Namaste,
Little is often enough.
A few years ago, I remember seeing Sandi O'Neil hang these words onto the wall of the studio as she was preparing for class. What a delightful and simple reminder. These words still flash through my head in moments I struggle with feeling that I am not enough or that what I do isn't enough.
And now that the holiday season has set upon us, I am constantly struck by the irony of it all. That it is a season meant to bring stillness, joy, and peace. But instead it seems for many to bring extra busyness, increased stress, and even sadness. I sit in awe with how nature innately slows during this time, quieting the earth with darker hours and chilly weather, yet we only seem to go faster!
There can be a lot of stress that comes with having multiple functions to attend, presents to shop for, goodies to bake, delicate family dynamics to address - and the theme I feel from a societal stand point is only more, more, and more!!
Friends, YOU are ENOUGH. WE are ENOUGH.
In many things, less is more. We put a lot of pressure on ourselves to be enough and to do enough, forgetting that often, little
is enough. Even in our yoga practice it can be easy to succumb to more is better. We might push harder in a pose that is difficult instead of backing off, take a more vigorous class when our bodies need more restoration, or blow off the precious 5 minutes our minds need to quiet and rest.
So how about this month, we worry less about shopping and doing extra things that do not serve us well. You are enough without the extravagant gift - YOU are already a gift!!
Here are some of my ideas for a more thoughtful and joyful holiday season.
Breathe. And then breathe again
Take time for yourself
Linger over a cup of hot chocolate or tea
Be silly
Share in laughter
Do one thing less each week
Dance in your living room
Turn off the TV and enjoy the silence of the night
Take a bubble bath
Begin a gratitude journal
Take a walk
Sit in nature
Send someone a kind message
Allow yourself to say no
Play a board game
Walk barefoot on the beach
Read
Go to bed early one night
Put the phone away for an hour or two
Let snowflakes fall on your face
Share a meal with someone that has none
Sing!
Smile
Soften and open your heart
With love and light,
Laura McKinnon
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Updates/Changes to Schedule
- Wednesday Prenatal Yoga, 10:45-12pm (no class on 12/21 & 12/28
- PostNatal Yoga! Led by Brittney, class is held the 2nd Sunday of the month in Pacific Grove: 12/11, 12:30-2pm. $22 drop in
- Kids Yogais on winter break. Class resumes on Wednesdays, Jan 4th 3:30-4:15pm in Pacific Grove with Aungela
- Toddler & Me Yoga is also taking a winter break - we are currently planning series classes and family yoga for 2017.
- Saturdays - Brittney is now teaching the Hatha Yoga 8am in Seaside, Hatha beginning 12/10
-
dunja is teaching
Hatha Yoga Level 2/3 on Tuesdays, 9:30-11am in Pacific Grove
Holiday Schedule
Seaside
Fri,12/23: 8:30am class only
Sat,12/24: Hatha Yoga 10:00-11:00am with Brittney
Sun, 12/25: Closed
12/26-12/31: Regular Schedule
1/1, 9:30-10:45am New Year's Day Practice with Laura McKinnon
Pacific Grove
Friday, 12/23: Morning classes only
Sat & Sun 12/24 & 12/25: Closed
12/26-12/31: Regular Schedule
1/1, 10:00-11:15 am New Year's Day Practice with Jeannie Walker
Salinas
Friday, 12/23: Morning class only
Sat & Sun, 12/24 & 12/25: Closed
12/26: Last class is the 4:30pm Level 1 Hatha
12/27-12/31: Regular Schedule
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Please welcome dunja lingwood & Rebekah Cordell
to our teaching staff!
About dunja:
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dunja lingwood has practiced yoga and studied eastern philosophy since 1968. her teachers include jiddhu krishnamurti, swami satchitananda, bks iyengar, tvk desikachar, sri pattabhi jois and the 14th dalai lama among others.
dunja has been teaching yoga as a spiritual practice since 1975. she has taught in zen monasteries, israeli kibbutzim and her own studios: the flying elephant practice centre and a wing and a prayer. she has taught prison inmates through yoga behind bars in seattle and shared her practice with homeless youth.
she integrates posture, breath and stillness with jewels from the wisdom traditions to invite a profound and tender way to be with oneself and others, remembering that a class is just a tiny dip in the wellspring that is the art and heart of yoga.
