November Q&A
November Q&A
Hi Yogi Friends.
Holy November! Here we go again. Once more it feels like there are just so many questions you may or may not be asking yourself which I may or may not be able to answer for you. In fact, your very first question might be ”What sort of questions?” See what I did there? Let’s get these answers rolling….
I will be providing answers to queries regarding: teaching during the coming holidays, St. Clement’s classes beyond mid-November, whether there will be more yoga posters to put up, how to use a gratitude practice to keep your faraway loved ones closer, how I can make it easier for out of town yogis to drop in to classes when they visit AND how I manage to accrue said out of town yogis.
As is my custom I like to offer yoga classes on stat holidays. For example, I WILL be teaching my regular Hatha class at 11am on Wednesday, November 11th because some folks have the day off AND yoga is a peace-making practice which feels in alignment with this particular holiday. But I will NOT be teaching on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Boxing Day, New Years Eve or New Years Day even though some of us do need some extra peace-making during these specific holidays. The good news is that this year these holidays fall in such a way as to allow my regular Annie Mac classes to continue regularly through the end of December. Unfortunately the St. Clement’s classes will need to take a two week hiatus at that time.
While we’re on the subject of St. Clement’s, some of you may have noticed on my website that these new Thursday evening classes seem to end on November 19th. I am presently in conversation with the Church to extend these classes indefinitely and intend to add further dates for registration once I receive confirmation next week. In the meantime, please note the final dates for these classes this year will likely be November 23, December 3, 10, 17. A little helpful awareness about these new classes is that the space is rather chilly this time of year so please bring extra layers and comfort items with you to keep cozy throughout the yoga practice.
To help grow these new offerings and sustain the already established ones I plan to keep bringing extra copies of my tie-dyed, AI-free, promotional flyers to all of my classes. It is my hope that folks can continue to help me put them up around town and pass the smaller handbills on to friends and family who could benefit from some yoga. Word of mouth is still the most effective form of promotion but flyers can help. Thank you SO MUCH to those who have helped spread the word so far…with words AND flyers. Deep bows of gratitude.
Speaking of gratitude, you have likely heard it's a very healthy practice, but maybe you aren't sure how to get started. I chose to begin my own regular gratitude practice with a girlfriend who was moving out of town as a way to keep in touch. We chose one day of the week to text each other one thing we are grateful for. It was so easy and sweet that I asked other faraway loved ones if they would also become weekly gratitude friends. This has both deepened my sense of gratitude and deepened my connection to folks I love but live too far away to actively spend time with. Sometimes it's as simple as a few words exchanged and sometimes it's a very tender connection and sharing opportunity. If this resonates with you, I recommend starting small with your most grateful friend. I’ve now got a gratitude buddy for almost every day of the week and these friendships feel more vital and alive than ever before. Gratitude for the win!
While we’re on the subject of faraway folks, I’ve accrued some faraway yogi friends (and some of them read this newsletter!) and when they visit Vancouver they often intend to drop in to one of my classes. Sometimes the barrier to doing so is that they don’t travel with a yoga mat and I am unable to regularly provide extra mats. I want those folks to know that if they give me a head’s up, I can easily bring an extra mat for them.
This leads me to the final question. How do I meet out of town yogis? The answer is two-fold. Sometimes they are regular students who have moved away and come back to visit. But I also meet lots of yogis from ALL OVER by teaching at weekend Yoga and Wellness Retreats twice yearly at the Salt Spring Centre of Yoga. Most years I teach in April and October and 2027 is no different. Here is the link in case you or someone you love needs a weekend away to rest and renew : https://saltspringcentre.com/yoga-and-wellness-weekend-retreats/ This loving and peaceful yoga community made me the yogi I am and my continued service there allows me to sustain my connection to this nourishing, peace-based lineage and land.
Wowza! Did you really read this far?! Amazeballs. I have so much gratitude for all of you. Remember, increasing your peace is easy if you remember you always have the recipe within you. There are only two ingredients : deep inhale and slow exhale. There are only two instructions: use as necessary and repeat as needed.
slow is the new fast
inner space is the new outer space
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