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,  |
Asana/Mudra of the Month
Namaste/Prayer Mudra
Sit 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.
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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 |
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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
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 Click here to register for all events at Om Sweet OmGabriel 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 hereYoga
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
6-9pmSunday Nov 14th 2-5pm/ Limited to 14
peopleYoga and weight
management workshop with
Lisa Bondy January 9th |
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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.
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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!
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Keep up to date with all the latest at Om
Sweet Om!

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
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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 :)
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