To read and/or receive the newsletter in it’s original form with all the links
Go here: https://us12.admin.mailchimp.com/campaigns/show?id=1026277
Yep, we’re still here with our ‘UnGrinching with Love’ Project. How’s it going you might wonder? Well . . . we started with Halloween…trying to replace the scary side with goofy antics. (you saw the lighted hair and tutus?) But Thanksgiving. That’s a different kind of challenge. Family time, food choices, shopping frenzies and holiday buzz. For some of you this might feel like a dream come true. For introverts, not so much. So, below you will find many suggestions for ways to Give yourself Love and also to Give to others:
First! Check out our Upcoming Events for the rest of the year!
Second! See our Holiday Gift Guide below!
Third! Check out the list of FREE options you can use right away to start lowering your stress level and be the one that brings all the Good Vibes everywhere you go!
The Picture below of the crazy kid backflipping off the side of a cliff into the lake – that’s my son a few years ago. Thankfully I knew nothing about this until it was over. But kudos to whoever go that shot! Nobody has more Good Vibes than this kid!
**UPDATE: The link in the newsletter for the book giveaway does not work.
To enter to win one of the 3 copies of the book… click here: http://bit.ly/2zgq8k3
If you’re not already receiving our weekly Love Notes click HERE if you’d like to see the full version and you can subscribe there also.
We’ve recently been coping them into posts here, but it doesn’t always work completely.
This week’s Love Note includes a giveaway of 3 copies of John Green‘s book Turtles All the Way Down!
It also includes free classes for Veteran’s all month long and yes, another great Love song from the 80s. Enjoy!
SO CLICK HERE FOR FULL VERSION: http://mailchi.mp/loveyogastudios/mentalmagnificence
Also, here’s another version of our monthly schedule… just trying out something different. : )
We’re reaching way back to 1959 for this week’s video and it whimsically indicates that we may have collectively needed some ‘UnGrinching’, all along. Every year we hear complaints about the commercialism of THIS season. What’s surprising is that the ‘commercialism of the season’ doesn’t seem to be as concerning for the other 3. You know, Valentine’s season, Easter bunnies and the 4th of July.
Not surprising, however is how this video ties in with our Holiday ‘UnGrinching’ project which starts today! The idea is that with some yoga related activities, maybe we can find more joy and connections all through the holidays.
It’s easy to see where we might have veered off track with sock sales, stocking stuffers and snickerdoodles. We need a bit more creativity to recapture the essence of connection and celebration to see if we can change our minds about the current state of the season? Can we embrace holiday parties with slightly less indulgence? Can we create a new approach to gift exchanges? Can we include more people and less things into our holiday activities? Can we change our minds first? Let’s see.
We’re offering as many opportunities as possible to find more joy and connection than usual over the next few months…. and we have more coming. (list below). We’re going hiking more often, rain or shine. We’re offering Yoga Nidra for pure, guided relaxation. We have some hot classes, some candlelit classes, more free book club gatherings and some playful workshops like: Fun with Props. Our Yoga for Anxiety class on Dec. 2nd will be FREE, so if you haven’t had a chance to check it out or want an updated refresher, feel free to drop in. We have our Thanksgiving Day flow with Juice & Truffles and our Winter Solstice Celebration coming in December!
The practice of yoga encourages us to observe our minds. Not change them. Unless you want to. Notice your breath, notice your energy, notice what you think and how you feel in this moment. Then try to choose… if you want a longer breath, a better feeling thought, a different kind of energy.
Sounds too simple, I know… and too hard. The thing is… the choosing IS simple… it’s the practice and focus that’s complicated.
I’m choosing to change my mind about the holidays…and since I’ve just started, I still have to practice doing that every single day. I figured if I could do it with chair pose, I could do it for Christmas. But I’m starting with Halloween! (special post coming Tuesday!)
We’re not saying yoga fixes everything, or anything.
Because there is ALWAYS another wave in the ocean coming your way.
We’re saying, it helps.
Aaaaannndddd……..
Even if you already LOVE the holidays,
We hope you’ll join us for some of our ‘ungrinching’ activities. We can use all the help we can get!
You know what they say…
‘surround yourself with cheer-full people’ ; )
Holiday Happenings!
Workshops have special pricing; You can use your class pass for Yoga Nidra
** indicates FREE events
Nov. 3rd 6:45pm Yoga Nidra guided relaxation class
Nov. 4th 10:00am **Fun w/Props (Blocks, balls, wheels & walls)
Nov. 12th 11:00am Bo Yoga Balance & Flow workshops
Nov. 18th 12:00pm Acupressure Workshop
Nov. 18th 6:00pm Hot Candlelit Flow workshop
Nov. 23rd 9:30am Thanksgiving Day morning flow class
Nov. 25th 11:00am Dream Bigger 2018 workshop
Nov. 26th 6:00pm **Open Heart Gratitude Practice
w/ Restorative Yoga with Brenda
Nov. 26th 7:15pm **Free BOOK club gathering & Tea
More coming soon: Hikes, Hot Gentle Yoga, & PDX tour!
