Save the Polar Bears - Just sign this petition...

Go to www.savethepolarbear.org.

Winter Solstice Class

The warmest room in town...

Welcome to the World!

Yeah! Welcome Angus! Born 12.9.08, 8lb's 13oz, 21 or so inches long. Dad is very proud to see "his boy" and mom too. Sister's Lucy (5 1/2) and Grace (2 1/2) love him a lot and are very happy they can once again sit on their mothers lap! Thank you to all the Shala teachers who have been teaching my classes for me the last months plus, and to all of you who have sent congratulations and more.

Vote on Future of Riverfront Park

The Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) is seeking written public testimony concerning the use of Conservation Futures funding to acquire the YMCA property in Riverfront Park. To facilitate gathering public input, a survey is available online at spokanecounty.org/parks. Individual responses to the survey are confidential. The survey will be available until Tuesday, November 25th at 5:00 p.m.

Click here to take the survey.

Oh the simple things...

The new shower was inaugurated today by me - yahoo! For me the excitement lies in the fact that I could lock the door and not worry about what catastrophe was going on outside involving a 2 year old and a 5 year old! As well as thinking how nice it will be on the days that I practice right before I teach - now I can take a quick refreshing shower in between ( a win / win for all!). The shower is there for all of you to use as well. We even have towels for you located in the hutch across from the toilet - we just ask that you throw them in the hamper when you are finished, and we will take care of the washing. Enjoy!

Yoga in the News...

A few pictures from this morning....

Pictures from a Mysore class last summer...

Restorative Yoga in October

Wow... it has been a while! So we are really happy to announce that Joanna Darlington will be teaching a "Restorative" style class once a month at the Shala. It will be held in Studio B, which means we are really going to have to limit the class size to 15. So we need you to pre-register online, or by calling us 509.869.4121 or emailing us to reserve your spot. The October class will be on the 19th from 4:00 - 5:30pm.

Bhajan - this Saturday 9/20

Please come and join us

What is a Bhajan? A Bhajan is gathering to sing traditional Hindu hymnals. (Very much likeYou will be offered a handout of the hymnals in order to participate – all are welcome! Kids too!The Bhajan will start at our Kirtans)6 p.m. and will last about an hour, followed by a Pot-luck dinner of Indian dishes!Please come and help us celebrate World Peace Day, with this very special Bhajan.
Location: Unity ChurchCorner of 29^th and Bernard 6:00p.m. this Saturday evening

Questions, please contact Trillian at 216-6411

Info on World Peace Day, log on to:

www.onepeacemanypaths.org

Karma Yoga Class - Friday Night!

Some of you remember that we started to initiate our Karma Yoga Program last year, where you could attend a class and in doing so support a local non-profit. And you may also remember that you've not heard anything about it since last fall! But we are happy to report that it is back up and running, led by student Karen Gordon.

This Friday night (September 19th at 5:30pm) is the first Karma Class since last fall - and the beneficiaries are this amazing organization called Candlelighters of the Inland Northwest. Please come join us for a little yoga-ing and afterward to listen to a speaker from Candlelighters tell us about what they do to support families with children who have been diagnosed with cancer in our area.

The proceeds from your attendance at the class will be donated to the organization, you can also make a donation, and who knows you may get inspired by one of their volunteer opportunities! Be there without being there! Another option if you can't make it to class is to email us and tell us you would like to be checked into class - and we will count you as being there, deduct a class from your class package and donate the proceeds.

We hope to see you there!

Pictures from the Kirtan...

Manju Jois in Hood River this Fall!

Manju Jois will be teaching a special five day retreat / workshop in Hood River this October 13-19th. The intensive will include Ashtanga Yoga Series 1 and 2, pranayama, shanti mantras, teaching methods, ashtanga yoga philosophy and yoga diet. For more information and registration call 541-490-4719 or email hoodriverashtanga@yahoo.com.

What's in a name?

Juliet: "What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would still smell as sweet."

