MAY 2021
"One reason people resist change is because they focus on what they have to give up, instead of what they have to gain."
Letter from ICY Owners, John and Jeanne

A wise man adapts himself to circumstances, as water shapes itself to the vessel that contains it. - Chinese Proverb


To our beloved teachers, students, friends, and ICY community,

First, thank you for your understanding and patience with the time it has taken us to fully assess the future of Inner Connections Yoga. We apologize for the lack of communication as we struggled to grapple with what to do. Our attorney has kept us on track with the best advice and support possible.

We want to share some sad news with you. As of Friday, May 21st, Inner Connections Yoga & Wellness, ROCK Salt Therapy & CommuniTEA is closed.

We made it through the pandemic! With the help and support of loyal clients, friends, volunteers, and instructors, the studio was able to survive as many other yoga studios, gyms, and wellness centers permanently shut their doors. We were proud of our ability to fund the continued operations of the studio with a COVID SBA loan and excited to see new clients venturing in and seasoned yogis returning to their yoga home. We loved the excitement each new day brought and the stories of resiliency shared by our instructors, volunteers, and clients as we moved through a world wide pandemic.

And then we decided it was time for us to move.

John needed a change of altitude for health reasons. He has some longer-term effects from a head injury he sustained from the car accident a few years ago and it seems that having COVID increased some of the intensity of his pain as well as putting us both in the category of COVID long haulers. As I shared with some of my closest friends, if moving gives me more years with John, I would happily move every year! Thus, with our hearts broken open into new capacity, holding more of both our own and the world’s suffering and joy, despair and hope, we moved to South Carolina. And now, Inner Connections Yoga is closed.

Over the last few months we have had 4 different parties come forward to purchase the studio. All of them were capable, wonderful, committed, and would have taken great care of the ICY yoga community with love, support, and respect. We broke hearts and spirits each time the sale fell through because of our inability to sell the studio in the time of COVID loans. Nothing was happening quickly enough to get us to South Carolina and to protect the integrity of the studio.

We have learned so many incredibly important lessons as studio owners, trainers, instructors, and world travelers over the last 20+ years - about friendships, boundaries, about saying no, about leadership, about failure, and about our own limitations and our own capacities and strengths. This is the part of the story where all of our stories converge.

This, sweet friends, is yoga. We sit back, become the observer, and begin to see clearly where in our lives we are holding on, clinging too tightly, and not allowing for space and grace. Gradually we choose again and again to trust, to be at peace, and to let go. 

For those of you who felt that ICY was home, please do not lose heart, We are still working on a plan that involves the studio being reopened with one of the parties that was looking at purchasing it from us (Eddy Krumholz and Tina Cardwell). They will have more resources and energy and passion to continue the ICY community and to transform it into something radiant, healing, and a place to call home.

We are refunding balances on yearly memberships and have stopped billing. Those of you who were on auto-withdrawal that occurred on or after May 8th, we are refunding dues to your credit cards.

We appreciate and are so grateful to those of you who stayed with us during COVID and supported the studio financially to keep it afloat by attending classes and purchasing memberships. We are more grateful than you know! For those who called, sent cards, and brought gifts to keep us going, you helped us soar with gratitude and love.

Thank you to all of you who welcomed us to this community over 20 years ago. The faces of the people we won't see in our beautiful space anymore keep popping up in front of us and our faces are covered in tears. We know there are countless people who have found something special within our walls—countless people motivated by love and the earnest desire to feel better, or to help others feel better. Thank you. Just thank you for this experience. Thank you for sharing your love with us, helping us build a yoga home, a community of yoga practitioners all working to be the the best human beings we can be, and giving us the lessons of a lifetime.

Keep showing up on your mat; maybe we'll be practicing beside each other again soon. We hope so.
A message from Jeanne and John Adams, owners of ICY from 2002-2021, for ICY. We will miss you! Thank you for many years of support, love, and kindness.
"Your highest good is your north star. It's a shining light connecting you with your soul and guiding you towards wisdom, inner peace and your divine purpose. When you follow your highest good you can't help but to discover your true self. You let go of all the 'shoulds' and start living in authentic alignment with YOU."
YOGA IN THE PARK

Don't miss out on great summer yoga!

Join Eddy Krumholz, Tina Cardwell, and our wonderful ICY team of instructors for Yoga in the Park at Philip S. Miller Park. Free Yoga starts the first Sunday in June and ends the last Sunday in August. Classes are taught 9:00 am-10:00 am at the amphitheater at the west end of the park, just beyond the fields.

