************************

My husband has been my caretaker.  After I was treated for the ectopic he sometimes had to carry me from the bedroom to the bathtub.  Literally carry me up and down the stairs.  I can't do that for him, but I am grateful for every moment of strength in which I can do other things that he needs right now.  The more he can rest, stay hydrated and - as much as possible - fed, the better his healing will go.  I can't carry him, but I can support him.

I feel honored to be the person to whom his care is entrusted.  I bring him a handful of pills along with a glass of bitter-tasting tincture and he takes it all, no questions asked.  He knows that I am looking out for him and supporting his healing.  He trusts me to see to his needs.

To be so trusted is a true blessing.  I have had the security of knowing that he could - and would - care for me when I was absolutely unable to care for myself.  I can't come up with a word to adequately describe how I feel about having had this opportunity to display my love and strength to him in such a tangible way.  I wish it weren't necessary, and that he were well, but I am thankful for what we are both learning from this long period of illness.

We have faith in each other.  Every day this week has been a reminder of how much I must also place my faith in the Divine and relax into the knowledge that I am supported by Light Itself - not because I am special or "earned" it...simply because I AM.  I am so thankful for this lesson in being needed, which has reminded me of  how much I need my connection to Spirit.

Studio News (and remodel photos!!!)

Whew!  What a great couple of weeks of training.  I'm tired, and full, and very content.  Lots to process, and that part will take some time.  Thankfully I still have a couple more weeks of sabbatical.

I'm very happy to announce that Maple Leaf Community Yoga has a gorgeous new website!  We've been working really hard - especially this last week - to get this up and running in time to coincide its "coming out" party with the publishing of our fall schedule of classes.  It worked!  Go check it out!

In other studio news, Rob is refinishing the ceiling and walls for me.  We took everything but the Yoga Wall down, stowed most of it in the backs of our cars (a JEEP Cherokee and a VW Bug   lol) and he's been hard at work.  Last week he taped, primed, and painted the ceiling.  There was a problem with the two cans of paint not being exactly the same, though, so (sadly) he will have to redo the ceiling when he finishes the walls.

 

The mud is wet, which is why the blue is so dark.  It will be significantly lighter once dry.

Once the ceiling was dry, he taped, sand-primed, and applied the first coat of Loma.  He's an American Clay Artisan Applicator, you see, and I am pleased as punch to be his first commercial customer and help get the word out about this amazing product (click on that link to learn about the health benefits of having American Clay on your walls).  We walked down to the studio today to see if it was dry and it's so beautiful!  No cracks, no spider webbing, he did a GREAT job!

See how the drier portion at the top of this wall is lighter?  This was taken on the same day that it was applied.

I kept him company as he mixed the Porcelina for the next coat.  This will give the walls a lovely sheen and smooth texture.  Right now they're sandy from the Loma and because they haven't been compressed yet.  I'll put up pictures of the progress early next week.

I am really looking forward to enjoying the finished project, getting the studio put back together (hopefully in a more space-efficient manner) and getting back to teaching in September.  If you're in the neighborhood and would like to see how this American Clay process works, please stop by.  If the door's open, Rob's in there and he's more than happy to answer your questions!