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August 2010
Hawaiian Beach Greetings!
 
Happy August!  
 

We all trust you are enjoying the warm weather, and, alas, the clouds! In the meantime, may this image inspire us with its beautiful blues and tranquil golden sand.

 
Join us on Sunday when Kathy teaches The Purna Yoga Meditation Snacks workshop from 2:30-4:30.
Also, later in the month, Faith is teaching her Teen & Adult Partner Yoga workshop on August 21!
 
See you in class! 
 
In this Issue
Cleansing
Kid's Camp
Cravings
Healthy Living Classes
Community Health & Business Network
NEW!
 The Purna Yoga Media Store! 
We are delighted to announce our new website for online video and audio classes by Aadil Palkhivala.
 
Here are the current classes:
The Depth of Cleansing
YC Teacher Portrait, by Rutu Chaudhari
 
Rutu

The first time I did a cleanse, I had very little awareness of its importance. It had never occurred to me that I needed to flush toxicity from my body. I was brought up eating well, did yoga and had very few vices. Nevertheless, I was intrigued by the idea. The cleanse I chose to do is a variation of what I now offer as the Lotus Cleanse, which includes three days of organic raw foods, three days of juicing, cleansing teas, detox baths, etc. For one week, I took a break from my normal eating routines and ate and drank only the foods and juices for the cleanse.

 

Detoxification has become a very popular concept in our culture and it has become apparent to me that it is for a good reason. One, we live in a toxic world. Our bodies are continually bombarded with harmful pollutants that impair the proper functioning of our systems. Two, we eat toxic food. The amount of processed, inorganic and artificial foods we eat blocks our body's ability to absorb nutrients and eliminate waste. Substances that the body does not recognize and cannot break down get re-circulated in the blood and stored in the liver and fat. If we store too much, the body cannot function, resulting in disease and illness.

 

Our bodies have an innate ability to detoxify. Every single organ has a mechanism for cleansing. However, because of our personal choices and the overwhelming circumstances of our environment, the body can no longer cleanse on its own. We have to be help it out.

 

Rutu When I did my first cleanse, I had no idea it would so deeply impact my life. The results were astonishing! I felt rejuvenated and lighter. I had lots of energy, mental clarity and for the first time in my life, good digestion! I began to accomplish tasks and achieve long-term goals. I was much more emotionally stable and grounded. You see, when the body is overwhelmed by toxicity, you cannot feel what is healthful and what is harmful.  The cleanse helped me develop a new sensitivity to my body's needs and wants. When I could feel the impact that food was having on my health, I felt in control of my life. 

 

Was this all from cleansing? I realized that the built-up toxicity in my body was not only a physical blockage, but it was emotional and energetic as well. The cleanse opened a door to understanding that every part of my being needs to be cared for and that they directly influence each other. The food that I eat influences the thoughts I have, the emotions I feel, and the choices I make about work, relationships, my environment, and home. With the cleanse, my unwillingness to change lifted and I began to have the clarity and energy to make the shifts in my life that would direct me towards oneness, health and healing. 

 

Being a teacher of yoga, naturally I wanted to share the gift of healing. I have been offering this cleanse for five years and have seen students also make tremendous shifts.  From changing habits, to healing body issues, to cultivating more positive environments and relationships, I have seen students essentially love themselves more. And that is the most satisfying part of offering the Lotus Cleanse and teaching yoga. That is my purpose, to guide students to themselves, and nutrition and lifestyle is one very important aspect to becoming whole. 

 

P.S. Here is a link for more information about Rutu's six-day detox and yoga workshop, The Lotus Cleanse.

 
 
 
"Back to School" is still a month away!
 
kids yogaCome mid- August, kids start counting down the last days of summer. Parents start relaxing, knowing that the kids WILL go back to school SOON! If you need a break before that day comes, remember the Yoga Kids Camp!

 

Marchella is again offering her ever-popular yoga kids camp, the week of August 23, from 2:30-5:00 each day. This is a great experience for kids ages 7-12 to enjoy different types of yoga exercises, which incorporate stories, games, and healthy snacks. Kids build confidence in themselves and their abilities as they explore and discover in a non-competitive setting.

 

For parents, this provides a lovely break so you too can enjoy the last few lazy afternoons of summer!