Cultivating optimism and loving yourself are strong threads infused into yoga practices around the world. Almost every class encourages a positive focus, a healthy challenge and compassion for ourselves and others. There are many approaches in these practices that might include repeating a mantra, meditating, deep relaxation, healthy eating, connection, reflection and forgiveness, to name a few. There are a zillion reminders (memes) coming at us from every direction. We’d like to help simplify the process and the practice with two words.
CHOOSE LOVE.
Anytime you find yourself wondering what to do next or how to respond or where to go first… Choose Love. Choose the most loving possible option.
Also sometimes referred to as ‘following your heart’. It can make decisions easier, clearer and quicker. Simple to do, hard to remember: Pausing to consider what might be the most loving option. Erich Schiffmann refers to this as a ‘Conscious Pause’. That’s why we practice. Of course we also believe that Choosing Love Yoga is the best way to practice. We would though, wouldn’t we? ; )
Cultivating optimism, encouraging each other, following our hearts, choosing love. We love sharing this practice with every one of you. THANK YOU!
This week in Teacher Training we are reviewing the Sanskrit names for some of the postures you experience in class.
I’ll go out on a limb here (get it?)… and say that the energy you put out into the world…matters. Challenging and heart wrenching events happen all the time. Usually somewhere else… to someone else, right? When these events happen closer to home, you might feel more afraid or disheartened. But for Tom’s sake, and ours… we’ll keep this world from draggin’ us down cause ‘we won’t back down’ or ‘Breakdown‘. We won’t ‘Free Fall out into nothin’. We’ll keep uplifting each other, creating space for good vibes and sharing the Love.
In The Untethered Soul, (this month’s book club book*). Relaxation is the key to staying open and optimistic in times like these. Hunkering down and avoiding painful energy closes our minds, our hearts and our capacity for Love. So do the opposite. Don’t close. Lift your heart (Reverse Warrior), open your arms (Tree Pose), Sing all the Tom Petty songs you love… and breathe slow. Relaxation is the key.
When YOU practice. YOU feel better… and that shows. You create a good vibe within and around yourself. Other people notice. It inspires them to feel better and create a good vibe for themselves… and THAT shows. Other people notice. You inspire them, they inspire others… and so on and so on. It’s your positive contribution to the world. The World needs you . . .
So click the video above and Let your Love Flow ; ) (I didn’t use a Tom Petty video above because the only song he had with Love in the title… wasn’t a very uplifting one. But the links above are to some of the COOLEST videos of Tom. Enjoy).
This week in Teacher Training we study the Niyamas: The 2nd of the 8 limbs explores personal behaviors that strengthen the inner qualities so beneficial to our growth. Including but not limited to purity, contentment, practice, self inquiry and surrender. Self Inquiry happens all the way through the training so we got that one down!
Any Pregnant Yogi’s out there?? If you or someone you know is pregnant,sign up now for Prenatal Yoga!
October 14th @ 3pm w/ Amy Perkins! All attendees receive a Love Yoga Onesie!
These two are already members of the Little Love Yogi Club!
Don’t Miss Next Week:
10/14 10:30am Meditation Made Simple w/ Suzanne
10/14 3:00pm Prenatal Yoga w/ Amy Perkins
10/14 6:00pm Saturday Night Hot Yoga Flow by Candlelight
Mantras That Matter:
Here’s one that’s useful for inspiring others by first inspiring yourself
It starts with a single breath, inhaling through the nose
head to floor, hips to heels; letting go in child’s pose.
The Yamas are guidelines to encourage a journey toward optimal health and well being. We like to refer to them as ‘common sense’. They include:
ahimsa (non-violence or non-harming)
satya (truthfulness)
asteya (non-stealing)
bramacharya (respectful relationships)
aparigraha (non-possessiveness)
See the thing is… these might be considered common sense… but on a more subtle level, they are also very easy to take for granted. (Ever told a white lie or been brutally honest? Ever hold on to things longer than necessary?) A practice infused with these yogic concepts reminds us constantly where we feel strong and balanced and where we can strengthen and focus. We practice consistently because daily we are inundated with opportunities to slip into confusion or on occasion… chaos. (ever had a to-do list explode out of control?)
When we study or practice yoga, we don’t just absorb it once. We try to embody it, to experience it, to explore it and to share it. So this week we’ll add a brief focus to each of our classes that highlights one of the above mentioned yamas. Our intention is to further enhance our own learning experience…. as well as yours! We hope you enjoy the journey with us!
** Teacher Training week 1 Snippet: This week we each choose one of the Yamas to explore. We look at how this shows up in our lives, our practices and why it matters. Or does it? ; )
10/14 Saturday Night Hot Yoga Flow by Candlelight
6pm with Amy Perkins
LOVE’s Book Club starts this month with
The Untethered Soul
Live book review Sunday, Oct. 29th 7:15pm
Did you know?
That we have a Lunchtime flow?
A 6:30am strong class?
And an 11am Gentle class? (see new schedule below)
ALSO DID YOU KNOW:
We post on FB & IG almost every single day, sometimes more!
We announce our giveaways and special events there first!
