the yoga sancutary
November  2017

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Don't Forget!
Daylight Saving Time Ends on November 5th. 
Before bed on Saturday, November 4th, be sure to turn your clock back 1 hour!

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Holiday Hours
Thanksgiving Day: 
Join us for our 
Annual Thanksgiving Morning Class at 9am.
This a 75-minute all levels class designed to be accessible to everyone! A perfect way to start your day.
upcoming events
Sunday, 12/3

Crystal and Tibetan Bowl Sound Bath
& Trunk Show
 
Sunday, 12/10

The Embodied Heart with Kristin Leal
Saturday, 12/16

New Year's Day:
Starting in Sacred Silence
Monday, 1/1
 
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Sister Sciences: 
Rahu and Ketu
In Vedic Astrology, Rahu and Ketu are the important Lunar Nodes. Unlike the seven visible planets, Grahas in Sanskrit, they are massless yet potent mathematical points in space, sometimes referred to as the shadow planets. Click below to learn more...
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yoga mudra
Jnana mudra: 
mudra of knowledge & wisdom

What is the difference between meditation and restorative yoga?
 
Melissa, our Meditate & Restore teacher, answers this commonly asked question! 

This is a great question, because we tend to think of both in terms of the same set of desired results: reduced stress, a quieter mind, an improved sense of well-being. But while both practices can lead to those outcomes, the paths to attaining them are quite different.
Find out more by clicking below...And if YOU have a question, just ask by replying to this newsletter.  We just might highlight your question next month! 
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Save the Date!
The Yoga Sanctuary is excited to offer a full schedule of amazing guest teachers from all over the county. Registration is open for all workshops! Read about each of our guests by clicking on their name.

January 13 & 14, 2018: 

Yoga  f or a Healthy Lower Back with Liz Owen
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January 26 & 28, 2018: 
Integrative Medicine Q & A and Bone & Joint Health with Dr. Carrie Demers
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February 23 - 25, 2018 :

Yoga for Healthy Aging: The Newest News! with Dr. Baxter Bell  
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The Yoga Sanctuary is going to be at Burnt Store Marina! 

The Yoga Sanctuary will be at Burnt Store Marina Fitness and Racquet Club! Find out more at their upcoming Open House on Saturday, November 4th from 8am - 1pm.

Keep your eyes open for other fun opportunities to practice with The Yoga Sanctuary out in the community soon!

With gratitude and thanks! 
We off you 10% off any one item of your choice from the TYS Boutique... Just mention you saw it here in the newsletter!  
We LOVE your feedback!
Your feedback is very valuable to us. Make sure to share the love and give us a review on Social Media. We would be so grateful!  



 

  
green yoga association  

A bell of mindfulness, whether it is an actual bell or some other sound, is a wonderful reminder to come back to ourselves, to come back to life here in the present moment. 
Thich Nhat Hanh, No Mud, No Lotus

Namaste'

Just last week, a number of us from The Yoga Sanctuary took a drive down to Fort Myers to see a sneak preview of the movie Walk with Me: A Journey into Mindfulness. The movie focused on Thich Nhat Hanh and the monastery that he heads in South West France called Plum Village. It followed the lives of the monks, nuns, and visitors that come to study with or be in the presence of Thich Nhat Hanh. Life in the monastery is simple, focused on the present, a devoted exploration of mindfulness. Jon Kabat-Zin defines mindfulness as "paying attention, on purpose, in the present moment, non-judgmentally." A simple definition for a simple practice. But as we often learn, simple does not mean easy.

Thich Nhat Hanh and the people of Plum Village have an interesting tool to remind them of their mindfulness practice. Every day, throughout the day, a bell will ring at specific intervals. When that bell rings everyone stops. No matter what it is they are doing--they stop. And in that stop they are reminded to return to the moment. They feel the movement of their breath, the feel of air on their skin, they return to the moment they are in.

So often our tasks become routine and mundane: washing the dishes, driving the car, even our yoga poses can become routine. The more we do them, the more we know what to expect and the less present we become with them. We all know this experience. Think of driving down the highway, on a route you've driven over and over, no longer present in the drive but instead mindlessly on auto-pilot, and then the next thing you know--you've gone right past your exit. If only there was a bell that sounded and brought you back to the moment!

