Posts Tagged ‘community center’

Be The Change You Wish To See

We find inspiration in climbing mountains – the views….and then we come down.

It is there, at the base, when we look toward the earth and see the reasons and inspiration to climb back up…

Looking beyond a puddle and seeing reflection, the light in the sky…

We all wander around earth, in society, and our own lives seeing things we want to change, make better, or create. Sometimes it is something within ourselves or a local community. Sometimes, it is that simple and it changes our world. Sometimes, it is that simple and it changes THE WORLD. And, of course, sometimes it takes great dedication and time to do either. What inspires you to do what you do? What has inspired you to wish you had time, the money, or the motivation to do? What can you or or kids do today, this season, this year, this lifetime?

Summer is a time of renewal and regeneration. As the summer sun shines its glorious warmth on earth and us during these months, it is a time to dream, create, and connect with ourselves and our communities. Sway nature’s dance when the wind blows, soak up the sun’s rays, listen to earth songs, flow with the ease of the rivers through the wonderful journey called living…

Yoga 4 Life’s doesn’t have a “mission.” We are growing into our community and tending to our passions; we are many full of passions and passions for many. We have lots to do! As we spread our rays and shine into a summer of walking the earth in meditations or forest, sipping nature’s harvest with our communities, working with empowerment groups, we constantly cultivate our passion centers. That is where change, dedication to community, and giving freely through our practice flows outward making a difference. It is here, in this time, we can all find those inspirations.

trav·el (trvl) v. trav·eled or trav·elled, trav·el·ing or trav·el·ling, trav·els v.intr. 1. To go from one place to another, as on a trip; journey. 2. To go from place to place as a gift or service to. 3. To be transmitted, as light or sound; move or pass. 4. To advance or proceed. 5. To go about in the company of a particular group; associate: travels within a tribe, group, or circle. 6. To move along a course, as in a groove.

traveller – a person who changes location. //traveler -individual, mortal, person, somebody, someone, soul.

The Traveling Yogis takes yoga and meditation out of four walls and into the world. It gives us the ability to be free spirits and souls with those passions reaching far and wide into the county. Who knows? Maybe beyond! Beginning our summer with Yoga for Empowerment, Girls Going Global, working with Girl Scouts, and cheerleaders, youth groups and community center after school programs is just the beginning of Yoga 4 Life. The sparks lit from these experiences send light into children and young adults. Yoga practices, nature walks, spending time on farms, in vineyards and wineries, and among like minded people allows personal growth for any body, mind, and spirit. Meditation walks through the vines, forests, hills, and valleys of Loudoun County is therapudic for us all. It is simple and some choose to be still and take in movement around them while others enjoy the movement, or journey, they experience by traveling among nature’s great beauty. Yoga on the Wine Trail is becoming more than Yoga and Wine in Loudoun County!

Yoga 4: Heart ♥ Hearth Δ Health ♥ Heath Ξ

A very fresh and new thought for us. This is Yoga on the Wine Trail and part farm, opening a winery, organic market, restaurant, and things beyond our current sight yet concept in the works. What we are already doing is bringing it together and along the way will change and grow a lot. The best part is those who are on this “wagon” with us will grow and change because of it! Still developing thought and mind path to make it happen, we will incorporate what Yoga 4 means to us and the world around us.

Beginning with the word acceptance, Yoga 4 is not a “way of life” rather ALL of life beginning with acceptance of oneself and each other. We all do things we would like to change, possibly habits we are used to and like. We are not going to change those, choose to be part of or explore activities where we feel unwelcome, not following a code of ethics or belief system set up by others, or make us feel negative and harmful emotions such as guilt or shame. The universe doesn’t look at Earth and say you can’t stay here unless you “___.” We are all part of everything in this life. We can touch anything and everything that comes in contact with us in this life. We change life around us. Life changes us.

As our Yoga studio and Yoga 4 Life is based off of the four points of Earth, Wind, Water, Fire we combine the earliest ideas of Heart – Hearth – Health – Heath.

Heart (Soul – giver of energy and light – what comes from and resides within)
Hearth (home, humility, humble, hope)
Health (heart & soul combined)
Heath (heath is defined as a tract of open land - covered with low shrubs – like heather) – the Love for nature and the world that flows out when you have Heart, Hearth and Health and you want to share it with the Heath)

We hope to see you all out this summer either in practice, at our local farms and vineyard retreats, the wine festivals, pictures online of the far away lands you journey to, and around town enjoying the beautiful sunshine! Perhaps there is a change stirring in your mind you want to work on too!

