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Posts Tagged ‘loudoun valley’

Be The Change You Wish To See

Loudoun County Sunset - Waterford

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.

Yoga 4 Life - Travelling Yogis PurcellvilleBeginning 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)

    Loudoun County Farmer - Gum - Lee Farm

  • 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.”

Farm Sunset - Loudoun County VAThe 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.

Let Go and Fly! 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.

Yoga Instructior

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


 

Patience in our Yoga Practice

Listen  ::  Feel  ::  Hear  ::  Speak  ::  Try  ::  Grow

There’s a line from an old song by the group Kansas (I’m dating myself here) which says:  “Treat yourself so gently though the task is often hard.”  I found myself saying that recently at the end of a yoga practice.   I was frustrated about a particular yoga pose and was about to become very self-critical.  I stopped myself before I started, because I realized that the criticism that I was about heap on myself was totally unjustified.  Even more importantly, as I later reflected, in yoga it’s really unjustified to criticize yourself at any time.  As tough as it is, even after a long and difficult practice, we need to practice treating ourselves gently.

What happened to me was kind of silly when I think about it.  We’d finished the regular yoga practice and a couple of us lingered to talk, as we often do.  I was tired but wanted to practice a yoga pose that I wasn’t comfortable trying at home by myself.  The pose is urdhva kukkutasana, which is not an easy pose at all.  The final pose has you in a crow pose posture, but your legs are folded into lotus position.  Every time I tried to lift my head off of the ground from tripod pose, my legs kept slipping off of my legs and I’d fall.  I got frustrated and that self-critical voice was about to rise.  Then I stopped and realized that I had already mastered so many other poses to get to this point that it was silly to be so upset.  Crow pose, tripod, tripod headstand, lotus tripod headstand, all of these intermediate steps I’ve accomplished.  Some day I will get that last piece of the puzzle, and then move on to the next challenge.  There was no need to be angry with myself.

Here’s the thing that I try to tell myself when I hit a frustrating time in my yoga practice; I’ve already accomplished the most important part.  I’m practicing yoga.  Each day practicing yoga  is a good day.  Even if my balance is off, my quads are screaming, my postures are messy, I’m doing better than I was before I started practicing yoga.  Every day that I practice, I’m better.  The next time you’re frustrated with a pose, try to treat yourself gently and recognize all of the progress that you’ve already made.  It’s pretty darned impressive what you’ve already done.  Keep practicing.

-Namaste

John

- Purcellville Loudoun Yoga – Photo Lara Ward

 

Yoga & Empowerment – Girls Going Global

Yoga for Empowerment & Yoga 4 Life

Spread Your Wings and Fly!

Yoga 4 Life and our Love for Local Loudoun

Yoga for Empowerment is what we do but it is not the events or practices, it’s an energy.  The force behind the reasons we have for 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.

We began Strong Foundations in Purcellville with Mix Fitness as a 10 week empowerment, mind and body experience for young girls.  The light in their eyes as they grew through working in energy Strong Foundations US Army and Yoga 4 Lifecircles, connecting with their friends and fellow yogis with eye contact in partner yoga, trust challenges, acceptance of themselves and their body needs and restrictions, and those of others.  We explored music, sight, touch, smells and sounds.  We grew, and learned about sanskrit, chakras, and mandalas.  What these girls found in this program was themselves, to realize things in their environment that were negatives, how to deal with them and share them verbally. Then, to work through keeping people or things from interrupting their joy and happiness.  Positive ways to share things with friends and the philosophy of living a yogi life was their discovery.

The light in their eyes glowed when it was explained that there was no trophy at the end –  the  gift  they had already given to themselves and the only thing I could ever show them was a path of learning, the hope and pride they created, and a place to walk and shine.  It was not only empowerment for them, but for me – what inspires us and why each of us teach at Yoga 4 Life.

Girls Going Global – The Ladies of Iris

iRespect     iInspire     iSupport

Tomorrow is Girls Going Global.  Over 40 Loudoun County teenage girls will arrive in Sterling for this amazing program.  The IRIS SPRING EVENT will be a culture filled day in Sterling, VA learning about issues important to these girls around the globe.  Yoga 4 Life is honored to have been selected for the yoga  breakout session.  There will be two keynote addresses about Oppression & Privilege and Global Human Trafficking.  The globally inspired flavors and dance performances will be an perfect addition to the event also hosted by the Loudoun County Department of Parks & Recreation and Loudoun Citizens for Social Justice.

