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Yoga this Week – March 24, 2012

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 “I define connection as the energy that exists between people when they feel seen, heard, and valued; when they can give and receive without judgment; and when they derive sustenance and strength from the relationship.”  
                                   Brene Brown
 
 
 
Connection.  Interdependence.  Strength.  Love.  Acceptance. Understanding…..These are the things that sustain our human relationships.  Think of a time when you truly felt seen, heard and valued.  A beautiful student made a comment to me as she was turning the corner to leave class, with tears in her eyes, she said “Amy, you are truly a blessing”.  Immediately I wanted to retaliate but I stopped and smiled, knowing that she needed to be heard and I needed to hear.  It is amazing how empowering it can be to be truly seen and heard in all your frailty and power, as you are. 
 
 
 
 The energy that I feel and see between you all when I teach you yoga is a connection that is hard to describe.  You show up week after week and allow yourselves to be seen in sometimes what can be a very vulnerable state.  While facing your bodies and minds in a contemplative practice can be exhilarating it can also be extremely difficult if your are dealing with external or internal issues that require non-judgmental compassion.  It is amazing the connection we can cultivate when we allow our most vulnerable, as well as our most powerful, selves to be seen and heard.  You may have experienced the joy that comes from  “getting a pose” and how the remarks of encouragement connect us with each other, but the same connection is made when you don’t get the pose or can’t reach your foot or fall into a heap because you lost your balance.  The point is we make a “sprititual” connection when we offer trust, respect and support while we are in the process of being seen and heard.  It is this spiritual connection that makes us feel valued no matter what state we are in. 
 
Today, value the energy of connection with those around you.  Support them in such a way that empowers them.  Bring your full attention when someone is speaking to you and let them be seen and heard.  Let yourself be seen and heard and allow yourself to be sustained by the deep connections you have in your life; your connection with nature, others, your divine power, and yourself. 
 
 
Classes for this Week
 
Monday Evening at 730pm
 
Tuesday Morning at 930am with Meditation to follow
 
Thursday Evening at 630pm
 
Friday Morning Healing Yoga at 930am
 
(Please reserve your spot or cancel if your plans have changed)
 
 
 
Events/News
 
Restorative Yoga, Reiki and Acupuncture on Wednesday, April 4th currently has three spots left.
Let me know if you would like to reserve.  Click https://myyogawithamy.com/eventsworkshops/ for more information.
 
This Monday Morning at 930am a few of us are playing hookie from work and taking an asasna class at Yoga for Life in Setauket with live music by Girish!! 
Call the studio to reserve a spot if you would like to join us.
 
Private sessions of Restorative Yoga and Reiki Healings are available, call me if you are interested.
 
Relayoga Warriors is our Relay for Life Team for the Rocky Point Relay on June 8th, let me know if you would like to join us on the field or with fundraising!! 
 
 
 

“Sometimes, reaching out and taking someone’s hand is the beginning of a journey. At other times, it is allowing another to take yours.”  ~Vera Nazarian
 
Namaste
Amy
 
Amy Perri
RYT500
Registered Yoga Teacher 500 Hr
631-839-0644
http://www.MyYogaWithAmy.com 

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Yoga this Week – March 18, 2012

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“In the confrontation between the stream and the rock, the stream always wins – not through strength, but through persistence”
                                   ~Buddha
 

Hari Om Dearest Yoga Students, 

Hoping this message finds you enjoying the first signs of spring that are popping up all around us. Think about the perseverance and patience that nature is gifted with.  The small bulbs that wait silently underground, the perennials that lay dormant waiting for the signals and signs that it is time to begin their work of opening, pushing, growing up out of the dark earth into the light.  Nature does not give up, it finds a way to regenerate.  The natural world knows what needs to be done and does not question its role in its lifetime.  As I look out my window and marvel at the pink and purple hyacinths that bloom in my garden, it fills me with hope and joy that we too can rise above our darkness and shine in all our glory

We all know the saying that nothing comes easy.  It is not so much talent, genius, education or luck that enables great people to do great things.  It is simply the persistence and perseverance of doing the next right thing, showing up when they don’t really want to, knocking at the door long enough until someone answers.  We too must learn the lesson of patience and persistence as we confront situations in our lives where we are either forced to wait or forced to gather all our faith to keep hanging on day in and day out, dangling on the edge of vulnerability. 