As we move closer to the holiday season and life gets busier and busier for so many of us, I invite you to explore this question-- what is my bell of mindfulness? What might you use to bring you back to the moment? It could be a clock that chimes on the hour or a task that you do at regular intervals or the ring of your phone. It could be anything-you get to decide! And it will be the best decision ever, as Thich Nhat Hanh says, "a wonderful reminder to come back to ourselves, to come back to life here in the present moment."

In great gratitude and love,
Jennifer 
The Vedic Sky in Your Daily Life: 
Lunar Cycles 
with Gwen Burdick 
Date:  Sunday, November 5th
Time: 1 :00pm - 3:00pm
Anyone trying to live mindfully can benefit from understanding daily Astronomy. Particularly noticeable and impactful are the lunar cycles influencing the mind. Join us for this in-depth investigation of the ancient and sacred principles of Vedic Astrology still relevant and helpful for living in congruence with the passage of time in today's world. Open to all levels; no previous experience or knowledge needed. Lecture and discussion only. Cost is $35. 
sign up now
Revitalizing the Throat and Neck
with Melissa Goodwin
Date: Sunday, November 12th 
Time: 1:00pm - 3:00pm
In yoga tradition, the throat houses the energetic center related to speech, communication and speaking our truth. Physically, the throat and neck form a vital passageway that connects the head and brain with the rest of the body through a complex system of arteries, nerves, glands, muscles, bone, breathing and digestive tubes and vocal structures. With so much housed in and passing through this narrow and delicate region, it's not surprising that it is vulnerable to strain, tension and illness. And throat function can naturally deteriorate as we age, making it difficult to swallow and speak. Join us to learn how we can bring renewed vigor, function and health to the throat and neck through gentle exercises and movement, breathwork, sound and healing rest. Open to all students; no prior yoga experience is necessary. Cost is $35. 
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Introduction to Yoga Series
with Heleen Schouten
Date: Tuesdays, November 14th - December 19th
Time: 5:30pm - 6:45pm
No flexibility required; all ages and body types welcome! This six-week series, limited to eight students, will walk you through the basics of yoga. Learn pose anatomy and alignment, ways to personalize the practice for specific issues or injuries, and the foundations of yoga philosophy. Each participant will receive a copy of Yoga Fan: Practice Guide for Everyday. Due to the small class size, which allows for individualized attention, pre-registration is required. This series is $99.
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with TYS Teachers
Date: Sunday, November 19th 
Time: 4:00pm - 5:30pm
Show your gratitude and share your blessings in this heartfelt afternoon event! In honor of Thanksgiving week, The Yoga Sanctuary is hosting its annual Giving Thanks Celebration-this year at the History Park Community Garden! This special event is a chance to celebrate bountiful harvests, let our gratitude spill out to the community, and at the same time, help others in need. Come together with your friends and family to enjoy the beauty of nature during this outdoor yoga class open to all levels. Before class begins, learn about the Charlotte Community Foundation and how they help not just other non-profits, but individuals in need and in our community. All funds raised will go to the Foundation to help support their goal of "addressing community needs right now and in the future." What a wonderful way to support our community during the holidays! Suggested donation: $20. The first 30 people to arrive and donate will receive a special gift from Lucy Activewear. 
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with TYS Sangha
Date: November 24th - December 22nd 
Time: Anytime!
Our annual toy & gift card drive benefits Guardian ad Litem, the voice for Florida's abused and neglected children, and the kids in their Voices for Kids program. This program pairs local volunteers with children in need of an advocate in the court system. The Yoga Sanctuary will be accepting new toys & gift cards for the children (ages 0 - 18) in the GaL program. Donations can be dropped at the studio anytime up until December 22nd. For more information and volunteer opportunities, visit  www.voicesforkids.org.
with Robin Lee
Date: Thursdays, November 30th - December 21st
Time:  4:30pm - 5:30pm

The Yoga Sanctuary is excited to offer this 4-week Yin Yoga series. Each week's session will explore the physical and energetic philosophy behind this challenging yet accessible practice, as well as introduce basic poses and their variations. Learn how to move more deeply into this practice as well as how to modify and safely approach the postures. With its focus on opening joints and stretching connective tissue, Yin Yoga, is a wonderful compliment to more vigorous styles of yoga. Join Robin Lee, massage therapist and yoga teacher, as she blends her extensive knowledge of the physical and energetic bodies to create a full and balanced Yin Yoga approach. Accessible for all levels of students with a regular yoga practice. Cost: $50. 
 
