Thomas, Charlotte, & Vivienne

Be creative. Watching kids at play is fascinating. In an instant they can turn books into surfboards and couches into pirate ships. Every stick becomes a sword, magic wand or drumstick. A cardboard box can turn into hours of imaginative play. Whatever they have is enough. Wow! Creative problem solving at it’s very best. They remind me to stop focusing on what I don’t have and that sometimes all I need is to take some glitter glue to the empty boxes in my life and create something magical!

‘life is what happens while you’re busy

making other plans’

Halloween 2012

Be patient. Typical day, I’m rushing to leave the house and I have to wait for the 4 yr old who insists that he can put on his inside-out-coat on all by himself. And then the 2 yr old dirties her diaper as I buckle her into the carseat. And just when I think I’ll only be 10 minutes late, the 6 yr old, running, scrapes her knee and absolutely will not be consoled until a Barbie bandaid has been applied. And so it goes. But, that 4 yr old boy needs to find his independence. And that almost 7 yr old girl is longing to be nurtured and loved even though she’s not the baby anymore. I continually have to remind myself to be patient and not to try to rush them through their or my own life. Even the little delays are meant to be enjoyed.

My pup, Charlotte

Be happy. I love to wake up my baby girl, Vivienne,  in the morning. She always wakes up with a smile like she’s just so happy to be alive for another day. I’m learning to laugh at myself. To beg for a reason to be tickled. To laugh out loud and often. And most importantly, that a good hug goes a long way to make everything better.

Be present. I can only speak for my kids, but they do not multitask. They are completely absorbed in every activity as they are doing it. If they are working on a puzzle, nothing I say will register until it is finished. If they are playing outside, they are not thinking about what they will eat for lunch. And if it’s not happening today, it’s not on the radar. They truly live in the moment. How freeing that must be! (Maybe that goes back to number 3?!) I’m learning to take my life one moment at a time too. Afterall, life is what happens while you’re busy making other plans.

Be forgiving. I’ve saved the hardest one for last. I think a lot of parents have that one child that reminds them so much of themselves. That can be very challenging if you don’t particularly like yourself. Or more specific, don’t like those character traits that are so mirrored in your child. The traits that you’ve worked your whole life to “fix”. And because you love your child, you find yourself wanting to “fix” them. And that’s really not fair. Your child is not you. And the things you may be trying to “fix” may be the qualities that will turn them into the amazing person they were born to be. I’m learning to forgive and love myself. And in doing so, I’m loving my children more for who they are and not for who I think they should be.

I said before the emphasis was on, ‘learning’, and not ‘lessons learned’. What can I say? I’m a work in progress. And I will love every minute of the process! Namaste! – Julie

Julie Eubanks began her journey into yoga in 1999 as a way to shed her, “freshman fifteen”. It was love from the first down-dog. She discovered that her time on the mat offered safety, solace, surrender and a time to connect spiritually. It was her touchstone throughout the years as she went from a single engineer working in Chicago, to happily married, stay-at-home mother of three living in the South. Julie’s classes focus on creating confidence and personal authenticity. Her desire is to demonstrate that yoga is available to everyone regardless of body-type, gender, religion, or otherwise. She is an AFPA certified yoga instructor and has been teaching since 2009. She has studied with Baron Baptiste and is currently completing her 200RYT through the Baptiste Power Yoga Institute. Julie is also co-owner of Be Yoga on the historic Marietta Square.

The post Lessons From The Little People, by Julie Eubanks appeared first on Atlanta Yoga Scene.

Wanderlust Atlanta 2011

Have you noticed that there is a natural bond that happens between people who practice yoga? If you feel that, you are not alone. You might be surprised at what could actually happen if there was a place where yogis could gather to hang out, gain knowledge, sit in a circle and open up in community to the deeper layers underlying everyday life.

For years, I’ve heard people talk about how, “we need that”. And for the past five years, I’ve often looked at the empty space next door to Peachtree Yoga Center. If you have visited Peachtree Yoga over the past couple of weeks, you may have noticed the construction happening in that space next door. Responding to the call from many yogis in the Atlanta area, Peachtree Yoga is introducing a new venture of the heart.

