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Dear Warren,  As I've been reflecting, I realize that ever since I was a child I had a sitting practice. It came at this season when my family and I would light the candles of the Hanukkah menorah. My sisters and I would make bets to see which candle would be the last to go out. This required sitting and watching the flames as they grew lower. The best part was the moment when a flame extinguished and a thin line of smoke lifted upward. Then the candle was no more. This was my first introduction to the impermanence and transformational nature of life.
As we enter into the darkest time of the year, my inclination is to turn inward, to stillness and to the breath. Just as nature has shifted from its outer growth to a necessary dormancy period, so too my sitting practice lengthens with the darkening days. I think of the approach of Winter Solstice as a time of rededicating my inner temple. (Hanukkah means dedication.) I dive into the experience of touching a deep quiet and observe the transformation that is possible with simple reflection.
Consumer culture is at its peak at this season. We may feel pulled by the counter intuitive demands of the holidays to speed up and lose touch with our nourishing time of reflection. When the "to do" list arises in my own head or I am driving in traffic, I breathe into my back body, find my kidney loop, and return home to the quiet of my inner refuge. Restorative poses like legs up on the wall, supported shoulder stand, and supported supta baddha konasana can bring us pause and a moment to rededicate ourselves to the temple of our hearts and bodies.
My gratitude to you as part of the Amrita community whose commitment and dedication to your practice inspires me. May the gifts you cultivate this season both on and off your mat bring you peace.
Happy Winter Solstice.
Rivkah
Rivkah teaches our tuesday morning (9 am), wednesnday evening (5:30 pm) and thursday morning (9 am) classes and the Yoga and Kabbalah series (winter series: jan 11, 18, 25; feb 1, 15, 22).
see our class schedule.
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Yoga Series
4, 6, 8, or 12 session offerings focusing on specific
issues, topics, and aspects of the practice. We
encourage registration for the full session. 20%
discount for members applies.
yoga & jewish mysticism
with rivkah coburn
12 sessions; mondays, 7:15 - 8:45 pm
fall series: dec 3, 10, 17
$13/class drop-in
pranayama & beyond:
pranayama, pratyahara, dharana and dhyana
with lucy & daryl eigen
4 sessions; wednedays, 6 - 8 pm
dec 5, 12
$25/class drop-in
Learn more about the series...
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Yoga Workshops
workshops are short, one or two-day events focusing
on a wide variety of yoga and yoga-related topics.
amrita offers a number of workshops to fit your
interests...
yoga therapy clinics
with lani jelen, assisted by liz eisman
neck & jaw
thursday, dec 6 12:30 - 2:30 pm $40
sunday, dec 9 2 - 4 pm
restorative yoga
with lani jelen or liz eisman
sunday, dec 16 2 - 4 pm $20
patanjali yoga sutra study group
with lucy & daryl eigen
sunday, dec 9 6:30 - 8:30 pm free
anatomy & asana
with sarahjoy
fall series B
sunday, dec 2 3 - 6pm $60 each
friday, jan 11, 2008 4 - 7 pm
sunday, feb 17 3 - 6 pm
Learn more about the workshops...
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An Evening with Mirabai Starr
tuesday, dec 18, 7:30 pm
$15
Join us for a special evening of readings and teachings
with author Mirabai Starr as she shares from her translations of St
John of the Cross's Dark Night of the Soul and
St Teresa of Avila's The Interior Castle.
Read more...
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Barefoot Boogie Dance Jam
with raphael cushnir
saturday, december 29
7:30 - 10:30 pm
$8 drop-in; $5 with amrita membership
 Take off your shoes. Shake your
tail. All ages
welcome. Eclectic
music. Alcohol-free. Dance
together, dance
solo... or just chill
in the ecstatic vibe.
Read more about Raphael...
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New Year's Day:
Setting Intentions, Finding Resolution
with lisa keays
new year's day
tuesday, jan 1 10 am - 1 pm $45
A special offering to start the new
year off with a practice to invigorate and restore you, to prepare
you for the dawn of a new year.
