As Labor Day nears we are in the annual "Back to School" season. It's time for many kids (and adults, really!) to head back to the classroom. 

For many of us, the practice of yoga starts in a classroom, with a teacher. We show up, they teach us, we learn, we practice, we progress. The word Educate comes from the Latin word "educare." I am told it is a midwifery term that means "to be present at the birth of" or "to bring up." This points to the idea that an education is an unfolding, a shaping. All of us, not just "teachers," have opportunities every day to midwife/husband others through life's ups and downs, its opportunities and challenges. We are all students and we are all teachers. There is no one teacher, there is no one way.  

In the last few months I have transitioned from Studio Director to a more focused role as the 8 Limbs Education Director. As the founder and owner of 8 Limbs for the last 15 years (stay tuned for our "15 Days of 8 Limbs" Celebration in October) it was time to shed some of my roles and habits in the organization. I also wanted to focus more on teaching, both my own and the amazing staff of teachers here at 8 Limbs who deserve more focused support. As Education Director I am primarily in charge of studio schedules, teacher hiring and support, and event programming.

Ashley Dahl, who has over the last 5+ years created a progressive learning culture within the staff at 8 Limbs, has moved from Managing Director to Executive Director to take on some of these roles and help keep an eye on the vision and big picture of 8 Limbs. Ashley has been invaluable in our evolution and now has more space and time to keep us strong and flexible in today's quickly changing world (sounds like yoga, doesn't it?).

We head "back to school" this fall with a diverse line-up of teachers and subjects, including our 200 and 500-hour Teacher Training Programs. We embrace learning and growth on all levels and are excited to pass on more of the business end of this to all of you through a Conscious Business Management Workshop that Ashley and I will host with Socially Responsible Organization (SRO) Consultant Flip Brown on September 30. This workshop is aimed at small business owners and managers of companies and non-profits interested in bringing Socially Responsible Business Practices and EASE (Effective, Aspirational, Sustinable and Enjoyable) into their workplace. Visit our blog for more on this next week.

Amy Weintraub joins us to share her practices and knowledge around preventative practices for depression and anxiety (remember we are heading back into the darker season...) with her LifeForce Yoga® Weekend September 9-11. Dawn Jansen will share her 20+ years of experience in yoga with a limited group in her Individually Tailored Asana Workshop on September 23.

One last mention for now (see below or visit our website for more upcoming events) is my own yoga teacher Rod Stryker who visits 8 Limbs October 7-9 for a weekend of Parayoga®. Don't miss this master yoga and meditation teacher whose book The Four Desires was released in July.

Hope to see you this fall in the classrooms of 8 Limbs (including the newly remodeled Capitol Hill studio!) and the enormous classroom of life.

Anne Phyfe Palmer, Owner & Education Director

8 Limbs Yoga Centers

SEPTEMBER EVENTS

LifeForce Yoga with Amy Weintraub,
Author of Yoga for Depression
September 9-11, 8 Limbs Capitol Hill
Kids Yoga Series (starts Sept. 22)
with Joanna Bond, 8 Limbs West Seattle
Parent/Preschooler Yoga (starts Sept 9)
with Shana Hageman, 8 Limbs West Seattle
YogaGirlz (starts Sept 10)
with Shana Hageman, 8 Limbs West Seattle
Tween Yoga Series (starts Sept 11)
with Dawn Jansen 8 Limbs West Seattle
Birth Preparation Workshop with Theresa Jones
September 18, 8 Limbs Capitol Hill
Back Care Series with Kate Bradfield
Sept 19 - October 31, 8 Limbs Capitol Hill
Sept 28 - November 9, 8 Limbs Phinney Ridge
Teacher Training Info Session
September 19, 8:30-9:30pm, 8 Limbs Capitol Hill
Partner Prenatal Yoga with KT
September 25, 8 Limbs Wedgwood
Conscious Business Management w/ Anne Phyfe Palmer, Ashley Dahl & Flip Brown
September 30, 8 Limbs Capitol Hill
New Yoga for 50+ classes are starting just about each month!  

Parayoga with Rod Stryker

Join 8 Limbs teachers for our seasonal retreats away from the city, the noise, the chores, and the decisions. Register by Thursday, September 1st for the November 4-6 Fall Yoga Retreat with Melina and Anne Phyfe at Sleeping Lady Retreat Center and mention this email for a $50 discount. Just scheduled: March 10-17, 2012 Winter Yoga Retreat with Douglas Ridings and Dawn Jansen at Villa Sumaya on Lake Atitlan, Guatemala. Remember how much you needed sun this past March?   

