Sanctuary by Stacey Steinbach

Written by our lovely Stacey Steinbach after our spring community yoga celebration on May 3rd

Sunday May 5, 2013

My Spiritual Sanctuary

I don't go to church or temple, and if you asked me if I practiced a religion I would say I am spiritual and not religious. Some days I would say I was Jew-ish, emphasis on the ish; where I still feel connected to the culture and traditions from my youth but not necessarily the religious aspects.  Then comes the question, well do you believe in G-d (typed like that out of respect for my upbringing)? And my response is that what I do believe in is that there is something out there greater than myself but I may define that as Grace, Nature, Love or the Universe depending on the day or the way I am feeling.

Recently more and more I understand why some people regardless of how devoted they may be to their particular religion have found a true need to connect to a religious (spiritual) community.  This past Friday we had a community yoga class at Yoga Sanctuary, where I practice yoga and have been spending a significant amount of time these last few months.  At this class all of the teachers taught between 5- 10 minutes but their teaching flowed wonderfully from one to the next.  Following the practice we potlucked (yes it is a verb now) and connected over food.  As I sat in that space I realized that the physical space had actually become a Sanctuary to me.  At one point as I looked around I became overwhelmed with emotion.  I knew most people that were there, some close friends, some true confidants and some just casual acquaintances but regardless of the relationship we all shared something.  This community that I have become part of is one that has become something very significant to me, something that is an integral part of me.  On any given day that I walk around town I can almost be guaranteed to see someone from this community and just having that presence is so grounding to me.

I believe that the relationship  that I have to and with my yoga community is not unlike that of others and their relationship to their religious community.  Maybe this is my way of defining and connecting to spirituality. This Sanctuary of mine has allowed me to breathe deeper than ever before, reflect on life and what it means to me and find acceptance and profound connections.  I have done this through yoga, meditation and just simply by holding a space in this Sanctuary.

"Well I'm done searching now

I found what this life is worth

Not in the books did I find

But by searching my mind

I don't condemn, I don't convert

This is the calling have you heard?

Bring all the lovers to the fold

No one is gonna lose their soul

Love is my religion

Love is my religion

Love is my religion

Love is my religion

You can take it or leave it

And you don't have to believe it"

 ~Lyrics from "Love is my Religion," by Ziggy Marley

photos coming soon!

Happy Spring! Celebrate with 3 weekend workshops...

Dear Friends,
Happy Spring! Wait- really? My backyard is buried in snow and my 5 year old tromped off to school in the snow suit I just bought her for NEXT year. Isn't March supposed to go out like a lamb?

Well, if you need some refreshing and mood-boosting, we have just the weekend of renewing mini-workshops coming up for you.

Saturday, RESTORE:  1-3:30, come to the yoga-spa of workshops:

Restorative Yoga and Aromatherapy

with three nurturing teachers: Lisa Leizman, Luahn Page (co-owner of JoiaBeauty) and Heidi Schenker. Sooo restful and delicious you will thank yourself for the self-care.

Sunday, REFRESH AND PLAY: 1-3, come to Amazing Abigail's
Strong Core Strong Heart workshop
guaranteed to pump you up and inspire you for spring (which really is coming..?!)

or Sunday 3:30-4:30pm, calling all Families! Need some fun where you get let off some steam, stretch, play and laugh together? Sara Rose, owner of Yoga Sanctuary and Mama of two young girls, will be teaching a special
Spring Equinox Family Yoga class for families with children of all ages.

See below for details of these and all our amazing upcoming workshops. We offer the Yoga Sanctuary mini-workshops as fun, affordable ways to go deeper in your practice without having to give up a whole weekend, plus they are a great way to get to know our talented faculty. YS Members always get 10% off!

And I want to put in a plug for Martin Kirk, coming in May from Arizona. He is a unique and incredibly talented Anatomy and Yoga Therapy Teacher and trainer- if you are a dedicated student or teacher you will not want to miss this opportunity to learn about anatomy and therapeutics for your own healing and to learn to help others.

Lastly please save the date: On Friday May 3rd we are delighted to offer a FREE COMMUNITY YOGA CLASS, co-taught by all the YS teachers, in celebration of spring and sharing the blessing of one another's company on this path. Potluck will follow, class starts 6pm.This is our gift to you, new friends welcome too.

With Warmth and Gratitude,

Sara Rose and all the YS teachers  & staff (Kendra, Lisa, Sarah, Tara, Brittany, Heidi, Ellie, Khalila, Abigail, Molly & Toni)

Dear Friends,

Happy March! We have almost made it to springtime. I have always found this time of year to be especially dreary as the excitement of winter's snow has waned and the peacefulness of being curled up inside a cozy home has, well, become a bit old. And those tender green shoots of spring are no where to be seen yet though I have heard birdsong every day now. Our yoga practice invites us to align with nature and so as the ground thaws we too feel the need to soften, loosen winter's tightening effects in our bodies, and to find rejuvenation.

