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In This Issue
Giving - The Best Exercise
Alkalinity & Inflammation
Teaching Peace
Where's Aadil?
 
Jan 11-23
Jan 22-24
  
Ventura, CA
Jan 29-Feb1
Feb 4-7
Feb 17-27
   Hawaii
Mar 11-13
Mar 25-28
   Toronto
Apr 16-18
Apr 23-25
May 17-29 May 28-30 Jun 10-13
Jun 14-23
Jul 8-11
Aug 20-22
     Rhinebeck, NY
Sep 5-12 
  
Chicago, IL
Sep 6-18 Sep 19-26
Oct 3-10
Oct 21-22
Oct 23-24
Nov 5-7 Nov 11-14
Where's Mirra?
 
Dec 5-7
Jan 11-23
Jan 30-Feb 1
   Bellevue, WA
Feb 17-27
   Hawaii
Mar 27-29
   Bellevue, WA
May 17-29 Jun 6-7
Jun 14-23
Jun 24-25 Sep 6-18
   Bellevue, WA
Nov 7-8
December 2009
Greetings!

Mirra and Aadil, the owners of Yoga Centers
May this quote from The Mother of Pondicherry, India, inspire your holidays:
 
"At first, one loves only when one is loved.
   Next, one loves spontaneously, but one wants to be loved in return. 
   Then one loves even if one is not loved, but one still wants one's love to be accepted.
   And finally one loves purely and simply, without any other need or joy than that of loving." 

With our love and gratitude,
Aadil and Mirra
Giving
  The Best Exercise for the Heart
 
Dec 08 InspirationOur breath, through exhalation and inhalation, is a reminder of one of the ways in which the Heart Chakra expresses The Divine - through giving and receiving. As we approach the holiday season, take the opportunity to exercise the Heart Center: increase your ability to feel by bringing your Soul into your experience of giving and receiving.
 
The act of giving from love and gratitude actually causes the Heart Center to open. When you cultivate the energy of giving and increase your ability to feel, you increase your ability to live from the heart in the Now. This season when you are looking for gifts for friends and loved ones, ask your Soul to be with you. 
 
When the Heart Chakra opens and expresses itself through giving (the exhalation), remember that this also creates the space for receiving (the inhalation). This is the best exercise, for it opens the Heart Center AND brings more feeling into your life.
 
As I was growing up, my mother taught me the importance of giving. Even if we did not have the money to buy presents, we always gave. Sometimes we prayed to find things around the house that would express our love and gratitude for the other person. Sometimes we gave our prayers and light instead of material objects.  Lack of money was never an excuse not to give. 
 
Here are some other gift giving tips: 
  • When in doubt, give their favorite food! I have found that this simple gift really helps others' hearts open to receiving. 
  • If you ever receive a gift that just doesn't feel right to you, go to the essence of the gift and receive that.  Also, you many need to pray that any strings attached be removed, so you can receive the truest expression from the giver.
  • Have fun!  The energy behind the gift is more important than the gift itself.
  • Sometimes the best gift is a sincere letter expressing your gratitude to someone. 
Never stop giving and receiving, for it is the breath of the Heart Center. Let this holiday season help prepare you to move into an extraordinary year where the heart easily expresses itself with joy and light.  May our gifts express our ability to love "purely and simply, without any other need or joy than that of loving". 
 
With love,
Mirra
The Secret of Alkalinity & Inflammation
 
FoodInflammation is a wellness buzz-word these days, and for good reason. If you reduce inflammation in the body, you will not only look and feel younger, but will significantly reduce your risk of chronic disease. One way to reduce inflammation and support health is to maintain an alkaline state of your blood. An acidic environment in the body leads to inflammation, and therefore aging and illness. The body can only tolerate a small imbalance of pH. If the blood is overly acidic, the body must work to maintain proper pH, and it does so by robbing alkaline components from the skin, tissue, and joints. You can, however, prevent this from happening by creating an alkaline environment in your body.
 
The foods we eat and the lifestyle choices we make impact our body's ability to maintain that alkaline state. Foods can be alkaline, acidic, or neutral in the body. Your goal is to have foods that create an alkaline ash to maintain an alkaline state of your blood. At the same time, lifestyle choices like stress, taking prescription drugs, not getting enough sleep, or not drinking enough liquids can create acidic blood. Paying attention to a balanced lifestyle is key to your health. 
 
Different foods leave an alkaline ash, acidic ash, or neutral ash in the body. You can peruse this list to find out which foods are best for your body: Open list >  Remember - each body is unique, so it is vital that you observe your body's own reactions and assess which food choices are right for you. 
Teaching Peace
From the acclaimed book, Fire of Love,
by Aadil Palkhivala
 
 
Fire of Love, by Aadil PalkhivalaLike a fish unaware of the polluted waters it lives in, we are so surrounded and infused with stress that we don't even know it's here. As yoga teachers, part of our job is to teach our students to become aware of when, where, and why they are stressed. Chronic stress, constant fatigue, and incessant stimulation are an integral part of our culture, so five cups of coffee are an unfortunate part of many people's daily routine. It's no wonder that stress has become a permanent resident in many people's nervous systems; it has become the way they feel connected to their world. Our duty, in part, is to help our students break this popular addiction to stress and stimulation. We must remind our students that stress is not an indispensable part of life. Peace is.
 
Fire of Love, for Students of Life, for Teachers of Yoga, by Aadil Palkhivala, is available online at Yoga Centers Online Store or Amazon.com.
50% off
selected
books
by Sri Aurobindo & The Mother
Now through December, receive 50% off when you order these special books by or about Sri Aurobindo and The Mother of Pondicherry, India.  Their philosophy provides the spiritual foundation of Purna Yoga. 
  • Letters on Yoga, Three Volume Set
  • Integral Healing
  • The Life Divine
  • The Secret of the Veda
  • Beyond Man
  • The Synthesis of Yoga

Special Online Prices are listed on website - no coupon required! 

Orders ship USPS Priority Mail, so deliveries will arrive in time for holiday giving if placed by December 20.
 
Offer Expires: 12/31/2009