Schedule: Tuesdays, Hatha Yoga Level 2/3 9:30-11:00am in Pacific Grove
Sundays, Hatha Yoga All Levels, 9:30-10:30am in Pacific Grove (beginning Jan 8th)
About Rebekah:
Yoga for me is creativity. It speaks compassion and joy. Yoga nourishes my spirit so I may radiate this positive energy to my students. I want to share the healing power of yoga; the same healing power I experienced after an injury from running.
Rebekah has been practicing yoga for 12 years and is excited to have completed her Hatha training in 2013 and Kripalu 200YTT in June 2014. She has been teaching in Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, New York and now California. Rebekah is a student at Middlebury Institute of International Studies in Monterey and has a passion to explore the accessibility of of holistic health and
connection of movement and breath as a modality to bring deep healing to self, others and the natural world.
Join me for Kripalu inspired expressive, dynamic flows accessible to all levels.
Schedule: Tuesdays, Hatha Flow 7:30-8:30am, Pacific Grove (beginning January)
Saturdays, Beginning Yoga 9:00-10:5am, Pacific Grove (beginning January)
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A Sound Healing Journey for the Chakra System
with Tanya Devine
Friday, Dec 2nd 6:30-9pm
Seaside Studio
Using Australian Didjeridus, Singing Bowls, a Medicine Drum, A Steel Tongue Drum, Chimes and more
Creating a safe deep space for you to dive into, through sound and ceremony. Allow yourself to be guided into the deep of space, of ocean, of fire and earth. Journey with the Stars, the jellyfish, the Eagles, the lava and the roots that connect us all~
Your system will feel physically and spiritually, re aligned, clear and in tune.
Tanya has been walking her medicine path in complete surrender to the healing vibrations and guidance of the Ancient Spirit of the Didjeridu. She carries a number of Authentic Australian Didjeridu's, including one for each of the lower Chakra Frequencies, and has been guided to help move energy through the system with the low vibrational instrument being played over ones body.
Tanya Devine resides in Victoria, BC, where she grew up. She's been playing the Didjeridu since 2006 and after travelling to Northern Australia in 2011, to return a ceremonial Didjeridu to its original origins, which then was gifted back to her by the Blansai family to carry it's medicine, she fell into the rhythm of performing and offering energetic balancing over people.
The instrument she was gifted back, holds a powerful presence and brings up deep earth energy with an ancient spirit that is felt by all who are blessed to lay at the receiving end of its medicine.
Tanya carries Wise Words, and intuitive healings and is open to sharing safe space to release and further explore your peaceful tribal warrior.
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Heart Opening Workshop
with Nikki
Saturday,
December 3rd 1-3pm
Seaside Studio
Join Nikki on a Hatha Yoga journey to discover the mental, physical and emotional benefits of opening the heart. The Anahata (heart) chakra is the center of compassion; it also translates from Sanskrit as "unstruck" meaning the heart may return to its whole nature before it was hurt by anything or anyone. During this time of planetary transformation, it's vital to connect with the wisdom, strength and courage that live in the heart.
This two-hour practice will begin with a gentle flow to warm the body, then we will spend time safely holding postures that move the shoulders back, expand the chest, and open the heart. I will be offering a variety of essential oils, and (optional) adjustments throughout the practice.
COST: $30 Early Registration or $35 Day Of
Register Here!
Nikki:
(Certified Yoga Instructor, July 2014) spent six years actively practicing and studying Hatha Yoga while living on the beautiful Monterey Peninsula. She left the area in September 2014, in order to travel to India and Nepal. While there, she gave her time to support education for woman and grew her practice of yoga both inwardly and outwardly.
Since returning from her travels, Nikki has been teaching Hatha Yoga full-time in the beautiful Tehachapi Mountains. She is currently the Studio Director at Lusk Yoga Studio. With an educational background in Psychology and Human Development, her teaching approach is one that honors an individual's unique abilities, fostering personal growth for the betterment of the community- and ultimately the world.
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Awakening the Heart
with
Yin-Yang Yoga Workshop
with Isabel Fleury
Sunday, December 4th: 1:30pm-4:30pm
Pacific Grove Studio
This workshop will use Yin-Yang Yoga as a way to access and open the heart center and also present some Buddhist loving-kindness practices to support the process.
Who is this you I want?
You is just a name tag -
For greater being which is all around,
And inside too.
Rumi
Are you free and loving? Is your heart in what you do?
Love inspires us to relax in the blessed flow of our being, which is the only true and reliable resting place we can find on this Earth. The openness at the core of who we are allows us to appreciate existence as basically good, even in the most trying circumstances. We will use heart opening asanas and meditations to cultivate loving-kindness in order to awake the heart chakra supporting a more full and radiant presence.
