Camp Kesem - Karma Krew April Project

On Saturday, April 17th from 11:00am - 2:00pm the Karma Krew will be holding its monthly karma project at The Yoga Shala - 927 North Pennsylvania Avenue, Winter Park, Florida 32789.

The theme for this month is "Giving Back to the Caregivers"...So often, tragedy or disaster is something that we read about in the newspapers, or watch from a distance on TV. But cancer is something that we all know, whether personally or through a family member or close friend, or even a distant relative.When cancer does affect a family, support is often there for the adults, but not always for the children.

Camp Kesem ("kesem" meaning "magic" in Hebrew) is a college-student-run summer camp for kids 6 - 13 who have/had a parent with cancer. Enjoying a week of fun and meeting kids in their same situation, these young children can find the support and attention they need, that might be difficult for the parents to provide at home during this time. What is also so magical about these camps is that each of the college students that run them do their own fundraising each year. And one of them told me their budget each year is $12,000!

For the first two weeks of April, we will be raising funds for two camps, at the University of Florida and the University of Miami. Donations can be made through PayPal or at The Yoga Shala in Winter Park. (More details and donation options to be provided soon.)

On April 17th, we will gather at The Yoga Shala to practice asana and meditation, cultivating the realization that, through our practice and the very acts of living, we can create positive & happy lives for all beings.

baby bump

I'm now about 34 1/2 weeks pregnant - and my little man is getting bigger by the second! I've been practicing through my entire pregnancy, but I've modified to some degree since the day I found out I was having a baby. As the weeks have progressed I've continued to modify my practice even more. In the last four weeks alone I've had to let go of about five postures in the primary series, and several inversions. Even though my current yoga practice is something very different from a full fledged ashtanga practice; there is nothing better than doing my yoga during my pregnancy. I'm quite achy all over if I don't do my practice; and I mentally and physically feel out of sync without getting to my mat. I give thanks each and every single day for this special and sacred practice - for all that it gives me on and off the mat! I plan to and hope to be able to practice up until I give birth in six weeks. At that point I'll take 8-10 weeks off of all physical activity. While I'll miss my asana practice very much, I'm eager to give my body a much needed break and time to heal. When I do return to my mat after Kaiden's birth, I know I'll be refreshed, rested, and ready to embrace my asana practice again :)

I now have about a month left teaching my morning and lunchtime mysore classes at The Yoga Shala before having my cerclage removed and beginning maternity leave. If Kaiden comes when he's due I'll be welcoming my little boy into the world in six weeks :) Next Friday Kwang and I close on our home, and begin moving! I'm very eager to get settled in the house, finally get Kaiden's room ready, and prepare to welcome Kaiden into our lives!!!

Kino MacGregor comes to Orlando

Kino MacGregor Weekend Workshop
The Yoga Shala

927 North Pennsylvania Avenue

Winter Park, Florida 32789

May 22-23, 2010

Saturday May 22

10 AM - 12 PM Guided Full Primary ($40.00)

2 - 4 PM Workshop ($50.00) Inversions, Handstanding & the Art of Balance: Turning yourself upside down challenges the body’s sense of spatial orientation, the limits of physical strength and the mind’s outer edges of fear. In this class you will learn to approach inversions with sound anatomical principles, an open mind, excitement and fun. You will experience first hand that it takes much more than brute strength to steady yourself on your hands. You will see how easy it really is to let yourself slide into postures, positions and inversions that you think are impossible with just the slightest change of perspective. Everything from shoulderstand to downward dog to handstand is part of the game.

Sunday May 23

8 AM - 10 AM Mysore Style ($40.00)

12 PM - 2 PM Workshop ($50.00)Lengthen the Hamstrings, Relax the Hips:
Unlock the secret to open hips and long hamstrings and solve the riddle of these two seemingly incorrigible areas of the body. Without your hamstrings and hips in place the yoga practice sometimes feels like a dead end with no hope in sight. Turn that thought around in this fun, practical approach to working with your legs, hips and pelvis. This workshop gives you the foundation for healthy forward bending, easy hip rotation and a new understanding of your legs. Delve into the inner world with solid anatomical explanations, easy-to-apply techniques and in-depth understanding.

REGISTER NOW
ENTIRE WORKSHOP by April 5: $150; $170 thereafter. For more information and registration contact mailto:krista@ashtangayogini.com or call The Yoga Shala 407-506-4626.

Workshop Cancellation Policy/Refunds:All cancellations must be made 10 days prior to the start of the workshop. Refunds will be given in the form of studio credit only (less a $15 processing fee). No credits will be given within 10 days of the start of workshop.

