Om Sweet Om Yoga - Your Place of Peace
OMnibus
                   
August 2010
newsletter of the Om Sweet Om Community 
Dear Sweet Yogis & Yoginis,

"Let us be grateful to the people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom." ~Marcel Proust

"The earth laughs in flowers."
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson


The Growing Season
Having made it through the hottest July on record, we find ourselves in the August of summer. In agricultural terms summer is the growing season, a time when plants flower, mature and ripen. This goes for us as well, in both the physical sense (ever notice how kids grow like weeds in the summer?) and the metaphoric. In the summer of our lives we harness the power of our light, that awesome energy and intelligence, to see clearer into and nourish our soul resulting in our own august growth.

The sweet seeds we have sown in our spring, perhaps painstakingly tended until they boldly dared to send up shoots and reach for the light, now need that light, that spirit to continue to mature and blossom and ultimately come to fruition. Let us all make the most of this August. Let us all learn from nature, align with the season and use the rest of our summer, our growing season, to continue to grow and strengthen within and without.

We are here at Om Sweet Om Yoga to support you in this pursuit. Through your regular yoga practice you will experience growth, physically through increased strength and endurance and flexibility, mentally through greater peace of mind, and ease, and spiritually as you open your heart to love.

"Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it." ~Rumi

Enjoy the rest of your summer everybody!

Looking forward to seeing you soon at Om Sweet Om Yoga

Love and peace and more love,
Gail & Lisa
Asana/Mudra of the Month
Namaste/Prayer Mudra


namaste mudraSit in a comfortable seat, sukhasana, ardha padmasana or padmasana, spine erect, head in line with the spine. (Of course this mudra can be practiced in other positions) Place the palms of the hands together, elbows to the sides, thumbs at the heart center. Hands line up in a prayer position. This hand gesture symbolizes the oneness; the bringing together of duality and fragmentation. This oneness is recognized within (body, mind and spirit) and without (the connection to all living things). This mudra also brings focus to the heart center, anahata chakra, the seat of emotion, love, compassion and turns the mind to this.

Physical benefits: The palms of the hands, like the soles of the feet, have numerous points of energy corresponding lines of energy like the meridian system in oriental medicine. Prayer mudra or Namaste mudra neutralizes the positive (right /male) and negative (left/female) sides of the body. It neutralizes or balances the nadis including Ida, Pingala, and Shushumna nadi.

Spiritual benefits: It is said that this mudra meditation will bring the knowledge of all the past, present and future teachers to you. It is an opportunity to experience mudra, mantra and breath as meditation.


Satsang with Lisa

Last week was a ridiculously busy and blessed one. It culminated in a long journey in my old minivan to my son's camp in Honesdale, Pa for VISITING DAY.  Four and a half hours later, I arrived, road weary, bladder bursting but very excited to see my Jed.

And there he was, looking taller, blonder but as beautiful as ever. I warned him that there would be a lot of hugging and so, true to my word, our greeting began with a flurry of kisses and hugs and look-sees.

Jed was full of excitement wanting to show me around and introduce me to his counselors and friends, integrating me into his summer mix. Honored, I followed happily.  We passed the sports fields and tennis courts, visited his bunk, the pottery shed where his work was drying, the canteen for a little something and wound up at the lake where the fresh glistening water beckoned to us for a swim.

Jed wanted me to swim with him to do the "iceberg". The iceberg: a heavy-duty inflatable 20ft high climbing wall on three sides and a slide on the fourth. I was totally game.

So together we swam out to the middle of the lake to do the "Iceberg". He was first up, no surprise, and I followed. Jed went to the top in no time and I (the ashtangi) tried hard but found myself stuck half way up this 'rock'. I looked at Jed and said out loud, "Hey Jed, this is really hard. I don't know if I can do it." To which Jed implored, "You can Mom! Try. Please! I know you can!" So I tried again, but it was REALLY HARD (my heart was pounding) and I was REALLY SCARED (my hands were shaking) as I was hanging on way above the water. As I trembled, arms losing strength, I again looked at Jed, not wanting to disappoint him, but feeling at my edge, almost in tears I told him I had to go down.

He screamed NO! MOM PLEASE! (To my embarrassment, I heard his voice echoing around the lake.) EVERY OTHER MOM DID THIS TODAY! YOU'LL BE THE ONLY ONE!

"Jed" I replied half smiling, "You're lying!" How can that be?" He held firm, and I dug deep, thinking, hell if every other mom did this, then so can I.

And from somewhere within I mustered the courage, my heart pounding in my throat, my trembling limbs pulling and pushing my body onward and upward, until...I made it! There I was exhausted but thrilled on the TOP OF THE ICEBERG and ready to slide down. To the delight of my son, I proceeded to cross my arms and go. I slipped into the delicious water and was met by my beaming boy. He was so proud.