Join ICY instructors for additional classes on the following Wednesdays at Festival Park as part of Wellness Wednesdays in Downtown Castle Rock from 5:30 pm-6:30 pm: June 9, June 23, July 7, and July 21.

Let Go and Let Life Flow

The idea of "Let Life Flow” happens when we can flow with the changes life brings, rather than grip, grasp, hold tightly, and fight. This seems a natural thing to do. All of nature and most animals operate with this principle and are in harmony with it. Humans, on the other hand, wrestle with flow because we have free will and struggle with the constant challenge of mastering the mind. Our minds are analytical, planning, problem-solving tools. As yoga teaches, the mind is a great servant and a terrible master.

A common analogy often used in yoga helps us understand how the mind works. When a clear, glassy lake reflects the moon at night, that image is perfect; it reflects the moon but is not the moon. When the water is disturbed, the image breaks into a thousand pieces, but the moon itself remains unbroken. That is also true when our minds are agitated and our connection to God (our Source) is fragmented and turbulent.

Creating stillness and quiet in our minds is like stilling the water so the moon’s reflection can be experienced completely through our spiritual senses.
We are all like the fragmented images, a reflection of the Infinite Consciousness.

The more we can still the turbulent waters, the clearer the reflection becomes. Eventually, realization goes beyond even this, and we know we are the moon —our deepest self or soul is God, and mind is merely a temporary reflecting plate.

To be aware of this “big picture” is the experience we strive for and is the reason we have an evolved mind in the first place. Meditation cleans the pool, the mirror, the reflecting plate, so that we reflect our true being while still maintaining our individuality, our bodies, our emotions, and our soul connections with others.

Let go of the small things and embrace the larger relationships and the bigger picture of life. It is more effective to work on the long-term view than on short-term goals. The urgency of the short-term goals makes us think they are the most important, as we discovered in working to sell the studio.

If we remember the long-term goals and take time to work on them, which sometimes requires letting go of short-term goals, the “small stuff” will work out on its own. Our long-term goal for ICY was not to sell or close, or to be the best or most "liked" studio; rather, through the teaching of yoga philosophy we wanted to break open hearts, touch spirits, and help people have a relationship with their own inner Guru.

Learning How to Let Go


Aparigraha (non-possessiveness) is the fifth of the five yamas (restraints) described in the Yoga Sutra. It invites us to travel through life lightly—literally, not to hoard or hold onto objects (pari means “things,” and graha “to grasp”). Objects themselves are not the problem—it is our attitude toward them (this is mine!) that gets us into trouble. The sages say that the objects of the world are ours to use and enjoy in a balanced, moderate way, but they do not belong to us.

In our yoga classes, John and I often share that aparigraha also means letting go of anything that no longer serves us, that we no longer need, or that we have outgrown—a job, a relationship, our sense of identity, or even old attitudes and beliefs that prevent us from moving forward. Things that feed our ego like fame, adventure, power, youth, even knowledge, can also trap us in the snare of possessiveness. Aparigraha teaches us to live life in a centered way, rooted in our inner reality—not being dependent on or clinging to others, or expecting them to make us happy and fulfilled.

The Yoga Sutra also teaches that attachment arises from fear, and the root cause of fear is avidya (ignorance). We are afraid we won’t have enough, of not having something when we need it, of not being loved, of being alone, of the unknown, and of dying. Each time we stray from our true nature and look outside ourselves for the support we crave we experience ignorance and fear and then become possessive. When we come to our mats in meditation, we are more connected to our inner Self and can let go more easily. When we are disconnected from our Self we tend to hold tightly to thoughts, ideas, possessions.

Taking time every day for silent meditation is one of the best ways to still the mind enough to glimpse this level of consciousness. Read the teachings of great masters and philosophers. Practice yoga or other activities that are spiritual in nature that help you contemplate your life and mission from a bigger perspective. Anything that helps you look at your life through the big picture lens will be helpful to you. In addition, practicing being present can get your mind into the now and help you experience the big picture rather just than thinking about it.