Find and Follow us for more fun stuff!
Mantras that Matter
A Mantra can be a soothing and creative way of talking to yourself. Translated various ways, the most common include a sacred message, a message for the mind or protection for the mind. Here’s one that’s useful for inspiring kindness:
That fills with good, another’s soul
That’s what makes the kind ones whole
Because without the Love…. it’s just exercise. It’s just sequences. It’s just not as meaningful. We loooooove yoga so much that we put our hearts and souls into every practice! But we don’t usually talk much about what goes into that….the foundation behind our flows, the process behind the practice, the studies behind our soulful savasanas. But there is SO much love behind everything we do here. Yes Tina, Love has everything to do with it!
(Interesting side note: Tina credits her dancing career, healthy lifestyle and moderation for her success… and now also lends her voice to multiple Mantra and Chanting CDs. Google her later, she’s amazing!)
So starting next week…(shooting for Sundays), we will send a brief weekly recap, preview or update on what’s happening at Love Yoga. And, we’ll share some of what we’re doing behind the scenes as well as the following:
Link to our website for the current schedule (also below) and workshop/event details.
Link to a Love Song strictly for your entertainment. (see above)
Mantras for Meditation (see below)
A brief summary of that week’s topic in our teacher training program, so you can follow along a bit if you’re interested. These topics will also be integrated into that week’s classes, so you’ll be learning along with them! We cover things like the 8 limbs of yoga philosophy, The Chakras, Asana alignment (the poses), The Sutras… and more.
Did you know section? For things we might forget to tell every new guest. For instance… DID YOU KNOW that you get a free tee shirt when you sign up for a 6 month membership pass…that saves you money and time? And that you can see all the Love T-Shirt pics here!
ALSO DID YOU KNOW: We post on FB & IG almost every single day, sometimes more! We announce our giveaways and special events there first! Find and Follow us for more fun stuff!
Don’t Miss Next Week:
9/29 Flow, Vin & Yin, Yoga & Wine tasting. 7-8:30pm. $12/$18 at the door
9/30 Free Breaking the Stress Habit talk w/ Brodie Welch at 11am
9/30 Yoga For Anxiety w/ Suzanne $15 1-2:30pm
10/1 Teacher Training starts-both Vinyasa Flow & Gentle Yoga
A Mantra can be a soothing and creative way of talking to yourself. Translated various ways, the most common include a sacred message, a message for the mind or protection for the mind. Here’s one that’s useful for going to sleep.
I breathe a little slower just until…
I close my eyes and become very still
Click for a Printable PDF
AS ALWAYS… WE ARE VERY GRATEFUL FOR YOUR TIME AND YOUR PRESENCE AT LOVE
A Special Thank You for 7 years! It’s been 7 years, 364 weeks, 2555 days and all of you have shown up on the mats over 53,000 times! That’s 53,000 Namastes!
We wouldn’t be here without you and we hope that we never let you underestimate how grateful we are for every single one of you.
As a token of our appreciation for you we have 7 days of giveaways!
Today we gave away chocolate (although I think we received more than we gave!). Over the next 6 days… at 7:45pm each night, we’ll choose a random yogi from that day’s classes.
We’re giving away tee shirts, sweatshirts, 30 day yoga passes, Yoga Books, Workshops and private yoga sessions!
Come to Class or register here!
Thank you to everyone that shared thisspecial 7 year anniversary with us today!
COMING SOON:
9/30 Friday night flow and wine tasting
Teacher training starts this weekend with our 8 Limbs workshop. Open to everyone as an intro to yoga and an intro to yoga teacher training. Learn the basic concepts that bring more clarity, confidence, calm and courage into your life. Then, if you’d like to share those concepts with others… stay with us for the remainder of the training. If you prefer…. take those concepts and practice them in your own practice for a deeper understanding of who you are.
Seems like that should just be the title of all of our posts. Falling in Love… especially this time of year. Falls always seems a little like January 1 with a lot of new beginnings and refreshers. The start of a new school year, getting back into routines, new events and workshops and new classes on the schedule. Check out our upcoming events and workshops: 8 limbs, Stress Habits and the Relaxation Retreat at the Oregon Coast!
Plus! Restorative yoga on Sunday night is back! Brenda Sherman and Ali Moriniti will be alternating Sunday nights to bring you a soothing end to the weekend and a smart start to the week!
Our Back to School Specials include:
FREE T-shirt with a new 6 month membership!
FREE Class Pass with every new membership you refer!
FREE workshop: Break the Stress Habit 9/30
8 Limbs of Love Yoga Teacher Training starts 9/16!
And our Brand New Tee Shirts for Fall are here and they are all about ‘THE PRACTICE’!
So… Fall back in Love with your Practice and join us on the mats!
Seems like that should just be the title of all of our posts. Falling in Love… especially this time of year. Falls always seems a little like January 1 with a lot of new beginnings and refreshers. The start of a new school year, getting back into routines, new events and workshops and new classes on the schedule. Check out our upcoming events and workshops: 8 limbs, Stress Habits and the Relaxation Retreat at the Oregon Coast!