Nataraja dancing against the cosmic syllable Om www.exoticindia.com
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Dear Sweet Yoga Community,
February greetings on this second eve after the first full moon of the decade.
After the moon is full, it begins to wane again, and with each day loses part of its brilliance. This movement into darkness is likened to moving into the ’shadow’, which we tend to associate with that which is unseen, unknown, and uncharted. In Jungian psychology, the shadow is an integral part of our psyche- it is the storehouse of all that we are but are afraid to show in our outward persona- not just the forbidden self, but the “gold” or the noblest part of ourselves as well. We celebrate the luminosity of the full moon, but often overlook the richness of the dark side of the moon, or even the velvet darkness of the sky that surrounds its light.
This month, we celebrate Mahashivaratri, the Great Night of Shiva. This celebration falls amidst the darkness of a moonless part of the month. Each month, the fourteenth day of the lunar cycle when the moon is waning is called Shivaratri. But of all of the Shivaratris, the one we celebrate in this month, is said to be the most significant, “Maha” or Great, and with the most heightened spiritual power. It is the night when Shiva is said to have performed the Tandava Nritya or the dance of primordial creation, preservation and destruction. This dancing Nataraj or Shiva, is depicted above as a bronze cast murti, or sculpture.
Shiva represents none other than our Highest self- the self which in its essence exists beyond duality and contradiction, and dwells in the great realm of paradox. The world of opposing ideas: light/dark, good/bad, winning/losing, eating/fasting, action/passivity, possession/poverty, sharp consciousness/ meditative consciousness, belief that more is better/ belief that less is better- keeps us in a split, a state of internal warfare and suffering, in attachment to one of a pair of opposites which gives us the illusion of safety and seeming contentment. There is a part of us that knows the precariousness of living on one side of an equation, for it keeps us in judgment and fear.
Shiva’s state of bliss in his Tandava dance is created by the supreme insight that is inclusive and celebratory of the full spectrum of experience on our human journey, all that we must suffer and endure on our path to maturation.
Yoga literally means union, and like the word “religion” whose root is religere- to bind, link, bridge- is a practice of inclusion and healing, reconciliation and acceptance. This perspective is no less than a tremendous and courageous leap in evolution where opposing forces can teach each other something and produce a depth of understanding and insight into one of the most precious qualities of humankind: a deep knowing in the heart that is born of transcendent wisdom which glimpses a realm beyond duality, one that encompasses multiplicity as the expression of the One.
We honor Shiva on Mahashivaratri with the repetition of the mantra Om Namah Shivaya, which means “I bow to and honor my highest Self.” The blessings of this mantra are said to be magnified a thousand fold on this night, and we honor this ritual as a way to focus our intentions and contemplate our unbounded state of Consciousness known as Shiva, the One Supreme Reality, who has created all the forms of this Universe.
This year, Mahashivaratri falls on February 12th. We will have our monthly Kirtan on this night rather than the second to last Friday of the month as we usually do. We are also delighted to welcome back Sundari for a Valentine’s Weekend of Anusara Yoga, “Stoke the Great Fire of the Heart.” Please look through new additions below, including a weekly Mindful Movement gathering on Monday nights with Shelly, Tuesday meditation series with Angela, Yin and Restorative yoga with Alice, a monthly sacred circle gathering with Dayna, a parent yoga coop with revolving child care during the Thursday 9am class, Tuesday and Thursday night flow with Susie and Tamara, and ongoing classes dedicated to the Anusara method of ‘aligning with the Divine.’
May we all dance in the middle of our transformation.
Love and Light,
Susie and Anna
Your vision will become clear only when you look into your heart. Who looks outside, dreams. Who looks inside, awakens. -Carl Jung
Bibliography:
Johnson, Robert A., Owning Your Own Shadow, (Harper San Francisco, 1991)
www.siddhayoga.org
ADDITIONS TO THE WEEKLY / MONTHLY SCHEDULE
-
Anusara Valentine’s weekend workshop with Sundari , one of Anusara Yoga’s most radiant certified instructors
Feb. 12,13,14
“Gifted in generosity I walk this yoga path warmed and humbled. With a soft inquiry and keen eye, my humor and expertise holds the highest intention
for the student to reveal their inner beauty and true nature.” - Sundari www.itsonlyadance.com
Stoke the Great Fire of the Heart
Join us in this magical Heart-full weekend to awaken the deep wisdom and bliss that lies in the very fabric of your own being.
