Have you ever seen anything in your life more wonderful
than the way the sun, every evening, relaxed and easy, floats towards the horizon and into the clouds or the hills, or the rumpled sea, and is gone - and how it slides again
out of the blackness, every morning, on the other side of the world, like a red flower
streaming upward on its heavenly oils,
say, on a morning in early summer, at its perfect imperial distance -
and have you ever felt for anything
such wild love -
do you think there is anywhere, in any language,
a word billowing enough for the pleasure
that fills you, as the sun reaches out, as it warms you….

-Mary Oliver

The new moon is the darkest night; January is the darkest month. But we have stores of energy and lightness! This Anusara-inspired weekend workshop on the new moon brings you new awareness of reserves within that fuel an outward brightness.  Join us at Evolution Yoga to experience new levels of yoga strength and light in this dark time of year.

Take all 3 Anusara-Inspired workshops for $65 or register for one at a time for $28

Moving Forward with Backbends with John McConnell
Enjoy delicious backbends in this invigorating and lighthearted workshop. Backbends fully expose our hearts to the grace of the world around us, and allow us to more deeply connect to our innate goodness. This first new moon of the year is the perfect opportunity to open our hearts and minds to a new perspective, see the world and ourselves with fresh eyes, and move forward into a new decade.
Friday: 01/15/10
6:00-8:30 pm
$28

Build Stability to Find Freedom: Inversion Workshop with Margaret Dunn-Carver

This workshop is designed for those who would like to safely delve deeper into inversions. The new moon represents yet-to-be revealed abundance as we move from darkness into the light. Inversions help you to trust in your light and find the courage to turn your world upside down. Learn how the Anusara Principals of Alignment can offer you both stability and freedom while doing headstands and handstands. Appropriate for Level I/II and Level II students.
Saturday 01/16/10
11 am-1:30 pm
$28

New Moon Plan with Andrea O’Connor
Strong on the inside; light on the outside. . . Explore new ways to activate power within and radiate lightness without! This workshop starts with some of the best (and unusual!) core work you’ve ever experienced.  And moves into a flowing series of opening poses that evoke the soft intuition of the waxing moon.
Saturday: 01/16/10
3:00-5:30 pm
$28

Workshops will be held at Evolution Yoga, 20 Kilburn St. Burlington, VT

Sign up online at www.evolutionvt.com or call 864-9642.

On November 19th from 5:45-7:15 pm, all the proceeds from Margaret’s Level I/II yoga class at Evolution Yoga Studio will go to the African Village Survival Initiative (AVSI).  AVSI is led by the Uhuru (freedom) Movement, which brings African people together in the U.S. and worldwide to build collective community sustainable solutions to the economic crisis that has hit the black community particularly hard.

These crucial programs include community gardens; water harvesting and solar energy systems; and in particular at this time, the self-reliance economic development projects.

This is a wonderful opportunity to both enjoy a yoga class and participate in positive social change. Hope to see you there!

To learn more about AVSI programs check out: www.apedf.org

Also, check out the online auction to benefit AVSI:  www.apedf.org/auction

Evolution Yoga Website: www.evolutionvt.com

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.  It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?  Actually, who are you not to be?  You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world.  There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you.  We are all meant to shine, like children do.

-Marianne Williamson

Every fall in Vermont I am reminded of the potential beauty and grace of transition. The shift of fresh green summer to the vibrant hues of autumn reminds us that we can hold true to ourselves and shine even in the midst of change.

Yoga has helped me navigate the inevitable changes of life. I invite you to join me and may the abundance of your heart be reflected from the inside out like the brilliance of the fall!

The Summer Day

I don’t know exactly what a prayer is.
I do know how to pay attention, how to fall down
into the grass, how to kneel down in the grass,
how to be idle and blessed, how to stroll through the fields,
which is what I have been doing all day.
Tell me, what else should have I done?
Doesn’t everything die at last, and too soon?
Tell me, what is it you plan to do
with your one wild and precious life?
-Mary Oliver

This past month I went on a backpacking trip in the northern Green Mountains with my father. We spent a long weekend hiking and enjoying a preview of the first autumn colors. At one point, we stopped on the shore of a remote marsh which was teeming with trout, birds, and moose tracks. Although we didn’t see the moose, the evidence of it’s greatness left us in awe. Learning to be aware of the bliss and greatness of life is my mantra for the month of September. I am reminded of Mary Oliver’s words which so eloquently remind us of our “one wild and precious life.”

