6.27.2010

Loss

Is it better to have loved and lost? I say absolutely, yes. I refer to having a wonderful parent for many years, then losing them. I am sad to think of darling children that do not get such a parent to love. Precious memories are not perfect comfort when a loved one is gone, but they are droplets of bittersweet kindness that give us humans a special ability to reflect. Life is ongoing, cyclical, patterned. I was listening to my Garden State soundtrack today, and Frou Frou shares in the song Let Go: "there is beauty in the breakdown".

That song speaks to me, listen to it if you can. I think of a forest fire cleaning out the brush, new and fresh seedlings coming. Granted there is much pain and destruction in the breakdown as well. That reminds me of Laura Ingalls Wilder and her ma and pa when tragedies befall them, "there is no great loss, without some small gain". Wise words that ring true when it comes to grief. The pain does not necessarily weaken, but it becomes less frequent, and joy punctures through more often. And the memories will be with me forever. What is the gain when we lose a loved one? Hard to measure but personally: more appreciation of those loved ones still around us, more happiness from simple moments, frank chats, realization that we will all experience loss, more than once, and we can be there for each other.

Namaste,
Kat

6.25.2010

YogaMar Open House!



YogaMar is having an Open House!

Friday, July 9th 6pm-midnight (Mission, KS)

Spiral down the stairs to see the space and strike your favorite pose, twirl around upstairs and show off your salsa skills! Feel free to bring a wine and cheese of your choice. Any questions? Send me an email at yogamar.connect@gmail.com

Namaste,
Kat

6.20.2010

YogaMar Space Opening!

Hello YogaMar enthusiasts!

Thank you for your support of this yoga teacher journey.

I have been creating a home yoga space, and it is ready! We will hold classes on Monday evenings at 6:30pm-7:30pm this summer (except one week in July), starting Monday June 28th! To sign up, click the link above the calendar on this page.

Other times are available by appointment as well, feel free to email. Let me know if you are interested and/or have any questions! I hope to see you at yoga soon and thank you for doing something wonderful for your health!

Namaste,
Kat

6.16.2010

Makin' Space

I have been thinking lately about how to create space using mindfulness and intention. Maybe The Office episode I saw recently prompted it all melding together. Michael and Jan are hosting a torturous dinner party, it turns out she takes most of the space and Michael is stuck squeezing into the remaining spots. Fun-nee, and sad too. But sometimes I feel like we DO get squeezed out by our possesions, maybe by other people, two words, close talkers. Hoarders being the extreme of their own physical constriction, but many of us are on the way there if we keep it all and keep buying more, something has gotta give people!

Personally my goal is peaceful space, both in terms of time, and also actually physical space as well. Ed and I have been working on a yoga spot in our basement, I already feel so happy that there is a nice portion of the basement now dedicated to useful and fun yoga! It's a great exercise place, and a very nice retreat to take a breather. I'll post some pictures in July!

In terms of my schedule, I have realized (thanks hubby for the idea) that I need to schedule some blocks of time here and there that are not "scheduled"! Ha, you might say, surely a teacher must have a lazy summer? Not really, and I am the first to admit, I made it that way. I'm teaching summer school through the end of the week, necessitating a 6am wakeup and then intense teaching for 5 solid hours. From there I have been adding in teaching yoga classes, and seeing if a chiropractor may help my rare but very icky headaches. Between these events and some meetings at school, my down time has not been much. I am really looking forward to my unofficial summer start next week. Space making goals include garden maintenance, a pool visit or two, and some reading and planning a little vacation for us in July.

I'm going to strive to make more space around the house as space opens up in my schedule. I'm considering a garage sale although I have never done that before! Any tips or ideas are appreciated! I already have a large bag of clothes ready to donate, and need to cull out some more. We have an old sofa and papazan chair that I might part with if Ed will agree too. I think both of us have work to do related to holding onto things, especially our own!

Maybe all this leads to a true yogini question. How do we make space in our hearts and minds? I do need to carve room for my new position at work, and I need to release my old one! Perhaps I will do some work to envision this mental shift as well. I'll leave you with a quote, the author surprised me but I love this message.

"The extent of your consciousness is limited only by your ability to love and to embrace with your love the space around you, and all it contains."
Napoleon Bonaparte

Namaste,
Kat

6.06.2010

Vedanta & the Wisdom of Yoga for Today

Hello Yogis!

If you are looking to learn more about the spiritual roots of yoga, look here! Dr.Arvind Sharma will be speaking this Friday evening at 7pm at the KU Edwards Campus in Regnier hall. 12600 Quivera, Overland Park, KS There will be local music as well as refreshments, and the option of a free will offering.

He is hosted by the Vedanta Society of Kansas City, and is the Arun Kumar Sharma Memorial Lecture for this year. To learn more, here are a few links for you!

What is Vedanta KC?
http://vedantakc.org/

Bio, etc for speaker:
http://ara.mcgill.ca/sharma/index.htm

Let me know if you plan to attend!
Kat

6.02.2010

Local Yoga Studio Grand Opening




Above is a new yoga studio in Leavenworth, KS with their GRAND OPENING this Saturday! Let me know if you want to attend!

Namaste,
Kat

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