Friday, 2/12, 5:30-7:30pm Fanning the heart’s flame
With Pranayama, Meditation, Hip-openers and Restorative Poses.
Saturday, 2/13, 10:00am-1:00pm Spark the Flame and Align to Freedom
with Standing Poses and Backbends
Saturday, 2/13, 2:30-4:30pm Re-kindle and Re-pose to Reflect the Inner Glow
Therapeutics for the legs with Inversions and Forward Bends
Sunday, 2/14, 9:30-12:30pm Igniting the Fire to Transform in the Opening of the Heart
with Arm Balances and Backbends
$30 for Fri. and Sat. pm; $45 for Sat. and Sun. am
-
Monday night Mindful Movement with Shelly Heilweil 7:15-8:30 pm $5 Beginning Monday Feb. 1st
Ecstatic dance is an easy, fun way to integrate all of the good work you do into your own cohesive whole. Let your body and mind, your heart and your spirit communicate freely while you effortlessly move to the sounds of world music. Stretch, energize, invigorate, release, enlarge, meditate, explore, evolve.
I started dancing in Portland, OR in 1995 while a graduate student in clinical psychology, initially as exercise. It quickly became clear that free dance, or ecstatic dance, or intentional movement—whatever one calls this form—was the most direct road into achieving my best personal balance while navigating the emotional stresses and physical strains of being a student and a practitioner. Dance is the best way I’ve found to process and to integrate daily experience into a cohesive whole. Emotional events, mental activity, and physical effort can all combine for deeper experience and greater personal understanding. Ecstatic dance is a moving meditation, a dynamic exploration, and spiritual celebration. My teachers in this form have been Vin Marti (Soul Motion & 5 Rhythms), Paula Byrne of Soma Studio, & Jen Warnock, Meshi Chavez & Winky Wheeler of the Momentum Conscious Movement Studio, and all the dancers in my fine old collective, Portland Dance Journeys. My goal is to create a vibrant Bozeman ecstatic dance community, where we all inspire one another in the dance.
-
Tuesday and Thursday evenings are $5 Flow night! 5:30-6:45pm with Tamara on Tuesdays and Susie on Thursdays.
(Cash only. Montana Lotus punch cards do not apply). Utilize the techniques you’ve learned from the Anusara’s Universal Princiles of Alignment in a fun 75-minute vinyasa flow session. This class is for all levels of yoga practitioners.
-
Continued Tuesday Meditation Series with Angela Patnode (See below)
-
Continued Wednesday Yin/Restorative series with Alice (See below)
-
Thursday Parent Coop Yoga class
beginning Feb. 11th. 9-10:30 am (This class is open to non-coop members, punch card holders, and drop ins and will be a regular all levels class taught by Anna. Class will be held Thursday Feb 4th)
Our first 5-week session begins February 11th and runs through March 11. Parents practice yoga together upstairs while the kids play together downstairs. Two parents will supervise the children during each class. Every parent will take a turn with childcare each session. This is a really sweet way to build community and meet new friends, young and old. Cost is $40 for the 5-week session. Parent drop-ins welcome one time only to see if the co-op is right for you for $12. Commitment to the session required for parents and can be pro-rated. Non-parents are welcome to join too, with the knowledge that this will be a family scene. Please contact Ashley Martens for details and registration information: ashmartens@yahoo.com (208)883-4998
-
Monthly Sacred Circle Gathering with Dayna Kopple
A circle gathering honoring sacred traditions and co-creating spiritual community the first Friday of each month from 7:30-9:00 PM. On February 5th we will be honoring in our own creative way the Sabbat of Imbolc, a time for purification and dedication.
The intention for these monthly circle gatherings is focused on creating sacred space, feeling totally safe and supported in discovering and being in our authentic nature, raising our awareness and vibration in the highest of Truth, conscious healing, guided meditations, sacred ritual, and guests from the community sharing their sacred crafts. This group is for anyone interested in co-creating spiritual community, supporting us all in our journey and evolution in into enlightenment. A $5 minimum donation is kindly requested. for more info on Dayna: www.dkhealingarts.com
YIN/RESTORATIVE YOGA with Alice Robison
WEDNESDAYS FEBRUARY 3, 10, 17, 24 5:30-7:00 pm. ongoing Session Fee Drop in fee $10 Contact Alice for info and continuing class session dates 522-0082
A Note form Alice:
Winter greetings to All.
