 | | Yoga From The Heart | February 2007 | |
Happy Valentine's Day!
Time to indulge in chocolate and kisses. Here are some sweet nothings to get you started...enjoy!
Love,
Chrissy
www.yogachrissy.com
|  |  I'm a lover.
It defines, in my own mind, a huge part of who I am. My passion to love has always manifested itself in various forms, but I feel it is best represented in my affair with arts and crafts. A hot glue gun in one hand and a dried wreath in the other, I believe I would make Martha Stewart proud. I shower my family and friends with my homemade concoctions only to wrap them with vintage paper and antique ribbon (and maybe a sprig of fresh rosemary). My home is a warehouse of potential crafting projects - binders full of decorating ideas, piles of paper and markers and knickknacks I've collected only to reuse in my creation of the perfect gift. I strive to create feelings of comfort and love when people walk into my home, evident even in my procrastination to write this newsletter where I managed to rearrange the collection of soaps in my bathroom. A self-proclaimed Goddess of Hearth and Home, my passion for giving has evolved into an art form. Valentine's Day is, therefore, a fantastic opportunity to craft my way through chocolate truffles and heart-covered cards. It's the holiday of relationships...the day for the lovers and the lovees, and I am, without a doubt, a lover.
This definition of myself - this label of "lover" - has overflowed into almost every aspect of my life, and yet I'm finding that it can be, like any definition, quite limiting. To go through life as a lover is no blissful existence of warm milk and homemade brownies. Giving from my well of abundance only lasts as long as my personal reserves will allow, and when you're the giver, there just doesn't seem to be enough time to refill the well. In the celebration of Valentine's Day and in the quest for balance, I've decided to broaden my definition.
Yoga, like life, is about relationship. There's the lover and the lovee, the giver and the taker, the inhale and the exhale. We experience our practice within our own limited definition of Self - "I'm a giver", "I'm flexible", or "I'm not capable" - creating an imbalanced connection with ourselves. An awareness of our illusions often emerges by default as we begin to notice simple asymmetries and preferences in the more concrete realm of the physical...where are we tighter, where can we find more strength, more softeness or greater prowess? Our svadhyaya, or self-study, may then shine a light on the labels we give ourselves off our mat - "fat", "angry", or "victim" - revealing how our thought patterns confine us within our own limited definitions. Our ability to see outside the box can take us only as far as we're willing to let go of our beloved labels. Like scraping the stubborn price tag off a gift we're about to wrap, we become attached to our classifications - they define who we believe ourselves to be at our core.
It's a constant mantra, this art of balance. We begin with the small discoveries - that there are indeed opposites we can bring into union. Yet life shifts and we're forced to reexamine the scale. More challenging still, how do we detach ourselves from the definition of balance, or yoga, itself? Our reality is shaped by the scope of our identity. If we believe ourselves to be either the lover or the lovee, the giver or the taker, the strength or the receptivity, how can we then be both?
I think that balance is being neither the lover nor the lovee, but instead, being loving. Can we cultivate the art of compassion? Can we find the balance in imbalance or the perfection in imperfection? Yoga isn't found on the inhale or on the exhale, but in the space in between. Perhaps our life's journey is to rise above the definitions...so I'll keep icing my cupcakes, knowing that there's an inherent balance in everything, even in my quest to expand my own definitions. I can bake those homemade cupcakes and eat them too! I am the lover and the lovee...I am loving. My mantra is simple, like a homemade Valentine's Day card..."love is all I need".
|  | Full Moon - February 2nd
New Moon - February 17th |  |  Babycakes
www.babycakesnyc.com
248 Broome Street (between Orchard and Ludlow)
Brace yourself...dairy free, sugar free, gluten gree, wheat free, nut free, egg free treats that are to DIE for! If you love sweets but your tummy is a little sensitive (or even if you like sweets and your tummy is just fine) then you'll absolutely love this bakery. A must have...the brownies. A tough critic, you can be sure that this is one satisfied customer!
My Favorite Sources of Creativity
Paper Presentation
www.paperpresentation.com
23 W. 18th Street
Kate's Paperie
www.katespaperie.com
Luscious Paper
www.lusciouspaper.combaby
722 Washington Street, Hoboken NJ
ABC Carpet & Home
www.abchome.com
888 Broadway (between 19th & 20th)
Flower District
28th Street (between 6th & 7th)
Domino Magazine
www.dominomag.com
Martha Stewart Living Magazine
www.marthasteart.com
Jivamukti Yoga
www.jivamuktiyoga.com
841 Broadway, 2nd Floor
|  | Crafty Yogis - Scrapbooking Workshop
Friday, March 9th
7-9pm chez Chrissy
$35
I've had so many requests to host some sort of crafting project, so here it is! Scrapbooking is a fun way to show off your favorite trips, photos, or a special event you shared with family or friends. I'll teach you how to lay out your photos and add character and elegance with unique ideas. Please bring your photos, paper souvenirs (ticket stubs, brochures, maps, etc) and a scrapbook of your choice (best with large blank pages, not sleeved photo albums). Bring recipes if you'd like to create a cookbook. All other supplies will be provided! These scrapbooks are keepsakes forever and make great gifts for family, friends or loved ones. To RSVP, please email chrissy@yogachrissy.com.
Inversions Workshop
Sunday, April 15th
www.devotionyoga.com
Flip your life upside-down!
I spent years at the wall, kicking like a mad-woman until, one day, I finally did my first handstand. I haven't come down since! Inversions bring clarity to stagnant issues, offer insight and integrate our bodies into our center. In this workshop we'll practice the preparations for handstand, forearm stand and headstand, building our structures in a firm understanding of alignment. A strong, heating practice will help us warm up all the component parts needed to float upside-down and an acknowledgment of our fears will help us take the first steps in overcoming the obstacles in our way. Advanced variations will be suggested for those of you looking to deepen your inversions practice and encouragement and support will be available for everyone!
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