Speaking of names... we are finally changing our name! City Yoga seemed to fit us when we were downtown, but with our move to the South Hill it started to feel a little mis-matched. "Yoga Shala" is a common way to identify a place where yoga is practiced. The word "shala" has been used to mean 'school', coming from an earlier form of the word meaning 'shelter'. It is most commonly used to refer to a 'great hall' or 'place with a special purpose'. So this feels a little more fitting.

The change is coinciding with a lot of other exciting things (as you know). So far if you've been to the "Shala" :) in the last week you've seen our new entrance, and entrance hall. You've also seen our freshly painted room - with the amazing mural of Shiva drawn and painted by Buck and Jen. There is more to come so keep checking!

In the meantime:
1. Please change your settings for the website to www.spokaneyogashala.com to be active this Sunday (August 17th)
2. Please change any links you may have to the old website to the new domain name.

We will keep you posted on how the changes are progressing as they happen.

Yoga School this weekend....

Karen with our new Shiva mural behind her. The mural was done by Buck and Jen Holland. Wow!

Come See the Mishra's Friday Night at the Unity Church at 7pm

Moon Days

As you many know there is no mysore practice on the days where there is a new or a full moon. This friday August 1st is a new moon so if you are doing the mysore program you have the day off!

The following is borrowed without permission from Tim Miller's website -

Both full and new moon days are observed as yoga holidays in the Ashtanga Yoga tradition. What is the reasoning behind this?

Like all things of a watery nature (human beings are about 70% water), we are affected by the phases of the moon. The phases of the moon are determined by the moon’s relative position to the sun. Full moons occur when they are in opposition and new moons when they are in conjunction. Both sun and moon exert a gravitational pull on the earth. Their relative positions create different energetic experiences that can be compared to the breath cycle. The full moon energy corresponds to the end of inhalation when the force of prana is greatest. This is an expansive, upward moving force that makes us feel energetic and emotional, but not well grounded. The Upanishads state that the main prana lives in the head. During the full moon we tend to be more headstrong.

The new moon energy corresponds to the end of exhalation when the force of apana is greatest. Apana is a contracting, downward moving force that makes us feel calm and grounded, but dense and disinclined towards physical exertion.

The Farmers Almanac recommends planting seeds at the new moon when the rooting force is strongest and transplanting at the full moon when the flowering force is strongest.

Practicing Ashtanga Yoga over time makes us more attuned to natural cycles. Observing moon days is one way to recognize and honor the rhythms of nature so we can live in greater harmony with it.

get your tissues...

Yoga School this weekend...

This weekend students did their presentations of the systems of the body and we went over sarvangasana (shoulder stand) and sirsasana (headstand).

Happy Birthday Guruji!

Happy 93rd Birthday, Guruji! Sri Krishna Pattabhi Jois was born on the full moon day of July 1915 (Guru Purnima day). This year, that day falls on July 18. To learn more about Guruji's amazing life and his more than 70 years of teaching Ashtanga yoga, see www.ayri.org/biography.html.

Yoga School this weekend...

Closing of Ashtanga Yoga School

We know that change is a part of life, and we knew that change was coming at AYS, and it has. David and Satya have closed the Ashtanga Yoga School in Seattle. I saw on Ashtanga.com that it was for sale - so who knows maybe another authorized or certified teacher will take over - but for the time being their students are moving either over to Troy Lucero's studio, or at 8 Limbs where some of the former senior AYS students will be teaching mysore style classes. For us though we will be seeing David as we normally do - this fall he'll be here the weekend of October 17th - 19th.

Thank you so much David and Satya and the students at AYS who have always inspired me, and helped me stay true to this path toward truth, and love. Below are some of the beautiful quotes from reactions to the closing.

• Blessing to you all for all that you have done, you have been our inspiration in so many ways. What a ride! It has been wonderful, and we look forward to seeing you soon. "All is coming..."
• "We live in a rainbow of chaos"
  Paul Cezanne
• Let us send good thoughts to each other and to our teachers, wherever they may be. I often repeat the little prayer David taught us at Breitenbush one year "May you dwell in your heart, May you be free from suffering, May you be healed and whole, May you be at peace."