Synchronicities are starting to happen. Several yogis have stepped up and asked what they can do to help birth this new idea and introduce it to the world.

We are calling it Atlanta Yoga Fellowship. In our busy lives, we are often surrounded by a lot of people, and yet we long for real connection with people of like mind. Bring along your family and friends to share this beautiful moment and space for us to come together as community.

Its official! Atlanta Yoga Fellowship sign hanging today!

Atlanta Yoga Fellowship

The Grand Opening of the Atlanta Yoga Fellowship will be held on Sunday, May 19th from 5:30-8pm. Join us for the ribbon cutting starting at 5:30p at Peachtree Yoga Center – 6050 Sandy Springs Circle Atlanta, Georgia 30328. Following the ribbon cutting will be refreshments & dinner, brief centering and talk about the intention of this space. Followed by a handprint ceremony. Please RSVP on Facebook or at the front desk of Peachtree Yoga Center.

Graham Fowler, founder of Peachtree Yoga, has trained and certified over 500 yoga teachers.  He brings a rare opportunity to explore the deep, subtle, and life-altering potential that Yoga practices offer.  His teaching arises from the depth and breadth of 40 years of study and practice of the yogic arts.  His exploration of yoga began with meditation in 1973 and continued under the guidance of many Indian and Western hatha, tantra, and meditation masters.  Graham loves to help people discover the wonders of their deepest selves through the mirror of asana, meditation, and conscious community.

The post Grand Opening of the Atlanta Yoga Fellowship!, by Graham Fowler appeared first on Atlanta Yoga Scene.

My sweet boys

As my blog due date approached, life “happened” – working full time: teaching yoga, managing a yoga program, running a household, and boys heavily involved in school, golf, theater and baseball; along with several bouts of the flu.

Thinking about what to write, my mind was drawn to Sthira Sachem Asanam, Yoga Sutra 2.46, where Patanjali talks about cultivating a sense of steadiness and sweetness within each pose of your yoga practice. These two words – Sthira (strong, steady, stable, firm) and Sukha (gentleness, softness, comfort, ease and joyful) are not only present in our yoga practice, but in our parenting. Just as our poses find a state of equilibrium with effort and ease, so does our parenting. As parents, we must be fully present: steady and strong, relaxed and at ease in all situations…and believe me, some are very challenging!

Some of our strong & steady Dance Stop Yoginis

This delicate balance of opposites (effort and release) gives us guidelines, not just on the mat during asana practice, but for life. My husband, Jay, and I choose to be active parents, establishing strong roots within our family from which our boys can soar. Much like a yoga pose, when you take the time to work on the foundation which truly matters, the rest thrives with the sweetness and ease. Effort in the right place is the reward. Seeing our 17-year old mature into a delightful young man, our 13-year old comfortable in his own skin, and our 7-year old abound with the energy of a Labrador, fills us with gratitude for these blessings.

The Flynn Family

In honor of Mother’s Day I share the following poem with all of you:

What Is A Mother?

A mother is someone to shelter and guide us,

To love us, whatever we do,

With a warm understanding and infinite patience,

And wonderful gentleness, too.

How often a mother means swift reassurance

In soothing our small childish fears,

How tenderly mothers watch over their children

And treasure them all through the years!

The heart of a mother is full of forgiveness

For any mistake, big or small,

And generous always in helping her family

Whose needs she has placed above all.

A mother can utter a word of compassion

And make all our cares fall away,

She can brighten a home with the sound of her laughter

And make life delightful and gay.

A mother possesses incredible wisdom

And wonderful insight and skill -

In each human heart is that one special corner

Which only a mother can fill!

By Katherine Nelson Davis

In celebration of Mother’s Day, Dance Stop Studios will be offering a special Mother’s Day class on Sunday, May 12 at 4:00pm led by Caren Cohen.

$10 single drop-in or just $25 for your entire family.