A Little Summer Something @ Yoga 4 Life:

The Shine Project is making changes and we want to help. With the Summer Solstice practices and dedications to our passions, community, ourselves, empowerment, and our studio we plan to SHINE rays through the summer from within and take in all of the warmth around us to create and celebrate why we do what we do.

With your support, we will also host a “Change Jar” in the studio and three others – total of 4. You will see us out and about shining in yellow this summer.

The CHANGE 4 CHANGE campaign benefits The Shine Project’s non-profit organization The Shine Scholarship Project. All money collected will help inner city high school students afford their first year of college. Once each jar has collected $100, and it will be put directly into The Shine Project Scholarship Fund.

“LETS CHANGE THE WORLD.”

Please visit www.myshineproject.com and see the difference one person’s dream can grow….

Shine is defined as:
1. to give forth or glow with light
2. to be bright with reflected light; glisten; sparkle.
3. to appear with brightness or clearness.
4. to excel

“I believe that all of us possess talents, skills, and abilities that can be used to literally change the world. I believe that stepping out of your comfort zone to do hard things is what gives meaning and happiness to life.”

The Shine Project is:

Going out of your comfort zone
to bring light to those who need hope.
The Shine Project emulates love, sacrifice, and
CHANGE.

“The Shine Scholarship Project is a non-profit that was created by TSP to put our beliefs in action. Its mission is to improve the lives of at-risk teens through service, education, and family involvement. We do service projects with inner city students every other week to teach them the leadership skills that are necessary for them to succeed. The money we raise goes to sending these leaders to college, so they can give back to society.You can read more about how to get involved HERE. And go ahead, let the world see you SHINE.”

Inhale to rise, exhale and fold…we don’t always choose what we inhale from what is around us. It is up to us what we exhale out. Each breath is a choice – sometimes to let go of fear, stress, disappointment, acceptance, self judgement. Then, there are those amazing moments we spread our wings, dreams, hope, love, gifts, and change the world… It is Wednesday…it’s not half over, there is half left to make it happen – Lara Ward…Y4L

IGNITE YOUR INNER FLAME!

— ♥ Namaste

- Loudoun County Yoga and Wine

- Purcellville Yoga – Photographs taken by Lara Ward

- Lucketts, Loudoun County Travelling Yogis – Photograph by Gayle T. Tiller

THIS Saturday Yoga for Empowerment

Yoga for Empowerment & Yoga 4 Life 2012

Quiet :: Caring :: Courage :: Freedom :: Renewal :: Acceptance

May 26th at 2:00pm – this 2 hour class is suitable for all levels and followed by an Outdoor Reception including a raffle.

Yoga 4 Life and other Loudoun county studios supporting this yogi community and family friendly event for a wonderful cause in Purcellville. Joining hands and hearts to help others, empowering ourselves through giving in our practice together.

Our Mission:: Yoga for Empowerment is what we do but it is not the events or practices, it’s an energy – the force behind holding these events and how it can positively give back to our Loudoun County community. This is what keeps us teaching and embracing the opportunities to bring our local youth to yoga and the philosophy behind the words empowerment, joy, happiness, acceptance, self-love, graditude, honoring the present, giving, and inspiration.

Each choice we make causes a ripple effect in our lives. When things happen to us, it is the reaction we choose that can create the difference between the sorrows of our past and the joy in our future. — Chelle Thompson

Francesca will lead a back bending and heart opening practice with a little balance for fun! It will be a full body energizing practice incorporated with peak poses to enlighten both beginner students as well as advanced yogis.

Within each of us is a hidden store of energy. Energy we can release to compete in the marathon of life. Within each of us is a hidden store of courage, courage to give us the strength to face any challenge. Within each of us is a hidden store of determination. Determination to keep us in the race when all seems lost. — Roger Dawson

This is the our third YFE event. Check out our Workshops page for details about this donations only class. Donations go directly to the Loudoun Abused Women’s Shelter in Leesburg, Virginia. For more information about LAWS and other Loudoun County Fundraisers: www.lcsj.org

♥ Õ ♥ Earth Teach Me

~ a Native American Ute Prayer

Earth teach me quiet ~ as the grasses are still with new light.
Earth teach me suffering ~ as old stones suffer with memory.
Earth teach me humility ~ as blossoms are humble with beginning.
Earth teach me caring ~ as mothers nurture their young.
Earth teach me courage ~ as the tree that stands alone.
Earth teach me limitation ~ as the ant that crawls on the ground.
Earth teach me freedom ~ as the eagle that soars in the sky.
Earth teach me acceptance ~ as the leaves that die each fall.
Earth teach me renewal ~ as the seed that rises in the spring.
Earth teach me to forget myself ~ as melted snow forgets its life.
Earth teach me to remember kindness ~ as dry fields weep with rain.

