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| Yoga
From The Heart |
Summer 2007 |
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Hello
yogis and yoginis,
Cool the summer heat and join me this Saturday for a workshop devoted
to forward bends and playful arm balances (what fun)! In the
meantime, chill some wine, have a seat and enjoy this summers' yoga
inspiration.
Love,
Chrissy
www.yogachrissy.com
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 Another summer on the
Hudson River with my hands on the wheel and the wind in my face.
I squint to catch a glimpse of the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge
which marks our sailboat's southern course. Everyone seems to
be
enjoying the afternoon, taking in the skyline of Manhattan and the
picturesque June day. Billy and my father ready the lines, my
mother sets up our lunch on deck and I, sporting
my best nautical outfit, I look every part the avid sailor as we
prepare to come about. I even dug
out my trusty sunglasses from the bottom of my purse...very stylish.
It's bright out here today and I'm forced to block the sun
with my hand. My perception seems scratched, dirty and
distorted. I
stare up at the top of the mast to locate the direction of the wind,
which is coming from the west (or maybe it's blowing south, I can't
really tell). There's a very large crack running through my
line
of vision. I squint again but
the glare blinds my eyes. I think nothing of my
struggle as it's quite the norm for sunny days in my world.
Billy, upon seeing my contorted face, reaches over to hand me his
sunglasses. Out of love (because why else would a woman take
off a fashionable accessory), I accept his offer and slip on his
not-so-stylish, top-of-the-line choice. Suddenly, my world
changes! My eyes relax, I can see the wind coming clearly
from
the west and there is no longer a giant crack in my universe.
I
exclaim with delight, "why, it is
a beautiful day"!
Upon examining my chic shades, the family comes to three groundbreaking
conclusions. One, my sunglasses are cracked. Two,
they are
dirty and three, they sit crooked on my face. Well then, that
explains everything. How did I manage all this time with such
a
warped sense of reality? In Billy's glasses, with
their
UVA/UVB protection, their clean lenses and their perfectly symmetrical
frame, life was a very different place. How could I have not known that
my lenses were dirty, scratched and crooked? I must've been
blind
(figuratively and of course, literally).
A case of mistaken identity, I operated under the assumption that my
world and everything in it was exactly as I saw it through my lenses.
The wise sage Patanjali wrote that ignorance (or avidya) is
the
root of all human suffering. Ignorance implies that we're
unknowingly under it's veil - that we're unaware of our own
misperceptions. How, then, can we tell if our lenses are
cracked
when we have no idea the crack is there in the first place?
In
our yoga classes we experience awakenings from avidya in our physical
bodies. There are moments, weeks or even years when we've
flowed
through our practice under the assumption that we've found perfection
in the postures. Then, some fateful day, our teacher offers
us a
new pair of lenses and we discover (sometimes with great surprise,
contempt or even sheer disbelief) that we had been practicing
incorrectly all this time.
Self-study affords us the great luxury of being our own teacher.
As our yoga practice matures, we learn how to clean, polish
and
align our lenses in order to see things as they really are.
What
was once only a fateful interception by our teacher is now a
moment-by-moment examination into the depths of our practice.
We
gain the ability to decipher a crack in the universe from a crack in
our perception and we begin to understand how our patterns, fears and
attachments color our reality.
Back on the water, my eyes settle on the horizon with great
ease
and I see my surroundings for what they truly are. I
admit
that I still slip into my cheap, fashionable shades from time to time,
but I'm no longer unconscious behind their lenses - I can see my own
misperceptions clearly now. The harbor opens up beyond the
bridge and the sun shines down on our voyage. It's amazing -
when I open my eyes to what's really
in front of me, the view is spectacular.
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Full Moons - July 30th,
August 28th
New Moons - July 14th, August 12th |
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Ode to the Travel Goddess
Just when I was convinced that my belongings were lost forever
somewhere in the Caribbean, my luggage has finally come home!
No longer will you
see me in torn and tattered yoga clothes dug from the dregs of my
closet. It's as if the Goddess of Air Travel has blessed me
with
a whole new wardrobe. Her lessons are potent and bittersweet
- find gratitude
in the present moment and try, as best you can, not to check your
luggage.
Summer Playlist
Don't Panic - Coldplay (Garden State Soundtrack)
Divya's
Theme - Cyril Morin (Ayurveda - The Art of Being)
She
Is Love - Oasis
No Woman No Cry (Live) - Bob Marley
This Years' Love - David Gray
Om Tare Tuttare - Deva Premal
Roots East Dub - Ian Sandler (Shakti Rhythms)
Devi
Prayer - Craig Pruess (Sacred Chants of Devi)
Summer Teaching Schedule
I'll
be away for the month of August to lead the Yoga Works' Teacher
Training in Washington, DC. I have an awesome group of
teachers
taking care of my classes while I'm away! Please check my
website
to see the always current list of subs. http://www.yogachrissy.com/group-classes |
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 Forward
Bending Workshop
THIS Saturday, July 14th!
12:30-2:30pm
Yoga Works Westside
http://www.yogaworks.com/newyork/workshopsdescrip.asp?id=1021
Cool
the summer heat and turn your senses inward with this workshop
dedicated to forward bends. An intense asana practice will
reveal
how the strength and alignment of the legs supports a deeper surrender
into the Self. We'll explore playful arm
balances with a
new opening in our hamstrings. Experience a profound and
mystical release as we move consciousness from the front body, the
seen, to the back body, the unseen.
Yoga
and Biking through Morocco with Jeanmarie
October 13th-21st, 2007
jeanmarie_10019@yahoo.com
$3300 (excluding airfare)
*receive an early-bird discount if you register by July 30th
Explore Morocco with my friend Jeanmarie, unearthing its landscape by
bicycle! Experience the many faces of this magnificent
country -
from the tranquil dunes of the Saraha to the snow-capped peaks of the
High Atlas Mountains. Jeanmarie's yoga classes will
envigorate
and revive your senses, preparing you for your daily excursions.
Intermediate to advanced students welcome. Please
contact
Jeanmarie for more information.
Mark Whitwell
July 16th, 18th and 20th
July 23rd, 25th and 27th
2-3:30pm Westside
http://www.yogaworks.com/newyork/workshopsdescrip.asp?id=681
 These
classes will offer a detailed approach to asana, pranayama, bandha,
meditation and life as a
seamless process. You will learn the science
and
mechanics of ujjai breathing which will bring tremendous depth to your
yoga
practice. Mark brings Yoga
alive by revealing our intimate connection
with breath,
Life, and ourselves. I owe the root of my teaching to his
wisdom and lineage.
Come for this special workshop and receive a
loving, authentic and practical Yoga
designed to meet the needs of each
individual.
www.heartofyoga.com
Advanced Retreat with
Genny Kapuler
August 11th-12th
www.heathenhillyoga.com
What
a treat to study with Genny, a teacher of teachers, at Susan "Lip"
Orem's magical retreat center, Heathen Hill! Genny Kapuler is
a
certified Iyengar teacher whose knowledge and wisdom of the body makes
your heart flutter. For more information, please contact Lip
at susan@heathenhillyoga.com
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In
all this heat we need to stay hydrated, but our addiction
to plastic water bottles is creating a devestating problem for
our
environment. Choose instead to purchase a water filter, like
Brita, and carry a reusable water bottle.
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