~ With love and gratitude ~

Lisa Flynn

Lisa Flynn, photo by Angie Stopperan

Lisa Flynn is the Coordinator of the Dance Stop Studios Fitness Program. She brings over 17 years of teaching experience as a certified yoga instructor and is a Yogaworks Partner for teacher trainings in Atlanta, Georgia. Additionally, Lisa is an alumni Lululemon ambassador.

Lisa earned a Bachelor degree in Business from Clemson University. She went on to receive a Master of Business Administration from Chapman University in Orange, California. Her love of teaching led her to become a professor at Cal State Fullerton. At the same time she began teaching group fitness classes at local gyms and corporations in the area. She took her first yoga class in 1994 and soon after she earned her yoga certification. Lisa developed a class format incorporating challenging vinyasa flows with coordinating music.
Besides the physical benefits of yoga, Lisa is passionate about the difference that yoga can make in each student’s life. Her enthusiasm for teaching is both engaging and contagious and she comments, “The beauty of yoga inspires each person to make a difference. The community felt in class flows from our mats into everyday life. I am so blessed to do what I love with the best students ever”!

Find Lisa on Facebook or stop by Dance Stop Studios for a class!

The post A Mother’s Blessing, by Lisa Flynn appeared first on Atlanta Yoga Scene.

Costa Rica Yoga Retreaters at the Rainmaker

Its been a week an a half since my return from co-leading a wonderful yoga retreat with my friend, Cindy Olah, in the land of ‘Pura Vida’, Playa Hermosa, Costa Rica. I love going on retreats, whether leading or taking them. It’s an opportunity to get away and hit the ‘reset’ button: recharge, reboot, be inspired, and return home with a new appreciation for new experiences and deeper appreciation for what you have. Read the full blog post and feel free to leave a comment! 

Playa Hermosa, Costa Rica

I’m honored to continue to carry the torch for the community yoga website, the Atlanta Yoga Scene. I share yoga in weekly yoga classes, workshops, trainings, and retreats. If I’m not teaching, I’m either at home practicing yoga, cooking, gardening, or hanging in my hammock, trail-running with my hubby, and fur-children, Ceasar & the newest addition to the Casa Casey, Vida Paloma. I love creating community and knowing my work lends to positive personal growth and spreading of the yoga tradition. Join me why don’t ya?  isabellecasey.com

The post Pura Vida, by Isabelle Casey appeared first on Atlanta Yoga Scene.

Everyday is Earth Day! Om shanti! Om peace out…

~isabelle

Luv your Mutha!

Carbon Neutral Fashion, by Erin Snyder

Every single time you spend your hard-earned dollars, you’re casting a vote of approval. To most companies, profits speak louder than words, and as long as the profits keep rolling in the company will continue doing what they’ve always done. Ever hear of the saying, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”? When you engage in consumerism, you’re telling a business that what they’re currently doing ain’t broke.

But what if it is broke? What if that shirt you just scored at the mall for $10 comes at a higher price? Some companies use poor labor conditions and sweatshops to keep costs down. Some use unsustainable production methods that leave the local rivers stained, the air filled with smog and puts the health of the planet at jeopardy.

Fortunately, not all companies do this. By purchasing fair trade apparel made ethically from organic materials, you can rest assured that your clothing wasn’t made at the expense of another human’s well being. After all, isn’t that the point of life? We’re all travelling together on this big, complex, crazy planet for a short amount of time. If we have the power to lessen the suffering of another, why wouldn’t we do it?

Let’s take it one step farther, and use our consumer dollars to purchase from companies that are carbon-neutral. Everything from driving a car to drinking from a plastic bottle is responsible for the greenhouse gases that are damaging the planet we call home. By protecting acres and acres of CO2-gobbling forests, giving the people who live in these forests sustainable eco-friendly jobs, and keeping our own company 100% carbon-neutral, we are attempting to balance the immense amount of carbon consumed by human beings on a regular basis.

