Monday, February 27, 2012

MONDAY MUSIC
Ramarkrishna - Sarada Devi

Sunday, February 26, 2012


RETREAT TIME




There's still time to sign up for next weekend's amazing Yoga and Meditation Retreat. There are a few spots left, and registration closes Wednesday at noon. It's a wonderful way to deepen your spiritual practice and say goodbye to the winter blahs.

You will also make progress in your physical practice and learn how to develop a home breathing/meditation practice.

Sign up here.

Om Namah Shivay!

Friday, February 24, 2012

IS THE SNOW GETTING YOU DOWN?
Come to tomorrow's workshop!





There's still space in tomorrow's Beat the Winter Blues workshop from 2-5 at Sweet Pea's Studio - where you'll learn special, time-tested yoga techniques to lesson anxiety and alleviate symptoms of depression. Space is limited. Sign up and learn more here.


FUNNY FRIDAY
Sleestak = Some of the Greatest Ujjayi Breathers of All Time







The Honorable Mention goes to Darth Vader, of course....








Thursday, February 23, 2012

THURSDAY QUOTE



"Ahimsa [non-harming] means thou shall not kill the happiness of others. You cannot take away the comfort of others. Put yourself in their place constantly. You can see yourself inside an ant, a cockroach. They are just looking for food, like a child. They don't hate anyone....Compare yourself to your pet. When you are not there, they suffer your absence."

"I knew one man who had memorized the entire Bhagavad-Gita. But he could not live one line of it. What is the point?

"The Dhammapada says that all beings love life... those who harm the helpless will suffer ten times more."


-Sri Dharma Mittra
At Kripalu, 2/17/12




Monday, February 20, 2012

MONDAY MUSIC Happy Shiva Ratri!
"Om Namah Shivay" by Uma Mohan from Sacred Chants of Shiva








Celebrate Shivaratri this very night, from 9:30 onwards. More info here.

Om Namah Shivay!

Friday, February 17, 2012

FUNNY FRIDAY
Sri Dharma on kriyas and digestion





"Like a professional diver entering the water...."

Thursday, February 16, 2012

THURSDAY QUOTE




"Don't be afraid. Human birth is full of suffering and one has to endure everything patiently, taking the name of God. None, not even God in human form, can escape the sufferings of body and mind.

"I tell you one thing my child -- if you want peace, do not find fault with others. Rather, see your own faults. Learn to make the world your own. No one is a stranger, my child; the whole world is your own."


-Sri Sarada Devi's last words, spoken before passing on July 20, 1920

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

BEAT THE WINTER BLUES: YOGA FOR ANXIETY, DEPRESSION AND STRESS
Early Bird Price Ends Thursday!




Beat the Winter Blues: Yoga for Anxiety, Depression and Stress
with Cara Jepsen (Kali Om)
Saturday, February 25, 2-5 at Sweet Pea's Studio
3717 N. Ravenswood in Chicago, Ste 213 (773.315.5489)
$40 before Friday, Feb 17, $50 after
Sign up here.

Does winter get you down? In this workshop we will learn about the body-mind connection, and how timeless yoga techniques can be used to restore energy and create a sense of inner peace. We will use basic yoga postures, special breathing practices and chanting to manage symptoms associated with the cold season — such as lethargy, racing thoughts and negativity. We will also discuss how small changes in diet and lifestyle can help you manage your moods. You will go home armed with practical, time-tested tools to help you weather the season’s darkest days.

This workshop is suitable for all levels of student who are currently experiencing mild to moderate seasonal-related symptoms. It is not intended to be a substitute for therapy or medical treatment, but can serve as a support to current treatment.

Read Cara-Kali's related article here.

Monday, February 13, 2012

MONDAY MUSIC: Om Namah Shivay!












Maha Shivaratri
(the great night of Lord Shiva) is Monday, Feb. 20. On that night from 9:30pm to 5am, the Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Center on Bryn Mawr Ave will celebrate with puja and kirtan. You may come and leave at any time. Wearing white is especially auspicious. You may also fast on this day/night.

Each time you chant "Om Namah Shivaya" on this special night, it is akin to chanting it 1,000 times.

Learn more about Lord Shiva - the great yogi - here.

Friday, February 10, 2012

FUNNY FRIDAY



Students who arrive late to large yoga classes sometimes have trouble finding space for their mat.

I usually point to a minuscule spot and tell them, "Put it there and don't worry - the others will make space for you....

just like you're the Baby Ruth Bar in the pool scene in Caddyshack."

(which, sadly, cannot be embedded).

(and which, sadly, many of today's young yoga aficionados have not seen).


Inevitably, those whose mats are nearby will move away as quickly as they can....

as if the new person were the candy bar, and they're the members of the country club.


Thursday, February 09, 2012

THURSDAY QUOTE





"Never forget, to say to yourself, and to teach to your children, as the difference between a firefly and the blazing sun, between the infinite ocean and a little pond, between a mustard-seed and the mountain of Meru, such is the difference between the householder and the Sannyasin."

- Swami Vivekananda

Monday, February 06, 2012

MONDAY MUSIC
Fiona Apple covering the Beatles' "Across the Universe"






Some students were listening to this song while practicing last week, and I felt a shiver and started to tear up when I heard the words "Jai Guru Dev"! and immediately thought of Sri Dharma.







I'd never noticed that part of the chorus in the Beatles version (which also has an "Om"). How utterly awesome and subversive of them.



Thursday, February 02, 2012

THURSDAY QUOTE



"There is privacy about Winter which no other season gives you...In Spring, Summer and Fall people sort of have an open season on each other; only in Winter...can you have longer, quiet stretches when you can savor belonging to yourself."

~Ruth Stout
















Thanks to Nancy Perlman for the quote.