Hello Philip,
"Be soft. Do not let the world make you hard. Do not let pain make you hate. Do not let the bitterness steal your sweetness. Take pride that even though the rest of the world may disagree, you still believe it to be a beautiful place."
~ Iain Thomas
And that beautiful place is your own heart. Keep it soft. Keep it open and wide. Don't let it shrink and calcify with bitterness. Look around you this beautiful Spring: there are flowers blossoming everywhere. Let that remind you how beautiful this planet is, how beautiful life is, how beautiful you are!
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The quote on the right came to me in Kushala (Kelly) Sharp's daily inspiring email. The quote speaks of the magic of treating others as if they are sacred. But there is no "if": we are all already sacred -- except we forget. Remind yourself that you are sacred and you will see everyone as sacred.
One segment of 60 Minutes (CBS) tonight featured two African American high school girls who were each able to come up with a separate solution to a problem that has stumped mathematicians for over 2,000 years. They were students at St. Mary's Academy in New Orleans, one of the oldest Black Catholic schools in the country. 60 Minutes asked the school's principal, Pamela Rogers, if she was shocked when she learned what the girls had achieved. She said, "We were not shocked... our students can do anything. And that's what we tell them. You know, 'The sky is the limit..."
Rogers explained that all the young ladies at St. Mary's are taught early on that they can achieve great things. For the last 17 years, St. Mary's Academy has had a 100% graduation rate and a 100% college admission rate.
The school treats the girls as if they are exceptionally intelligent, and the girls remember that they are. And they prove it, too!
You can see the 60 Minutes story on the school's website.
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My mother always believed in me. I am forever grateful for her love and respect. Happy Mother's Day mom, wherever you are! And Happy Mother's day to all!
"The human heart was not designed to beat outside the human body and yet, each child represented just that — a parent’s heart bared, beating forever outside its chest.” ―Debra Ginsberg
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- Good Advice
- Announcements & Reminders
- Lost & Found
- Focus Activity for this Month: Bring a Friend for Free
- This Month's Fundraisers
- Filtered water available at the Studio
- Healthy Quaboag Initiative
- Class Schedule & Fees
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- Testimonials
- Yoga news
- Health Precautions
- Sign of the Times
- Birthdays
- Freebies and Other Offerings from the Ashram
- Wisdom to Live By
- Video of the Month
- Enlighten Up
- Problems Receiving Newsletters?
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Announcements and Reminders | |
No class Saturday and Monday of Memorial Day Weekend. Back to the Garden! | |
Heads Up:
Keep Saturday, September 21 open. Swami Prajñananda is coming to The Centered Place to give a Half Day program in the morning and a free Meditation Satsang in the afternoon.
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Water Bottle Left Behind Weeks Ago
Come and get it!
BTW, see information further below about water at the studio and also a video evaluating the safety of different types of reusable water bottles.
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Earring Left Behind Years Ago
And while I am at it, this lost earring has been hanging around for a loooong time, but unfortunately not on the owner's ear! Come and get it if it's yours.
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Focus Practice of the Month | |
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Invite a Friend to Class with You
Nancy and I are blessed having the opportunity to share the gift of yoga with you. This month, we want you to have an opportunity to share this gift. Invite a friend to come with you to class. Your friend gets the class for free.
You know how much better you feel at the end of a class. Now invite a friend to share in that experience.
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Our Annual High School Scholarship Drive
Last Call!
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Help Us Support a Deserving Student Aspiring to Attend College
For the past three years, we have been able to provide generous scholarships: only because of you!
The Centered Place will contribute at least $250. This year, we aspire to honor two or three highly motivated students who applied for our scholarship. We hope you will help expand the amount to ensure each will receive substantial support. A college education will give these youngsters a huge boost, but they will also receive the burden of tuition fees, book costs, living expenses and so much more. If everyone contributes even a little, the result will be a lot.
May 20, our scholarship committee will select the most deserving students and the amount each will receive. The amount depends on how much is given in this fundraiser.