By reducing our own carbon footprints, purchasing products from carbon-neutral companies and supporting the United Nations’ strategy to Reduce Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD+) we can make our consumer dollars count toward the protection of the planet. Happy Earth Day everyone!

Want to know more?

Find out exactly how Wildlife Works’ carbon-neutral supply chain works here.

Find out more about Wildlife Works’ specific brand of REDD+ here.

Shop for sustainable, carbon-neutral products here.

Word.

The post Carbon Neutral Fashion, by Erin Snyder appeared first on Atlanta Yoga Scene.

His message brought me back to a gem that I learned early on- if you let it, every breath can be a victorious one.

To honor this teaching, I have been starting my classes by simply asking students to make an honest attempt to watch their breath without controlling it. This is challenging. How often do we notice something and then immediately start to analyze and deconstruct it? Or notice something and without our fully being with it, start to plot a course to change or shift it.

After a few minutes of sitting quietly and watching their breath, faces soften. Lips stop twitching, spines lengthen up and tailbones anchor down. All of this usually from just bringing awareness to the sacred and steady river that is the breath.

Next we drop questions into that stream: how deep can it be? How sweet can it be? How far inside can it reach? Can it span beyond the boundaries of skin, beyond our mats? Then we lean into the ever-present truth that “our breath can touch us in places that nothing or no one else can.” From this steady, yet soft place of wonder and curiosity we begin our Ujjayi breathing- ocean wave like or victorious breathes.

We fill the room with the sweet music of our breath- the symphony of inhale-pause- exhale-pause- repeat. The cosmic dance begins: maybe cat/cow, upward plank to a seated forward fold. We salute the sun, rounds and rounds of bowing and rising in our bodies to the sound of the great sequencer, the great conductor, our breath.

We build a tempo and flow for class with the breath first, then I add other music.

When I am feeling clever I rock a playlist that includes songs with the word prana or breath. Right now, these are some of my favorites breathe themed vibes:

Breathing Prana by Chinmaya Dunster, Don’t Forget to Breathe by Bitter: Sweet, Breath Me by Sia and, Breath by The Floacist

When we are at the peak of our breath groove, I press pause on the external music. Press pause on my instructions, step to one side of the room- watch- lean in close- listen- feel.

Watching my students “free up” space within by moving with the breath inspires me.

Brings me back to the truth that as long as we can breath, there is possibility, there is hope.

No matter how small or big we are, how agitated or tired we may be, how stiff or limber our bodies and minds. We have breath. We have life. That is victorious.

Breath Break:
Find a comfortable seat. Lengthen through your spine. Soften through your knees and inner thighs. Close your eyes. Bring your hands to your knees with your palms facing up.

Sit for a few breaths just noticing the rise and fall of your breath. What moves in you when your breath moves? What else do you notice?

After sitting for a few moments begin to consciously deepen your breath. After 3-5 deep breaths begin to squeeze your hands (make fists) as you inhale. There’s a natural pause in the breath, notice it and wait for the exhale. When the exhale arrives greet it by opening your palms and softening. Repeat 3-5 times. Then turn your palms downward on your knees. Sit quietly for a few more breaths. Slowly open your eyes. Ahhhhhhhhh…

Octavia Raheem is a life partner, student, teacher, writer, and sometimes vegan cookie making, raw juice drinking kind of woman. She loves movement, sweat, yoga, listening to others’ true and imagined stories, real food, real people, and real deep hugs. You can connect with her at facebook.com/octaviaraheem or on the mat at Atlanta Hot Yoga and Decatur Yoga and Pilates.

The post Every Breath, A Victory, by Octavia Raheem appeared first on Atlanta Yoga Scene.

Image courtesy of Radiosai

        “Hidden in the heart of every creature exists the Self. They go beyond all sorrow
who behold the glory of the self through the grace of the lord of love” -Katha Upanishad

My path to yoga therapy has been varied and circuitous. It has been filled with amazing teachers, students and patients. I started as a physical therapist wanting to heal people with my hands. I was fascinated by chronic pain and fibromyalgia, the patients that others often thought were complicated and would never heal. After years learning manual therapy and studying with truly amazing physical therapists, I began to become disillusioned at these techniques to heal the complicated chronic pain patient. People felt better for a moment, a week, a month or two months, but the issues always returned. I saw people stay in a cycle of pain no matter how amazing the therapist and how “right” the manual technique.

