Quarterly Newsletter Winter 2009
Warm Greetings from Shakti Yoga and Shakti Ma!
Heartfelt thanks to our wonderful students, teachers, wellness practitioners and friends, we honor your presence and positive energy in our lives, as each and every one of you continues to make this evolving community unfold. Thank you!
We are pleased to bring you our first quarterly newsletter, honoring the change of seasons and how they affect us by giving tips on Yoga, Ayurveda, diet, essential oils and other modalities, as well as highlighting healing opportunities provided by our living arts practitioners, and updating you on special events and happenings at the studio and in our community.
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Winter Solstice Celebration & World Music Concert
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Please join us on Sunday, December 20th in celebration of the longest night of the year!
1-6pm ~ Holiday Gift Bazaar, Free Massage & Yoga, Cookies & Tea
~ Enjoy complimentary tea & homemade cookies while shopping for gifts for family & friends ~
6-7pm ~ Free Food & Cheer: Please join us for an assortment of complimentary hors d’oeurves and holiday cheer.
7:30-8:30pm ~ Acoustic World Music Benefit Concert: Experience the meditative flow of renowned musicians Adam Rudolph on hand percussion and Steve Gorn on bansuri flute. Suggested minimum donation is $20. Click here to make a donation & RSVP for the concert*.
*Shakti Fire Renovation Debt Reduction Campaign: As a kick-off to our campaign, all proceeds from the concert will go to pay down the debt Shakti incurred from renovations following a fire that spread from a neighboring business in June 2006 (1 year after opening). Many thanks to Adam and Steve for most generously donating their time and talent towards our cause. We hope you consider Shakti a valuable part of your community and we look forward to serving you well in the years to come. If you would like to contribute to the campaign in any way, we will gratefully accept all offerings.
Fundraising Raffle: We’ll be raffling off the following Gift Certificates at $10 per ticket (winners announced 12/21):
~ Kids Yoga 10-week session plus bring a friend! (Two 10-week Kids Yoga Sessions for the winner of this raffle!)
~ 5 class-card for Shakti or Shakti Ma
~ 1 hour Reiki Session with Madalina Blanton
Call or stop by now to purchase your raffle tickets! Or click here and make a note that this is for raffle tickets.
Winter is the season for hibernation, contemplation, turning within, sowing the seeds for change and evolution to come, when the energy of the sun returns in the spring to warm and inspire us to activity with its beauty and creative bounty.
Yoga ~ this is a great time of year to consider deepening your meditative experience, whether it’s an active sitting practice, an exploration of the wonderful benefits that a regular pranayama practice can inspire, regular journaling, or reading spiritual books. Try this simple pranayama exercise as a way to get grounded and create a contemplative structure to your day.
AM: 10 rounds of right nostril breathing (seal off your left nostril and take 10 slow, easy breaths through the right nostril)
Noontime: 10 rounds of alternate nostril breathing (inhale left, exhale right, inhale right, exhale left is one round)
PM: 10 rounds of left nostril breathing (seal off your right nostril and take 10 slow, easy breaths through the left nostril)
Right nostril breathing is heating and energizing. Left nostril breathing cools and relaxes. Alternate nostril breathing balances. Use your right hand to seal the nostrils. Curl your index and middle fingers into your palm. Use your thumb to block your right nostril, your ring and pinky finger to seal the left, curling your fingers in slightly. Sit comfortably, relax your right arm and shoulder, center your head and close your eyes. Breathe softly and gently. Sit quietly afterwards.
Ayurveda ~ the sister science to yoga, this most ancient system of healing meaning “Knowledge of Life,” is a completely holistic approach to wellness and is concerned with the relationship between the internal (individual) and the external (Nature) and how the two interact and affect each other. Everything in this universe, including our body, is made of the 5 Great Elements: Earth, Water, Fire, Air and Ether. Each element contains all of the other elements within it to a lesser degree. The seasons of the year, times of the day, seasons of our life, our inherent physical nature (prakruti) and our current state of imbalance (vikruti) are all made of these elements. The Three Main Principles or Doshas are: Vata or Air (consists of both air and ether); Pitta or Fire (consists of fire and water) and Kapha or Water (consists of water and earth). You could also view the Three Principles as Catabolic/Vata, Metabolic/Pitta and Anabolic/Kapha. The Three Principles are the physical expression of the Three Gunas or Universal Tendencies of the Cosmos: Tamas (inertia) being Kapha, Rajas (excitability) Vata and Sattva (equilibrium) Pitta. The Gunas relate to the mind, the Doshas to the physical body.
Late fall and early winter are Vata Season. Ayurveda emphasizes the importance of pacifying Vata. Vata is the only dosha that moves. It is easily imbalanced in all of us, no matter what our constitution. When the weather turns dry, windy and cold (qualities of air and ether) Vata can get aggravated, making us feel ungrounded, irritable, spacey, tired and stressed.
The 3 most important tips for pacifying Vata are:
Healing Arts/Living Arts
If you've never tried Reiki, this is a good time of year to experience it. Reiki works wonders for the immune system. It bypasses your conscious mind and infuses your being at a cellular level with high vibration healing energy. Consequently, your body's ability to recognize and fight pathogens increases. It also addresses issues connected with excessive stress, from digestive disturbances to back pain, sugar cravings to sleep disorders. Reiki also brings an experience of spaciousness and timelessness that is invaluable as the holidays are upon us.
Madalina Blanton is a Reiki Master and an Integrative Health Counselor who brings gentle care, compassion and deep attention to her work and her clients. Through her personal healing journey, Madalina learned that lasting transformation happens when we bring awareness to all aspects of our being and fully engage our soul energy. In her work, Madalina’s goal is to help people reawaken their own source of creativity, expanded energy and ultimately their well-being. She uses aromatherapy and crystals to enhance the energy flow during sessions, as well as chakra balancing techniques.
To make an appointment call Madalina at 347-526-4748 or email: madalina@soultoearthhealing.com. For more information about Reiki and its benefits, please visit: www.soultoearthhealing.com.