Yoga School this Weekend

Except for the Point...

Except for the point, the still point, there would be no dance.

– The Four Quartets, T.S. Eliot

It is early on a cool summer morning – the kind that just makes you want to hit snooze and roll over for another hour. But you are not in bed; you are on your mat. You’ve joined a unique group of individuals world-wide who continue a daily tradition that dates back thousands of years. The tradition known outside of India as Mysore practice.

Your first ujjayi breath summons the spirit of the enigmatic Patanjali. The room, otherwise quiet and empty, is filled with the sound of your breath and is energized. Whether practicing alone at home, with others in a yoga studio or at the Ashtanga Yoga Research Institute shala in Mysore where often it is so crowded that the yoga mats touch each other, you are transformed.

Mysore practice is a method that makes Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga, often considered an extremely vigorous yoga practice, accessible to everyone. The practice is not led by a teacher. The level and number of poses varies with everyone. Without the ‘pressure’ to stay with the teacher’s count, you have the luxury of following your own personal rhythm, maintaining focus by listening to your breath and using the dristi – the still point of concentration. This individualization allows the teacher to work with you one on one. It encourages you to work and explore each pose independently at your current level in the series; to go within. Most importantly, you develop consistency.

Sri K. Pattabhi Jois, the teacher of this method, reminds all of us to “Do your practice and all is coming.” One of the important things that ‘is coming’ is the realization that the practice itself, done with consistency, is the real teacher. This is the magic of Mysore.

Treat yourself to something special – City Yoga Summer 2008 Mysore Practice hours are Monday, Wednesday and Friday, 6AM – 8AM.

Om Shanti, Shanti, Shanti.

Thanks to Lars for this beautiful description.

Notes from the Shala...

Asana and injury, and the purpose of stopping at postures you have not yet mastered...


Regarding asana and injury, Sharath explained that many people get frustrated when they have injury (yoga or otherwise) - many people also feel to not practice when injured. He explained that the yoga will heal you! If you are injured and you use the breath and bandhas properly, modifying as you need in the asanas, your yoga practice will heal your body. Thus, when you do become injured continue to practice each day, simply modify the asanas as necessary.

Sharath was also asked why he stops us in asanas, what is the purpose, and should we follow this prescription for our practice once we return home. I loved loved loved that she asked this question - because back home in Orlando so many people want to keep going keep going - people do led practice all the time so why should they stop in mysore with asanas they obviously cannot do - it behooves me but then again it is obvious that some people really don't get the WHY. Well Sharath explained that when he stops us at a posture we have not mastered, we are forced to think about and work on that asana instead of spending the whole of our lives just doing the postures and never mastering ANY! He explained that when we do the entire practice in this way we are never doing yoga, we are merely doing stretches in some order. When we stop at an asana we cannot preform with ease of breath and movement, we will spend more time and more focus on that asana until we do eventually get it. He told a story of how Guruji didn't give him any new postures in over two years at one point when he was working on fifth series. I have always told my students that it doesn't matter which posture you are stuck on, becasue you will ALWAYS be stopped somewhere - so let us not mull over our own egos - instead let's enjoy this amazing journey!

The Beloved Festival

2008 Open Air Sacred Art & Music Festival

Beloved August 15th - 17th

a many-hued tapestry of music, dancing, playing and praying to open our hearts to the One Spirit of all peoples, plants and the planet. dissolving the illusion of separation through music, art, workshops, councils, performances, dancing, camping, kids, yoga kirtan, special guests and more.

A little more about Michiko...