In my search for another answer to healing, I found yoga. I eventually found my way to Kripalu where I met Yoganand Michael Carroll. I remember my first experience – it was his pranayama course, 4 ½ days of pranayama. It blew my mind, I remember feeling like this is what yoga was, this is what could change patterns in people and create healing on a deep level. It could potentially change the cycle that kept people in pain. I began to study with Yoganand and immersed myself in the texts and philosophy of yoga and the practice of Pranakriya Yoga.

Yoga has shown me the potential for deep healing and transformation of the body and mind- not just through a physical change, but an energetic change in being and experience of who we truly are.

The Katha Upanishad says: “Know the self as lord of the chariot, the body as the chariot itself, the discriminating intellect as the charioteer and the mind as reins. The senses are the horses, selfish desires are the road they travel when the self is confused with the body, mind and sense- he seems to enjoy pleasure and suffer sorrow. When the mind is undisciplined the senses run hither and thither like wild horses. But they obey the reins like trained horses when one has discrimination and has made the mind one pointed.”

Training the mind is the first stage of healing and transformation. Yoganand calls this strengthening the container . We have to first find the capacity to observe ourselves completely and without judgment, to fully accept all that we sense, feel and think in the body and mind without shutting down or blocking out. In our everyday existence our senses pull our mind down a path. We see and hear and feel experiences and pay attention only to certain stimuli which validate our sense of who we are. Over time our body is also shaped by these experiences. For example, if I have a low self esteem, a low sense of my worth- as I look out into the world I will find the stimuli that validate that. I will see the ways I don’t measure up to others, how I have failed. My senses continue to take me on the road of how I am not good enough. My mind is validated by this sensory input that I am not good enough and my thoughts and emotions are created from this input. Overtime this input becomes rooted in the way my nervous system functions, how I breathe and in my body. My body can become shaped by my thoughts – I might slouch, become weak in my core, tight in some muscles and weak in others. These “roads” are our samskaras.

Strengthening the capacity to notice, to see how the body and mind and senses interact in the world and how we interpret stimuli is the first step to creating changes in our patterns. Cultivating sensitivity and raising energy are the second and third parts of creating healing and transformation of these patterns.. As we become more sensitive to these pathways, how we interact with sensation, feeling and thought we can begin to change these paths. Even neuroscience is finding how plastic these pathways truly are.

Image courtesy of The Healthy Mind

“With a discriminating intellect as charioteer and a trained mind as reins they attain the supreme goal of life to be united with the lord of love”
-Katha Upanishad

In Tantra- at every energy level we see the world completely different. When we have high, clear and vibrant energy we live in a world that can be free of tension and free of fear. The Upanishads say it is this illusion of separateness which creates and perpetuates our fear and suffering. Once we strengthen our container and train our mind we can begin to create new worlds where we pierce through the illusion of separateness where we become connected to our deepest sense of truth and Self inside which the Katha Upanishad calls the lord of love.

“The self is the source of abiding joy. Our hearts are filled with joy in seeing him enshrined in the depths of our consciousness. When one realizes the self in whom all life is one changeless, nameless, formless. Then one fears on more. Until we realize the unity of life we live in fear” -Taittirya Upanishad

As we pierce through the illusion of separateness, as we come underneath our samskaras, our patterns that we travel in the mind and body we come to this space deep in the heart of truth, connection, and joy. Cultivating sensitivity and changing our energy through yoga is what heals us from the inside out. This connection into the heart space which then can change the neural pathways that our mind travels is a path of healing that is unique to this wonderful journey of yoga.

The integrated practice of pranayama, asana and meditation can create this healing and transformation process. It can create the realization of deep joy and love within ourselves that can heal our suffering and our pain, it can change the way our nervous system works, how we see the world and others, how we hold and move our bodies.