My young son learned a great lesson yesterday as he walked through his fear to re-take a test qualifying him to be an umpire that he had failed last week.  He had decided that he was not going to take the chance of  “being completely humilitated” if he failed a second time laying face down on his bed.  At the last moment to our surprise he popped up, got dressed and asked my husband to take him.  He came home shining with pride as he ended up passing the test!    The act of suiting up and showing up even when the obstacles arise in our path, builds confidence, faith, character and joy. 

 

The Yoga Sutras tell us is it the obstacles that lead us into a deeper understanding of ourselves which in turn allows to become deeply connected to others as well as the divine force that flows in and out of everything.  Directly confronting our difficulties with clarity, compassion and persistence creates freedom.  Freedom in knowing you are never really trapped in any situation.  For today, see if you can change your perspective to any “rocks” that are in your stream.  Stay focused, do the next right thing, however small it may seem, and try and find the lesson, the jewel that is hidden within.  Today, be persistent in your journey towards balance, freedom, peace and serenity in your life. 

Happy First Day of Spring – Tuesday, March 20th – New Moon March 22nd!!!  Yay

Yoga Classes this Week

Monday Evening at 730pm

Tuesday Morning at 930am with Meditation to follow

**Thursday Evening at 630pm**

**(trying this new time for a few weeks, let me know your thoughts, please)**

Friday Morning Healing Yoga 930am 

(please reserve your spot or cancel if your plans have changed)

 

Announcements

ShaktiPath Kirtan at Yogaholic this Friday, March 23rd 7-9pm.  Click on the link for more information https://myyogawithamy.com/eventsworkshops/ or www.ShaktiPath.net

Monday Morning, March 25th at 930am a few of us are planning to go to Yoga for Life in Setauket to practice asana class led by Kate Kaming with live music by Girish.  http://www.yogaforlifeohm.com/workshops.html to reserve your spot. 

Anyone interested in joining our team The Relayoga Warriors for the June 8th Rocky Point Relay for Life, let me know.  We would love to have you join us in the fight against cancer!!

Namaste,

Amy

Amy Perri 
RYT500
Registered Yoga Teacher 500 Hr 
631-839-0644
http://www.MyYogaWithAmy.com 

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Yoga This Week – New Time for Thursday Night 630pm

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Security is mostly a superstition.
It does not exist in nature,
nor do the children of men as a whole experience it.
Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run,
than outright exposure.
Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing.

– Helen Keller

 

 

Greetings Dearest Yoga Students,

 

On a recent walk with a dear friend we were discussing finding our life’s path.  How do we find inspiration, purpose, love of life and fulfillment?  And even if we find the things that make us most happy, how do we follow through with our dharma and actually live it?  We talked about how I have found my path teaching yoga which fulfills so much of what I believe to be my dharma of service and devotion.   She quickly reminded me, however, that I “was a wreck” each time I was making another decision to pursue this dream,  but I stumbled forward in spite of myself.  When we make the decision to ride through the fear and doubt, the right people, situations and opportunities seem to just magically show up.  The universe supports us when we trust that still, small voice that whispers to us in moments of revelation. 

 

 

You will never allow yourself to move forward and make life an adventure if you aren’t sometimes a “wreck” about the decision.  You will never be daring, spontaneous or free if you don’t experience doubt and fear.  The important thing is that you walk forward anyway.  Even when you don’t know what the outcome will be, you walk through the fear head on and move forward trusing that the universe is putting opportunities in your path everyday if you are open to them.  Mark Twain said, “Courage is not the absence of fear. It is acting in spite of it”  To “avoid danger is no safer in the long run” so try and let go a little each day of your safe place on the shore and make life an exciting adventure, flowing in and with your life and then sit back and enjoy the ride.

 

 

Classes for this Week

 

Monday Evening at 730pm

 

Tuesday Morning at 930 with Meditation to follow class

 

**Thursday Evening at 630pm** New Time 

 

Friday Morning Healing Yoga at 930

 

(Please reserve your spot or cancel if your plans have changed)

 

 Reminder that we have an ongoing food collection bin that I periodically drop off to the local food pantries.  If you remember, put a non-perishable by your yoga mat and bring it to class, toiletries are always a welcome addition.  Thanks so much.