Where are you from originally?
I was born in Germany (my dad worked for American Express) and grew up mostly in Central Washington.
What brought you to your first yoga class?
I attended my first yoga class while traveling in India. I attended a one week workshop in Rishikesh where we learned Surya Namaskar A and B. However, the primary focus was breath and philosophy. It was an amazing experience. Most tourists in Rishikesh were there to practice yoga, learn sanskrit, and be close to the Ganga.
Do you participate in any other kind of consistent physical exercise?
Before finding yoga, I had two knee surgeries (a result of several skiing injuries and a volley ball injury) which limited my physical activities to hiking and bike riding. I limited my activities because I was afraid of reinjuring my knees. Once I began practicing yoga, I felt a renewed confidence and trust in body. I still feel a little trepidation about my knees, but that fear no longer inhibits my physical pursuits.
What are you reading right now?
I am currently on a Japanese literature kick and am reading "The Warrior Kumagai."
Do you have a hobby or interest that you have that we don't know about?
I am currently not engaged in any hobbies. I am busy learning how to be a mother, a wife, and a multiprofessional woman.

Michiko has recently returned from maternity leave and teaches the popular Sunday 4pm Level 1 class.

Flowers

Though it was snowing this morning, we still have fresh flowers from Elaine's garden. Many of you remember the amazing arrangements that Elaine made for the studio last summer, this year I hope to take pictures for the blog. Thank you so much Elaine and John! (above: rhododendron, forget-me-not, pasque and trumpetvine).

A little about Shannon...

Where are you from originally? Born in Fairbanks, Alaska, but raised in Puyallup, WA - but am an Eastern Washingtoner (is that a word?) at heart - Go Cougs!

What brought you to your first yoga class? Curiosity & Burn Out from other forms of exercise and it's continued stress on my knees and other joints....mainly curiosity is what made me search the web for a Yoga Studio in Spokane...which brought me to 2 websites....I found City Yoga and the rest is history!

What was your experience? Both challenging, intimidating, and yet not overwhelmingly so....just enough that it continued to peak my curiosity.....how long would I have to do it before my wrists no longer hurt in downward dog? would I ever be able to hold chaturanga? could I stick with it? would it be enough?

Do you participate in any other kind of consistent physical exercise? not really, when it's nice I'll go for walks with my son Sam (2 1/2) and dog Riley (9).....we used to play recreational co-ed softball, volleyball, and basketball....but ever since I had Sam it's mainly ALL YOGA....

What are you reading right now? LOTS of books - too many at once, I'm trying to get in all these differ net pregnancy books (32 weeks right now) in preparation for hopefully a natural birth this time around, but also am trying to start "The Glass Castle" both out of personal interest and book club selection....And trying to finish "The Yogini" - loaned out by a yoga student so I can pass it on to the next yoga student :-)...

Do you have a hobby or interest that you have that we don't know about? Ooh that's a good one, seems it's changed as my life changes....I could say bookkeeping & report writing since they are now my side job and because Yoga used to be my hobby and I quit my corporate gig to devote more time to my Yoga practice, teaching, and raising a family...but now accounting work doesn't sound like a very fun hobby....right now i enjoy a good nap, look forward to the sun shining and when we get to go to the lake and hang out with friends and family on and off their boats....someday maybe we'll have our own, but until then thanks Mom & Allie and the McCarry's!!! In the winter, I have to say it's watching Sam and Mitch build snowmen in the backyard and Sam trying to ski for the first time at Mom and Allie's cabin - he is so much fun! You can just watch him play and use his imagination and get lost in it with him...he is amazing! My next hobby will be nursing his baby sister Molly when she joins us in August....but then you probably all know about this....

Shannon teaches regularly at City Yoga and is also the bookkeeper extraordinaire!

Ashtanga video...

Guruji in Florida!

I know that this is old news for some of you, but just got these photos from a student of David's who went to see Guruji. I'm sorry for those of you who were going to go from here but got cancelled on - from what I heard: "It was very cool and the shala is gorgeous! He was in good spirits and taught the standing poses the 2nd day and opening/closing prayers each day." Sri Gurubhyo Namaha!

Happy Feet...