After last year's cascades of change and dissolution I welcome this year of gentle growth, of nurturing our beautiful community, of seeing what fresh shoots are heading up and out of the deep dark soil of creativity. At Yoga Sanctuary renewal can be found in our many workshop offerings- from  healing restorative yoga and aromatherapy to the beautiful complements of yoga and writing being offered in 3 different springtime workshops, to our incredible Anatomy and Yoga Therapy Training offered by Martin Kirk this May. Check out the amazing offerings we have put together for you and join us sometime! We have Family Yoga coming up, Yoga and Bodywork, Core Strength.... a positively dreamy line up of new offerings to uplift you and your yoga practice after a long winter. Full descriptions can be found on our website- www.yoga-sanctuary.com

We welcome you to attend the workshops that call to you, to try a new class or teacher at YS  just to shake up your habits and bring a fresh perspective to your practice. We are delighted to welcome Molly Kitchen back to YS after her winter away ... she will be teaching the Tuesday and Thursday 7:15pm Flow classes. We're so glad to have her back.

We have something for everyone in our weekly classes, from Intro to Yoga (our most basic), Gentle, Mixed level classes, to the Level 2 and Advanced Practices. I am personally delighted to be offering more times for Private Sessions (sara@yoga-sanctuary.com to schedule), and am beginning to plan the Immersion/Teacher Training for FAll 2013.
Good things are ahead!

Some of you have asked about the future of YS. While I am still hoping for a change in my administrative role in order to serve more fully as a teacher and teacher trainer, I am committed to keeping this amazing sanctuary going. It is a vibrant and beautiful place... thanks to all of you! I do have a wonderful new assistant, Toni Dube, who you will likely meet in the coming weeks. I wish her a warm welcome!

One of my many hopes for this spring is to connect with our community via the blog more frequently. It's, ah, been a while I know. I might possibly over-mention this... but the two cute little girls in my house sure do keep me busy...

Hope to see you on the mat soon.

With Warmth and Gratitude,
Sara Rose and all the YS teachers (Kendra, Lisa, Sarah, Tara, Brittany, Heidi, Ellie, Khalila, Abigail & Molly)

Turning Toward Fall

It is always hard to believe that the end of summer is coming, but here we are again savoring the last warm golden days of August and preparing for all of the changes that fall inevitably brings.   My most treasured experiences of summer involved watching the astounding growth of my daughters. Baby Layla trying out new words every day, constantly trying to run, jump and climb the walls (seriously!) and otherwise keep up with her big sister. And I witnessed my 5 year old Arya learn to go across the monkey bars, swim by herself, swim underwater, learn to ride a bike with no training wheels... the amazing list of physical feats and firsts goes on. Arya would say before dunking underwater or reaching for that first monkey bar, "I'm as scared as a pistle-whistle!" And then off she would go. She always felt fear, but her fiery joy in testing out what she was capable of always won out over her trepidations.   My children are amazing teachers to me (as all children are). Every day, all day long I watch the bravery and unending joy of each of them challenging themselves to expand their possibilities. It's who they are, and that is our nature too, us big people, even if we may have forgotten this.    This is what yoga is all about! It's never about being unafraid. It's certainly not about settling into what is comfortable and staying there. Life won't let us, anyway. Yoga offers us a practice in which to listen to what new frontier is calling to us; to reach deep inside and find the desire for growth that is stronger than the fear of change or the risk of failure or loss.  I watched Arya try out her new skills - on her bike, the monkey bars, in the water - over and over again. Many times she fell over, always she tried again, and every time she tried she got better at it. In yoga this is called abhyasa - dedicated practice over a long period of time.   The promise of yoga is that we all have this capacity for change, transformation and growth. And we have the resilience we need to get through the hard times and the inevitable changes life brings.  This fall you will see some changes in our schedule and mix of teachers. Though it is hard to accept change and to say goodbyes, we honor each teacher who passes through our sanctuary for all the beauty they uniquely contribute. And all of us here now welcome you, new yogi or seasoned student, to sink into the grounding and supportive rhythm of Fall. Come challenge your own perceived limitations, enjoy the opening of your body, breath and heart, and like a free-spirited child claim your joy as you unfold your true self through all that you do.     To support you on this very topic, Sarah Faircloth is offering "The Frontier of your Yoga Practice" in late September, and Douglas Brooks P.H.D. offers "Heroines: Stories of Healing, Hurting, and Awakening the Heart" in late November. Our YS teachers are offering some nourishing and healing workshops as well: Restorative Yoga and Skincare October 20th, a teacher's retreat with Sara Rose and more...   We look forward to sharing a richly beautiful and healing Fall!   With Love and Blessings,  Sara Rose

Summer Open House - June 16, 2012

Come and join us for a Summer Celebration to share the gifts of yoga with the Western Massachusetts Community. This special Open House and Potluck will offer Free Classes by some of the community's
favorite teachers.

Also, don’t miss out on our Summer Specials! New students - $30 for 30 days of unlimited yoga
or enjoy a whole Summer of Yoga for $199.  Sign up by June 20th and get 11 weeks of unlimited Yoga
through August 31st for only $199.

One day only! Sign up at the Open House for $179 and save an additional $20.

Current students receive $20 gift certificate for the boutique or classes when they bring a friend to the
Open House.