To apply for our scholarship, the students submitted an application, provided three letters of recommendation and wrote an essay that answers the following questions:
1. What change do you want to make in the world?
2. How would you make that change?
3. What obstacles might be encountered along the way?
4. What major obstacle have you overcome in your life and how will this help you succeed?
This year's candidates show maturity and a strong commitment to serving others and making a difference. With this fundraiser, we can all contribute for a better future.
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Contribute in any way that suits you:
- By check made out to The Centered Place (please write "QHRS Scholarship Fund" on the memo line)
- Venmo (@PhilMilgrom-TCP)
- PayPal (paypal.me/TheCenteredPlace
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Zelle (philmilgrom@comcast.net)
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Palestine Children's Relief Fund
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Help provide urgent humanitarian care for Gaza's children.
Over one million children hang in the balance amidst the crisis in Gaza. PCRF is the primary humanitarian organization in Palestine, delivering crucial and life-saving medical relief and humanitarian aid where it is needed most. Access to essential resources like food, clean water, and healthcare is severely limited. Urgent action is needed.
With your support, PCRF can continue this vital work, ensuring that the over one-million children of Gaza receive the urgent care they need and deserve. The PCRF website gives more information: https://www.pcrf.net/.
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W. Brookfield Sharing Cupboard Food Pantry | |
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Special note: There are many hungry and destitute people living around us. They are very appreciative of the service the pantry provides. Volunteers are always welcome.
We continue collecting donations of money, food and other items weekly for the West Brookfield Sharing Cupboard Food Pantry. Top priority includes non-perishable food such as regular sized (not large) canned proteins (meats or beans), dried beans, grains, peanut butter or other nut butters, powdered milk and cheese that does not have to be refrigerated, cookies, crackers, coffee, condiments (mayonnaise, ketchup, mustard, etc.), canned or packaged soups. Organic is appreciated by many. Also, toilet paper and paper towels. You can also bring cleaning supplies, hand cleaners, and can openers. There is a box in our mudroom where you can drop off your contributions. Thank you in advance!
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Water Dispensing at The Centered Place | |
To reduce usage of single-use plastic bottled water, we now have a glass LifeStraw pitcher of water for you with reusable aluminum cups. (You can take the cup with you or leave it with us to be washed for reuse.)
The LifeStraw pitcher includes a BPA-free filter that removes PFAS, chorine, lead, microplastics, bacteria and other unwelcome ingredients. (It removes 99.999999% of bacteria and 99.999% of microplastics.) Yet the filter retains minerals like magnesium and potassium that are good for your health. Using this pitcher can save over 2,000 single-use plastic bottles per year! That means it can help keep plastic water bottles out of our parks, oceans and streets. Note that the town of Warren has recently upgraded its water system but by state law has had to chlorinate the water. So we no longer drink from our tap.
You can still bring your own bottle of water and refill it as needed at the studio. If you don't have your own bottle, we will still have a few bottles of water available for you to take with you for your drive home.
Lifestraw offers a variety of products, including straw filters, bottle filters, and gravity filters, some of which can be used for outdoors (camping, hiking, etc). Also, LifeStraw has humanitarian initiatives working to improve the health and quality of lives for people around the globe. Every LifeStraw product purchases gives a child in need safe water for an entire year. For more information, see the LifeStraw website.
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What is the Safest Reusable Water Bottle? | A common question asked about reusable water bottles is will this bottle be safe to drink from every day? It's important to know that your bottles are safe for you and your family to use. This 22-minute video takes a closer look at seven types of water bottle materials: plastic, stainless steel, glass, aluminum, copper, silicone, and titanium. It can give you a better understanding of the available options on the market today so you can make the best decision for your situation. Click below. Note that the information that comes with the video includes a clickable list of topics that allows you to jump ahead to the topics of most interest. | |
Did you know?
Healthy Quaboag is an initiative whose objective is to address health disparities and improve the quality of life in the Quaboag Valley region. It strives to implement prevention strategies and health initiatives that include a Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP), a Food Policy Council, Rural Vaccine Equality Initiative, Education to Employment collaboration, Youth Advisory Council in partnership with Quaboag Hills Subsance Use Alliance, and Youth Mental Health First Aid. Healthy Quaboag is based in Ware and supports the following towns:
Barre, Belchertown, Brimfield, Brookfield, East Brookfield, Hardwick, Holland, Ludlow, Monson, New Braintree, North Brookfield, Palmer, Spencer, Wales, Ware, Warren, West Brookfield, and Wilbraham.
