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Greetings
Why is April called April? According to www.dictionary.com, one theory is that the name is rooted in the Latin Aprilis, which is derived from the Latin aperire meaning "to open"— which could refer to the opening or blossoming of flowers and trees.
Another theory is that it derives from the Greek Apphodite, the Greek goddess of love.
Either way, April describes you. You are blossoming. While the blossoms in nature grow toward the sun, yoga's practices have you grow toward the light and love found within.
Within is where you find the source of light and love. The source is your divine essence (aka svaroopa or Self). From there, both light and love flourish even when the sun is not shining. Please remember this when the weather seems gloomy. Remember you don't have to be gloomy, too! And see the Focus Practice of the Month feature further below, featuring a yoga pose that uplifts you and brings up joy at will.
Looking within does not mean turning a blind eye to what's outside. You find the source within yourself and then you come to see the same source within all those around you. I like the following quote from the Greek philosopher Empedocles (also later attributed to Voltaire):
|  | Let your light and love shine outward to light and warm the hearts of those around you. Let your heart radiate with divine love to light up the world around you. | | |
- Announcements & Reminders
- Focus Activity for this Month
- Meditation Made Easy with Phil starting May 2
- This Month's Fundraisers: Our QRHS Scholarship Drive plus Gaza Emergency Relief & Food Pant
- Class Schedule & Fees
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- Testimonials
- Health Precautions
- A Cavalier Student
- 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 | |
- Monday's 5:30 class on April 29 is onsite only (No Zoom that date only)
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- Half Day Program in Natick MA with Swami Samvidananda Saturday April 6, 9:00 am to 1 pm
- Free Yoga for Stress Relief 3:00 to 4:30 pm
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- Half Day Program in Henniker New Hampshire with Swami Satrupananda
Saturday April 13, 9:00 am to 1 pm
- Free Yoga for Pain Relief 3:00 to 4:30 pm
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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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Focus Practice of the Month | |
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You Don't Have to Wait for the Sun to Shine for You to Shine
The photo at right and the following quote are from Swami Nirmalananda's recent Facebook post:
"Hasta Padasana - arms up in the air - brings up joy. It's reliable. You don't have to wait for spring. You can do it anytime.
I planted these forsythia and now they're bigger than me. That's what I want all my students to do - to grow greater than me.
That's the best present you can give me."
Give yourself the best Present, too: Joy in this very moment, and in any moment you choose. Arms up! It's the Hasta Padasana pose. Lift your heart. Bring up the joy.
I have already started teaching the pose this past week and will continue for a few weeks straight. Join me. Join with your Joy.
Arms up!
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This May:
Meditation Made Easy with Phil
In just 3 sessions, learn to meditate the Svaroopa® way and establish a consistent, enjoyable daily practice.
Thursdays 5:30 to 7:30 pm May 2, 9 and 16
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- On day 1, learn to meditate, then learn a variety of new skills each week after
- Get deeper more quickly than other meditation styles
- Receive individualized coaching and answers to your questions
- Develop a regular, rewarding practice
- Already meditating? Give your practice a jumpstart and experience a vast difference than other meditation styles
- Quiet and calm your mind to experience who you really are
- Experience your own Divine Essence, the bliss and peace of Being: Enjoy your Self!
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Class size is limited. Sign up soon.
Offered both onsite and online (Zoom)
Taught by Phil
Fee: $90 if paid by April 25; $135 after You will then be able to take the next offering of Deepen Your Meditation (this Fall).
More information
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Comments from students who took the course already: | |
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“If you have any interest or curiosity about meditation, I can’t
imagine a better way to be introduced to it.” ~ P. Sullivan
“It helped me look at the practice of meditation differently. I now realize I can do it. I sleep better and am more present in my life.” ~ C. Wessels
“This was life changing. I have been searching for something to make my life more centered, balanced and calm. Meditation is the answer.” ~ S. Peterson
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Our Annual High School Scholarship Drive | |
Help Us Support a Deserving Student Aspiring to Attend College
For the past three years, we have been able to provide generous scholarships because of you!
The Centered Place guarantees a contribution of at least $250. We hope you will help us grow the amount to ensure substantial support for the student that we select to receive the scholarship. A college education will give that student a huge boost, but that student will also be given the burden of tuition fees, book costs, living expenses and so much more. Please help!
