Shantala Kirtan at City Yoga

November 4th at 7pm, at City Yoga. Tickets are $15 in advance and CAN be purchased online. ($18 at the door) Children are welcome to attend for free! To check out their music go to their website Shantala Music.We hope to see you there!

Ashtanga Yoga: Practice and Philosophy

Ashtanga Yoga: Practice and Philosphy by Gregor Maehle is one of our favorite yoga books. Lars wrote Gregor an email asking for more information on the trikonasana section, as he felt it was somewhat incomplete. Gregor wrote back that yes there was "a section dropped out of Trikonasana during the lenghty editing process. Sorry about that and it is attached as a Word document". So below is the complete instructions for trikonasana. Thank you Gregor and thank you Lars!


With the feet correctly positioned, let the right hip drop down (lateral tilt) as far as possible, bringing the pelvis towards being vertical to the floor. If the pelvis is left in a horizontal position, the spine has to flex laterally (sideways), which is not intended in this posture. The left hip swings up and out to the left to allow the right hip to drop.

Reach out to the side and then down, imagining staying between two panes of glass that prevent any leaning of the torso out in front. The left shoulder remains on one plane above the right leg. The right hand eventually clasps the right big toe. If you are not able to reach the toe without compromising the posture (laterally flexing the spine), place your hand on the foot or shin. Do not lean into this leg, but keep both sides of the torso and neck lengthening and supported away from the floor. If it is comfortable, turn the head to gaze up to the thumb of the left hand, which hovers above the left shoulder. Keep the neck in a straight line with the rest of your spine without performing an unnecessary backbend in your neck. Otherwise gaze out to the side. Five breaths.

Getting into Utthita Trikonasana we externally rotated the right femur to turn the foot out. Once in the posture, we inwardly rotate the femur until we reach the neutral position. The left thigh, which was medially (inwardly) rotated to take us into the posture, is laterally rotated once in the posture until the leg is again in the neutral position, with the four corners of the foot equally grounded. Check especially that both the outside of the left foot and the base of the right big toe are grounded. There needs to be a subtle balance between grounding the inner and outer arches of the front foot. This will lead to a subtle balance of inward and outward rotation of the thigh of the front leg, which is necessary for the hamstrings to lengthen evenly. Many beginners have a tendency to roll out the thigh to escape the stretching of the inner hamstrings – a tendency, also common in Padangushtasana and Pashimottanasana, that needs to be counteracted if present. Keep the left hip lifted back over the right one as the right groin moves forward.

The underneath side of the torso reaches forward so that the right waist gets the same stretch as the left. Stay in the state of Trikonasana for five breaths.

Lucy and Grace

Philosophy Study Group - One Tuesday Night Per Month

Please join us for a new class, once a month on Tuesday nights at 7:15pm, Judy will be leading a Yoga Philosophy Study Group. We will be studying Patanjali's Yoga Sutra's and their applicability to our modern day life. Please bring a copy of the Sutra's if you have one.

मैत्री करुना मुदितोपेक्सनाम सुखा दुह्खा पुन्यापुन्य विसयानाम भवनातास सित्ता प्रसदानाम
You will begin to more clearly experience yoga when act with friendliness toward happy experiences, compassion toward the painful, elation toward the virtuous, and neutrality toward negative experiences.

Yoga Sutra 1.33

Guest Passes!

Did you all know that with your unlimited monthly membership you recieve a free guest pass? So, next time you have a friend in town, or someone who you have been trying to get to come try yoga, you can tell them that it is on you. You get one guest pass per month, and unused passes can not accrue - so if you don't use it you lose it. Keep your eye out for other benefits from the monthly membership coming soon!

Thank you for the flowers!

Most of you have probably noticed the beautiful weekly flower arrangements set on our alter. I wanted to try to take a photo of each one of them, but didn't think of doing it until too late. The thanks needs to go to Elaine Tober - a very dedicated yogini and green thumb. Thank you so much Elaine - your creative arrangements have beautified our yoga room all summer. These arrangements have been a natural reminder of the cycle of the seasons with early spring blooms, then mid summer roses now to late summer sunflowers. What a gift!