I go among trees and sit still.
All my stirring becomes quiet
Around me like circles on water.
My tasks lie in their places
Where I left them, asleep like cattle…..

Then what I am afraid of comes.
I live for a while in its sight.
What I fear in it leaves it,
And the fear of it leaves me.
It sings, and I hear its song.
-Wendell Berry

As we heal through meditation, yoga, or any mindful practice, it can open us. Perhaps the intellect opens a new window of perspective, the heart peels back a layer to reveal a deeper connection to the universe, or the body unfurls to release underlying emotion. When I started practicing yoga, back bends were physically challenging for me. Emotionally, it was like my heart was breaking open. At first, as with any broken heart, it was too much emotion for me to handle. Memories of sadness surfaced, tears fell, but eventually I softened and the world in all its inherent compassion was there to greet me. Back bends are still challenging for me. Some days, I am resistant to open myself that deeply. I find that those are the days when I most need to hear the song of my heart.

There is in nature a sense sublime of something far more deeply infused.

-William Wordsworth

On a weekend hike I was graced with the sight of rare, delicate trilliums blanketing the forest floor. Pure white and tender pinks seemed to set the stage for a mid-summer nights dream.

Anusara Yoga philosophy is based on the Tantra view of Kashmir Shavism. The Tankrika believe that everything is a manifestation of the divine. When we respect and and align ourselves with nature, we invite grace to fill us. If we resist and go against the flow of nature, we suffer. We can choose to align with grace or not. The choice is ours.

Divine are the trilliums. So is divine the dark, damp earth below.

Entering the heart is like coming into the center of the sun. There is no more you; there is nothing except the iridescent force of that light. When you are in the center of the sun, there is no way to block its’ light. It streams through you and around you. So by entering your own heart, you make the whole world a better paradise.

-Gurumayi

Hello sun! After a struggle between light and dark here in Vermont, we have settled (at least for a few days) into the sunshine of spring. In the spring, I always notice how the sun helps me to melt away a layer of psychological baggage and reminds me of the joy and light present within my own heart. The glowing faces and lighter presence of others confirms my own experience with the return of the light. Entering the heart is like unearthing mysteries that spark spontaneous joy. This internal joy in sanskrit is called svayambhu. Seeking this joy is the light of life. Where do we look? Why inside our hearts of course! Happy Spring.

I will not die an unlived life.
I will not live in fear
of falling or catching fire.
I choose to inhibit my days
to allow my living to open me,
to make me less afraid,
more accessible,
to loosen my heart until it becomes a wing,
a torch, a promise.
I choose to risk my significance;
to live so that which came to me as a seed
goes to the next as blossom
and that which came to me as blossom,
goes on as fruit.
-Dawna Markova

Healthy risks remind of us the miracle of our mortality, the splendor of life. And many times when we are challenged, it is hard not to fall into an immediate response of stress. How can we step back and soften, set up a firm foundation of support as we grow out of our perceived limitations or boundaries? Yoga has a way of bringing us to the edge of our comfort zone and reminds us of the essential opening that is required of our minds, hearts, and bodies. For me, there are poses in my yoga practice that make my heart pound at the thought of doing them. My muscles tighten up and my focus wavers. My innate goodness is always there, always accessible, no matter if I fall flat on my face or not. My ego risks more than my physical body. More and more, I have learned to soften my mind and body by focusing on the breath and then setting up a firm foundation. This foundation is always rooted in the support of my teachers, fellow students, and my physical and mental focus. The real challenge is applying this to life off the mat. “Soften and set your foundation,” I often hear the voice of my teachers say. How do you open yourself to the unknown in your life? What happens when you bring breath awareness and softness into an uncomfortable situation? Notice the outcome and open yourself to the possibilities.