 

**Restorative Yoga and Acupunture this Wednesday, March 14th 7-9pm**

 

**ShaktiPath Kirtan at Yogaholic in Center Moriches on March 23rd**

 

Go to www.ShaktiPath.net for more information or email me directily to sign up.

 

 

 

 

Countdown Ten Days to Spring! Yay!  Hope to see you in class this week.

 

Namaste

 

Amy 

 

Amy Perri
Registered Yoga Teacher
631-839-0644
Yogawithamy@optonline.net
 

 

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Yoga this Week – February 25, 2012

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“Citta Vritti Nirodhaha: Yoga is the cessation of the fluctuations of the mind” 
Yoga Stura 1:2
 
 
 
 
Hari Ohm dearest yoga students 
 
Hoping this email finds you well and experiencing some aspect of your ability to maintain equanimity in your life. It is important to remember that Yoga is really just a state of mind.  Asana (postures) practice was developed to allow the body and mind to be receptive to the experience of stillness so that we may catch glimses of our true nature that lies just underneath the vritti’s (disturbances of the mind).  Postures, breath work and meditation are just the vehicles that are used to focus and still the chatter in the mind which leads to clarity of thought, peace and balance in our lives.
 

 
You can do yoga wherever you are and whatever you are doing.  Attaining one pointed focus (pratyahara)  while making a meal, playing with your child or taking a walk are all states of yoga, even if only for brief moments in time. When we are truly present we calm the fluctuations of the mind by being in the moment instead of getting caught up in the “monkey mind” that jumps from thought to thought, from fear to fear, from judgement to judgement.   Try riding the wave of the breath anytime your mind takes you into its tangled web of thought.   Work towards being present in whatever you engage in today, giving it your complete attention.  By focusing on the task or activity at hand, you may just discover true peace of mind or your “yoga” in all you do.
 
 
 
 
 
Classes this Week
 
Monday and Thursday evening at 730pm
 
Tuesday Morning at 930am with Meditation to follow class
 
Friday morning Healing Yoga at 930am
 
(please reserve your spot or cancel if your plans have changed)
 
**Please note that payment for the Restorative Yoga and Acupunture Class on March 14th is due on March 4th if you have signed up, please confirm your attendance as there is a wait list.  Thanks so much.

  Hope to see you in class,

Namaste

Amy

http://www.muktinath.org/hinduism/om-aum.htm

Amy Perri
Registered Yoga Teacher
631-839-0644
Yogawithamy@optonline.net
 

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Yoga this Week – February 19, 2012

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Await the auspicious moment when one will be free from pleasure and pain, desire and a sense of worldly gain–since, attention should be on the perfection of means and not the end, which is bound to follow if the means are perfected.  To accomplish this one should scrupulously observe all aspect of sadacara (right conduct — Ahimsa, Satya, Asteya, Bramacharya and Aparigraha)
                                                Ravindra Kumar
 
 
Walking the path to right living requires tenacity, faith and a belief in the higher way of living.  Adhering to what you believe to be ethical, compassionate,humane and true means being aware of those moments when we start to vier off  that path .  Like bumps in the road that remind us we are not in the center of the driving lane, the Yamas provide us with a road map with specific guidelines we can work with to live skillfully with compassion, right action and sense of freedom in knowing we are being true to ourselves and our maker. 
Be gentle with yourself and others as you strive to walk this road less traveled remembering that, we truly cannot become enlightened beings by simply sitting on a meditation cushion, doing yoga poses or reading spiritual material;  WE MUST ADHERE TO AN ETHICAL PRACTICE if we are to move forward in our journey back home to our true selves and do the work we were meant to do in this lifetime.  Trust, take risks, be willing to be vulnerable;  there is a song in your heart waiting to be sung and in walking the true and right path you will find inside you the ability to give yourself fully to your unique, beautiful style of music that lives inside your soul. 
 