From a student...Ok since class yesterday I have been concious of my feet and realized even when I walk or stand my arches collapse down  and have to think about putting them in a better position.  I think that will be huge for my
practice as far as engaging my legs and helping me be in better positions in yoga class and outside of yoga.
Thanks for having that as our focus for the day.  

Couple of things...

• Restorative Yoga with Katie this Sunday at 5:15pm
• The studio will be closed in observance of Memorial Day on Monday - May 26th
• Philosophy Study Group with Judy meets Tuesday - May 27th at 7:00pm
• Summer Mysore Program begins June 2 - Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 6-8am

Six days a week...

“Aren’t you going a little overboard with this yoga thing?” Comments such as these have been abundant this week, in addition to hints that I am becoming “obsessed” and choosing yoga over other priorities. I find myself struggling to find a compromise within myself to honor all the commitments in my life, take care of those closest to me, and take care of myself. Initially I questioned myself…”Maybe I shouldn’t practice so much” Thoughts of guilt, uncertainty and sadness ensued. At the end of all these emotions that I experienced, I had an “a ha” moment. Deep in my heart I know I would never let something come in the way of my family, but as I continue to practice yoga I realize I am finding a way to be at peace with myself and my life. Hopefully as I continue on my journey, those around me will be able to see the benefits (both physical and mental) that I already feel.

On the asana front I have added the first six poses from the Second Series after completing the Primary on my self practice days. I was a bit apprehensive to try it but after Katie mentioned that it would only add about 8 minutes to the practice, I thought I’d give it a shot. The combination of back strengtheners and back extenders (backbends) have been a great complement to my practice. I also find that I have more focus on my bandas during the second series for some reason.

I have experienced one less than positive situation this week that I’m hopeful yoga will help me through. It appears that the symptoms of my rheumatoid arthritis are beginning to rear their ugly head. I have been virtually symptom free for the past 4 years, which I attribute to hormones associated with pregnancy and nursing. When I have flared in the past I usually got pissed, felt sorry for myself and dwelled on what this disease was preventing me from doing. This time I have a different mindset. I’m going to celebrate each day that my body allows me to come to my mat. If I’m stiffer, so be it. If I have less range of motion, so be it. At least I’m still practicing. And loving every moment!

Make this video go around the world...

Six Days a Week...

I must say that I feel my practice has already progressed. I don’t, however, know if it strictly a change in my intention, or physical development as well. Intention is such a catch phrase in much of the yoga literature that I have read. “Be in the moment” “Focus on the now”. Well yeah, I sure do feel in the moment when my thighs are burning in Virabatrasana A and B. Figuring out how to “stay in the moment” and continuously focus on breath, bandas, and alignment is where the difficulty lies. I do feel, however, that the commitment that I have made has certainly made me more aware of my intention. I come to the mat with much more presence in the current moment rather than dwelling on what I haven’t been able to do in the past and what I’ll likely not be able to do today. I also seem to be more aware of subtleties during my practice. I am improving on my ability of self-observation and the ability to translate that into adjusting my postures. Rotating this and extending that is starting to make much more sense to me. If I could just remember to breathe! It is fairly exciting to report that last night I was able to lift up off the floor (briefly) for this first time in Utplutih. And what do you know, it must not have been a fluke as I was able to do it today as well. I am starting to celebrate each of these small victories.
I have received many words of encouragement over the past week and remain touched that so many people support me on this journey. The community that has grown at City Yoga is full of many caring, encouraging and supportive people. Knowing that I have a silent cheering section beside me during my practice keeps me motivated on those early, early mornings. Many of those people have also said the same thing to me, “Don’t be surprised if you get more out of this experience than you expect”. I already feel that I have and I can’t wait to see what more is in store for me. I look forward to sharing my experience with all of you and returning the favor of support.

Six Days a Week...