The practice continues and I invite you to come and take a closer look at yourself. As I rededicate myself to my yoga and meditation practice, every time I come to a class or practice at home, I see that the most radical act a human being can do is to learn to love and accept themselves just as they are. Who am I? What are my core values? Am I truly happy? That’s what we take a looksee for. Through mindfulness, non-attachment, and letting go we begin to see ourselves, people, relationship, the weather, the suffering of individuals, the environment, politics, war for what it is. Not what our mind thinks it is. Stilling the senses, including the mind, allows a gate to open. All is changing (anicca). It is not concrete. When we accept this natural Truth the realm of possibility is wide and varied. The practice of loving-kindness or metta allows us to recondition the brain towards compassion for ourselves and for all beings. This is the stuff Martin Luther King Jr. and Ghandi based their revolutions on. It is not a path every individual will take up but it is a path that is available to all beings. I welcome you to take a walk while being still. All are welcome. With metta, Alice
Yin practice will concentrate on winter forms.
Yin organ: kidney meridian
Yang organ: urinary bladder meridian
Controls: reproductive organs, lower back health, urinary system, blood purification, energetic vitality
Chakras: muladhara, svadhisthana (first and second)
Season: winter
Color: blue/black
Emotions: fear/wisdom
Nourishes: head hair
Natural cycle: store
Sense organ: ear
MEDITATION CLASS with Angela Patnode
6 weeks sessions on Tuesdays, 7-8:30pm
January session ending Feb. 16
New session beginning Feb.23-March 30th
All are welcome.
Beginning meditation instructions will not be given for the new session, but people can contact Angela if they need instruction and she will meet them at 6:30pm, 1/2 hour before the class. Meditation and dharma teachings.
January session topics include sitting posture, breathing, tools for concentration, insights to the mind and why it takes us or keeps us off track in life, seeing life situations and people for what they are (not our perception), and learning to see ourselves for who we truly are.
The January session classes will start with shorter periods of meditation which will be built upon each week. Techniques for integration in daily life will also be incorporated. Cushions, blankets, and mats are provided if you do not have your own.
Taught by Angela Patnode, a practicing meditator for the past 6 years. She is currently studying in a two year spiritual program with Matthew Flickstein of the Theraveda Tradition, and is passionate in helping others live a happier, more peaceful life!
Cost: by donation to the Alchemy Center/Montana Lotus Yoga for energy use.
Any Dana (donations for the teachings) can be given at class.
No one will be turned away for lack of funds - all are welcome!
Contact Angela at angelapatnode@yahoo.com for further questions, and to find out more about continued classes.
SATURDAY COMMUNITY and CHARITY CLASSES 9-10:30 am
2/6/10 Taught by Susie, Anna or guest teachers. TBA Please check the schedule online at www.montanalotusyoga.com
2/13/10 Charity Class with Alice Robison: Come practice yin yoga that opens and regenerates the connective tissue wrapping the hips and low back. Opening to and allowing more awareness into how we sit in meditation leads us to accept our body/mind complex for what it is in the moment not how we think it is in our minds. Any questions please call Alice 522-0082
Proceeds form this class will go to the Red Cross relief for Haiti.