Yin-Yang Yoga is a method of hatha (physical) yoga that works on all the systems of the body to create health and balance in our bodies, minds and spirits.
Isabel Fleury is a
licensed psychologist and an archetypal astrologer dedicated to the integration of body and mind through Yoga and awareness practices. In 2007 she came to California to study at Esalen Institute, Big Sur, where she still lives and studies with inspirational teachers: Sarah Powers, Johanna Holloman and Thomas Fortel. Her style is greatly influenced by Yin Yoga, Anusara and Meditation.
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Family Yoga Night with Santa
Friday, Dec 9th 6:00-7:30pm
Seaside Studio (1360 Fremont Blvd)
We welcome all families for a fun,
FREE
, all levels and all ages yoga practice, followed by a guest appearance by Santa!
There will be light refreshments and photo opportunities with Santa.
Come share in the joy of the season: celebrating community, yoga and giving.
**Please bring a small gift wrapped for your little one to be given by Santa to the Seaside studio by
Dec 7th
. See you there!
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Soothing Restorative Yoga
with Jeannie Walker
Saturday December 10, 2016 - 1:30-3:30pm
PG Studio (300 Grand Ave)
Release tensions, stress and anxiety from your body and mind. Restore your body and mind from the inside out with supported and therapeutic yoga postures while lying down plus guided breathing. Reconnect with your happy, relaxed, and authentic self!
*** Early Registration Special *** $30 per person, $25 student/military/senior, $50 for two or $35 at the door
Call the studio to register for discounted price or register on-line here
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Postnatal Yoga
with Brittney Buffo
Dec
ember 11, 2016
12:30-2:00pm
PG Studio (300 Grand Ave)
A special time to mingle with other families.
This yoga class will focus on the post-natal body and specific ways to begin safely strengthening as well as releasing tension and fatigue from those sleepless nights. Breathing techniques for parents, partner massage, baby massage, and lullabies will be specific topics of interest.
Each student is encouraged to bring baby, and bring a friend/partner. The class is designed to be an interactive support circle for parents, so come ready to share your post natal questions and stories with each other!
$22 drop in (per family)
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Winter Retreat at Sierra Hot Springs
Dec 16-18th
with Laura McKinnon & Mahendra Briksha
Celebrating Winter Solstice with the Warmth and Nurturing Energy of Inner Light!
Learning to stand still in the midst of Challenge (Solstice derives the word meaning Stand still)
Embrace the unlimited possibilities that arises from the source when our consciousness is freed from false identities and contractions, unconscious tendencies and habits of our ordinary un-awakened mind.
Journey with us to the beautiful Sierras and enjoy a weekend of nature, hot springs, yoga, meditation, breathwork and deep relaxation.
The weekend will offer group practices and self study, along with healthy meals served by The Philosophy Cafe.
$425/pp Dorm
$500/pp Shared Double
$550/pp Single
Retreat details will be sent upon registration
Arrival time is between 2-4:30pm on Friday, retreat concludes after lunch on Sunday
Click Here to Register
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COME INTO CONSCIOUS COMPLETION
Winter Solstice Yoga Circle & Ceremony
with Gemm
a
Sunday, Dec 18, 1:15-4:15pm
PG Studio (300 Grand Ave)
- Trust in the silence
- Honor the changing seasons
- Complete in the darkness
- Welcome the light back into your life!
In the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, you are invited to rest in silence, honor the darkest day and complete all that has been in 2016. Gemma will guide you through a nourishing restorative yoga practice, self-reflection, conscious closure and inner healing. Trust in the sacred pause as we enter the darkness. Celebrate your inner light as the earth's light begins to return. Get still, slow down & listen to your inner knowing as we align with the earth's wintery rhythms.
Bring a journal, pen & symbol/image of what you are completing at this time.
A post gathering potluck will be held locally in PG from 5-7pm, info provided upon booking
COST: $25 in advance or $30 day of (if space permits)
LIMITED TO 25 PEOPLE MAX, SO BOOK EARLY TO ENSURE SPACE
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New Year Seeding Yoga Circle & Ceremony
with Gemma
Sunday, January 1st 2017 1:15-4:15pm
PG Studio (300 Grand Ave)
- Drop within & return to your inner rhythms after the holiday season - Root & reclaim your energy
- Empty into the deep embrace of the unknown
- Seed your intentions in fertile ground for the year ahead
After the busy holiday season, you are invited to remember your inner rhythms & empty into
the unknown of what the year ahead may hold. On this auspicious first day of the year, allow Gemma to guide you through a refreshing yoga practice to create space for all that may want to emerge as the months unfold. Start the New Year tuning into your deepest intentions and step away from goal orientated resolutions, to connect with all that is already waiting to be
born from the fertile soil of your own being in 2017. Bring a journal & pen.