Buddha shared, "Quiet the mind and the soul will speak." Make sure you are ready to listen and to receive the blessings that already are.
Indian Shepherd's Pie
 Cook Time: 45 minutes  Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes  Yield: 8  
Category: main, vegetarian,  Method: stovetop  Cuisine: Indian
 
Description
Indian-Spiced, Vegetarian Shepherd’s Pie with lentils, veggies and fragrant Garam Masala, topped with curry mashed potatoes. Truly one of the most delicious vegetarian dinner recipes!

Ingredients
  • 2 1/2 lbs potatoes (Yukon gold, red, or any thin-skinned) (or use 5 cups leftover mashed potatoes, with curry powder)
  • 4 tablespoons, ghee, butter, or vegan butter (ghee tastes the BEST)
  • 1/2 cup plain yogurt (or sour cream)
  • 1/2 cup milk, half and half or heavy cream
  • 1 teaspoon salt, more to taste
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  • 1–2 teaspoons yellow curry powder, more to taste
Filling
  • 2 1/2 cups cooked lentils ( 3/4 cup -1 cup dry)
  • 2 tablespoons ghee, or olive oil
  • 1 large onion, diced
  • 4 cloves garlic, rough chopped
  • 2 cups diced carrot, (2–3 carrots)
  • 2 cups diced celery ( 2–3 ribs)
  • 2 teaspoons garam masala, more to taste
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • 1 teaspoon coriander
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  • 2 teaspoons dried fenugreek leaves
  • 1 cup veggie broth
  • 1 cup frozen peas ( or corn, or green beans- or use fresh)
Gravy:

optional garnish: scallions, chives, or cilantro

Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350F
  2. Cook Potatoes: Cut potatoes in one-inch slices ( if small, just in half) and place in a large pot. Cover with one-inch salted water. Bring to a boil, lower heat, cover and simmer until very tender about 20-25 minutes.
  3. Cook lentils: Set lentils to cook in salted water (unless cooked already – and you could absolutely do this ahead) about 20-25 minutes (see notes) simmer until tender, but not falling apart, al dente.
  4. Make the filling: In a large 10-12 inch ovenproof skillet (or wide, shallow dutch oven) -heat the ghee over medium high heat and saute the onion 2-3 minutes, lower heat to med, add garlic, saute 2 minutes, add carrots, celery, cook 5-7 minutes. Add salt, cumin, coriander, fenugreek leaves and garam masala.
  5. Add broth. Bring to a simmer, cover and simmer on med low, until carrots are cooked through about 7-8 minutes.
  6. While this is simmering, MAKE THE GRAVY: Over medium heat, in a little pot, simmer the whole seeds (cumin seeds and fennel seeds) in ghee or oil until fragrant and golden. Add flour, whisking, stirring and toasting the flour one minute. Gradually whisk in the warm veggie broth. Cook until slightly thickened. Add this gravy to the filling, along with the peas and drained lentils. Mix to combine.
  7. Taste the filling and adjust salt and pepper. Add more garam masala if you like. The filling should have thick stew-like, saucy consistency. If too dry, add a splash of broth or water. If too watery, simmer off some of that liquid. If the filling is too watery, the mashed potatoes will sink.
  8. Mash the potatoes: Drain the potatoes (saving some hot potato water) return to the same pot and mash with the 3-4 tablespoons ghee and yogurt. If potatoes seem dry or too stiff, add a little warm potato water to loosen. If you want extra richness a little milk, nut milk, half and half, or whipping cream is nice. I add about ½ cup. (Adding more yogurt will make these too tangy.) Season with salt, pepper and curry powder. Mash and whip until relatively smooth and light and fluffy. Taste and adjust salt.
ASSEMBLE: 
Place 8 big dollops over the lentils stew and fill in the spaces with smaller spoonfuls, carefully spreading out, maybe making a pattern with the back of the spoon, like frosting a cake.
Place in the oven until golden and bubbling, about 20-25 minutes. Feel free to brown the top under a broiler.
Garnish with scallions, chives or cilantro.
Notes
LENTILS: Cook lentils ahead of time if possible to save time. Or cook in a medium pot, with ample salted water, like you would pasta, about 20-22 minute, or al dente, then drain. Smaller lentils cook fastest. You can use tiny black “caviar” lentils for this recipe or little French Green ones. Don’t use split lentils. 
POTATOES: For speed, use thin-skinned Yukon Gold potatoes and opt not to peel them. Any thin skin potato should work here. If using russets, absolutely peel them.

Enjoy!
WE LOVE AND APPRECIATE YOU!

Namaste,
Jeanne and John Adams