Do you have the funk?

Now...it is possible that most of this is in my head, but I am aware of the fact that a lot of times on the days that I practice and then teach, sorry to be crass, but I definitely have the funk. I also feel like I smell worse since having Grace, which I remember happening after I had Lucy. Anyway since that time I have been in search of a deodorant (sans antiperspirant) that did not make me smell like a magazine, but that works! Alas - I think I've found it. FUNK BUTTER by Oyin Handmades seems to have solved my problem. I ordered a bunch to sell at the studio so we can share in the ridiculously high shipping! According to their website baking soda is their funk fighting odor absorbing ingredient along with micro fine vegetable powders and absorbing clays to keep you cool. A friend gave me a little supply to try out and it TOTALLY works! Yeah for me and well I guess yeah for you guys too!

Thank You Metrospokane!

We were featured on Metro Spokane! http://www.metrospokane.typepad.com/ It's an online chronicle of commentary on city design and regional planning issues in Spokane and the Inland Northwest. Check it out!

Mala Making Merriment

More on the Global Mala Project....

Thank you so much to Yisrael Bisman from Dharma Mala's and all our volunteers who showed up last night to string beads. Our plan was to make 108 wrist malas that will be gifts to the first 108 people who come down to Riverfront Park for the Spokane leg of the worldwide Global Mala Project. In 2.5 hours 11 of us made about 40 so we may have another beading session - if you are interested in helping out let me know.

In the meantime, I thought I'd get you a little information about what a mala is.

The true origins of the use of a circle or string of beads to count prayers and as a device for meditation are lost to history, although most scholars agree that the earliest use of prayer beads comes from India in the 8th century B.C.E. The word mala in Sanskrit translates roughly as 'garland' and is associated with both the Hindu and Buddhist faiths. The tradition of using beads in religious devotion can be traced from there, first spreading to Asia and then through the Middle East and to Medieval Europe. Some Native Americans used beaded belts and bracelets (known as wampum) as a form of money, a device for memory, as diplomatic or ceremonial tools, and to pass on cultural knowledge, rituals and tradition - however they are not known to have used them as a daily devotional tool like the mala or rosary.

Prayer beads are now a near-universal spiritual item, and have variations in most of the world's major religions - from the Christian rosary to the Arabic tasbih. Malas have even briefly entered mainstream consciousness in the form of power beads worn on the wrist by everyone from celebrities to teenage girls. This ancient ritual tool has been used by countless people through the ages to help them attain meditative states, relieve stress and worry and provide a concrete tool for counting one's prayers or recitations in their spiritual practice.

The appeal of malas is easy to understand - pick up any strand of fine beads and roll them through your fingers. The effect is almost instantly noticeable. You feel the smooth surfaces begin to glide and roll, almost by themselves, and as you begin to explore the strand, your mind calms, your breathing slows, and you focus on the simple act of moving from bead to bead. When this simple act is combined with a short prayerful recitation and the intent and focus of a spiritual practice, their true power is revealed.

The traditional form of the mala comes with 108 beads which is occasionally broken into 4 groups of 27 by 3 additional beads (this is more common with Tibetan Buddhist malas) and almost always are terminated by a larger bead with a tassel which is known as the "guru" bead.

Yisrael makes custom made malas, he will hopefully be displaying some of his malas on the 23rd!

September and beyond...

Everyone I've talked to is super busy this September - and it really does seem like there is a lot happening in our community. Lucy is at Plum Tree School for pre-school where she gets to do yoga with Amy from Spokane Youth Yoga, and Grace is keeping busy eating Pirate's Booty and working on her switch from bottles to sippy cups. All these new yoga studios opening ( I think there are four new studios that have opened in Spokane in the last six months), which is just a testament to the growing interst in yoga in Spokane. Most of the Spokane studios are working together in support of the Global Mala Project. Our goal is to have 108 people down there at RiverFront Park on September 23rd. By attending, not only will you be supporting efforts to raise money for children affected by war through War Child - but you will also be supporting the growing yoga community that you are a part of!