Classes for this week
 
Monday & Thursday Evening at 730pm
 
Tuesday Morning at 930am
 
Healing Yoga Friday Morning at 930am
 
(please reserve your spot or cancel if your plans have changed)
 
Thanks to all of you who attended the Vinyasa and Live Music with ShaktiPath, it was a wonderful experience flowing  together in vibrational energy while raising money for the American Cancer Society!!!  If you want to keep up to date with ShaktiPath’s happenings, go to our website at www.ShaktiPath.net or like us on Facebook!
  
Hope to see you in class this week,
Namsaste
Amy
Amy Perri 
RYT500
Registered Yoga Teacher 500 Hr 
631-839-0644
http://www.MyYogaWithAmy.com 

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Yoga this Week – February 12, 2012

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 “Avoid greed in your life and you will vibrate harmoniously with this attribute of Aparigraha.   Treat others with respect and be generous with your time and attention. Remember, if you want love, freely give love away”

Remove yourself from the center of the universe. Release self seeking and look for ways in which you can give to those around you. Hold your attention on perfecting the intention for what you do and not on the end result.  Try to detach from what you will gain, in your work, play, service,  obligations, relationships, creative endeavors; Immerse yourself in the task and leave the outcome to the divine powers to do with what it sees fit. When we detach from the outcome and simply do what we do to the best of our ability and with pure intentions, we are allowing what we have to flow freely unencumbered by selfish desires.

 
Aparigraha is learning to let go and release our grip (without claw marks) when we are hoarding or attaching to someone or something out of fear.  It’s learning to  be patient with empty spaces without the need to fill them.  It teaches us to simply be satisfied. It frees us from our false ego self that tells us  impermanent, transient comfort, validation and perceived control are things that will make us happy.   Aparigraha  means developing a strong confidence and devotion not to this world but to the Higher intelligence that permeates and interconnects our lives when we choose to act from a place of  selflessness, generosity  and love.

 

Happy Valentines Day! 

Classes for this Week

Monday Evening at 730pm

Tuesday Morning at 930am with Meditation on Heart Chakra to follow

Friday Morning Healing Yoga 930am

(Please reserve or cancel if your plans have changed)

 

**Vinyasa Flow with Music by ShaktiPath this Saturday 3-5 pm at Yoga for Life in Setauket**

Please call Yoga for Life to reserve your spot 941-9642

$25 per person ($20 if you mention you are my student!)

with part of the proceeds going to the American Cancer Society

Hope to see you there or here! 

Namaste

Amy

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Weekly Email

Yoga this Week – February 4, 2012

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Greetings dearest yoga students,
 
This week brings us to our final yama in the first limb of yoga’s eight limb path.
 
 
 
Aparigraha
greedlessness, non-attachment

“The yogi feels that the collection or hoarding of things implies a lack of faith in God and in himself to provide for the future….By the observance of aparigraha, the yogi makes his life as simple as possible and trains his mind not to feel the loss or the lack of anything. Then everything he really needs will come to him by itself at the proper time.”

                                                                BKS Iyengar
 
It is fitting that the last yama is about letting go.  As we have seen with all the yamas, cultivating faith in our divine intelligence is a foundational requirement if we are to walk on our true, right path.  Working with aparigraha requires a letting go and a giving heart.  It is releasing the need to come from a place of lack and acknowledge that there is always enough.  Think about it…don’t we always seem to get what we need although we may not always get what we desire.  Learning to live from an attitude of abundance allows you to give freely and walk your path with serentity.  Greed is based on fear and fear leads us to cling to impermanant things (money, titles, people, things..).  Clinging will not lengthen your life, bring lasting happiness or keep you safe. 
 
 
 
Attachment, hoarding and greed leads to making decisions that are based on fear.  Letting go of fear and cultivating faith empowers us to let go of  our competitive human nature and dive deeper into the interconnectness of all things which allows us to see that you and I are not separate.  The next time you notice yourself acting from a place of fear based greed, envy or unhealthy grasping, try repeating the mantra silently or quietly out loud:  “There is always enough, my higher power will always provide exactly what is needed and I am exactly where I need to be”. and see if your perception shifts to one of giving, acceptance and effortless love. 
 