Marlysa Sullivan directs the Pranakriya Yoga Therapy program with Yoganand Michael Carroll and others. She teaches teacher trainings, anatomy, therapeutic yoga, and meditation at studios across the country. She teaches yoga to the physical therapy programs at Mercer and Georgia State as well as the psychology of yoga in the graduate program at the University of West Georgia. She is a consultant for a low back pain study at Walter Reed military hospital that is working with integrating yoga ideas into a traditional back pain protocol. She teaches at Decatur yoga and pilates and sees private students in Atlanta. Learn more about Marlysa at Anatomy of Yoga

The post From There To Here, by Marlysa Sullivan appeared first on Atlanta Yoga Scene.

Sacred Garden Yoga tree

I look in the mirror and I see myself still in my pj’s with mascara smudged on my face. Having had my own external validations stripped away, I realize I am also naked but feeling frightened, sad and lonely; quite the contrast from the confident, magnificent species standing outside my window. In admiration of the trees before me, I take a seat by the sun lit window letting the light fully expose my own nuances and insecurities. A quote (or paraphrase) suddenly pops into my consciousness from a movie I had watched a few nights earlier. Not from Thoreau or Muir but a drama teacher from the cheesy 2009 remake of the movie Fame. He says to his student “What you are ashamed of and trying to keep secret is who you are. Within it lies your greatest power.”

I feel the resistance and lack of acceptance begin to soften. The winter landscape reveals an ultimate truth that authenticity, power and confidence lies within my own skin and that I do not need the world to validate my existence, nor do I need anything extra to be magnificent. I recognize that my nuances, knots and crooked limbs make for a unique and most powerful center from which great beauty can spring forward. It becomes clear that the expanded offering of our fruits, brought forth from this great inner power, is done so for life itself! Nature doesn’t bloom to impress others… it blooms so that she can live.

I breathe deeply and freedom washes over me as I realize I have nothing to prove. I am once again grateful for my life, my body and my sometimes craziness, but most of all for winter’s last call of awakening.

Cindy Olah, owner & Director of Sacred Garden Yoga

Cindy is first and foremost a student passionate about the healing arts and practical spirituality. She is a yoga teacher, energy healer and owner of Sacred Garden Yoga in Marietta, GA. Her yoga classes are inspiring, intuitive and often challenging so to empower others to recognize their true potential. Her spiritual practice is life itself and when not teaching she’s enjoying her family, salsa dancing and being a mom. She also volunteers her time with the women’s and children’s ministry at Unity of Kennesaw

The post Winter’s Naked Truth, by Cindy Olah appeared first on Atlanta Yoga Scene.

Three years ago my life was over…or so I thought.

The world I had known and built and loved was pulled out from underneath my feet leaving me stumbling, shrieking, clawing. I was standing at the edge of darkness and staring in the face of fear. I was experiencing the terrible reality of divorce.

Image, courtesy of Mandy Roberts

At this time I was 32 years old and I had never been alone. Yes, you read that right, I had never been alone. I was with my husband from the tender age of 15, and we were married three years later after learning that we were going to be parents. My husband and I both came from impoverished homes with our parents always struggling to make ends meet and to get food on the table. We were determined to have a future for ourselves and for our children. We both worked diligently from the beginning of our relationship and made many sacrifices to overcome the struggles we both knew growing up. Over the years we succeeded. We built a booming business together through hard work and dedication. For the last 8 years of our marriage our business had grown successful enough that I had the privilege of staying at home with our children. I spent my days running our household, working behind the scenes in our business, and volunteering in our children’s school and in our neighborhood. Being a strong-willed woman who liked to be in control (to put it nicely, but that is a whole other blog post), I found certainty in my marriage. We were going to grow old together and find ourselves at age 70 on a front porch swing sipping on a glass of sweet tea in the pre-dusk warmth of sticky southern summer days while our grandchildren played in the yard. My husband was my best friend, confidant and the only person in the world that I could depend on and trust.

