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Cheryl Thomas, RYT
www.cherylthomas.com yoga@cherylthomas.com 415-308-3377 |
Thou Shalt Not Kill. Really?
Number Six. It's the easiest commandment: Thou shalt not kill. The other nine can be pretty tempting, but the killing commandment is easy to get right. If you were responsible for someone's death, it had to be a grave mistake or accident. Or, I guess it'd be alright if someone was trying to hurt you and your family and you had to defend yourself. Would it be permissible to kill someone if you just suspected they had hurt you or a loved one? Maybe if aliens dropped out of UFOs and started abducting your daughters, it'd probably be OK to kill them? Would the commandment allow you to ask someone else to kill for you--like getting a hit-man? I assume that wouldn't be OK. What about if someone destroyed your home, your town, your country. Would it be OK to kill them? What would you do to defend your religion? Is it easier to kill someone that doesn't look like you? Did the commandment mean to include all races, gender and political affiliations?
These are all slippery slope situations. But if you think about it, we have others killing for us by proxy. Our armed forces are killing others so we can maintain our control over fossil fuels to continue our expanding demand for oil. The oil-drenched Gulf wildlife died for the same. Mexico's drug-wars and gangs are killing for whom? Yep, you guessed it. They're satisfying the increasing drug demands of yours, your sister's or your neighbor's. We are killing the livelihood of the small farmers so we can have cheap, regulated, mass-produced food. We are killing free speech by concentrating our media in a few hands. We are killing our innocence by the flourishing sex and violence (against women?) on TV. We double kill as we unleash a can of Raid on some innocent, crumb-seeking ants and then throw the can into the landfill. Ditto for Round-Up. Have you killed a conversation lately? I did today. Bang, dead.
So, as we start to feeling like killing-machines, what can we do? Easy, we do the opposite--we give life. Work our lives around the tenets of doing no harm by encouraging insight and tolerance in ourselves and others. Sweep up the ants and escort them outside. Grow a tomato plant. Start a conversation.
*Recycled from 2010.
Want to read some of my previous articles? You can do it here. Enjoy.
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Did You Know?
I'll be at Westside Yoga Studio on Monday and Wednesday covering Erick and Collin's classes at 6:00. Come and join us.
Yoga in Graton is having it's 3rd Annual Holiday Party on Thursday Dec. 13 from 7-9 p.m. See below for details!
The dhyana Center is holding an Event to Celebrate our Growth, on Dec 8 from 1-10 p.m. It's an all day event with yoga and pilates and "mocktails". Music by Shabaz.
Might as well get it on your calendar now. Anne O'Brien will generously offer a class on New Year Day benefiting the Art of Yoga Project at Yoga by Design in Petaluma. Thankfully, it's at 2.
Mirka Kraftsow is offering a 200 hour wellness program for personal study and teaching, excellent for students and teachers who are interested to learn the Foundation skills of yoga therapy in the Viniyoga approach. Get more info at Westside Yoga's website or AVI's website here.
Get boat loads of yoga information and lots of free downloads from YogaU online. Really, tons. It's a great resource for teachers and students. 200-Hr Yoga Teacher Training right here in Petaluma. I'm honored to be on the faculty. See below for more info.
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Drink your Scotch Correctly or He Just Might have to Kill You
Who knew drinking whiskey could be so challenging. Master blender Richard Paterson shows you how to "properly" drink scotch whiskey. It comes from my favorite website Kottke.org.
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JUST ANNOUNCED - Advanced Studies - Teacher Training Program
If you've ever considered taking a Yoga Teacher Training program, the stars have just aligned for you. Yoga by by Design in Petaluma with the expert guidance of local legend, Tony Briggs, is holding a teacher training beginning in January 2013.
Do you wonder about the differences between teacher training programs? Good, you should. They are not all created equal. This program has teachers who I would (and do) seek out to train with "individually". So, a training that includes all of them is stellar. These are senior, seasoned, respected, local and international teachers. Who? Tony Briggs, Anne O'Brien, Richard Rosen, Ann Dyer, Ulrika Engman and more! And, I have the great opportunity to be included with this impressive group. I have been asked to present the Restorative Yoga module.
Maybe you don't want to teach, but want to extend your knowledge of the practice and learn more about the philosophy, anatomy and grounding in the principles of yoga. This is the perfect opportunity.
