Mothers Are Bad Ass
Bad Ass, ferocious, Jedi warriors! And I mean that in the best possible way! Yes, fathers, brothers, friends, too, can be that! Consider as we approach Mother's Day that qualities such as support, loyalty, devotion, dedication, endurance, and fierce, unrelenting joy in the face of that endurance ~ these are the truly bad ass qualities of the universe. And they who embody that, are the true Jedi warriors of the galaxy. Day after day, hanging in there, weathering the tough & the good times.
I've been pondering faithfulness as a supreme mastery of Jedi powers, a refining purification kriya. And that accomplishment for its own sake ~ frequently a twin of arrogance - ultimately is flaccid & weak, leaving us unsatisfied even after goal after goal is reached and the next peak is looked forward to as the real bad ass goal.
In April I tend to think of my mom, who loved the Spring. I think of her vivacity with people, her pure simple pleasure sauteeing spinach and garlic, her girl-like joy kicking through water sprinklers behind her toddler grandchild, her nurturance of my father during his illness, her determination to keep loving everyone through her own illness.
I salute those who honor the fierce determination of unremitting joy. Perfecting that practice on and off the mat is a peak pose we may perhaps never need to tire of.
Wishing you stubborn and powerful joy this Spring!
RUMI POEM "SPRING GIDDINESS"
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Establish Your Refuge
In the May issue of Yoga Journal, Meditation teacher Sally Kempton has an article in the Wisdom column entitled "Soul Asylum: Establish a place of refuge and weather even the toughest of times with grace." For many, meditation is that refuge. For others, daily discipline on the yoga mat. You can establish a physical place of refuge for yourself, a space in your home or garden or neighborhood where you retreat to, for replenishment. Where living space is tight, your bath can be a temple. Candles, aromatherapy, "abhyanga" self-massage, can further create a sacred ablution ritual for you so that it is for you an inner and outer purification.
Refuge is the place where you go to be quiet with your soul, to soak up the presence of whatever you experience as sacred. To juice you up from deep within, for this business of living our daily pace of life. Because you can know that wherever you feel the presence of your soul, that place is also where God or Source is, however you conceive of God.
Nature, beauty, breath, are elements frequently found in a place of refuge. My husband finds it daily in the temple of the road beneath him and his bike wheels silently singing in the air. My AcroYoga teacher Jason Nemer immediately opens his musical instrument to do Bhakti, devotional chanting, everywhere he lands on his global travels. It centers him deeply where he is, blesses the space ~ hotel room, campsite or airport ~ and creates a refuge both physical and internal.
Inspired by Jason, who chants now with a ukelele ever since his travel harmonium was stolen, I bought myself a tiny uke that now lets me have bhakti almost anywhere too! Delight! That and, for me, beginning the day with a few minutes of guided scripture meditation, help to create an inner refuge that travels with me all day through the day. Even a neighborhood green space or a park bench, a flower bed in a street median or on a sidewalk, can be a place of great beauty.
ONLINE LINK TO ARTICLE
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Om Factory Flight School Opens
Om Factory, the home of AcroYoga in New York, has opened in Union Square a beautiful new studio devoted entirely to aerial yoga! Anti-Gravity classes with hammock slings are already up! AcroYoga classes begin in May ~ Monday through Thursday ~ all levels and specialties! Check them out below for schedules and class descriptions. If AcroYoga classes are not up yet, look again in a day or few hours!
$45/Unlimited Week and $108/Month for first-timers are among the great class packages. Senior/Student discounts apply. In the month of May, Om Factory Fashion District Passport holders get Passport privileges at Flight School too.
Mary's Flight times are Monday nights.
For May 2012:
5:30-7 Acro Flying Elements (Basic)
7:15-8:45 Thai & Fly (Open)
For June, watch for a 4-week Jedi 1 Series in that second time slot, for example "Mastering Barrel Roll". The 7:15 class will thereafter alternate from month to month between different Jedi 1 Acrobatic series, and Thai & Fly open level.
No partners required! See you at flight training.
Pass it on!
OM FACTORY NYC FLIGHT SCHOOL
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Photo Thanks & Credits
For this issue, many thanks to "Back to Earth - Artworks" Facebook album for the fun photos, and to Kat Yogini through whose wall posts I found the album.