As the reality of our divorce set in the many faces of grief and loss were swirling within my body and bubbling to the surface. Anger. Fear. Denial. Desperation. I was utterly TERRIFIED. I struggled to get out of bed. I struggled to eat. I struggled to sleep. When I was out of sight of my children I spent most of my day crying, locked inside my house. When I did go out in public I put on my warrior suit and held my head high, but inside I was screaming. I lost faith that I would ever be okay again. I was not even striving for happy, I was merely just wanting to be okay. Needless to say, it was bad.

There it is, the f word…FAITH.

Researcher and storyteller Brené Brown defines faith as “a place of mystery, where we find the courage to believe in what we cannot see and the strength to let go of our fear of uncertainty.” Faith. Much scarier than the other f-word right?

image courtesy of Mandy Roberts

Over the past couple of years I have found faith again (that journey will come in another blog, another time). In fact faith and I are very dear friends now. And just like with any other relationship, at times we struggle. Sometimes I push faith away because she is just too damn hard to have in my life. She constantly requires me to be present. She demands that I be vulnerable and open. She insists that I lead from my heart and not to make decisions based on fear.Sound exhausting, right?

As a yoga teacher I strive to teach my students the concept of faith as I understand it. Through a yoga practice faith can be found when we let go of our limiting beliefs. For many of us this is not easy. As we breathe and move through postures on the mat we find ourselves challenged physically and emotionally. Just like in life, it is easy to give up when we are faced with discomfort. But when we are struggling( on the mat or out in the world) we have an amazing opportunity to explore ourselves, our patterns, our reactions. It is EASY to pull out of that utkatasana 10 breaths in when the mind yells, “Abort mission!”. The hard part is learning to sit within the storm and to have faith that the discomfort shall pass.

Resolving to accept uncertainty and to choose faith not an easy place to live from, in fact it is very challenging at times. But I know now that no matter how hard it is to live within faith, it is much harder to live without it.

Within the depths of my sorrows and in the gloom of my divorce my yoga teacher Mitchel Bleier passed along this poem to me. Over time these words have carried me toward the shores of uncertainty while holding the hands of my long forgotten friends; courage and fearlessness.

THE TRUE LOVE

by David Whyte

There is a faith in loving fiercely

the one who is rightfully yours,

especially if you have

waited years and especially

if part of you never believed

you could deserve this

loved and beckoning hand

held out to you this way.

I am thinking of faith now

and the testaments of loneliness

and what we feel we are

worthy of in this world.

Years ago in the Hebrides

I remember an old man

who walked every morning

on the grey stones

to the shore of the baying seals,

who would press his hat

to his chest in the blustering

salt wind and say his prayer

to the turbulent Jesus

hidden in the water,

and I think of the story

of the storm and everyone

waking and seeing

the distant

yet familiar figure

far across the water

calling to them,

and how we are all

preparing for that

abrupt waking,

and that calling,

and that moment

we have to say yes,

except it will

not come so grandly,

so Biblically,

but more subtly

and intimately in the face

of the one you know

you have to love,

so that when we finally step out of the boat

toward them, we find

everything holds

us, and confirms

our courage, and if you wanted

to drown you could,

but you don’t

because finally

after all the struggle

and all the years,

you don’t want to any more,

you’ve simply had enough

of drowning

and you want to live and you

want to love and you will

walk across any territory

and any darkness,

however fluid and however

dangerous, to take the

one hand you know

belongs in yours.

Mandy Roberts, Director of Form {yoga}

Mandy is a certified yoga teacher in Atlanta, Georgia and director of FORM {yoga}, a music driven, power yoga studio in Decatur. Leaving dogma at the door, Mandy encourages her students to face their fears and to go deep into what moves them. Her classes are a sweet and sweaty celebration of life expressed through playful asana, music, poetry, and storytelling. Mandy strives to empower her students to breakthrough their perceived boundaries by challenging the body and the mind. You can find her most days rockin’ it out at FORM {yoga} and you can often catch her in some of Atlanta’s other great yoga studios moving and sweating on her mat.

