IT’S ALL ABOUT THE L♥VE…

Sunday, February 12th  9:00am – 11:30am

Calvert MMA Academy Sunderland, MD

♥Your yoga mat is the perfect place to make deeper connections!  In this Master Class, we will work on moving further into our practice with a partner!  You will discover how meditative it can be to breathe with someone.  Go deeper into poses.  You will be more relaxed at the end of your practice, because of your partner.♥

♥Bring your spouse, significant other, family member or best friend – or, join us on your own and grab a partner when you get there!  Either way, you will breathe deeper, trust deeper and be more compassionate.♥

$25/person:  Payment due upon arrival

Cash or check (made payable to Beth Cory) only, please

Please bring:  Yoga mat, blocks, water and towel

**PLEASE RSVP ASAP**

SETTING AN INTENTION FOR THE NEW YEAR

Sunday, January 8th  9:00am – 11:30am

Calvert MMA Academy Sunderland, MD

It’s that time again….. Time to make your New Year’s resolution!  What will it be this time — lose weight, exercise more, break a bad habit???  But how often do we make these promises to ourselves, only to break them by the middle of February, then beat ourselves up for it?  Let’s do something different in 2012…..let’s create a Sankalpa.

Sankalpa: “Will; purpose; determination.  A solemn vow or declaration of purpose to perform any ritual observance.”  Sankalpa focuses our energy and prevents distraction and confusion.  Your Sankalpa is your intention…similar to the intentions we set at the beginning of our classes.

Before you arrive at this Master Class, think long and hard about the positive change you would like to create in 2012, and beyond.  Create a Sankalpa, write it down on a piece of paper, and bring it with you.

We will breathe it in, breathe it out, incorporate it into our movement, and make it the focus of our meditation.  We will also discuss the obstacles we may face when incorporating our Sankalpa into our everyday lives.

$25/person:  Payment due upon arrival

Cash or check (made payable to Beth Cory) only, please

Please bring:  Yoga mat, blocks, water and towel

**PLEASE RSVP ASAP**

Give the Gift of Yoga!

Contact me today about gift certificates for private Yoga instruction!

Email beth.cory@yogaall.com or call 301-642-2093 for more info.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS FROM YOGA FOR ALL!!!

I’ve intentionally been a little more quiet these last 8 days or so, for several reasons.  I wanted to give everyone participating their own space – free of any  opinion or influence.  I wanted you to do this on your own, to show up for YOU.  And I found that practice for me over the last week has been very personal.  A lot of meditation and contemplation, a lot of (very) necessary layer-peeling.

When you think about it, this is pretty powerful – putting yourSELF first for 40 days.  How often do we end up last on our own list?  How often do we neglect something that seems so basic – conscious breathing?  How much better do you feel?

Keep practicing…

It is said that the number 40 has spiritual significance.  40 days to bring about spiritual transformation, to have a purifying effect.  A person 40 years of age attains true understanding.  40 days of rain purified the world, and so on…..  Regardless of your belief system, there is a very positive effect of practicing for 40 consecutive days.

There is no guarantee that you’ll be an “enlightened” being after 40 days, but I’ll guarantee you’ll be looking at the world differently.  You’ll be more compassionate, and less judgmental.  If you are committed to the next 10 days and “Going for 40,” I will offer this suggestion for your practice:  Meditation.   Meditation, meditation, meditation.  Sit quietly, and listen.  Offer loving-kindness to someone you need to forgive, or to someone who simply presents a challenge to your life.

For example, “I forgive you, _________ .  May you be safe.  May you be happy.  May you be healthy.”   Maybe fill in the blank with a different name each day?  Maybe on day 40 you fill in the blank with your own name?

For the next 10 days, in addition to your asana practice, meditate – for at least 20 minutes each day.  You do have 20 minutes every day.

Let’s do this.

DAY 28 – I purposely waited until the evening to sit for meditation.  My intention was to create a positive intention for Sunrise Yoga to take with me into sleep.  Lots of prayers, lots of breath, lots of smiles and positive thought.

DAY 29 – Fall Equinox Sunrise Yoga.  I woke at 4;30 with the same smile I was wearing the night before.  I continued with the same intention, chanted Gayatri the whole drive down to North Beach.  Once I arrived I sat in my car, breathed and meditated on the beauty of the day.  It was chilly.  It was blustery.  But it was beautiful.  THANK YOU to the nearly 60 people who showed up for Sunrise Yoga!  Your dedication to your practice and your community is inspiring!

DAY 30 – When you get on your mat every day, you learn something new every day.  Whether it’s emotional, energetic or physical – there’s always a lesson there, waiting to be conveyed.  For me, today it was my foot placement in Revolved Triangle.  One simple adjustment in how my weight was distributed in my front foot created a brand new pose.  This is one of the reasons I love this practice so much!

It truly blows me away that 25 days have passed in our 30-day practice together.  Every day I am overwhelmed by the outpouring of support and commentary from you all.  I never realized how necessary this commitment was for me, too.  I’ve taken this very seriously, and have chosen to do some serious soul-searching and self-examination as a part of this practice.  I feel lighter, brighter and happier about my future as a result.  Don’t get me wrong, I still have my “gloomy” moments, but I’m really trying (harder than ever) to embrace my own Spirit.

Soooo……since the 30-day mark is fast-approaching and has come and gone so quickly….. Is anyone up for 40 days???  That’s where it’s said the greater shift of transformation occurs.