Thanks for the partner photos to photographer Megan Jolly and partners Greg Franklin and Deven Sisler, and park pals Amy Papola and Chris Martucci.
The flower beds scattered throughout my magnificent city are captured by my faithful iPhone.
BACK TO EARTH - ARTWORKS
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Privacy; Reply; Forward
As always your email privacy is sacrosanct with me; I do not subscribe you without your consent, and I never share email lists. Feel free always to Reply to me, to Forward to anyone you may wish, and to Unsubscribe directly or by writing to me.
Maha shanti!
Much peace! Happy Spring!
Mary
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Mother's Day Refuge
Whatever your relationship to your own mother, what if you were to find within yourself an essence of Universal Mother ~ Mother Mary, Tara, Kuan Yin? Meditation and restorative yoga can be self-nurturing, in a powerful way. We can in effect learn to be our "inner mother," our inner Grandmother Spirit. We can create a refuge within ourselves.
Saturday May 12, from 4-6pm on Mother's Day weekend, I invite you to come and nurture yourself, supported by me and my team of loving assistants. Bring a friend if you wish to share your "Spa Yoga" treat with someone. No experience with yoga is necessary; all are welcome. Pre-registration is strongly suggested. Peace! I hope to see you there.
MAY 12 RESTORATIVE AT PURE YOGA EAST |
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Mary's New Website
My longstanding website server Mobile Me is being discontinued in June, so I am moving data to a new website, one that is much easier to remember; it's just my name: www.maryaranas.com.
The new site is the one to check now for all my updated teaching schedule and events, as I cannot edit my old site to put in updated events and schedules.
However, you can still visit my old site for photo albums, and links to all my previous newsletters, while I am transferring content to the new site. Old website:
http://web.me.com/maryaranas
Thanks for your patience and flexibility!
MY NEW WEBSITE |
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June 3 Sunday: Brooklyn AcroYoga Workshop
Yay! Mary and Greg are thrilled to unite forces to bring you AcroYoga at Prema Yoga Brooklyn! This 3-hour Foundational workshop, from 2-5PM, is open to all and will sample all the juicy flavors inherent in the delicious AcroYoga confection: energizing and accessible Acrobatics, sandwiched between the twin confections of wholesome Yoga, and blissful Thai Massage. No partner or prior experience is necessary.
Mm-m. Who can resist? Not I! Not we! Email me any questions or better still, just go below and sign up already. Before you change your mind! You'll be excited all the month of May. And even more excited after you've been!
Then, you can come and take more levels of classes and series with us at Flight School if you find you're "bit" by the flying bug!
PREMA YOGA WORKSHOP 6/3/12 |
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Anne Lamott: Author, Mom
I've enjoyed Anne Lamott's books since "Operating Instructions: A Journal of My Son's First Year" was on the shelves during my own son's first year of life. That book made me snort in laughter, made me cry, made me wince.
Anne's irreverent humor coupled with her reverent vulnerability and deep insight appeal to me. And she writes on topics that touch my soul: writing, family, loss, faith. So I'm enjoying her latest, "Some Assembly Required: A Journal of My Son's First Son." In this book she even ~ like a yogi ~ goes to India! Inciting in me for the first time, in years of stories of others' travels to India, the first desire to go there myself. There. That's my Mother's Day Issue book review.
Some Anne Lamott quotes:
“If there is one door in the castle you have been told not to go through, you must. Otherwise, you'll just be rearranging furniture in rooms you've already been in.” ― Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life
“Laughter is carbonated holiness.”
“Don't look at your feet to see if you are doing it right. Just dance.”
ANNE LAMOTT |
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My May Schedule
* Private Thai Yoga & Restorative Yoga, by Appointment
*Group Classes, Pure Eastside:
Mon 10:30 Slow Flow Meditation
Tues 12:30 Restorative
Thur 5:30 Vinyasa
Fri 5:30 Restorative
*Classes, Pure Westside:
Thur 11 YinYang
Thur 8pm Restorative
Thur 10:30 Chakra Slow Flow
*Classes, Flight School:
Mon 5:30 Acro Flying (Basic)
Mon 7:15 Thai & Fly (Open)
MY NEW SCHEDULE PAGE |
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