♥ Õ ♥ Namaste

~ Lara

Living on a Lunar Calendar

The Moon – How it Affects Our Energy and Yoga Practice

As many folks know, this Saturday will be a full moon. Because the moon will be the closest to the Earth for this year on Saturday, the press calls this full moon a ‘supermoon’ because it will appear larger than usual when it rises on the eastern sky around dusk. If the sky is clear make sure you set aside some time to watch it rise!

I think most of us who live in the modern Western world don’t pay much attention to the moon unless we read about some event in the news. Yet, if we take time to understand the lunar cycles just a bit, following the moon can be extremely rewarding. It even feels more natural once you understand the rhythms.

The calendar that we have in the United States is based on a solar phenomenon, which is the rotation of the Earth around the sun. It takes about 365.25 days for the Earth to complete it’s journey around the sun, and we base on calendar on that cycle. Have you ever wondered, however, what the ancient peoples used as calendars? Many of them followed the lunar cycles in conjunction with solar events (such as the equinoxes). Following the moon and the changes of the seasons allowed everyone to plan for planting and harvesting crops, holding festivals and religious holidays, etc. Because a lunar cycle is relatively short, it is easier to follow than trying to mark the exact times when solar events (like the Summer or Winter solstice) occur.

Here’s how it works. A lunar cycle is a lunar month, which lasts either 29 or 30 days. Lunar months start when the first sliver of a new moon is visible in the sky. The last day of a lunar month is therefore the day when the moon completely disappears from the sky. This is called a new moon (or sometimes called a dark moon). The full moon is therefore halfway through a lunar month.

Because a lunar month lasts 29-30 days, 12 lunar months are equal to 355 days. Readers will note that 12 lunar (or synodic) months are therefore about 10 days shorter than a solar year. The ancients knew this, but it was the Greeks that figured out an important fact. Meton of Athens discovered that, over a period of 19 years, the solar and lunar calendars matched. In other words, 19 years on a solar basis is almost exactly equal to 235 lunar months. Both are equal to 6940 days in other words. This is called the Metonic cycle. Because of that ten-day difference, the ancient Greeks would insert an extra lunar month from time to time in order to keep their calendars more or less consistent year to year. Instead of a leap year of adding a day like we do, they would add a month every two or three years. The ancient Greeks had 12 months, all with names, that were associated with lunar months, and these stayed around the same time of the year by inserting that extra month.

For the Greeks in Athens, the new year was when the month of Hekatombaion started. This was always some time between the middle of June and the middle of July. It comes close to the Summer solstice, which begins on June 20 or 21st. So for the ancient Athenians, the New Year began with the first sliver of the new moon around the time of the Summer solstice.

Whew! I know, that’s a lot of information! It sounds complicated, but the ancients couldn’t buy a calendar or find one on-line. Someone had to follow the solar and lunar cycles and let people know when important dates were coming. Most of these important dates were religious in nature, as it was critical to know when to hold religious festivals.

All of that is interesting of course, but what about practical day-to-day applications to our yoga practice? One thing to remember is the way the moon affects our energy levels. When the moon is waxing, or going from a new moon to a full moon, energy is rising. When the moon is waning, which is going from a full moon to a new moon, energy is falling. A full moon sees us full of energy, and a new moon sees us as much more grounded. This is important in a yoga practice. Sometimes we may feel a surge of energy, at other times our energy levels might be low. Check the lunar cycle. Are we close to a full moon, or a new moon? And is energy rising, or falling? That can make a big difference in our yoga practice.

I was always taught, before I started taking yoga, that you can try to bring positive things into your life during a full moon, and try to eliminate negative things from your life during a new moon. Often we hear our yoga instructors tell us to set an intention for a class. We can use the lunar cycles to help us. Around a full moon, maybe we ask to bring more joy into our lives. Around a dark moon, maybe we ask that sadness be eliminated. We can connect these intentions with the moon’s energy and with our practices to enhance our efforts and boost our chances of success.