2/27/10 Taught by Susie, Anna or guest teachers. TBA Please check the schedule online at www.montanalotusyoga.com
ADVANCED PRACTICE
Friday Feb.19th led by Anna or Susie or guest teacher 5:00-7:00pm $15 Please check the schedule online at www.montanalotusyoga.com
COMMUNITY KIRTAN / SATSANG
We have moved the date from our regular monthly Friday to honor Maha Shivaratri: Friday Feb. 12, following Sundari’s workshop 1. Free
SATSANG ज्ञानकोश The company of the highest knowledge and Truth; the company of a Guru; contact with a person or an assembly of persons who listen to, talk about, and assimilate the Truth. This highest company also takes the form of hearing or reading the words of highest awareness, reflecting on, discussing and assimilating their meaning, meditating on the source of these words, and bringing this awareness into ones daily life. (From Indopedia.org)
KIRTAN ज्ञानकोश (Sanskrit: “to repeat”) is call-and-response chanting performed in India’s devotional traditions. (from Wikepedia.com)
ALCHEMY CENTER PRACTITIONERS AND LINKS:
DAYNA KOPPLE Conscious Healing, Massage and Bodywork www.dkhealingarts.com
DEAN WILLIAMSON Shamanic visionary work and Mentoring www.sunflowercenter.org
ELAINE DOLL Ayurveda www.blissfulbozeman.com
MICHAEL GECI-BLACK, MD Alternative Medicine www.wholehealthandhealing.com
TAMARA FAUST Thai Massage and bodywork www.tamarafaust.com
FEBRUARY CLASS SCHEDULE
Monday
7am-8:30am ALL LEVELS Susie
9am-10:30am BASICS/BEGINNERS Susie
11am-12:15pm PRENATAL (Please call Sandy 586-3754 to attend)
5:30-7:00pm ALL LEVELS Susie
7:15-8:30 pm Mindful Movement Shelly
Tuesday
9am-10:30am ALL LEVELS Susie
5:30-6:45pm Tamara $5 FLOW!
7:00-8:30 pm Meditation Class with Angela Patnode 6 weeks sessions. January session ends Feb 16th. New session Feb.23-March 30
Wednesday
10:30- Noon ALL LEVELS Anna
5:30-7:00 Alice *RESTORATIVE/YIN (Series begins Jan. 6, 13, 20, 27, Feb. 3, 10, 17, 24.) Session investment $72. $10 drop-in fee. MTLotus punchcards do not apply. Class size is limited. Please call Alice for registration and space availability 522-0082.
Thursday
7am-8:30am ALL LEVELS Anna
9am-10:30am ALL LEVELS Anna / new series beginning 2/11: PARENT YOGA COOP (Open to all students) Contact Ashley Martens for registration for coop: ashmartens@yahoo.com (208)883-4998
5:30-6:45pm $5 FLOW! Susie
Friday
9:00-10:30 am ALL LEVELS Susie
*2/12 5:30-7:30 pm SPECIAL CLASS with certified Anusara teacher Sundari Lucey $30
*5:00-7:00pm 2/19 ADVANCED PRACTICE teacher TBA. $15.
Saturday
*9-10:30am $5 Community or Charity Class taught by Susie, Anna or guest teachers.
*2/13 All levels Anusara workshop with Sundari 10:00am-1:00pm($45) 2:30-4:30pm($30)
Sunday
*2/14 All levels Anusara workshop with Sundari 9:30am-12:30pm($45)
If you are interested in using our space to host a gathering, please feel free to contact us.
Susie Walby (406) 579-2533
Anna Ourusoff Holder (406) 600-7565
WWW.MONTANALTUSYOGA.COM
WWW.MONTANALOYUSYOGA@GMAIL.COM
Kristy McFetridge is the Founder and Director of Mountain Sky Nature and Healing. She has taught wilderness survival skills, nature awareness, energy work, healing, and the philosophy of living in balance with the earth to thousands of people. She views the skills she teaches as a doorway to connect people to their highest potential. As a healer Kristy is devoted to working with individuals and groups to create harmony and healing through expanded awareness and the alignment of mind, body, and spirit. She uses a blend of ancient and modern techniques to guide each person in finding their own unique truth and way of living a more sustainable and harmonious existence. 
Callie Stolz has enjoyed sharing her passions with others through teaching yoga, teaching snowboarding and guiding people on multi-sport adventure vacations over the past decade. Callie’s love of yoga began to grow 10 years ago in Bozeman, Montana where she began to see the benefits of her practice in rehabilitating herself back to health after a snowboarding accident and facing some other serious health challenges. In the spring of 2004 Callie pursued her passion for yoga at the Sivananda Ashram in Northern California where she was certified to teach a traditional form of hatha yoga. Since then she has continued her learning and growing process through more yoga teacher trainings and workshops in Baja Mexico, India, Montana and Southern California. Callie believes it is essential to honor one’s body, mind and spirit in order to bring one’s state of being into balance. She enjoys helping others reach this goal through her work as a yoga teacher and a massage therapist. Callie also enjoys integrating all of these opportunities for growing, learning and enjoying life through guiding adventure wellness retreats.