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Looking Ahead - Coming in January!
winter immersion: the four brahmaviharas
with sarahjoy, linda logan, patricia navin,
and vickie davies
monday - friday, 7:00 - 8:15 am
jan 7 - feb 1
$120 or free with a quarterly membership
kids yoga
with tanya woods
8 sessions; wednesdays, 3:45 - 4:30 pm
jan 16, 23, 30; feb 6, 13, 20, 27; mar 5
$65 for the series or $10/class drop-in
yoga for women with body image issues and disordered eating patterns
with sarahjoy
8 sessions; thursdays, 5:30 - 7:30 pm
winter series: jan 17, 24, 31; feb 7, 21, 28; mar 6, 20
limited to 10 women
$220
turning transformation into life
with sarahjoy and barb beck
free intro session sunday, jan 20, 3 - 4:30 pm
class series wednesdays:
jan 23, 30, 5:30 - 7 pm and feb 13, 5:30 - 8 pm
$140 with half-hour private session with Barb Beck
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 From the Director...
Greetings everyone!
As December arrives and the light dwindles, we approach one of my favorite holidays of the year - Solstice. In the 2008 Living Yoga Engagement calendar, I tell the reader how I spend my Solstice... I
immerse myself in the blessing of these dark nights by honoring the
sundown and taking time for contemplation. From Solstice to New Year's, I stop using
electricity
after sundown, except for heat, which means no CD player, no
lights,
fewer distractions. I light candles for what light I need and
enjoy
the quiet reverie of stillness and silence. With this practice,
I'm
readily able to know when my body needs to go to sleep and to wake
up
feeling renewed for my 5 am commitment with my yoga mat.
I'm writing about this to invite you into the seasonal rhythm that
nature beckons us to this time of year. At amrita, we're committed
to
supporting you to be in harmony with the season and your body's
natural
need for greater rest, quietude and contemplation. In classes,
you'll
see more hip opener poses to prepare for meditation, restorative
poses
to nourish you and pranayama practices to acclimate your mind to
silence.
Three of my favorite offerings to support you with this journey:
* The 2008 Living Yoga Engagement calendar is written to provoke contemplation and inquiry throughout the year. I've heard from some students recently that they've already read all the essays!
* Mirabai Starr, acclaimed author, translator, teacher and counselor,
is presenting her translation of and teachings from St Teresa of Avila's The Interior Castle. Join us Tuesday, December 18th at 7:30
pm; and bring a friend (I'm bringing my mother!).
*
I'm teaching a New Year's Weekend Retreat with Michael Stirling, Raga
Singing, Pranayama and Meditation at the Oregon Coast. (see the main
newsletter for this). (This retreat is full - call now to be added to the Wait List.)
Progress and Changes Around the Studio:
* We've sent all of the curtains out for professional hemming (some of you know I "hemmed" the curtains for the studio door with double
stick tape - it was a last minute thing the day before our Grand
Opening!).
* You'll see specific books, CDs and clothing, candles and body
butters on sale for the Holidays. Please let us know if there is
something specific that you would like to have available for your
journey or as a gift for a friend.
* There are space heaters in the changing rooms to keep your toes warm while you slip into your yoga outfits.
* We've planned the year 2008 (it's gonna be great!) and you'll be receiving a brochure that encompasses the entire year! We'll mail
out postcard reminders at different times throughout the year, but
we've planned this brochure for the year as a way to limit our
paper production/consumption and our impact on the environment (including the chaotic office environment that results from producing the brochure!). When you receive your brochure, please keep it in a prominent place to refer to throughout the year. (Of course, if you
misplace it, we'll give you another one - or if you need one for your
home, for your office and for your car, we can support you with that too.)
* Starting in January there will be a slight increase in some of our fees. Punch cards are increasing $10 for regular and $5 for Sarahjoy; Restorative yoga and Therapy clinics will increase $5; and
Private lessons with the teaching staff will also see a $5
increase.
* We're hosting artists to show their work at the studio, starting Tuesday, December 4th! If you would like to be considered for a show, please contact Carrie.
* We're now serving Ginger tea in addition to the Green tea and Miso. (oh, and those lovely amrita mugs are for sale in the lobby
for $12.)
Thank you again for being a critical element in the community of amrita. We're blessed to have you!
Blessed Holy Days,
Sarahjoy
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| We invite you and your friends to join us as members of the vibrant and heartfelt community of yoga practitioners at amrita! Namaste,
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Sarahjoy, Liz, Lani, Linda, Rivkah, Patricia, Bill, Vicki, Lisa, Jim, Warren, Carrie, Kerstyn, Maureen
amrita: a sanctuary for yoga
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