We are very excited to include yoga with their amazing program.  The Native American and Mayan influence in our own studio as well as the Mexican blankets, power animals tribal music, Copal, and other aromatherapy we customarily use will be a wonderful experience for the girls and for us to share.  Practicing Moon Salutations and a brief lunar practice on a Full MOON and Cinco De Mayo is combining my perfect combination!

Yoga for Empowerment

LoveLocalLoudoun

As we continue on our journeys with the Loudoun Wine Trail, we always stay on our path of empowerment not just for our yoga circles, but the greater Mix Fitness Purcellville and Loudoun Virginiacommunity in which we live, love, and honor with our dedication to serving.  Please join Yoga 4 Life and Yoga for Empowerment again for a powerful heart opening practice on May 26th.  As we grow each year we will continue to be able to support these wonderful programs with LAWS and empowerment.

Please enjoy the reading from our Youth Empowerment programs – Young Yogis, Strong Foundations, and volunteering at Girls Going Global.

 

 

~*~    Spread Your Wings and Fly    ~*~

I sat on the ground on a dirt road that wandered off the main highway in Idaho.  I leaned against a tree and watched a mother eagle and her babies in a nest overhead.  She fussed as she protected them, watching me closely, responding with her call to any noise she heard.  She was very protective now, but someday it would be time to push them out of the nest. It would be time to teach them to fly.
Many of us have been pushed out of the nest. Something unexpected happened, and out world changed. We may have fought valiantly to get back in to the nest, to return to the safety of life as we knew it. We had no choice but to flap our wings and learn to fly the best we could.
See how magical this time has been?

See how much you’ve learned? With all your fears and resistance, it has been a grand and powerful

Purcellville Loudoun County Virginia

Miranda Ward

time. You flailed around a bit, wondering who to trust.  You tried trusting others, then found that didn’t work. Finally you understood. The very lesson you were learning was that of trusting yourself.

You were learning to listen to and trust your inner voice. You were learning to open your heart.  Despite all your fears, you have done a grand job.

Look how much you’ve changed!
See all the powers you’ve gained? You’ve opened up to your healing powers, your creative powers, too. You know and sense things in a way that used to seem beyond reach and now seems both magical and commonplace. Your instincts and intuition are finely tuned.  Your inner voice is clear. And despite all your fears about being abandoned, you now see how much you are loved.

When life pokes and prods you, it is not punishment or abuse.  You’re being  pushed out of the nest.  Spread your wings and take flight.

See how far you can fly!

by:  Melody Beattie

♥ Namaste

~Lara

- Airborn training picture taken by Jason Brikel, provided by Sean Zurschmeide also in Italy serving (from Hillsboro, VA) – our young soldiers out living their dreams and floating on air!

- Purcellville Loudoun Yoga- Photographs Lara Ward

 

 

New Sip’N Stretch EVENT @ Virginia Wine Factory in Brambleton

Come join us for our newest Sip’N Stretch, separate workshops March 31st and another on April 28th at the Virginia Wine Factory, located at the Brambleton Town Center.  Flow with us for an hour followed by your choice of a wine flight or a glass of wine from the selected wine list.

We will start the morning with a flowing yoga practice – a spiritual, energizing, and joyful journey through asanas (poses).  Building within the sequence allows all levels to experience yoga to suit their body while enjoying the breath, change, and movement of their own practice.  Our passion is to take Yoga out of the studio by incorporating natural elements (Earth, Sun, Fire, Water) and bring awareness to heighten our senses of touch, sight and sound.  Enlighten::Empower::Emerge

Sipping ‘N Stretching – A Fun and flowing class!  We practice with an energizing flow to *Renew* combined with stretching to *Relax*, and follow with wine to *Reconnect*.  Providing a gateway to engage all of your senses ~ mind, body, spirit, sight, sound, touch, and taste, as they come together to create a unique and complete experience is an oasis for stress relief and tension release, allowing you to stretch, breath, relax, and find balance.  Spacing is limited!!  Register for one of our workshops by going to the “Store” tab on our website.  Wine, Light Fare & Class – $20.00 

 

 

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

 
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