Joyful Spirit Yoga Studio
October, 2007	Volume 1, Number 3
Of Special Interest · Evening classes new time @ 6:30! · Specialty Class! Oct 29 - Yoga With the Ball · Bring a friend and practice for free! · New Teacher · Mudra of the Month Quick Links: 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 talking about intentions on the mat these past couple of weeks, so I thought I might bring a little “off the mat” viewpoint to my newsletter this month. “It is not the magnitude of our actions but the amount of love that is put into them that matters.” – Mother Teresa Yes, if love could be the intention behind every action and all words spoken, what a world it would be! But that’s hardly realistic given our human condition of being imperfect. Yet, our intention is one aspect of our being that we can actually control, and it distinguishes one action from another; one life from another. Let’s say two people walking down the street come upon another stricken with poverty and homelessness. The first person agitatedly finds a $5 bill and tosses it to the one in need and then moves on, never giving the moment another thought. The second person searches for $5 and, gazing into the eyes of the one in need, presses it into their palm and makes a momentary connection, then moves on but with a strong feeling of compassion. While both individuals accomplished the same action, their intentions were clearly different. In my experience, I have noticed that our intentions, in and of themselves, can be healing. In his latest book, “Blessed Unrest,” Paul Hawken writes of a movement that has come into being not through any political faction, single organization or ideology, but through the collective thinking and understanding of various and diverse persons, groups, and organizations, as well as a connected wisdom that intends to heal a wounded earth. Mr. Hawken beautifully explains with much detail, history and example how this nameless movement is fed and supported by small efforts, each performed with great intentions and an understanding of the connectedness of all of humanity and nature. It is a restoring, revitalizing, renewing movement. It is a social, cultural, environmental, “you name it” movement, for these are all connected. “What any of us does affects all of us, every time, all the time. We know this, and it should become a guiding principle in how we live our lives,” says Om Yoga founder, Cindy Lee. David James Duncan, in his book “God Laughs and Plays” writes, “When small things are done with love, it’s not a flawed you or me who does them, it’s love. I have boundless faith in love, and [I will give] little or no thought to ‘great things’ such as saving the planet, achieving world peace, or stopping neocon greed. Great things tend to be undoable things; whereas, small things, lovingly done, are always within our reach.” It all begins with our intentions – doing what we can do with good intentions and with great love. Nothing is too small to make a difference, no acts are inconsequential. So in this light, let’s DO sweat the small stuff! Let’s experience a life full of tiny amazements, be aware of our connectedness, and be healing beings. May Your Spirit Soar, Margie New Time for Evening Classes Our evening classes will begin meeting at 6:30 instead of 6:45 beginning Tues, Oct 2^nd. Come join us!! Specialty Class – Yoga with the Ball (BYOB) Grab that stability ball that has been either wandering from room to room in your house or collecting dust in the garage, and come join me on Monday evening, October 29 at 6:30 for some yoga with the ball! This specialty class is a great way to find some new uses for that ball, plus we may gain insight into some of our yoga poses simply by experiencing them using our ball as a prop. Each participant will need to bring their own stability ball for this class, so if you do not currently own one, you might beg, borrow, or buy one (Academy, Target, etc). Students are required to sign up ahead of time for this class – there will be a sign-up sheet available on the table next to our regular sign-in sheet, or you can e-mail me. The number of participants for this class will be limited, and once a student has signed up, he/she is responsible to pay for the class (by marking the date on your class-pack card) whether able to attend or not. Guests are welcome to attend, and they may sign up by pre-paying the drop-in rate of $12.00. Thank you for your understanding - and definitely join me for some fun! Bring a friend and practice for FREE!! Practicing with a friend is so much more fun than going it alone, so for the month of October students can enjoy a friend’s “first time free” as well. Both student and friend will receive the friend’s first class “on the house!” New Teacher Please join me in welcoming Karen Bradford to our awesome family of teachers here at the studio. Karen is currently completing her 200-hour yoga certification through Purple Lotus and has been teaching yoga in the community for 5 years. Karen’s complete bio will be posted on the website in the near future, so be sure to check it out! Mudra of the Month (a mudra is a hand posture) This month, we will take a look at Aakash Mudra – formed by placing the tip of the thumb to the tip of the middle finger. The other fingers are kept straight. This mudra is used to help increase alertness and intuitiveness. It is also beneficial to bones and teeth as it affects calcium content. It may also be used to help relieve a stiff or locked jaw.