 | | Yoga From The Heart | Holidays 2007 | | Hello yogis and yoginis,
Exciting news to share - I will be teaching two new Level 2 evening classes at Yoga Works! Come join me Mondays and Wednesdays at 6pm at the downtown studio for authentic and intelligent vinyasa flow. New schedule starts January 14th.
I hope your holidays are filled with love and light!
Love,
Chrissy
www.yogachrissy.com
|  | This year I have the pleasure of hosting my family for Christmas dinner and as you can probably imagine, I'm in my glory. Proving to be a bit more involved than my vivid imagination led me to believe, I look back on my mother's effortless mastery over the holiday festivities with awe and renewed appreciation. As I busy myself making lists and hour-by-hour time tables in preparation for the big feast, I'm reminded of holidays past where our only challenge was to occupy the long hours between stockings and dinner. Our prayers were answered by Santa, himself, who one year left us a 1000-piece puzzle under the tree (although we soon took issue with Santa's choice - more on this later). How marvelous, though! There were castles in France and cities by the sea, and so we tore open the box and began the endless process of putting together 400 pieces of blue sky that all looked the same.
There's an art to the 1000-piece puzzle. It's a science, really. First, you have to separate all the colors into piles so you know what you're dealing with (hint: when dealing with seascapes, you'd be smart to categorize by shades of blue, since there's usually only a lighthouse or a boat to break up the other 900 pieces of sky and water). Then you must study the shape of each piece...this step is crucial. I'll tell you, there are moments of sheer frustration, when you start asking yourself esoteric questions like "how could Santa be so cruel?" but you persevere, because you must...dinner is still six hours away.
Yoga is a little like the 1000-piece puzzle. We practice for many weeks, months or years and we begin to accumulate pieces of the practice. For example, in the beginning, handstand is like a merciless gift from the universe (nicely wrapped, of course, by the effortless demonstrations of our teachers). Somewhere in the background we hear instructions, but the utter magnitude of the project is often paralyzing. We eventually get over the initial shock and we start to learn ways to categorize the pieces...the rotation of the thigh bones go in this pile over here, the triceps in that pile over there and soon we have many neat little stacks of anatomical information.
We would consider ourselves very clever if it weren't for the fact that we still have no idea how they all fit together. All this frustration and our teachers continue to throw more pieces our way. And then it starts...the questions, the doubt, the dredging up of emotions that have been stored in the crevices of our soul, and all over this 1000-piece process of yoga. But you must go on because there's something deeper, you can feel it, and you know there's a power to a process that forces us to examine the deep, dark alleys of ourselves.
The moment of truth comes when you least expect it. After hours of staring at the same piece of blue sky, you finally begin to see what's really there. In that beautiful moment, you pick up another piece from another pile and it dawns on you that maybe, just maybe, they fit together. Their innate connection was always there. Their shapes were always a perfect fit and yet it took sweat, tears and commitment to see this relationship.
And so like the 1000-piece puzzle, our yoga practice starts to come together, one piece at a time. The same actions we've practiced for years seem to change in nature when we find the connection between all of our many piles - between all things. I can hear it now as you float into handstand, "oh that's what you meant by rolling my thighs in"! The pieces form such a striking picture - that castle in France, the city by the sea, the world from upside-down. It's so worth the struggle. Thank you, Santa, for our 1000-piece puzzle and all the joy it brings. How time flies.
|  | New Moon - December 9th
Full Moon - December 24th |  |  Shiny Pieces
On your next weekend stroll through Soho, take a detour down Mott Street where my friend Eli has just opened his beautiful new jewelry store. The pieces are just stunning...raw, natural, he effortlessly blends old with new. The collection, like his store, is warm and tranquil and will surely make a great stop this holiday season.
Agas and Tamar Jewelry and Design
250 Mott Street
212.941.7979
http://www.agasandtamar.com
Holiday Playlist
Count Your Blessings Instead of Sheep - Bing Crosby
Om Namo Bhagvate - Deva Premal
Prabhupada Padma - Rasa
Prayer to Protector - Tulku
Returning - Jennifer Berezan
2008 Teaching Schedule
Come play in my new 6pm Level 2 classes on Mondays and Wednesdays, starting January 14th!
http://www.yogachrissy.com/group-classes |  |  Baby It's Cold Outside (ooh but so toasty in Dominica)!
February 2nd - 9th
http://www.yogachrissy.com/retreats
The view from downdog is much better when your mat overlooks the ocean. Only a few spots remain in paradise, where the sunshine and local rum (optional, of course) will warm you right up. Two hours of thoughtful and challenging yoga in the morning and an hour and a half of gentle flow and restorative yoga in the evenings. Indulge in delicious organic food, cliffside spa treatments, and the chance to relax into your authentic, tropical self.
Rates include 7 nights' accommodations at this eco-conscious resort, acclaimed by Conde Nast, Travel & Leisure, The New York Times and Body&Soul Magazine. Breakfast and lunch are included as well as two daily yoga classes, three adventure excursions and ground transportation to and from the resort. This retreat is almost sold out so please contact chrissy@yogachrissy.com to reserve your spot!
$1445 double occupancy/$1995 single occupancy
Trip paid in full by January 15th.
Urban Detox
Monday, January 14th - Friday, January 19th
7-8:30am
http://www.yogachrissy.com/urban-detox
Chrissy Carter and Julie Marx, R.D.
$350 before Jan 9th, $380 after Jan 9th
It's no secret that I love food, and so really, who better to lead you through 5 days of sugar and alcohol-free yoga? While balance is always the goal, a detox can help to remove impurities that get stored in our bodies from, say, too many holiday cookies. More importantly, it can teach you a lot about the foods you eat and the effects they have on your body. It's svadhyaya for your kidneys.
Includes five daily, detox-specific yoga classes, one evening restorative class, one ear-point acupuncture group session and two private consults with Julie Marx to customize your detox plan.
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For me, there's no greater pleasure than wrapping gifts at the holidays. This year I've wrapped my gifts in newspaper with twine and fresh greenery. Simple and smart, it's recycling made beautiful.
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