All regular classes will be offered.
 

"I say to you today, my friends, that in spite of the difficulties and frustrations of the moment, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream. I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal." I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at a table of brotherhood...

I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character...

This is our hope. This is the faith with which I return to the South. With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.

This will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with a new meaning, "My country, 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. Land where my fathers died, land of the pilgrim's pride, from every mountainside, let freedom ring."
 

To hear and watch the full version of this amazing speech, click here. 

This week's commentary is by Demi Langford. Enjoy!   

 

Setting Intentions, Making Resolutions

 

I remember my first yoga class 13 years ago really well. The teacher started the class by asking us to bring our hands to our heart and set an intention for the practice. I opened my eyes and looked around the room to see if other people were as confused by this as I was. Nope. It was just me.

What did I want out of this practice was the question posed to us. An answer popped into my head immediately, of course: I want a cute yoga butt-just like the teacher's! I laugh at myself as I reflect on that day, and how far I've come in my journey. Through my years of practice, the cute butt did come but the more profound gift has been a deeper understanding of yoga principles.

Intention-setting is one of the key principles. I now teach yoga and I'm always telling my students that setting an intention is like setting the destination on your GPS system. In a car it is crucial to know where you are going. I think the same applies on the yoga mat. When we mindfully set intentions in our daily yoga practice we can target the benefits-physical, mental, emotional-of our practice into our lives or into the life of someone we love.

Setting an intention also allows us to get clear on why we practice-why we step onto the mat. It gives it purpose and meaning. And when we bring purpose and meaning into each pose, transition, and stumble on our mats, our practice becomes a very different experience.

As yogis know all too well, the asana and meditation practice that happens on the mat is a perfect metaphor for what happens in life. So you can imagine that intention-setting off the mat is vital as well. There is a saying that goes, "If you don't know where you want to go, you won't be able to get there." Just like a yoga practice can feel drab and dull when done without purpose, the dullness is magnified immensely in the context of real life.

I remember a pretty drab time in my life in which I didn't have much intention or direction. I tended to fly wherever the wind blew me. Since I was a flight attendant, the wind blew me pretty far. Over the years, I developed a sense of great emptiness and loneliness, noticing how I would shape myself for the world around me and lose myself a little bit more each time. One very profound New Year's I decided to no longer shape myself for the world around me, but rather allow the world to shape for me. So here we arrive at the mother of all intentions: the New Year's resolution.

(Continued below...)

Our Spring Retreat at Wolf Creek Ranch is coming up  

May 27-29, 2011.

The weather will be mild, the mountains turning green with  warmish/sunny days. Outside activities will be possible with a light weight jacket or sweatshirt; yoga, star gazing, hikes, outside activities and our evening campfire program. FUN!!!

This week's commentary is by Demi Langford. Enjoy!
 

(Continued...)

 

Setting resolutions for the new year is a tradition that has been around for thousands of years. It dates all the way back to 153 BC, when a mythical Roman King, Janus, was placed at the beginning of the calendar. Janus has two faces, enabling him to look back into the past and forward into the future. He became the symbol for resolutions, looking to the past for forgiveness and to the future for new beginnings. So what has kept this tradition alive for these thousands of years? The power of intention. It enlivens us to take the necessary action to arrive where we want to be in life.

Here at Off the Mat, we want to know what you hope this year will bring. Put your intentions and resolutions in the comments. Haven't made any yet? Try it. Statistics show that those who do set resolutions are 10 times more likely to meet their goal than those who don't. If you need a little help check this out. But the clarity of setting an intention won't alone ensure that you arrive at your desired destination. Just like in our yoga practice, after we set our intention, we must take action.

If you would like more support and information about how to create a year full of intentions, here are some great free resources:

 

Seven Steps To Successful Resolutions

FREE Ebook: Top Tips To Manifest Your New Year

To comment on Demi's Off the Mat blog, click here.

Demi Langford teaches All Levels Flow Monday mornings at 9 am, and Mommy & Baby Yoga Monday mornings at 10:40am