In This Issue
"Nap Time"
Class Info for Week of August 22
Yoga at the Armory THIS Sunday!

Yoga Bits

Morsels of yogic wisdom and information

August 22 - 28, 2011

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Classes for the Week of August 22

Yoga at the Armory: This Sunday, August 28!   

Armory Center for the Arts, Pasadena, 10 a.m.  Community Class     

Details below

 

Nap Time

Teaching by example 

 

There is one rule to follow regarding rest: if we need a rest, we take one.

-- "The Heart of Yoga," Desikachar 

 

I need a rest, so I'm taking one. I love writing Yoga Bits every week. I love that others enjoy reading it. But I need a break from the staggering genius of my creativity and I'm just going to share a bunch of stuff that I think is cool without too much thought.

Doga -- Downward Facing Dog* Such as this awesome photo of an ACTUAL downward facing dog that I found on the internet. I do apologize to the photographer who is not getting credit here. If you want to claim responsibility for this shot, email me and I will definitely oblige because you deserve it.

* Don't miss Yoga at the Armory THIS weekend! It's going to be so fun, it's in a really cool space, parking is easy on Sunday, I play groovy tunes and if you feel weird about chanting, you can just listen (or nap, or doodle, or giggle). All the details are below.

* One of my all-time favorite quotes from Yogi Bhajan (the master who brought Kundalini yoga to the West) is: Happiness is your birthright. Think about that. Really. Think. About. That.

* There was this guy in India named Krishnamacharya and he is sort of the grandad of what we in contemporary American society think of as "yoga." Since he was a master, he would be the first one to state that he did not invent yoga or perfect yoga, the roots of which date back tens of thousands of years. He was simply a practitioner, a teacher who had this real knack for making yoga accessible to lots of people. One of his students was his son, Desikachar, who wrote a super-fabulous book called "The Heart of Yoga" that is widely respected by yoga teachers. There are zillions of useful gems in this book about what yoga "is" and "isn't" and here is one of my favorites:

"One of the basic reasons many people take up yoga is to change something about themselves: to be able to think more clearly, to feel better, and to be able to act better today than they did yesterday in all areas of life. In these endeavors yoga can be of great help, and it requires no prerequisites that must be fulfilled before we set out on this path. Just because yoga originated in India does not mean that we must become a Hindu in order to practice it. On the contrary, it is not even expected of a Hindu that he or she practice yoga. Yoga does not require a particular belief system and, if we already have one, it is not challenged by yoga. Everyone can begin, and at the point at which we start is very personal and individual, depending on where we are at the time."

* Okay, that's all I've got for now. I hope to see you on the mat in North Hollywood or Pasadena this week. You can find information on upcoming classes at the bottom of the newsletter.

Sat Nam,

 

Mary

 

Classes for the Wweeklyinfoeek of August 22         

North Hollywood 

  Wed 7:30 p.m.  Thu 7:30 p.m.

 

Sun 10 a.m. at the Armory 

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fourthsunday

 

Yoga at the Armory: This Sunday, August 28!  

 

Armory Center for the Arts in Pasadena    

10 a.m. Community Class 

All Levels

 

$15 suggested fee*

 

Armory Center for the Arts

Community Room 

145 N. Raymond Ave.

Pasadena CA 91103

 Parking & Directions 

 

*Why "suggest" a fee? Aren't you sure the class is worth $15?  

Well, in my humble opinion, it's certainly worth it. However, not everyone who wants or needs yoga is in a position to pay the full class fee. In those cases, a "suggested" fee or donation leaves room for students to pay what they can afford, if the standard $15 is not possible.  

 

Please bring your own mat and yoga blanket. None are provided. 

 

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