 

For more information: Yoga Kids Camp

  

 
Healing Cravings
 

chocolate

My wife Savitri and I are having our home built, and there are always workers around, plumbers, electricians and carpenters all over the house. There are these two workers in particular who are really nice people, excellent at their jobs, but absolutely addicted to smoking. And since we don't allow any smoking inside the house, they would go outside to smoke. Now, when you pay someone by the hour, this can get to be a little bit of a problem...

 

So Savitri and I agreed to try an experiment. We decided to see what would happen if we did all we could to made them feel absolutely loved and needed. We would say to them when ever we saw them, "We love your work. We thank you! We thank you for the fine work you are doing. Look how carefully you are doing this; we so appreciate the fine, fine job you are doing." We did this every day, every time we met them. For six days a week they were coming to work on our home and hearing: "Thank you! Oh my goodness, look at the magnificent work you are doing." And it was amazing work, because they are truly excellent craftsmen - we simply told them the truth of what we saw and felt from them.

 

It has been about a year and a half since they have been working on our house and we have been conducting our experiment, and do you know, today, both of them have quit smoking.

 

One day, I asked one of the workers, "Why did you quit smoking?" He said that he just didn't feel that he needed it anymore. He had been smoking since he was twelve, and in a year and a half, he quit, without forcing himself to do so. 

 

It is important to note that our intention wasn't to make them quit smoking. Our intention was to give them enough of a feeling of love so that they did not need to smoke something to feel loved. We did not set out to change their behavior - we set out to express our love and appreciation for all that they did for us, and then to see what they would do with that expression.

 

It worked for our workers; it can work for us too! If we give ourselves enough love - by connecting with our Heart Center, by loving our body and feeding it highly nutritious foods, by moving the body, by thinking kind thoughts, and by caring for others as an extension of ourselves - then we no longer seek out that which takes us out of balance. This all has to be done without force, for when there is force, there is no love. Also, this must be done without an attachment to a specific result (like losing 20 pounds so that you can finally feel beautiful - feel beautiful first, and the weight will not matter, or, the weight will leave you if it is no longer needed.)

 

We do not need to become complete - for we already are. We simply need to remember and feel the truth of our beings, that we are already and have always been complete, and that we are, at our essence, the very nature of Love.

 

-Aadil
 

P.S. You can purchase Aadil's full hour-long audio class on Addictions and Cravings at the Purna Yoga Media Store. In the class, Aadil goes into greater detail on the psychology and physiology of addictions and cravings, acknowledging that healing addictions is complex. He also shares the specific nutritional programs and products that help.

 

    

 
 
Next Four Weeks of Healthy Living Classes 
 

Here are the topics for the upcoming Healthy Living Classes, taught by Aadil (Yoga Centers co-owner) on Tuesdays from 7:30-8:30 pm. You can use your regular class pass for these classes:

 
August 11:   Yoga and Marriage

Throughout history a domestic life has been separated from a spiritual life.  However, every married couple knows that to make a marriage work requires devotion, love, honesty, and communication.  Marriage is a spiritual practice.  Learn how to marry marriage with yoga.

 

August 17: Yoga and Death

Dying can be scary yet throughout history no one has been able to avoid it.  In Purna Yoga we realize all of life is preparation for death.  Come learn about the journey of the soul, why it chooses to take form and what happens when we die.  Death is transformation.  We take birth for a reason and we are supposed to die just as beautifully.  Understand death and most importantly, life.

 

August 24: Healing Headaches, Managing Migraines

There are many reasons for having headaches, but our response to them is almost universal - pain and aggravation.  What are headaches really telling us?  Learn the many reasons headaches and migraines occur and how to manage them more effectively.  Physical techniques will be taught along with nutritional guidance to help reduce headaches. 

 

August 31: Being Fat & Loving It

Today, feeling 'fat' is a big deal.  The fear of being fat affects everything we do, from the foods we eat, the relationships we have and the activities we do.  Our body image and self worth are so closely linked that feeling 'fat' is comparable to having sinned!  Is there anything wrong in being fat?  Come hear the yogic perspective on fat and why it may be important spiritually and physically.

 
 
About This Newsletter
 
We want this newsletter to be what you want it to be, to serve this community.  Please tell us what would interest you and what would help you.  Please email us (well, to Kirsten at kirsten@yogacenters.com) if you have something you would like to see in the Community News, or if you have something to post! 
 
 
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