Healthy Quaboag invites community members and organizations to get involved.
I have volunteered to work with the Food Policy Council, which is currently gathering data about the accessibility of nutritious foods and the rates of food insecurity experienced by local residents. The data being collected will help the council understand gaps in service and actual needs in the local commuunity. Since volunteering for the Sharing Cupboard Food Pantry, I have noticed many folks do not have the money and resources to access and purchase nutritious foods. For example, my town of Warren has only a couple convenience stores that have minimal fresh produce, if any, with relatively high prices.
Examples of programs that the Food Council could bring to the region include mobile markets, more farmers markets, gardening clubs in schools, farming funding and educational training.
The Healthy Quaboag monthly newsletter is informative. It includes valuable information about food (handling fresh foods, food expiration dates for canned and dried foods, and food FAQs. The month of May being Mental Health Awareness month, it includes the following helpful chart. To get on Healthy Quaboag's mailing list, call 413-478-2526 or email.
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The CHIP program is looking for community members to serve on the following working groups: Transportation, Mental Health, Housing, and Access to Healthcare Providers. You would help in the decision-making process regarding actions to be taken to improve the health of the region. Contact Arianna Palano to learn more.
The Access to Healthcare Providers working group is looking for interested healthcare providers and consumers to share their experiences with healthcare access (personal or professional). The inaugural meeting is on Tuesday, May 14, from 4:30 to 5:30 pm. Contact Nisha Humayun to learn more.
The Education to Employment initiative is offering a $25 gift card to anyone aged 18 to 26 who will complete their online survey. Contact Nisha Humayun to learn more.
The Youth Advisory Council is recruiting youths ages 13 to 18 to join and help provide positive change to their schools and communities. The council needs help promoting health initiatives within their schools and communities and on social media, and also with creating activities or events to support current health programs. For more information, contact the Youth Engagement Coordinator, Jillian Routhier.
For more information about Healthy Quaboag, call 413-478-2526 or email or go to the Healthy Quaboag website.
For up-to-date information, follow Healthy Quaboag on social media:
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Class Schedule: Onsite and Online | All classes are offered onsite and online except Thursday mornings, which are onsite only. You can join the Experienced class Friday mornings if you know the basic poses and need little assistance. If you are new or need assistance, start with Thursday or Saturday mornings if you can, or sign up for a private introductory session. | |
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Mondays
5:30 to 7 pm Continuing Svaroopa® Yoga
Tuesdays
9:00 to 10:30 am Continuing Svaroopa® Yoga
6:30 to 8:30 pm Svaroopa® Yoga+Meditation
Wednesdays
5:00 to 6:30 pm Continuing Svaroopa® Yoga
Thursdays (On-site only)
9 to 10:30 am Continuing Svaroopa® Yoga
Fridays
10:00 to 11:30 am Experienced Svaroopa® Yoga
Saturdays
10:00 to 11:30 am Continuing Svaroopa® Yoga (except March 9th; class will be on Sunday that weekend)
To ensure a space in the studio or to obtain Zoom join information, please contact us.
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Class Fees
For in-studio and online class fees, visit our website. Pay by cash, check, Venmo (@PhilMilgrom-TCP), Zelle (philmilgrom@comcast.net) or PayPal (paypal.me/TheCenteredPlace).
Discounts are available for retired seniors. Scholarships are available for students with financial need.
Gift certificates are available. Give a loved one a gift that keeps giving.
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Testimonials
"Thanks again for teaching such inspirational classes. I truly do look forward to them all week. I love the idea to keep working toward staying in touch with my Inner Self, especially in the midst of all the chaos and change that is surrounding me." ~ Diane C.
"I'm so grateful that you have the online classes available for those of us in other places. It's a real gift and treat to see you every week and to ahve your guidance for my practice." ~ Maureen B.