Trepidation. That’s what I felt when I began to contemplate the journey of 6 days a week of practice. Could I do it? And at what cost to my family? Will this affect my boys? Will it take time away from them? Immediately, thoughts of guilt set in. It’s amazing how good I am at feeling guilty since I became a mother. At the end of this internal argument I came up with the following…Yoga has taught me patience, self respect, and strength (physical and emotional). If those characteristics can make me a better mother, providing a strong example to my boys, a committed practice was worth a shot. My hope is that with a dedicated practice I will continue my journey not only in developing strength and flexibility in the asanas, but more importantly continue to celebrate my spirit, encouraging self love and self respect.

In order to commit to this challenge, I had enlist the support of my husband, kids and friends. I knew I couldn’t do it alone and I am pleased to say all have stepped up and provided me with support. Attempting to schedule practices in my week has already been difficult. My good intentions have been interrupted by LIFE. I have, however, made it to the mat 5 days this week. In addition to 2 led classes I have introduced 2 EARLY morning practices and one home practice.

How do I feel? Tired. But invigorated at the same time. I am also proud of myself. I have successfully completed my first week without taking time away from my family and without feeling (much) guilt for what I sometime perceive as selfishness. I think that is going to take a while for me to get over.

Early morning practices are different than the afternoons. I takes me longer to warm up and I find that my hamstrings and hips take longer to open up. This morning I attempted to stand up from urdhva dhanurasana and it just wasn’t going to happen. I initially felt frustration and some anger. “Why the heck is this hard today?” but then I forced myself to step back and appreciate that fact that I had made it to the mat. Be happy with that! Practicing by myself has also forced me to be self motivating and accepting to the fact I may not always have an energized practice.

One week down, many, many, many to go. Goals for this journey….lifting up and jumping back without using blocks, binding in supta kurmasana, generally improving my strength. More importantly I want to live yoga. Not only asana but incorporating the philosophy of yoga into my life. Lofty? Yes. Attainable? Hopefully.

Lindsay will be posting her practice journal over the next four months. She has been practicing at City Yoga since the early days in the Steamplant, works and has two little children. When she expressed some frustration to me about her progress in her practice which was pretty consistently 3-4 days a week, I suggested that she try for a period of time to practice six days a week, taking off moon days and the first three days of her menstrual cycle. She was up for the idea and started right at the beginning of May. Not a small task to bring add on to an already busy life, she has to fit practice some mornings, and some evening but she is making it work! Lindsay, thank you for sharing this with all of us.

The Opening Mantra...

We posted the article written by San Francisco Ashtanga teacher John Berlinsky last June and a lot of people really liked it so we are posting it again. Now you can also hear David Garrigues doing the opening mantra.


Ashtanga practice is traditionally begun with the recitation of the mantra. What we call the Ashtanga Mantra is really two shlokas from different sources. The first is a verse from the "Yoga Taravalli" by Sri Shankaracharya and the second verse is from a longer prayer to Patanjali.

The Ashtanga mantra has been translated a number of times with various interpretations of the individual words. Instead of looking at the mantra as a literal translation of the Sanskrit, I see the mantra as an invocation and living part of our yoga practice.

Read more...

Watch this video...

and the band Five for Fighting will donate $.40 to Autism Speaks. Also in the video they talk about early intervention and alterative therapies - one of which happens to be yoga. For more information about yoga for children with autism contact Amy at Spokane Youth Yoga.

I could never do that...

We've all done this: watched someone effortlessly perform an amazing, seemingly impossible asana, and thought to ourselves any number of judgemental, self-degrading, negative thoughts along the lines of: "I'll never be able to do that, I've been doing this so much longer than him and why can he do that and I can't, I suck, why am I even trying to do this, ____(insert your favorite judgemental thought)_____." Or maybe you take the self limiting tack of "why would I ever want to do that to myself!"

It is a natural function of being human; we have this brain that is capable of many layers of thought. We can be editing, monitoring and judging what we are doing, and then editing, monitoring and judging what we are thinking about what we are doing and so on and so on. Of course we all know by now that the goal of yoga is to some how take respite from this "ability". Patanjali's yoga sutras focus on the aim of learning to control the wanderings of the mind; yogas citta-vritt-nirodhah. Learning to somehow for a moment see past the veil or maya of the conditioning of our lives - so that we can see things as they are, be present.