Pick up printed schedules at your neighborhood 8 Limbs or visit our online schedule to see the changes for fall.    

We are excited to welcome several new teachers to 8 Limbs:
Maura Barclay, head of Teacher Training for Yoga Tune Up®, will bring her anatomical expertise to a Tuesday 4:30pm Yoga Tune Up® class at West Seattle.
Brandon DeCuir recently moved back home to Seattle with his family after living in India and studying with Cyndi Lee of Om Yoga in New York. He will take over the Tuesday/Thursday 6:30ams at Phinney Ridge and Thursdays 7:15pm at Wedgwood.
Karen Gamble, who studied at 8 Limbs the year we opened as part of her 20-year yoga journey, will teach Tuesday/Thursday 8am at Wedgwood and Sunday 4:45pm at Phinney.
Megan Kroh, gymnast, herbalist, chef, aerialist and mom, will begin teaching the Monday/Wednesday 6:30am classes at Capitol Hill.
Carol Sanders has been subbing Yoga for 50+ classes while Matt Nadler recovered from heart surgery. She will join the schedule on Wednesdays at 8am at Wedgwood.
Drew Sowa, a Forrest Yoga practitioner and teacher, will teach Tuesday/Thursday 6:30ams in West Seattle.
Visit our Teacher page for full bios on these new 8 Limbs instructors.   

We welcome Matt Nadler back after his recovery from open heart surgery in the spring. Matt's infectious spirit and radiant smile will be a welcome presence at 8 Limbs Phinney Ridge and Wedgwood for the Yoga for 50+ series starting this Fall. Marni Yamada returns to the schedule after her maternity leave. She and husband Kyle welcomed Asa Cash Entrop into the world! Rai Lowe will be back from a short maternity leave after birthing a little sister Juliette to big brother Tyler. Next to deliver will be Mara Benedict! Brent Morton is moving away to travel in Asia and then settle in California for a 4-year Meditation Teacher Training with Jack Kornfield. Brent's amazing depth and wisdom will be missed! Misha Sakura has moved a little too far from 8 Limbs West Seattle for the early morning classes and is expecting a baby in the winter. And Melina Meza, after spending summer in Seattle, will head on the road again, to return for Teacher Training, Fall Yoga Retreat, and (we hope) summer 2012! Best wishes to all.   

This Labor Day Weekend 8 Limbs Capitol Hill's larger Surya studio, the very first 8 Limbs yoga room, will undergo a full-on remodel to be unveiled on September 6th (first day of the Fall Schedule). Limited class schedule will be held in Chandra and Halo Dance Studio. While we know that change can sometimes be difficult, we hope that you'll get excited about our new look!

NEW INTRO SERIES 

· Saturday 12:00-1:30pm with Dawn Jansen, 8 Limbs Phinney Ridge 

· Sunday 10:30-11:45am with Rai, 8 Limbs West Seattle

· Saturday 9:15-10:45am with Kate Bradfield, 8 Limbs Capitol Hill 

AWARDS

Thanks for voting for 8 Limbs in the Seattle Weekly as the Reader's Choice for Best Yoga Studio and ParentMap's Golden Teddy Award for Best Mom's Fitness Program. We are so grateful! We'd love your vote as well in Red Tricycle's Totally Awesome Awards.  

STREET YOGA TEACHER TRAINING

Neuroscientist Jill Bolte Taylor, Ph.D. experienced a stroke at age 33 and wrote My Stroke of Insight about her experience. Join her Wednesday, November 2, 7pm at Benaroya Hall as Dr. Jill shares profound insights from her stroke recovery to educate and inspire. Insightlectures.com   

Sponsored by: Swedish Neuroscience Institute, The Institute for Functional Medicine. For tickets, visit www.benaroyahall.org.    

As a result of a partnership with the Himalayan Institute, 8 Limbs is now offering subscriptions to Yoga International magazine. Yoga International has been a favorite amongst yoga teachers for years for its dedication to quality content. Yoga International (and when it was briefly called Yoga + Joyful Living) was the Christmas gift for 8 Limbs teachers for several years. Subscribe at any of our four studios with a cash or check payment. Subscriptions are $15 for a year subscription to the quarterly publication, the regular newsstand price is $4.99 per issue. In addition to this great deal, students will also receive a free issue of Yoga International with their purchase AND 33% of subscription sales will go back to 8 Limbs.