Joyful Spirit Yoga Studio
February, 2008	Volume 1, Number 7
Of Special Interest · Free Yoga on Wednesdays in February · Specialty Class – Yoga with the Ball (BYOB) · Newsletter Online · Good to Know · Gift Certificates Available · Mudra of the Month (a mudra is a hand posture) Quick Links: Newsletter Online JSYS Home Page Yoga In the Park Yoga Alliance All Natural Personal Care Products Contact Us www.yipyoga.com/JoyfulSpirit email: marjoriet@aol.com 214-282-9608 To be removed from this email list, please send email to marjoriet@aol.com and put “unsubscribe” in the subject line.	Joyful Day! We have been taking a look at the chakra system during recent classes, and next week we will focus on the 4^th chakra – the heart chakra (how timely). I think it is only fitting that the heart chakra is the balance point between the physical aspects of the lower 3 chakras and the metaphysical or spiritual aspects of the upper 3 chakras. I believe that if we could manage to do everything with an open and loving heart, our lives and the lives of all those around us would experience more balance in every way. There are many who have written down their thoughts on love and who have expressed this action much better than I ever could, so I hope you don’t mind that I share with you here some of my favorite quotes on the subject. “Where there is great love, there are always miracles.” – Willa Cather “Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into a friend.” – Martin Luther King, Jr. “Extending the reach of our own heart lets us live in the world in ways that embody greater wisdom and compassion, lovingkindness and equanimity, and ultimately, the joy inherent in being alive.” – Jon Kabat-Zinn “When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace.” – Jimi Hendrix “Love is patient, love is kind. Love does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. Love is not rude, it is not self-seeking. Love is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices with the truth. Love always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.” - The Bible - I Corinthians 13:4-8 “The little unremembered acts of kindness and love are the best parts of a person's life.” – William Wordsworth “Happiness is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace and gratitude.” – Dennis Waitley “Where there is love there is life.” – Mohandas K. Gandhi “Love is a choice you make from moment to moment.” - Barbara De Angelis Love and joy are within our own heart – let the heart be full. Love fiercely. Love always. May Your Spirit Soar, Margie Free Yoga on Wednesdays in February Join us for karma yoga with Karen every Wednesday in February at 9:45 a.m. Feel the love as Karen open-heartedly brings you her teachings each Wednesday simply for the love of doing so. Come and join the fun – you’ll be glad you did! Specialty Class – Yoga with the Ball (BYOB) Our monthly Yoga With the Ball class will meet in the evening this month! Bring your stability ball on Monday, Feb 25 at 6:30 p.m. for some great yoga poses with the ball. Guests are welcome to attend. Be sure to bring a stability ball. Thank you, and definitely join us for some fun! Newsletter Online If you have trouble reading the newsletter from your email, you can try clicking on the Newsletter Online link under the “Quick Links” heading in the left margin. I am hoping that reading it from the website will eliminate odd letter/symbol collages that some of you view in place of quotation marks, apostrophes, etc. We shall see. Good to Know In showing our love for the world, we want to take actions that will help make a difference in its future health. Here is a video that can be a little tough to swallow (and is admittedly a bit juvenile in its presentation), but I think it is worth viewing to bring about awareness to our purchasing and discarding habits and the resulting consequences. Viewing this video definitely makes me want to rethink my gift giving for the year – maybe I will choose to give “experiential” gifts – or plants that can grow and nurture. And I am certain I can go for weeks (months? years?) without purchasing any more “stuff” for me! You’ll need about 20 minutes to view: The Story of Stuff Gift Certificates Available Love yoga? Love to give gifts? How about giving the gift of yoga! We now have gift certificates available for purchase. Cash or checks are accepted and may be made out to Joyful Spirit Yoga in the amount of a specific class pack or in any dollar amount to be used at the studio. Mudra of the Month (a mudra is a hand posture) With our current study of the 7 chakras, some may want to know the mudra for each one. Practicing any of these will help bring balance to that particular chakra: 1^st Chakra – Muladhara (Root) – Press pads of little fingers together 2^nd Chakra – Svadisthana (Sacral) – Press pads of little fingers together 3^rd Chakra - Manipura (Navel) – Press pads of ring fingers together 4^th Chakra – Anahata (Heart) – Press pads of middle fingers together 5^th Chakra – Visuddha (Throat) – Press pads of index fingers together 6^th Chakra – Ajna (Third Eye) – Press pads of thumbs together 7^th Chakra – Sahasrara (Crown) - Press pads of thumbs together