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Yoga Provides Significant Cognitive Benefits to Women at Risk of Alzheimer's Disease | Thanks to Melody Treadwell for sharing her copy of a professional publication that includes a synopsis of the results of a UCLA Health study showing yoga provides comprehensive cognitive benefits for older women at risk for Aalzheimer's disease.
"Women have about twice the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease compared with men due to several factors, including longer life expectancy, changes in estrogen levels during menopause, and genetics...
The research showed that yoga restored neural pathways, prevented brain matter decline, and reversed aging and inflammation-associated biomarkers..." | |
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Masks Are Optional and Available at the Studio
We have plenty of air circulation and air filters.
If you feel ill, have a cough or runny nose, or might have been exposed to someone who tested positive, it's best to stay home, even if you tested negative. Feel free to join classes via Zoom until you feel better.
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Scent-Free Studio
Help us accommodate those who are chemically sensitive to fragrances and other scented products. Thank you!
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"There are two great days in a person's life: the day we are born and the day we discover why." ~ William Barclay
We wish the following students and friends a very happy birthday. Those whose names are in bold are students who are currently attending classes. Wish we could embolden the rest of you!
Janice Hill (3rd), George Treadwell & Dora Brunelle (5th), Pat Burnham (7th), Brenda Turner (9th), Kathy Bonvie (11th), Anne Renaud Jones (12th), Jim Dusty (13th), Bill Pelletier & Muriel Canterbury (14th), Pam Hinckley (19th), Ann Turley (20th), Karen Miller (21st), Ellen Canavan & Theresa Baldassarri (23rd), Sandy Pincince (25th)
The best things about birthdays? You get to celebrate another year of being awesome.
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Freebies and Other Offerings from Swami Nirmalananda and the Ashram | |
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Free audio recordings of Swami Nirmalananda discourses are available online. Listen from home or during your travels. Listen
from your cell phone or PC at https://svaroopa.org/audio-recording
You can also join Swami Nirmalananda online in meditation every morning, by subscription.
Swami's latest book is titled Living Mysticism 2024, A Calendar Journal. There's a page for each day of the year, each with a unique inspiring quote on the top. The rest of the page is blank for you to write or draw about your meditations or your life, or both. Or you can use the daily quote as a jumping off point, to contemplate the teaching more deeply.
Another recently published book is Yoga: Embodied Spirituality, subtitled Navigating the Inner Quest for Wholeness. We have several signed copies for sale in the studio.
For more information, see https://svaroopa.org/books
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From Swami Nirmalananda
"The words you hear, the words you say and especially the words you think are very important...
Your use of words usually pours into limitation and negativity. Mantra reverses the process."
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And finally, this reminder. If you head to Maine, you can find these towns. This sign starts in the town of Friendship. Photo by Peter Ralston of Maine, provided by his friend Heather Cox Richardson, writer of Letters from an American. | |
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The most inspiring video of 2017. A nice one to honor Mother's Day, too.
"You spend your whole life trying to get your parents off your back only to realize they're the only ones who really have your back."
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Mom Gags
- You know you are a mom when you understand on a deep level why Mama Bear's porridge was too cold.
- Good moms let you lick the beaters after making brownies. Real good moms turn the beaters off first.
- What did the mommy spider say to the teen-y spider? "You spend too much time on the web!"
- What kind of candy do moms love for Mother's Day? Her-she's Kisses
- Some days I do yoga and don't yell at my kids. Some days I scream at them while eating cake over the kitchen cake. It's called "balance."
- Ever heard of a job that requires no experience, gives no training, pays nothing and you can't quit? That's motherhood. Oh, and people's lives depend on it.
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"Mom, what is it like having the greatest daughter in the world?"
"I don't know. Ask your grandmother."
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Is Gardening for the Birds?
I'll never forget the look on the cashier's face when she scanned the bag of bird seed, and I asked her how long does it take for the birds to grow once I plant them.
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Before you go, notice what's at your feet, outside and inside. | |
Problems Receiving Newsletters?
(Ok, if you are reading this, you probably aren't having that problem. But you could be reading this from our website, or it could have been forwarded to you by a thoughtful friend!)
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Keep company with good thoughts and a grateful heart.
Love and peace,
Phil and Nancy
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