Live Your Life Awake!
"We all want to live well. Let's face it, at the end of the day, it's not how much you have or how much you accomplished that counts. What matters is how well you have participated in your own life, both the ordinary routines and the extraordinary surprises." *
Many of us are feeling caught in a proverbial hamster wheel, desperately seeking meaning, purpose, pleasure, lasting joy. Few of us are satisfied with what we find. We think, oh if only I had ___ (fill in the blank). Yet even when we get that, very soon we are back in the struggle, dissatisfied.Trouble is, we are looking outside ourselves for that which only comes from within: purpose, meaning, joy. Yoga, so much more than “exercise”, is uniquely designed to take us on that journey within, step by step, while including all the layers of who we are: body, energy, mind, heart, & soul.
One of the most profound journeys this world traveler has been on is the journey within. I have come to believe that this journey requires a community of support for the courage to look, the ability to see the “water in the fish-bowl”, and for the compassion for self and other along the way. This is how we get free from our self-made cages of attachments, old stories, outdated beliefs, old habits, and find the jewel within.
Paradox: two things that are opposite, and true
While we can’t reshape the world and other people to meet some internal perfect image we might hold, we can shift within ourselves, and find our world has shifted. Paradox? Yes! Change occurs when we become most deeply and truly who we already are.At Turning Light we will be exploring the depth and breadth of what yoga has to offer, drawing on Ayurveda, Yoga Sutras, Chakra system, and more to build a rich curriculum to help you become more Awake!, Alive, and Joyful!This winter & spring we’ll begin with workshops on the Kleshas (sources of suffering) in February, followed by the Yamas (restraints) in March. Our Tuesday eve Art of Meditation is nearly full and will be ongoing.
Join us and begin your journey toward a life well-lived, to live your life Awake!The Kleshas: Freedom from Suffering
In the Yoga Sutras, the “kleshas” describe how the mind becomes engrossed in limiting thought patterns which lead to mental and psychological distress. Come learn how these have shaped you, plus specific practices to become a happier person. Program includes lecture, discussion, movement. Appropriate for all levels.
Tools for Joyful Living
Become an undisturbable person. Begin to transform your life, one step at a time. Introduction to the Yamas and an exploration of non-violence. Gaining the skills to choose attitude, thought, and action may be the grandest adventure you can take, leading to a joyful, well-lived, Awake! life.
The Yamas (“restraints”) help us specifically:
turn from harming self and others to kindness toward self and others
turn from lies and half-truths to expressing our uniqueness and authenticity
turn from theft to cultivating new skills and abilities
turn from greed to appreciation and pleasure without excess
turn from attachment to intimacy without possession.*
10 month study Group: Tools for Joyful Living
Here’s what the past year's group is saying:
Participating in this group study has been enriching and transformative. The experience has been both a mirror, helping me to know and understand myself in a new way, and a guide to living life joyfully, consciously and well. Almost a year later I am more grounded, more open and more at ease with myself and in my daily life. [EA]
I have found the year long exploration of the Yamas & Niyamas very valuable. The model of some guided conversation when we meet, followed by a month of reading and posting online has been just right for me. [CW]
I like focusing on one per month and over the time I have more aware of my beliefs and how they can limit my perspective and options. [I am] getting to know myself as enough. I look forward to our group discussions. [PH]
The Yamas & Niyamas Class has allowed me to be kinder to myself (with all my imperfections). It has helped me pause & better reflect about my own reaction to other's behavior which ultimately helps me deal with the stress of certain situations. [KD]
* (Deborah Adele in Yamas & Niyamas: Exploring Yoga’s Ethical Practice)
Winter Recipe: Nourishing Broth
A lot of healing dietary regimes these days talk about the nourishing power of broth, often promoting bone broth. So here is a yummy vegetarian version. (This was simmering on the stove during class one morning and everyone said it smelled heavenly and wanted to know how to make it!)
Prep time: 10 min. Cook time: simmer 3 hrs.
In a soup pot combine: 4 large kale leaves, 1 medium carrot, half a beet, 2 stalks of celery, a “knuckle” of ginger root (skin on). Ideally the veggies are all organic, washed, chopped into about 2-inch large chunks. For extra nutrition and cleansing power, add a handful each of parsley and cilantro. You might also add a chunk of turmeric root. Cover with about 2.5-3 Quarts boiling water (shortens cooking time). As an extra treat, making this as rich as bone broth, is to add a scoop of ghee (clarified butter, you can also use olive oil) to your mug and then pour the hot broth over it. In this dry winter weather your digestive tract and skin especially will love you! I have even added a half tsp of spirulina, for a slightly “ocean-y” taste and super cleansing! Enjoy!