 
 
Classes for this Week
 
Monday and Thursday Evening 730pm
 
Tuesday 930am with 11am Meditation to Follow Class
 
Friday Morning Healing Yoga 930am
 
(Please reserve your spot or cancel if your plans have changed)
 
 
Lakshmi – Goddess of Abundance

*Tonight! Live Kirtan with ShaktiPath at Breathe in Port Jefferson – Feburary 4th, 7-9pm $25 ($20 for you)

*Vinyasa & Live Music with ShaktiPath – February 18th, 3-5pm Yoga for Life $25 ($20 for you)

*Restorative Yoga and Acupunture – March 14th, 7-9pm Home Studio $45

Looking forward to seeing you all in our “expanded” Yoga Room!  Much gratitude to Billy for putting much time and energy into doing the work!!  Its awesome.  Watch for your Aparigraha thoughts this week!! 

“When you grasp, you lose; when you give, you gain”
 

Namaste,

Amy 

 

Amy Perri
RYT500
Registered Yoga Teacher 500 Hr
631-839-0644
http://www.MyYogaWithAmy.com 

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Yoga this Week – January 22, 2012

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“When the practitioner is firmly established in continence;
knowledge, vigor, valor, and energy flow to him”
                                    Yoga Sutra II:38

 
 
Greetings dearest yoga students,
 
It is with great pleasure that I share the ancient teachings from Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras with you.  It is through transmitting this knowledge to you that I learn and grow in my own practice.  The ethical practices of yoga are life long, daily and pertinent if we are to bring peace to our lives, those immediately connected to us and the larger world.  These “codes for living” are not unique to those that follow the Sutras but variations can be found in nearly every spiritual tradition since the beginning of  time.  Try to connect with them on your own personal level with any other spiritual/religious path you believe in.
 
The fourth week in our studies brings us to Brahmacarya, which literally means to “walk with God”.  This is one of the more confusing yamas for me  as I have read many different explanations and perspectives.  The most general definition that I came up with that is most easily understood is that Brahmacarya means to practice moderation in all of our affairs.  This yama is most frequently associated with sexual energy and warns the practitioner to use their sexual energy wisely and with awareness with the highest intention.  However, the deeper I studied this yama what was revealed to me is that it truly is a call to practice moderation or temperance in all our thoughts, words and actions.
 
 
Practicing moderation brings us into balance with our vital energy.  When we find ourselves mindlessly dumping our energy into non-healthy or task-avoiding behavior, all we have to do is become aware, refocus and begin again.  This week as we explore the concept of Brahmacarya, I invite you to notice your relationship to food, money, sex, work, exercise, family, appearance, etc.  Notice if those things bring about a sense of well being or anxiety.  Look at your life without judgement and become aware of places you may be unconsciously dumping your precious time and energy into; either physically or simple obsessing in your mind.  Bring the preceding yamas into your practice by cultivating non-violence, honesty and deep contentment for what you have in your life, knowing you have everything you need to create equanimity and peace. 
 
All Hatha Yoga practicies work to cultivate balance.  When you are truly balanced by practicing moderation in all parts of your life, you will ultimately gain true freedom and ease.  By actively restraining your indulgent, addictive, self-defeating behaviors you will create the atmosphere for all the “knowledge, vigor, valor and energy” that you have always desired to flow through just as the right conditions in nature allow snow flakes to fall effortlessly from the winter sky.
 
Classes for this Week
 
Monday and Thursday Evening at 730pm
 
Tuesday Morning at 930am with 11am Meditation to follow class
 
Friday Morning Healing Yoga 930am
 
(please reserve your spot or cancel if your plans have changed)
 
Looking forward to Restorative Yoga and Acupunture on Wednesday at 7pm.  If you are one of the attendees, please dress comfortably in stretchy layered clothing and come prepared to leave your cares at the door.  Try to arrive ten minutes early if possible.
 
 
Hope to see you all in class!!
Namaste
Enjoy the snow!!
Amy 
Amy Perri
RYT500
Registered Yoga Teacher 500 Hr
631-839-0644
http://www.MyYogaWithAmy.com 
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Yoga this Week – January 15, 2012

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“To one established in non-stealing, all wealth comes.”

