TANGKA
The Yoga Place
532 Main St., Bennington, Vermont 05201
(802)447-0101 general info
(802)447-0393 actual person
www.benningtonyoga.com
The Yoga Place Newsletter  
IN THIS ISSUE
Upcoming
Yamas & Niyamas
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Upcoming
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February 2010:  Yoga Nidra Intensive 
We will introduce Yoga Nidra in a Saturday morning workshop.  More in the January Newsletter.

Oct. 2009:  Introduction to Massage Workshop
Bethany Boulger
4 consecutive Tuesdays beginning today October 27th
530-8pm
call to register:  447-2900
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November/December 2009

Greetings!

End of October:  Welcome to the brisk and sunny late fall days.  The frost was heavy this morning and the temperature in the 20's.  Soon, the holidays will be upon us with the delights and quiet intimacies of family and friends gathering together.

In this issue, you will find the two month schedule for Nov and December 2009.  It seems  impossible that we will be encountering 2010 in January.  Where did that decade go?  Was it just yesterday that we worried about our computers crashing, the world coming to an end?
 

NOTE:  No classes Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day or New Years Day.

THE YOGA PLACE PRICING SYSTEM.  I've recently experienced some confusion regarding our pricing system.  So let me recap here:  We price in two or three month blocks. 
Any pass you buy is good for that timeframe only (e.g. it cannot be carried over into the next session without special permission). 
And a pass is good for ANY YogaPlace class (except Pilates).  If you do the math, you will see that even if you miss a few classes, you still come out ahead. 
If you really think you will not use that many classes, THEN you may purchase a 4 class pass or pay the drop-in rate.
 It is an almost impossible bookkeeping nightmare to have to refigure a pass rate for you deep into the session.  Although we definitely WANT you to be taking yoga and to be able to afford to take yoga, we also want to pay ourselves a living wage.  Yoga teachers take many many hours of training.  They study anatomy and physiology.  They study the yoga scriptures.  They practice a lot.  They dissect each and every yoga posture from the physical, emotional, mental and spiritual dimension.  They learn a million pranayamas.  They open their hearts.  Honor their efforts.  They want to be the very best yoga teachers that they can be and as you know, THEY ARE THE BEST!
 
That said, we are happy to offer discounts and support to anyone who needs it.  We would much rather have you be taking yoga than staying away for financial reasons.  Speak to your teacher if you need help or call Jane at 447-0393.
 
So dear ones:  At the end of evening sitting in a Zendo they may say:  "Life and death are of supreme importance.  Do not squander this precious life!"  Please take the time for yoga, for your personal nourishment and for the benefit of those you love and who love you.  And also join us for meditation on Monday evenings at 615 to 7PM.   We sit for a while, then read a few pages from Pema Chodron, a buddhist teacher, for inspiration and then continue to sit.  All are welcome.  It is a time to gather ourselves in and to sit quietly with the support of a group.  If you have never meditated, please come a few minutes early.
 
Namaste
Jane
YOGA PLACE NOV/DEC 2009 SCHEDULE
YOGA AND PILATES
Monday 
830AM    Pilates - Donna Menneto
1030AM  Multi level Yoga  -Jane Schaeffer
5PM        Very Beginner Yoga - Jane
615PM    Meditation - Jane

Tuesday
1030AM  Multi-level Yoga- Carol Steinmetz

Wednesday
830AM    Pilates
1030AM  Multi-level Yoga - Jane
12 noon  Lunch Hour Yoga -Tracey Forest
545PM    Vinyasa Flow-Donna Myers

Thursday
930AM    Hatha Flow - Rebecca Healy
615PM    Beginner Yoga-Donna Myers

Friday
830AM    Pilates
1030AM  Multi-Level Yoga - Carol Steinmetz

Saturday
900AM  Pilates

Sunday
1030AM  Flow Yoga-Tracey Forest

FEES :  Single Class/Drop-in  $15
 1 Beginner Class per week:  $90/9weeks
 2 Beginner classes/ per week, $165  

   9 Class Pass:  $99.

 18 Class Pass:  $185.
   4 Class Pass: $55.




 
YAMAS & NIYAMAS
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Guiding your practice, your life

Yoga is more than just a physical practice.  It can be a way of life. Rooted in a rich philosophy, the yamas (restraints) and the niyamas (observances) can be thought of as common sense guidelines for leading a healthier, happier life.  They are brought up here for you to think about and ponder, possibly seeing how they may already apply in your life now. 
      Yoga is never about mindlessly accepting....anything.  It is about searching out the truth for you, your truth, and then living in that truth.  This is the process we engage on the yoga mat, as we warm up into a pose (or asana), come into it fully, experience it fully and then relax into it as a moment of living and eventually transition out of it into another posture. All yoga, whatever the style, embodies this essential truth and mirrors how our lives off the yoga mat unfold.  So as you experience yourself on the yoga mat, you will also experience yourself relating to your life.  Don't believe me, check it out for yourself.