For us here there are just a couple of things / changes to note, and to put on your calendars in the upcoming months.

• Maybe you've seen our beautiful new brochures (I call it the City Yoga Manifesto) at the studio. The pictures were taken by Maryellen Cooley who, a long time student of yoga herself, is able to capture the essense of what I think is the feel of the studio with her photos. I am so grateful for her work. Please feel free to take a brochure or two or three. I will be printing monthly schedules with all the dates of upcoming events etc... so the brochure will work as our main explanation of what the studiuo is about, but it does not have any dates on it - so be sure to pick up one of the monthly schedules and/or continue to check the website on a regular basis.
• Schedule changes in September - the main change is that the Sunday 9am class has gone back to a Mysore class, and doors will open at 8:30am. I am sort of unsure of what to do with this class. Because I'm going to be teaching an Introduction to Second Series class once a month on Sunday nights, and a Restorative class also once a month, and because that Sunday morning class isn't one of the most popular classes I'm leaning towards cancelling it altogether in October (and giving myself a weekend morning off). Any thoughts about this? The second change was to the 6:15am class - it went to 6am, but we are going to change it back to 6:15am - keeping it a sixty minute class! Sorry for the confusion if there was any.
• Judy's yoga philosophy study group meets this month on Tuesday,September 25th, right after the 5:40pm class. Anyone is welcome to attend. Please call or email Judy if you would like more information. The fee is $10, so you can use your class cards, unlimited monthly members can take one class per day with their membership, so we would ask that you pay $5 if you attend this class in addition to another class that day.
  
• Karma Yoga Class to Benefit the Spokane Humane Society October 26th.5:30pm


• Shantala is a husband and wife kirtan duo from Portland. I had the pleasure of seeing them when I was in Seattle at David's. They were amazing, and I'm so excited that they will be coming to Spokane. We've been playing their kirtan cd at the studio and a couple other of their instrumental cd's as well. When: November 4th at 7pm - tickets will be $15 in advance and $18 at the door. Tickets will be available to purchase after October 1st.
• Last but not least... David Garrigues In-Depth study November 7-11 - will include classes on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday night, as well as two master classes for teachers and experienced practitioners on Thursday and Friday from 10-3pm and Saturday and Sunday sessions.I am almost finished with the flier so I'll have all details very soon.

Go Anastasia Go!

I wanted to let you all know that Anastasia will be walking this weekend in the Seattle 3 Day Breast Cancer walk. Thank you so much to all of you who attended the three benefit classes at the studio, and to Michiko and Karen for donating their time to teach those classes. In all, we raised $510 through City Yogi's and Yogini's. And, the Karma Yoga Program was born from Anastasia's fundraising ideas.

If you happen to be in Seattle this weekend you can cheer her on - the opening ceremonies are at Bellevue Community College on September 7th, 6:30 am, and the closing ceremonies are at Memorial Stadium at the Seattle Center on September 9th on 4:30 pm.I'm not sure if you can find out the route, but you might be able to if you go to the 3 Day website. Net proceeds from the Breast Cancer 3-Days benefit Susan G. Komen for the Cure, to fund breast cancer research and community outreach, as well as the National Philanthropic Trust Breast Cancer Fund, to provide an endowment for breast cancer initiatives.

Real Soap or Fake Soap

A lot going on in September in Spokane!

September 22, 2pm at SFCC - come watch the play "Birth".

Birth is a play being presented around the world during the month of September, based on over one hundred interviews Karen Brody conducted with mothers across America who gave birth between 2000-2004. It tells the true stories of 8 women painting a portrait of how low-risk, educated women are giving birth in America today. Go to www.birthonlaborday.com.