– The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, Sutra II.37

Asteya – Non-Stealing
 
As we continue our study of the Yamas, (ethical constraints that teach us how to interact with the world) we come to the third out of fifth yama which is Asteya.  Asteya is not stealing.  It is not looking beyond our own means (people, places or situations) to bring us happiness.  It is not taking something that is not given to us freely.  It is not manipulating, fabricating, or forcing things in a certain way to gain power, attention, material wealth or piece of mind.  Asteya works as a profound practice in our lives when we stop focusing on what we lack and become aware of all that we truly have in our lives in the present moment.  When you are established in Ahimsa (non-violence) and Satya (Truthfullness), stealing becomes an unacceptable behavior. Instead of coveting what another has, we rejoice in their happiness and contententment finds its way to us naturally as will all the abundance you seek. 
 
 
 The practice of asteya goes far beyond not phyically taking what is not yours but extends its concept to not “stealing” your own or someone else’s time, happiness or self-will. 
Think  about ways in which you may “steal” without realizing it:  Enabling another to continue a destructive pattern by excusing or accepting it, agreeing to do something when what you really need is to honor your own needs, not giving that well deserved compliment because of your own insecuriites, etc. 
 
Martin Luther King said that “All life is interrelated.  We are all caught up in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied into a single garment of destiny”.  What we steal from others, we are ultimately steal from ourselves.
 
 
 
Classes for this Week
 
Monday and Thursday Evening at 730pm
 
Tuesday Morning at 930am with 11am  Meditation to follow
 
Friday Morning 930am Healing Yoga
 
(Please reserve your spot or cancel if your plans have changed)
 
Live Kirtan with ShaktiPath on Saturday, February 4th at Breathe in Port Jefferson!!!
Come channel that  loving “shakti” energy with the healing power of music and chant!
 
Shanti, shanti, shanti
Namaste
Amy
 
 
 
Shanti, shanti, shanti!!
Amy

Amy Perri
RYT500
Registered Yoga Teacher 500 Hr
631-839-0644
http://www.MyYogaWithAmy.com 

Weekly Email

Yoga this Week – January 7, 2012

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Satya – To seek and honor the truth in yourself, others and the world

(Sat-Truth + Ya-that which is of the essence)

“Probably the hardest form of this practice [commitment to satya] is being true to our own heart and inner destiny. Confusion and mistrust of our inner values can make it difficult to know the nature of our heart’s desire, but even when we become clear enough to recognize what truth means for us, we may lack the courage and conviction to live our truth. Following what we know to be essential for our growth may mean leaving unhealthy relationships or jobs and taking risks that jeopardize our own comfortable position. It may mean making choices that are not supported by consensual reality or ratified by the outer culture. The truth is rarely convenient. One way we can know we are living the truth is that while our choices may not be easy, at the end of the day we feel at peace with ourselves”

Donna Fhari

Greetings Dear Yoga Students,

Hope this email finds you well, embracing the truth of your life whatever is put before you at this moment. I hope you enjoyed practicing ahimsa (non-violence) and that you continue to do so as the year moves forward for Ahimsa is at the core of all yogic practices.
We now come to our second out of five yamas: Satya (truthfullness) which requires clear seeing, courage and steadfastness. Try and be aware of situations in which you tend to color or deny the truth with yourself or others. Be aware without judgement if you think another is bending what you believe to be the truth taking into consideration that we only see the world through our own individual lense. Practing satya is having the courage and faith to first clear your own lense and then act on what you see with a compassionate heart.

 Classes for this Week

Monday and Thursday Evening at 730pm

Tuesday 930am with Meditation to follow class

Friday Morning Healing Yoga 930am

(Please reserve your spot or cancel if your plans have changed)

Please note that payment for the January 25th Restorative Yoga and Acupunture Class is due by January 11th. If you have not given your payment yet and still plan to attend, please either send it in or contact me. I do have a waiting list so if you cannot make it, please let me know.
Thanks so much!

Watch for your daily thoughts on Satya. Any feedback is much appreicated as we are on this journey together.

Sat Nam
(I honor the truth within each of you)
Amy

Amy Perri
RYT500
Registered Yoga Teacher 500 Hr
631-839-0644
http://www.MyYogaWithAmy.com

Yoga, Meditation & Healing Studio in Rocky Point NY… 631-839-0644