The post Yoga and the F-Word, by Mandy Roberts appeared first on Atlanta Yoga Scene.

In little more than a week, on March 8th, 9th is the 4th Annual Chantlanta Sacred Music Festival. Check out the schedule of events…err FREE events!!! These begin Friday night March 8th at 6:30pm, and continue till 4:30 Saturday afternoon. Activities range from 5 rhythms Dance & live music with local musicians, to Aum Tala Yoga, restorative Yoga, kids Yoga. Bring a few extra $$, as there is also food, a juice bar, and a variety of vendors, and an awesome Chantlanta t-shirt….did I mention Yoga?

After the workshops are wrapped up, and final sound checks are made, Atlanta welcomes Krishna Das back to the stage. It will be his first visit back to this area since 2010, and is also his first appearance at Chantlanta. This event promises to be one of the largest kirtans to take place within a sacred space that the city has ever seen. If you’ve never before had the chance to experience this practice of chanting the divine names in a group of 500, you will be blown away! There will not be any other Krishna Das kirtans happening in the Southeastern states this year, so don’t miss your chance to join in the bhav! Doors re-open at 7p, the bliss begins at 8p.

Krishna Das, image courtesy of Swaha Productions

What is all this about? The annual Chantlanta event is a yoga & music gathering that also serves to raise funds for a local charity. This year’s recipient is The Learning Tea. They are a fantastically broad thinking local organization that works to put girls in India through college, who would otherwise have very little hope for higher education. Please click on their link above, to read more about this wonderful organization.

On Sunday March 10th, Krishna Das continues the flow with his Heart of Devotion Workshop. In this Swaha Productions event, Krishna Das offers great insight into the journey of walking through life with an open heart. These workshops revolve around questions from participants. They often include discussion about life and the spiritual path, stories about Krishna Das’ Guru, Maharaj-ji, readings from spiritual traditions, and how to use practice to develop awareness of the obstacles around our innate sense of well-being.

Coming up in May, please help me to welcome Swaha’s greatest endeavor yet, Dave Stringer & Donna De Lory. Both are world touring artists and leaders in this genre of music. Donna is a former backup singer for Madonna. Dave’s voice can be heard on numerous soundtracks, including the blockbuster film Matrix Revolutions and the video game Myst.

Dave Stringer & DonnaDeLory, image courtesy of The Bhakti Beat

 
They are touring together to promote love, bhakti bliss, and their combined musical magic. You’ll want to take advantage of this Shiva-Shakti opportunity… Its going to be a beautiful spring event! Go to BrightStarevents.net and SwahaProductions.com for more information and tickets.

Who am I, and what is Swaha Productions? I’m Stan Holt, a name and collection of titles, roles, even actions that I used to think define who I am. They do not. I – and you as well – am something beyond words in physical form. We all are. Feel free to meditate on that. You’ll like it.

Universal Truths aside, I am also the Creator and Dream Keeper of Swaha Productions. My mission statement reads as “Reaching inward and outward, to grow the kirtan and yoga communities, to share in the Bhav”. I hold myself to that by reaching inside first, asking, “What is it I can do for these things that I have a passion for? How can I be of service to something that is bigger than me? How can I do both, bringing them together?”

Swaha Productions was created in July of 2011, and had its first event in April of 2012 with about 12 people and the awesome kirtan band from Athens, Rahasya. Things have snowballed since then, with killer kirtans that include all the local Atlanta kirtan bands and national touring artists like Girish, David Newman & Mira, Sean Johnson and the Wild Lotus Band.

Stan Holt, Swaha Productions

Those other titles & roles I mentioned…I love nature, 4 legged friends, I’m a massage therapist, an energy healer. I deeply enjoy meditation & music, dancing, and learning how to be a better spiritual being immersed in my humanness. My goal in that is to further eradicate the lines between what is spiritual and what is human. Because its really all the same, and our path is to evolve, always.

The post Peace, Love, & Kirtan, by Stan Holt appeared first on Atlanta Yoga Scene.