The class schedule:
**8:15 - 9:30am  Susan Elena         (Level I)
9:00am - 10:00am             Lisa Leizman (Intro to Yoga)                    
**10:00 - 11:30am     Kendra Hodgson (Level I/II)  
10:30 - 11:30am   Kim Bressem         (Gentle/Restorative)
12:00 - 1:00pm   Sara Rose (Level I/II)
12 :30 - 1:30pm   Ellie Cook (Gentle Yoga)
1:00 - 2:00pm   Suzie Goldstein (Yoga for Stress)

** these regular 1.5 hr classes are half price ($10) for new students during the Open House.  All 1 hour classes are free for everyone!  Stop in to visit our beautiful studio, try a new class and bring your friends and family for a great introduction to yoga. It will be a great day to see all that Yoga Sanctuary has to
offer!

We look forward to celebrating the start of the Summer Season with you!

the Kula Project Benefit for the Care Center in Holyoke

Breaking barriers … lifting spirits … inspiring young women to excel intellectually and academically … providing access to arts and culture … supporting struggling young families as they move toward self-sufficiency … shifting from a community dealing with the challenges of poverty to one that is a leader in innovative education reform — these define the work of The Care Center.

Many years ago, the director of Yoga Sanctuary Sara Rose began a very special relationship with the Care Center in Holyoke. Breaking barriers, lifting spirits and inspiring students was nothing new to Sara. It is actually a great love and commitment she has held for for 10 plus years now. Anna Neiman, Yoga Sanctuary's current teacher of the Care Center's yoga classes shares this commitment. Anna's joyful presence greets the girls twice a week wherever they are. Her openness and acceptance allows them to be themselves and immerse themselves into the gifts of yoga.

Bringing yoga to pregnant and parenting teens has been one of the ways Yoga Sanctuary reaches out to the Community. We have enjoyed this relationship so much that when their funding was cut for outside services we refused to walk away. The Kula Project headed up by Kendra Hodgson has now stepped in to aid us in raising funds to keep the yoga program for the Care Center going.

The Care Center is an alternative education program for pregnant and parenting teens who have dropped out of high school. Before coming to The Care Center, many of our students say they had fallen out of love with learning, that they didn’t think of themselves as smart, and that school was not for them. All students attending The Care Center previously dropped out of school, most before getting pregnant. They were on track for minimum wage jobs, with public assistance as a safety net. Yet every single one of our students wanted a better life for themselves and their children; they just did not have the tools to get there.

Yoga Sanctuary has been a vital part of this process by exposing these young students to the benefits of yoga, giving them tools to rejuvenate themselves and find more joy in life. Please join us this Saturday, November 5 from 11:30am - 1:30pm for a special all levels yoga class to raise awareness and funds to support the yoga program at YS.

You can also donate online by clicking here:

http://www.yoga-sanctuary.com/yoga_sanctuary_events.cfm

Any amount is appreciated and will provide so much to those who are working so hard to build a better future for themselves and their children.

Written by Susan Elena Esquivel

The Fullness of Experience Comes From the Fullness of the Heart

The Summer Solstice is approaching, and the fullness of the season is everywhere I look. All the trees are full and luscious. The flowers continue to pop out of the ground with such vibrancy. Vegetable gardens are coming to life, and the some-what monochromatic wood trails I trotted down with my dog all winter long are now adorned with sparkling Mountain Laurel. How easy it is this time of year to recognize the fullness and abundance outside and all around us, but what about recognizing our inner fullness as well?

The Sanskrit word Purna means to be full; an inner fullness. In Anusara, when we Open to Grace, we open to the fullness that already exists inside our own hearts. We open to the full spectrum of possibility and potential already inside each of us. A fullness that is waiting and wanting to be recognized and engaged. Of course sometimes, maybe even most of the time, this is much easier said than done. It is easy to feel full inside when things in life are going our way. When the weather is beautiful, when we’re joyful and feeling at ease. But, what about the moments we’re not fully absorbed in the light of loving ourselves? What about when we’re in periods of suffering? Or simply just having a bad day? It is in these moments, when experiencing our inner brightness may not come as easily that practicing purna is most important. In these inevitable moments of lack we must remember purna is also the full recognition of the self. To recognize fully whatever you’re feeling inside at any given moment. What is fullness for you in this moment? What is fullness for you today? Once you’ve recognized however full you are feeling try asking, Can I make more? If you can make more inner fullness great! If you can’t today that is great too! It is recognizing the self in all of its complexities that matters most. When we allow ourselves to sit in the fullness of self-recognition, we can begin to deconstruct self-inflicted judgment and limitation, we can more easily access our own innate goodness, and the Ananda or joy that already lives inside all of us. And then, from the fullness inside we can expand out into the world and engage life more fully.

The easiest way to find our inherent fullness is to open and connect to the fullness of the breath. The breath’s nature is fundamentally full and expansive, and the best part is that it is effortless! You do not need to think or control it, just let the fullness of the breath breathe you. Let the breath make space in your physical body and in your awareness for the inner fullness that is always there, always in the space of the heart, just waiting for you to embrace and experience.





Written By Suzie Goldstein