AWAKENING SELF NEWSLETTER — Dec 2004

1) Announcements
2) Yoga of the Seasons: Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr..........
3) Class, Workshop, and Retreat Schedule
4) This month's article - "My First Holiday" by Connie Habash
5) Spiritual Quotes

1) Announcements

INTRO TO YOGA WORKSHOP returns! Wanting to get back
into your yoga practice, or know someone who'd like to start?
I'll be offering my Introduction to Yoga workshop again in January,
on 2 Saturdays, 1/15 and 1/22 from 2-4:30pm at YIY in Mountain
View. $50 if registered by 1/8; $60 thereafter.


BABY & MOM YOGA CLASS STARTS 12/6!
Pre-crawling babies and their mothers are invited to attend this new yoga class at Devi Yoga in Menlo Park!
Mondays, 2 - 3:15pm
$15 drop-in, or 5 classes for $65
http://www.devi-yoga.com

Next 108 SURYA NAMASKARS coming Tuesday, DECEMBER 21st for the Winter Solstice from 7-9am at YIY in Mountain View. Come early or late, do 1 or 108, meditate, chant, just come celebrate! I chant the 12 mantras to the Sun 108 times, while the Ashtanga yogis lead the Surya
Namskars. By donation.

SUBBING PRENATAL CLASS AT DEVI, 12/23:
Join me for a special Holiday prenatal class, for those who
are expecting, at Devi Yoga in Menlo Park. Thursday, 12/23,
11am-12:15pm. We often go to lunch together afterwards,
and share in the mother energy!

YOGA MAMMAS! I have started a new discussion group (in addition to Namaste Yoga Circle) on Yahoo for all mothers of babies, young children, and expectant mothers who wish to share community, spirituality, and information on yoga and natural health and well-being for our families. We will begin with online discussion, and will soon we having gatherings at my home in Menlo Park! If you would like to join this group, please click on this link to find out more:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Yoga_Mammas/

INFANT MASSAGE CLASS: To kick off the Yoga Mammas group, Elisa Song, MD, is offering an Infant Massage class here at my home in Menlo Park. Learn to give your baby a nurturing, healing, and loving touch, easing tension, releasing discomfort, and developing a special communication with your baby through your hands. This will be offered over 3 Saturdays.
THERE IS ONE SPACE LEFT FOR THIS WORKSHOP - CONTACT ME IMMEDIATELY IF YOU WISH TO ATTEND
Both parents are encouraged to attend. By donation, and class size is limited to 5 babies.
3 Saturdays: December 11, 18, and January 8, 3-4:30pm in Menlo Park
Call or email Connie for registration and info! (650) 996-2649 connie@awakeningself.com

A CLASS SCHEDULE FOR THE NEW YEAR:
Look for an email announcement near the end of this month
for my new class schedule for early 2005!

2) Yoga of the Seasons: Dark and Spooky

     For those of us in the Northern Hemisphere, December winds up the Autumn season and begins Winter. Here, even in California, we're feeling it, with cold, dry, chilly winds on crisp Fall days.

      We're deep into Vata season according to Ayurveda - that cold, dry quality. You may find your skin and nostrils getting rough and feeling crackled. A humidifier can do wonders for your home and for a good night's sleep - we find that a warm mist one is great for these cold nights. Hot showers are even more welcome in the mornings, as it feels often that we're cold down to the bone. Using a warm Sesame oil on the skin can help counteract excessive dryness, while having a warming quality. It is also helpful to rub on the soles of the feet and palms of the hands before bed to aid in deep rest.

      It's a great time to amp up your yoga practice! Getting the body warm and building some sweat will help counteract the excessive Vata conditions. But make sure you stay hydrated! Drink plenty of water - in fact, if you are really prone to being cold and dry, you may want to drink hot or very warm water throughout the day to keep you feeling calm in the mind and more comfortable in the body. Imbibing hot water is also an excellent way to start the day, being a good cleanser for the digestive system. Vata-like conditions can be very agitating for the mind, causing it to race or become anxious, so sipping hot water can be a great quick-remedy for these mental and emotional stresses.

     Heating styles of yoga, like Ashtanga or Vinyasa, are wonderful this time of year for keeping our bodies and minds healthy. Make sure you take plenty of time to warm up, though, before you do anything rigorous - the muscles need ample time to shift from the cold outside to heating up within. A little bit of sauna or steam before your practice will also help release the muscles and open up the air passages in the lungs.

      Backbends for building inner fire, twists for internal cleansing, arm balances and repetitions of standing poses for generating strength and sweat are highly encouraged. Inversions are always helpful for keeping up the immune system, as we go into "flu season". And remember to stay balanced with resting poses. You may wish to put a heated pad on your belly or anywhere on your body needing a little nurturance during this chilly time. It may be important for you to cover yourself with a blanket or two during Savasana, the resting pose, especially if the place you're practicing doesn't stay very warm. If we arise feeling chilled from Savasana, it can undo some of the benefits we've worked at during our asana practice.

      Warming pranayama can be done following a good Savasana. A very simple warming breath is called Surya Bhedana. This involves breathing in through the right nostril, which is related to the Sun and is heating in nature, and exhaling through the left, releasing out the cooling energy. Five minutes of this practice may help you feel warmer within. More advanced practices of Kapalabhati and Bhastrika (the bellows breath) are excellent for generating the internal heat, as is the cleansing practice of Agni Sara, the pumping of the belly. These are best done first thing in the morning, and set you up for strong digestion and feeling good throughout the day.