The moon plays a huge part in our lives and I’ve only touched on a piece of it here. I hope to post more as time passes. In the meantime, enjoy the full moon this weekend, and start noticing the lunar cycles as the months pass. Soon you’ll be much more in tune with the moon.

:) Namaste

John

- Purcellville Loudoun Yoga

- Photographs Tulum, Mexico and Lucketts, VA – Jeremy Lee

Yoga for Empowerment

Yoga for Empowerment 2012

Yoga for Empowerment & Yoga 4 Life

May 26th at 2:00pm a 2 hour All Level Class followed by an Outdoor Reception including a wonderful raffle.

Yoga 4 Life, This Body Yoga, and other local studios supporting this yogi community and family friendly event for a wonderful cause.

This is the our third YFE event. Check out our Workshops page for details about this donations only class. Donations go directly to the Loudoun Abused Women’s Shelter in Leesburg, Virginia.

Yoga for Empowerment May Event

Yoga for Empowerment May Event
May 26th, 2:00pm

Yoga for Empowerment’s mission is to inspire and empower the community through donations-based yoga practices. Yoga for Empowerment (Y4E) first began in the summer of 2011. It’s original goal was to raise money for the Loudoun Abused Women’s Shelter in Loudoun County, VA. It has currently completed it’s second event this past December and, with the help of the yoga community, has donated over $1000 the the shelter.

In honor of Captain Michael Quin…

With respect, gratitude, and pride we inhale to rise, sat to honor, Captain Quin tonight in Virasana (Hero pose) in our practice. Thank you all for attending to practice prior to the procession. Standing tall as a community, we are proud to call this home….what an amazing sight. We thank him for his service to us and our country ~ Namaste

Cow Chronicles ~ a Yoga Tail

You know how sometimes you come across a designer handbag or a pair of shoes that you totally want to get? Well Cow and Pig know how that feels…

“I heard butchers are coming to gather pigs and cattle”, Pig sighed. “Well it looks like we are going to have to bring out the bad boys…” Cow announced. With that Pig and Cow went into their stalls…

“Everyone! Hide, the butchers have arrived!!” Owl cooed. Just as everyone hid Cow and Pig came half stumbling half sprinting out of the barn.(Pig was tripping over his flare yoga pants. They were a size too big). Everyone peeked out from behind bushes, stalls and farm equipment to see Pig and Cow in yoga suits!! After Pig and Cow laid out their yoga mats on the grassy area outside the barn doors they immediately went into action. Cow started to perform “Cow face” pose. Cow happened to be facing Stick who laughed hysterically! Pig started to perform “Frog” making a total fool out of himself! The boss butcher passed by with a formal, grunt. Right behind came the employee butcher who had his nose stuck up in the air smelling something. ” Boss, do you smell that, it’s almost like cotton, polyester and, and farm animals!” The employee butcher shouted. “Harold, I don’t know why it smells like cotton and polyester but it smells like animals only because we’re on a farm!’ The boss butcher yelled!

The butchers ended up leaving with mud on their boots, the smell of animals and two yoga books Cow and Pig sold them. Leaving Pig and Cow with a profit of $13.69. When the animals came out of hiding there was a strange smell in the air…….almost like polyester and cotton…

As you can see Cow and Pig do know how it feels to find a designer handbag, an animal or a pair of shoes you really want to get because when Cow and Pig saw those yoga clothes it was a must have.(It obviously was because it saved their life!)

Never trust animals in Yoga outfits…

-Mackenzie Forno

Posts Tagged ‘community center’

Be The Change You Wish To See

We find inspiration in climbing mountains – the views….and then we come down.

It is there, at the base, when we look toward the earth and see the reasons and inspiration to climb back up…

Looking beyond a puddle and seeing reflection, the light in the sky…

Yoga 4: Heart ♥ Hearth Δ Health ♥ Heath Ξ

Heart (Soul – giver of energy and light – what comes from and resides within)

Hearth (home, humility, humble, hope)

Health (heart & soul combined)

Heath (heath is defined as a tract of open land - covered with low shrubs – like heather) – the Love for nature and the world that flows out when you have Heart, Hearth and Health and you want to share it with the Heath)

A Little Summer Something @ Yoga 4 Life:

Shine is defined as: 1. to give forth or glow with light 2. to be bright with reflected light; glisten; sparkle. 3. to appear with brightness or clearness. 4. to excel

The Shine Project is:

Going out of your comfort zone

to bring light to those who need hope.

The Shine Project emulates love, sacrifice, and

CHANGE.