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4 Week Functional Movement Series
with Danielle Mallett
Wednesdays, 6:45-7:45pm
January 4th, 11th, 18th & 25th
Pacific Grove Studio
Come join Danielle for this 4 week series offered
Wednesday evenings from
6:45-7:45pm in Pacific Grove. Discover the increased energy from practicing the joint freeing series, 24 postures created by a Physical Therapist to limber the joints, combined with Foundation Training, a series of postures created by a Chiropractor to help you move better in everything you do.
This workshop will
train you to hinge at the hip joints, improve your posture, balance, core strength and eliminate pain with joint freedom. Danielle is eager to share her gifts of moving out of chronic pain and into an active lifestyle with you. The workshop is limited to 12 people to hold a more intimate container where each person can receive the full attention necessary to relieve their pain.
COST: $40 for first 6 participants/$60 for the remaining 6
Danielle is a National Academy of Sports Medicine Personal Trainer, California Certified Massage Therapist and Dedicated Yoga Teacher. She has been formally trained in Foundation Training, Hatha, Iyengar and Ashtanga yoga. When Danielle isn't coaching people to move better, she can be found writing, swimming in the ocean, dancing or performing slam poetry. Contact her today for a massage at Om Studios. Check out her Healing Arts Blog and be inspired to let go, start new and breathe through the discomfort of the unknown.
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4 Week Beginners Yoga Series
with Laura McKinnon
Mondays, 7:00-8:15pm
, January 9-30th
SeasideStudio
The practice of yoga can be quite diverse, but the beauty of the practice is that it can be tailored just to you! Through yoga we connect back to ourselves, become aware of how we move our body both on and off the mat, and begin to create a better sense of well being. Whether you are brand new to yoga or been away from the practice and want to brush up on the basics - this series is for you!
Each week will cover the history and philosophy of yoga and how it relates to our life. The postures are taught in safe, supportive manner with emphasis on proper
alignment and breath awareness. Included will be a take home packet summarizing the series to support practicing at home.
Through yoga, we can tap into the innate wisdom of the body to self heal.
Each studio location has yoga mats that you may borrow for class - simply bring yourself and comfortable clothing, we take care of the rest!
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Integral Awakening Yoga: 200hr Teacher Training & Advanced Studies
with Laura McKinnon & Mahendra Briksha
February 3-June 2, 2017
SeasideStudio
Seaside Yoga Sanctuary offers a comprehensive 200hr teacher training & advanced studies program, led by Laura McKinnon & Mahendra Briksha.
The teacher training consists of 9 weekends and includes unlimited yoga classes at Seaside Yoga Sanctuary during the training months.
The training program is ideal for anyone interested in becoming a yoga teacher or gaining a deeper insight into the practice and study of yoga.
The curriculum will offer studies in:
- Asana Practice (includes all posture categories)
- Teaching, Technique, & Methodology
- Pranayama & Breath flow yoga
- Yoga of Mind: Meditation
- Yoga of Health (Yoga Therapy, Yoga of Eating, Pelvic Floor)
- Yoga Business
- Ethics of Teaching
- Anatomy and Physiology
- Yoga Philosophy
- Integral Lifestyle & Practicum
- Adaptive Yoga
- Assisting Students with adjustments
- Prenatal Yoga
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Holiday Pass Sale
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We are offering our annual bulk class pass sale from now through Dec 31st!
Passes can be purchased on-line or in person at the studios.
- Purchase a 20 class card and receive 2 more classes for free!
- Purchase a 3 month unlimited pass for $255 (that's only $85/month!
- Purchase a 6 month unlimited pass and receive an additional 14 days!
- Purchase a 1 year unlimited pass and receive an additional 30 days!
Give the Gift of Yoga! SYS offers gift certificates for your loved ones in any dollar amount.
(Purchase in person at the studios or by phone at 831-899-9642)
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"Your light is seen, your heart is known, your soul is cherished by more people than you might imagine. If you knew how many others have been touched in wonderful ways by you, you would be astonished. If you knew how many people feel so much for you, you would be shocked. You are far more wonderful than you think you are. Rest with that. Rest easy with that. Breathe again. You are doing fine. More than fine. Better than fine. You're doin' great. So relax. And love yourself today."~ Neale Donald Walsch
(art by Wescoat Art)
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