Note: 15% series discount for auto-pay and annual members. Contact the studio at 941-505-9642 to take advantage of this special discount. 
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Coming Soon! 
The Embodied Heart
with Kristen Leal
Date: Saturday,  December 16th
Time: 12:00pm - 2:30pm

Join The Yoga Sanctuary in welcoming back Kristin Leal, New York based Tantric Yoga teacher and co-author of The Yoga Fan for this special weekend workshop, The Embodied Heart.
Take a few moments to place your hands over your tender heart. Can you feel its precious song? This is, quite literally, the visceral participation with who you are. It is the very first place that feels the rush of excitement and the sorrow of separation and it is time to reconnect and listen to its inherit wisdom. This workshop will utilize chanting, breath work, asana and Yoga Nidra to return back to the intelligence of our hearts. Cost is $45.
 
To learn more about Kristin and her teaching  click here.
sign up now
Over the next months, we'll be highlighting the TYS team with a focus on what they are reading. You can find these recommendations in the TYS Boutique! 

November spotlight: Melissa Goodwin 
Instructor E-RYT 200, YACEP

Melissa fell in love with yoga at the age of 10, when she and her mother attended a community yoga class together. She has been a dedicated practitioner for almost 25 years, and in 2007, chose to deepen her practice through Tias and Surya Little's Prajna Yoga Teacher Training Program. She holds a 200-hour Prajna certification and is working toward 500 hours. Melissa is an Experienced Registered Yoga Teacher with the Yoga Alliance and a Certified Pre-and-post-natal Instructor. She studied restorative yoga with Judith Hanson Lasater and earned her Certified Restorative Yoga Teacher designation in 2009. In her classes, Melissa balances a focus on alignment with a playful spirit that encourages joyful exploration. She is grateful for the instructors and students who inspire and teach her, and for the opportunity to share the joy of yoga with them.

Book recommendation: 
CONSOLATIONS, The Solace, Nourishment and Underlying Meaning of Everyday Words
by David Whyte

David Whyte is a poet and writer to whom I often turn for inspiration for my classes, because his work is always a compassionate exploration of what it means to be human. CONSOLATIONS is a collection of beautifully written essays that reflect on the meaning of familiar words like anger, gratitude and forgiveness. But what I love most about this book is that Whyte's exploration is never predictable; rather, he leads us down unexpected paths, and with his elegant, haunting prose, gently challenges our conditioned responses and encourages us to deepen our understanding and acceptance of all that life encompasses.
This Month's Vedic Sky: 
November 2017 






by: Gwen Burdick
 
During the months of November and December, a very specific arrangement of planets occurs called Kala Sarpa Yoga in Vedic Astrology.  Kala Sarpa means "serpent of time" in Sanskrit and describes the alignment when all the planets are in between the lunar nodes, Rahu and KetuRahu is the north eclipse node of the moon, the head of the serpent, and the pioneer of the planets.  Ketu is the south lunar eclipse node, the tail, and the wise sage.  They exist now in the Cancer and Capricorn axis, and all seven planets are found between these boarders of the zodiac for the next two months. Kala Sarpa Yoga creates a strong natural imbalance.  It has been described as a large hungry family seated for lunch on only one side of the picnic table.  Knowledge of the individual birth chart will shed light on which houses or areas of life are pressurized, which are overlooked, and how to make needed adjustments   Another good example of why it's helpful to check-in with your Vedic astrologer from time to time.
  
Click below to read about Vedic Birth Chart Readings
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"Walk together. Feel the heart beats. Experience the presence. This is how to be thankful."
Amit Ray