I know, life if busy and funds are short. They've made it easy and affordable. Classes will be on Friday evenings and Saturday and Sunday afternoons for 4 months. Want more info? Of course you do. Contact Yoga by Design at 707-762-7678, email is postwellnessbydesign@gmail.com, website is www.postwellnessbydesign.com (click on the Advanced Teacher's Training link on the left hand side, or just click here. Of course you can go to Tony Briggs's site at www.tonybriggsyoga.com or you can ask me any questions at cheryl@cherylthomas.com.
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More Yoga Comes Our Way
I can see the headlines now: "Sebastopolians Surpass Okinawans with the Longest Life and Health Expectancy in the World." That's where we're headed, for sure. Coming real soon to Sebastopol are three new projects where you can get your downward dog on.
The Dhyana Center is adding a movement studio to their new first floor Main Street space (where the Silk Moon outlet was). Look for some retail also (yay!).
Arriving in time for your New Years Resolutions is 5,000 sq. ft. (!) at the Center for the Arts space, right next to the upcoming Barlow project. There'll be 2,000 sq. ft. (another !!) of movement space to include Pilates, yoga and dance. Add some retail, a Pilates studio and more. There, now you know. I'll keep you posted, for sure.
Look for Liz Levy to open a sweet yoga studio a bit south of Sebastopol in the center next to Starbucks. More details coming.
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 Yoga in Graton Holiday Party It's that time of the year again and Yoga in Graton students and families are invited to the 3rd Annual Yoga in Graton holiday party! It will be at Stone Creek Zen Center on Thursday, Dec 13th from 7-9pm right after the weekly yoga class. It will be a vegetarian potluck so you are welcome to bring food or drinks (non-alcoholic).
We're also going to do a white elephant gift exchange. The idea is to wrap up a fitness related item that no longer interests you. Be it an old workout video or a cat laser toy like we got last year, it's all for fun and might prove valuable. Feel free to be creative in what you consider "fitness". I'll have an extra gift in case someone needs one. Or you can watch and enjoy the amusement :)
We've got some mindfulness games planned and some live music from my local guitar group. We don't usually play for an audience, so we're might be very excited (aka nervous :)
Thanks to Corina for putting this party together. Hope to see you Yoga in Gaton yogis there.
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Ashtanga Yoga Intermediate Series with Sri K. Pattabhi Jois
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Ashtanga Alert
Here's a YouTube video of the master, Sri K. Pattabhi Jois, "conducting" second series of the Ashtanga practice. From 1993, I recognized the young faces of Richard Freeman and I think, Tim Miller. They make it all look so effortless.
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 Conformity I remember the studies done decades ago where subjects would inflict pain on others when asked to by persons of authority (white jackets). Then there was the Stanford Prison Study which later related to the sad and tragic events at Abu Ghraib. Now Science Daily has reported on some new research suggesting that they act because they are led to believe that what they are doing is right: "Decent people participate in horrific acts not because they become passive, mindless functionaries who do not know what they are doing, but rather because they come to believe -- typically under the influence of those in authority -- that what they are doing is right." Read more about it here. |
Be Happy on Friday's
Instead of shots of tequila and fried artichoke hearts, spend your Friday happy hour moving and grooving at an all-levels vinyasa flow class.
I am honored and excited to be offered another class at Westside Yoga Studio. On Friday's from 4:30 - 6:00, we'll end each week with an energetic vinyasa flow class. Through building heat from the inside, we'll strip out the stress hormones from the day. A long rest at the end of class will reset our nervous system and prepare us for our weekend.
You'll be done at 6:00!! That'll leave plenty of time for dinner with friends, a movie or a relaxing evening with your pooch. Or, maybe a Chia filled Kombucha or that 100% agave margarita!
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Restorative Yoga 
I love the response of students to their first or second or hundredth restorative yoga experience. It's the moment when their nervous system shifts from "yikes!" to "ahhhhhh." They leave with relaxed shoulders and brightened attitude.
It's easy to forget that the body knows exactly what to do. The relaxation response is a built in function of our amazing central nervous system. We just have to let relaxation happen. I know, it seems impossible sometimes. Thus, the popularity of restorative yoga where we learn to put the body in positions and let it do it's thing.
Every Monday
7:30 - 8:30 p.m.
Westside Yoga, Sebastopol
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Get Your Girlfriends Together
It's fun to get friends together. Treat your friends to Yoga and Tea rather than Food and Booze. Inviting friends to come together for a Gentle or Restorative Yoga class is a perfect way to enjoy each other's company and do something good for yourselves. Many yoga parties end with tea or champagne and some munchies. Your friends will thank you!
Please call on me if I can help you book a private yoga class or answer any questions. I can be reached at cheryl@cherylthomas.com.
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Schedule of Upcoming Classes
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