Scholarship candidates fill out an application, provide three letters of recommendation and write 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?
Soon our scholarship committee will review applications and select the most deserving student. Sometimes we select multiple students to receive scholarships. If you would like to participate on our selection commitee, please contact us.
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Contributte 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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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 ta gift that keeps giving.
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Testimonials
"I am enjoying your classes. They are a bright spot in my week. Thank you for your relaxed, yet precise style." ~ Deb E.
"Thank you both. Yoga has made my life so much better ❤️💗"
~ Carol S.
"Felt so many new things and learned more about myself [in meditation class]. Very inspiring. I have an opening into my body and mind that I have not had with other meditation or yoga. Thank you." ~ Barb C.
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Masks Are Optional and Available at the Studio
COVID is still around. Masks are welcomed. We will wear ours. Class sizes will continue to be limited to assure social distancing in the studio. We also 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, please do not come to the studio, even if you tested negative. Feel free to join classes via Zoom until you are symptom free.
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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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Marie Thibeault's Millie, a Cavalier therapy dog. Lots of therapy! Also, lots of potential for yoga. | |
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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!
Wayne Claybourne (1), Cheryl Dauksewich (2), Jon Hogan (4th), Denise Hills (7th), Susan Szabelski (8th), Christine Powers & Marie Checkosky (10th), Diane Gustafson and Jamie Cieslak (11th), Tara Opalinski (14th), Linda Hamill (16th), Rita Bennett (18th), Gayle Aroian (19th), Lori Dwyer, Linda Higgins & Maureen Blake (20th), Nancy DiMaggio (24th), Deborah Ennis & Judy Kohn (25th), Diane Connell, Nancy Gray, Amy Ouellette, Patty Sayre, & JoAnn Kass (26th), Susan (Abhya) Gitlitz & Karen Kennedy (27th), Jackie Korzec & Carole Richard (29th)
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
"What is the essence that is found in every human heart? What is it about a human being that, no matter who they are, where they have been and what they have done, that there is still some essence, an essence of vital importance? Whether we consider convicted criminals on Death Row or a child who is lost in the woods, each one is important.
Each one is a human being.
Each one matters.
There is something in every human.
What do you call that essence, found in every human heart?
...In yoga, heart means the core, the underlying foundational essence of being. In this way, heart is synonymous with the word svaroopa, which means your own Self."
"...What's there in the center of your heart? When you get all the way into the center of yoru heart, it's a vast space of pure Beingness. That space is not empty. It is full -- of you. The you that's in there is svaroopa, your own ... Self.
"... Sit in a steady pose with a comfortably upright spine...you settle easily into your heart, svaroopa."
"Truly, only God can fill the hole in your heart. And where do you find God? Inside."
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"All your life, you will be faced with a choice. You can choose love or hate... I choose love."
"When God forgave me, I figured I'd better do it too."
Johnny Cash, 1932 - 2003
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"The Last Repair Shop" ~ Academy Award winner for best documentary short. 40 minutes.
"They aren't repairing instruments - they are repairing kids, repairing families, repairing communities. And, last but not least, they are repairing themselves. What a beautiful film." @Karvol123
"What a beautiful film. This should be required viewing by school boards and anyone who understands (or doesn't understand) the value of our public schools." @kenbrown9433
"I smiled, I cried and I felt great joy. This is an incredible gift to humanity. I cannot thank you enough." @lovelyskull3483
"Absolutely beautiful. If we are to be a civilized country, one of the things we must ensure is the access to music for every child. Please support the arts at all levels, and wherever it is found." @mssusanmarie
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Changing to Daylight Savings Time Isn't Easy for Everyone: | |
Pun Time
She was only a whiskey-maker, but he loved her still.
No matter how hard you push the envelope, it will still be stationery.
Two silk worms had a race. They ended up in a tie.
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Last Bites of the Month
Jollyologist Allen Klein
- Day 12 without chocolate. Lost hearing in my left eye.
- Accidentally rubbed Ketchup in my eyes. Now have Heinzsight.
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On the Way Up
A little boy was riding the elevator at a breathtaking speed to the 40th floor of a skyscraper.
With eyes as big as saucers, he asked his father, "Daddy, does God know we're coming?"
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Have hope, patience and perseverance. Shine your light that others may also have hope.
Peacefully yours,
Phil and Nancy
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