So here we are getting on our mat either at home in our living rooms, or coming to a class. We look around and compare ourselves to the people around us and we begin to have these thoughts (see above), so we question the value of practice, we look for a new teacher, a new studio, a new thing, but inevitably, eventually those same thoughts come back. Before we know it five years later we're in the same confused place, as Richard Freeman says with a lot of shallow wells all around us.

Consider this: Practicing with total attention within the body is advanced yoga, no matter how easy the posture: practicing with your attention scattered is the practice of a beginner, no matter how difficult the posture. (David Coulter, The Anatomy of Hatha Yoga) Let yourself be inspired by the people joining you on their mats and then go back inside, listen to your breath, do your best and try to learn from what you are feeling. Keep coming back to your mat, dig a deeper well, the effortless beauty of asana will sneak up on you one day when you least expect it.

Enlighten Up!

Looks like an interesting film.

A little about Karen....

Where are you from originally?
I'm originally from Colville, WA.
What brought you to your first yoga class?What was your experience?
My initial yoga experience is a little different as I didn't attend my first class until after I'd been practicing regularly on my own for over a year. After some reading, somehow a light bulb kind of went on in my head one day that said yoga was the thing that was missing in my life. I bought a couple of books and starting going through the practices in the books. One of those books was Beryl Bender Birch's "Power Yoga". From my first practice on, my back pain from an old auto accident injury was significantly improved. I went on to teach myself the entire primary series from Birch's book before I ever set foot in a yoga studio. When I finally decided to find a teacher I was hooked on Ashtanga and at that time there was no one teaching Ashtanga in Spokane. I started attending Alison Rubin's Iyengar classes at Harmony Yoga to make sure I was learning the alignment properly to avoid creating potential imbalances or injuries. My experience of taking that first "public" yoga class was that it felt strange to take something that had been very private and personal for me and start doing it in a room full of people. I found that there was wonderful energy, support, and learning to be had in a group class setting.

Do you participate in any other kind of consistent physical exercise?
I love any kind of activity that gets me out in the woods. I hike (and sometimes trail run) consistently all year. More intermittently, depending on the season, weather, etc., I like to get out and mountain bike, kayak and rock climb.

What are you reading right now?
In addition to the latest Yoga Journal, right now I just started an old book from the mid-seventies that I came across called "Indian Thought".

Do you have a hobby or interest that you have that we don't know about?
I think everyone knows that my husband and I love to travel, but we also love 40's style swing dancing. And when I have a snippet of spare time I'm hooked on Sudoku puzzles.
Karen has been teaching at City Yoga since we opened in 2003. Though she works full time as a school psychologist she also maintains a daily ashtanga practice and teaches every other Thursday night at 5:40pm and regularly subs.

Time to Spring into Home Composting...

Spokane Master Composters will host their Spring Compost Fair at the John A. Finch Arboretum on Saturday, April 26th from 11AM – 2 PM. Just in time for spring yard clean-up, participants will learn how to turn yard and garden debris into valuable soil amendments and reduce garbage disposal costs. The Fair is being held in conjunction with the Arboretum's Arbor Day festivities.

A variety of hands-on demonstrations will be highlighted --- including a "hot" compost pile and worm bin. Participants will learn about the materials to use in composting, how to build and turn a compost pile and how to choose the appropriate bin. Participants must arrive by 1:30 PM to complete all of the activities by the 2 PM closing time.

This event is free and open to the public. Spokane County attendees (with identification verifying residency), can receive a free compost bin (one per household) after completing the various activities.

The John A. Finch Arboretum is located at the intersection of Sunset Highway and "F" Street. For more information, call the Recycling Hotline at 625-6800 or visit http://www.solidwaste.org

Philosophy Study Group Tuesday 4/22 at 7pm

In our series on meditation, two additional meditation techniques.

7:00pm - 8:15pm - counts as one class.

This weekend - thank you David and all!