The Yamas:  Ancient in derivation and codified in the sutras or texts of Patanjali, they are also known as the great universal vows.  Essentially aspirations for how we hope to interact with the outer world, guiding us in our relationships with others from intimate to broadly socio-political. 
They are:
AHIMSA or non-violence in thought, speech and action. Briefly:  ahimsa suggests practicing compassion, love understanding, patience, self-love and self-worthiness.
On the yoga mat for instance you might catch your mind giving your body a hard time:  "Why can't I do that pose better?"  Practicing ahimsa, you might ask your mind to stop and introduce another, kinder idea such as:  "wow. this is great, I'm breathing and holding this pose even though its difficult for me."  In life, you might hear yourself criticizing someone else or giving unsolicited help:  "Why don't you try redoing your resume?"  Ahimsa might ask you to instead say, "How interesting your resume is.  How did you develop it?"  These perhaps seem trivial but the shift can be profound in its reverberations in your life.  Don't just take my examples, make up some of your own.  Share them with others.
SATYA or truthfulness.
Briefly:  To be in harmony with mind, word and action.  To express in speech exactly what is in mind and to act according to it.
So in the example above, you might be unmasking your secret thoughts or sharing your personal examples with someone else.  Truthfulness can manifest as you realizing on the yoga mat, "I cannot do that posture today the way I imagine it but I can approach it with steadiness and ease."  Off the yoga mat, truthfulness means I speak my truth NOT my wishful truth, e.g. "I really have trouble when you forget to phone me.  My abandonment issues seem to get triggered.  This doesn't mean you have to change or to phone me more but it helps me to speak my truth."  When you stand where you actually are, they YOU have a chance to change and become more comfortable in your own skin.
ASTEYA or non-stealing.
Briefly:  Do not engage in unauthorized possession of thought, speech or action as well as things.  Cultivate a sense of completeness and self-worth in order to progress beyond cravings.
As the Dalai Lama said Americans seems to suffer and epidemic of low self esteem.  He had never even heard of this idea in Tibetan life.  So how does one practice worthiness:  on the yoga mat, in life?  Stop looking around and practicing envy of others.  Begin to focus on what you CAN do, what IS working for you.  Find gratitude for what you have.  Keep it simple.
This might mean, including yourself - opening into connections with others.  Suspend gossiping (in your mind or in reality) and open into giving what is true for you.
BRAHMACHARYA or restraint and consideration
in sensual pleasure, bringing one closer to the Divine.  For the ancient yogis this was also a practice of austerity in all the senses, the mind, the voice and the physical.
A much misunderstood Yama.  I take it to mean moderation in all things and awareness of the swings from plenty to overplenty to scarcity.  Searching for and finding balance which may mean that one is continually working with being off balance, or slightly off center.  Just as we practice balancing postures on the yoga mat, we can bring the same ability to focus and hold into our daily living.
APARIGRAHA or non-covetousness.
Briefly:  the literal meaning is the non accumulation of worldy objects, caused by coveting, craving and attachment.  This suggests a cultivation of or a moving toward a sense of detachment and deliberation when choosing sensual pleasures of any kin
While this may seem a bit self-evident, practicing it can be quite difficult in our culture of materialism.  It does not mean not having anything nor effacing what one does have but rather not living by a point system e.g. at one point I was quite prideful about my yoga practice, all the very difficult postures I could do, how strong I was and so forth.  Well, I am still happy about this but it is also okay if I am just Jane, forget about the yoga queen side......especially when doing yoga.  Off the mat, I have found myself coveting the titles, cars, clothes, lifestyles, etc of almost anyone.  Now when this kind of craving arises:  first I become aware of it (because of studying the yamas), then I pause, take a breath, evaluate my thinking, phone a friend, whatever is needed to move into appreciation and gratitude for the life I am living in this moment.  Detachment can sound quite austere but really, its a joy and relief to let go completely, to focus with care on what will actually work for Jane. 

And as I always say:  Do not take my word for it.  Try it.  See how it fits in your life.  Perhaps take one Yama a week and work with it.

This seems like a lot.  So we will approach the Niyamas next time.

May you find these simple guidelines useful for your own self study, svadyaya.  And may you always study self from a vantage point of compassion and love for the wonderful being that you are.

If anyone is interested, we could begin a study group on the Yamas and NIyamas.
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The Yoga Place is a beautiful, light, airy and spacious environment dedicated to yoga and other spiritual practices that are life-giving and connecting for body, mind and spirit. We emphasize a warm, friendly community atmosphere, welcoming people of all levels and experience.

 

The Yoga Place believes that yoga is an adventuresome method for exploring and expanding our inner view of ourselves and our perception of our interconnectedness in the world as well as a method for strengthening and bringing flexibility to our bodies, our minds and our spirits. Most importantly, we believe that life is good and that practice on the yoga mat offers us opportunities to open to new, more joyful ways of living our lives off the yoga mat.

 

We offer a full weekly schedule of Hatha Yoga Classes for all levels: Kripalu, Hot, Anusara style, Iyengar and Tibetan Yoga classes, Pilates, Very Beginner classes in yoga and meditation, Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction and Relaxation and many workshops.


We wholeheartedly invite you to practice yoga with us!

 
Sincerely,
 

Jane Schaeffer and the Yoga Place teachers
The Yoga Place
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