     When you step outside and think, "BRRRRRRRR! It's cold!", remember that you have some excellent yogic tools to generate your own little inner fire on these chilly
Fall and Winter days.
     

copyright 2004 by Constance L. Habash

3) Class, Workshop, and Retreat Schedule: Fall/Winter 2004 and Winter/Spring 2005

RETREATS:

WOMEN'S SPRING RENEWAL RETREAT returns!
Mark your calendars for: APRIL 22-24, 2005
Mt. Madonna Center, Watsonville
A special time to empower yourself, explore the feminine within, and connect with other women in community.
EARLY BIRD discount (register by 3/25): $265-350,
depending on accommodation; add $30 thereafter
Retreat information and registration form HERE


WORKSHOPS:

INFANT MASSAGE with Elisa Song, MD
3 Saturdays: 12/11, 12/18, and 1/8, 3-4:30pm
by donation, in Menlo Park
Register early - limited to 5 babies!

INTRODUCTION TO YOGA! Never tried yoga before? Want to brush up on basics, or get back into a regular practice? Think you'll get lost in a regular class? This workshop is for you!
Two Saturdays: 1/15 and 1/22, 2-4:30pm
$50 if registered by 1/8: $60 thereafter at Yoga is Youthfulness, Mountain View

CHAKRA YOGA Teacher Training Session
at The Yoga and Movement Center, Walnut Creek
Saturday, February 5th, 12:30-6:30pm
(part of YMC teacher training program)

AYURVEDIC YOGA with YES Teacher Training program
San Jose
Sunday, March 13th, 1:30-5pm

MONDAYS
2-3:15PM Baby & Mom (pre-crawlers)
Devi Yoga, Menlo Park

NEW CLASS SCHEDULE BEGINS IN JANUARY
Look for an email announcement near the end of the month.

4) This month's article: "My First Holiday"
By Connie Habash (inspired by her daughter Meera Putz)

     As I enter my first holiday season with my baby daughter, I wonder what a baby would think about Christmas and all the holidays celebrated at this time of year. Of course, babies have no language yet (other than cooing and crying!) to express things, so these are my own musings on what a baby might imagine about the holiday season.

     My Mommy says that it's Christmastime. She says that is what we celebrate in our family, but that other families have other names for their holidays: Diwali, Hannukah, Ramadan, Yule, and Kwanzaa, to name a few. I don't really know what
all that means, but I can see that there's something different going on. Mommy has put up new and interesting things to look at around the house, like a big tree with sparkly lights, and other bright and colorful things. There are different smells in the air! And she is dressing me up more warm and cozy, which I like, because I get cold when she takes me outside.

     She says that even though people celebrate various holidays because of their religion or personal beliefs, that they are all honoring the Divine in their own ways. They just have different names for that energy of love and kindness, which she
says created us all. I guess that's like when she calls me different names, like Cutie, Angel Girl, and Meera. I'm still the same me, even though she calls me different things sometimes.

     Mommy tells me, as she is changing my clothes, that in each religion they see the Divine uniquely - in diverse forms, and they call it many names. But just like I'm the same me when she changes my clothes, they're really all talking about the same Essence of love and kindness even though they look different. And it's nice that they look different, so we can see that Spirit in many ways. I'm not sure what she means, but I know I feel loved when she changes my clothes, or does anything with me. The love feels the same, no matter what we're doing or how we're doing it. Maybe that's the same love that each religion has.

     Sometimes, we go in the car to big places where there are lots of people. She says these are stores, and people are buying presents for other people for the holiday. A lot of people, Mommy says, give gifts to each other during the holidays. It makes people happy to give and receive gifts. But so many of these people don't
seem so happy to me. They have frowns, or get upset with other people. I don't understand this part very well. Except when they look at me! Almost everyone smiles when they look at me - I smile, and then they smile. I wonder why they go around buying these presents, when it seems like smiling makes them much
happier. But there are many interesting things to look at in the stores, so I like going there. And so many people to watch - they all have very interesting faces. But I like Mommy and Daddy's faces best.

     We go to other people's houses and everyone opens the presents, and they are happy. But they don't seem as happy as when my Daddy looks at me, or when my Mommy is feeding me. That makes me feel so good. They give me presents, too - very interesting things to look at, touch, and the sounds they make! It's fun. But I
think the most fun is looking at how my Mommy and Daddy laugh and smile when I kick my legs, or roll over, or giggle. I think that if people kicked their legs, rolled over, and giggled, they would be even happier than when they get these presents.

      The tree Daddy brought into the house is so wonderful. It has lights all over it that shine really bright. I could stare at it for a very long time. He says they shine like the stars in the sky. I don't know what stars are, but they are so beautiful to look at, so stars must be pretty wonderful. Daddy says each light is like the spark that shines inside of everyone - the essence of love that Mommy was talking about. Wow. I think I feel that inside of me, especially when Mommy or Daddy holds and hugs me. I feel a warm light inside, and in Mommy and Daddy, too.

     Mommy and Daddy call this time of year the Holidays. Mommy says it's Holy and Day put together, and that Holy means something that is sacred, special, and connects us to that Spirit or Essence inside. She says that the holidays inspire people - whatever holiday they celebrate - to be good human beings and treat each other with love and kindness. I think that's great - no wonder everyone seems
so excited. This must be the most special time of the year. But then, everyday seems magical to me. Don't all grown-ups think so, too?

Copyright 2004 by Constance L. Habash

5) Spiritual Quotes

"Love and compassion are the very essence of all religions."
~ Mata Amritanandamayi

"When every situation which life can offer is turned to the
profit of spiritual growth, no situation can really be a bad one."
~ Paul Brunton

"The essential thing is not what we say, but what God says to
us and through us. All our words will be useless unless they
come from within - words which do not give the light...
increase the darkness."
~ Mother Teresa

Blessings,
Connie

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