With an enormous grin Jed informed me on the way back to shore that indeed he had "lied". " You were the ONLY mom who climbed the iceberg today!" He exclaimed."  Wow! I thought, as I splashed at him, that stinker really got me.

Fully amused with himself, he continued, "Aren't you really proud of yourself?" I said that I was, but make no mistake I had been truly terrified.

With a wisdom beyond his years, 12-year-old Jed responded with the statement, "Fear is just an emotion."      

"True, I agreed, but a very powerful emotion."

Very often it is that emotion that limits our choices and hence our lives.

"It is not because things are difficult that we do not dare; it is because we do not dare that they are difficult." ~Seneca

There are a great many things in life that are scary about the world today. These are truly challenging times. Fear is an insidious thing. It seeps and spreads almost unknowingly into and then throughout our lives. It can poison and paralyze. At the same time, these difficult times provide rich and fertile ground from which there is great opportunity for growth. We could lay down and die in the smelly dirt or we could reach for the light and discover what we are really made of.

Last week it was the iceberg. Today I find myself on a plane heading for adventure. I am afraid, but I am going in the direction of what I love. Yoga and Guru. I take heart in the knowledge that one should never retreat from love.

"Life is the sum of all of your choices."
~ Albert Camus

Last stop
Register now for our Fall kids classes! Classes begin September 13th. Schedule is available online and you can register online, at the studio or over the phone!

"Laughter is an instant vacation." ~Milton Berle
Om Sweet Om Mission

Featured Events
Click here to register for all events at Om Sweet Om

Gabriel Halpern Returns!
Yoga Chikitsa (Therapy)Workshop
This Sunday! 1:30 - 4:30 pm
pre-register here!

Fall Teacher Training begins October 6th! Early bird pricing if you register before September 8th! Save $300!
register here

Yoga Mala International Peace Day - Join us for 108 sun salutations at Landmark Park-by donation-proceeds benefits Residents for a more beautiful Port Washington
Sunday Sept 19th, 2 - 4 pm

Restorative Yoga Workshop with Gail Grossman
Sunday October 3rd 1 - 4 pm

Kirtan with David Newman & Mira
Friday, November 5, 7:30 pm to 10:30 pm

Inner Fire Yoga: Yoga to Open the Heart Workshop
Saturday, November 6, 12:00 pm to 3:00 pm

Mala and Calling in workshop with Lisa
Thursday Nov 11th 6-9pm
Sunday Nov 14th 2-5pm/
Limited to 14 people

Yoga and weight management workshop with Lisa Bondy
January 9th


word of the month
Mudra- (seal)- A hand gesture or posture that has a specific symbolic meaning and is thought to have the ability to conduct the life force energy or prana in particular ways.


Recipe of the month

Frosty Cold Coconut Milk Fruit Smoothie (VEGAN)
Ingredients:
Coconut milk 1 8oz can (you can find the organic/light (lower in fat, you may also use coconut water, which is lower in calories, or a combination of the two) at Whole Foods 365 brand is very reasonably priced)

Frozen Fruit of choice (Lisa likes pineapple because it is so sweet, but you can use banana, berries of all kinds and mango, you may experiment with combinations and find your own favorites.

Other optional ingredients include:
Vanilla (1/4 teaspoon)
OG grade B Maple syrup (to taste)

The following are two of Lisa's favorite combos:

Frosty Raspberry/Peach Vanilla Smoothie
1 can coconut milk/coconut water combo
¼ teaspoon vanilla
1cup frozen raspberries
1/2 cup frozen peaches
1tb og maple syrup

Put all ingredients in a blender and puree for 1 minute or less. Pour into two tall glasses add straws, sip and enjoy. YUM! Makes enough for two so share!

Blueberry Pina Colada
1 can coconut milk/coconut water combination
1 cup pineapple frozen
½ cup frozen blueberries
1tbl og maple syrup (optional)

Put all ingredients in blender and blend for 1 minute or less. Pour into two tall glasses add straws, sip and enjoy. YUM!


Keep up to date with all the latest at Om Sweet Om!

Find us on Facebook

Labor Day Schedule:
We are open the whole weekend!
No weekend wind down on Sunday September 5th
No afternoon and evening classes on September 6th

Jewish Holiday Schedule:
We are closed Wednesday evening September 8th and closed all day September 9th

We are also closed
Friday night September 17th and all day Saturday September 18th


As some of you may be aware, we had a flood a few weeks ago. Please be mindful of what you put in the toilets, it clogs the pipes, and eventually causes floods like what we experienced. Due to this flood, we are going to have to replace some of the wood flooring and the carpeting, so please bear with us during this time. We are doing our best not to cancel classes, and hope to work around the schedule. Namaste :)

Copyright 2010 Om Sweet Om
End of Summer
Sale!!!
New items in our $20 basket and on our sale rack! They won't last long! Many items as much as 50% off!

Offer Expires: September 15, 2010