Kino MacGregor is one of a select group of people to receive the Certification to teach Ashtanga Yoga by its founder Sri K. Pattabhi Jois in Mysore, India. The youngest woman to hold this title, she has completed the challenging Third Series and is now learning the Fourth Series. Without any background in movement training Kino MacGregor tried her first yoga class when she was nineteen. Three years later, she joined Govinda Kai's Mysore-style classes in New York City and became a dedicated Ashtanga yoga practitioner. After seven months of traditional Ashtanga practice Kino traveled to Mysore, India to meet her true teacher, Sri K. Pattabhi Jois ("Guruji"). Upon her return she began real self-practice by practicing alone and devoting herself entirely to the study and teaching of Ashtanga yoga. After seven years of consistent trips to Mysore, at the age of 29, she received from Guruji the Certification to teach Ashtanga yoga and has since worked to pass on the inspiration to practice to countless others.

After spending a major portion of her life actively engaged in personal growth work, Kino returned to Miami Beach to create a space dedicated to the integration of yoga, holistic health and consciousness. In 2006, she and her husband Tim Feldmann founded Miami Life Center, where they now teach daily classes, workshops and intensives together in addition to maintaining an international traveling and teaching schedule. Miami Life Center is a community built around yoga, holistic health and consciousness on Miami Beach http://www.miamilifecenter.com/. She has produced three Ashtanga yoga DVDs (Kino MacGregor – A Journey, A Workshop; Ashtanga Yoga Primary Series; Ashtanga Yoga Intermediate Series), an Ashtanga yoga practice card and a podcast on yoga. She is currently working on one more DVDs and book about her personal experiences in yoga.

Kino is dedicated to carrying the torch of Ashtanga yoga throughout the world and sharing the amazing tradition of Ashtanga yoga with everyone who is inspired to practice. In her unique, inspirational and playful approach Kino helps all her students expand and deepen their understanding of yoga and life. Yoga found its expression through her message of spiritual strength, balanced flexibility and emotional peace.

Passionate about the environment, Kino pledges a monthly donation to Go Zero! to make her heavy travel schedule carbon neutral. As life coach and Ph.D. student in holistic health with a Master’s Degree from New York University, Kino integrates her commitment to consciousness and empowerment with her yoga teaching. She has been featured in Yoga Journal, Yoga Mind Body Spirit, Yoga Joyful Living, Travel & Leisure Magazine, Ocean Drive Magazine, Boca Raton Magazine, Florida Travel & Life Magazine, Six Degrees Magazine as well as appearing on Miami Beach’s Plum TV and the CBS Today Show.

Kaiden's Baby Shower ;)

The Amazing Cake :)

The amazing cake decorator - Jessica does this as a hobby people!

Kelli's artistic creation for Kaiden :)

Sasha, Alea, Krista, Connie, Jessica, and Leah - the women who made my baby shower a success!

Me and Miss Leah!

My beautiful decorations - Thanks ladies!

The party!

My baby shower was last Saturday, March 20th at the College Park Community center in Orlando. My closest friends worked very hard to plan and execute the shower - and it was so much more amazing than I could have ever dreamed! I had invited a combination of long time friends, family, and yoga students who were near and dear to my heart! It really meant the world to me that so many people made the time to come celebrate the coming birth of my little man!

Sati's Ashtanga Immersion Workshops at The Yoga Shala

The Yoga Shala's very own Sati Chmelar will be working her Ashtanga Yoga magic again in April. Don't miss out on this fabulous workshop series - immerse yourself in the Ashtanga Yoga Practice!

Sati's Ashtanga Immersion Series
April 10th and April 17th, 2010

Ashtanga Immersion Part 1: The Beginning (3.5 hours)

Saturday, April 10th 11:30am-3:00pm ($35.00)

This is a very thorough introduction to the tradition of Ashtanga Yoga with an in-depth lecture on the history of this lineage, its founders, practice protocols and underlying philosophical foundation. The lecture will also lead students into the practice of the breath of this tradition (ujjay pranayama) as well as the internal muscular locks (bandhas) and gaze directions (drishti). There will be plenty of time for dialogue with students and questions will be encouraged. After this initial section of the practice, there will be a step-by-step breakdown and practice of the asana of the primary series. The level of the class will inform how far into the series we cover, but it usually to go Janu Sirsasana A.

Ashtanga Immersion Part 2: Seated Asanas (3.5 hours)

Saturday, April 10thth 3:00pm-6:30pm ($35.00)

After a short introductory lecture and Q&A, there will be a short, guided asana series to warm the body up. Afterwards we will begin a step-by-step breakdown and practice of the asana of the primary series from the Janu Sirsansana series to Garbha Pindasana. There will be plenty of time for dialogue with students and questions will be encouraged.

Ashtanga Immersion Part 3: Maneuvers (3.5 hours)

Saturday, April 17thth 11:30am-3:00pm ($35.00)

After a short introductory lecture and Q&A , there will be a short, guided asana series to warm the body up. We will then enter into an in-depth exploration of jump-throughs, jump-backs, chakrasana, lotus-jumpbacks, and other fun transitional maneuvers in the Ashtanga Primary Series! There will be plenty of time for dialogue with students and questions will be encouraged.

Ashtanga Immersion Part 4: Reclining, Backbending and Closing (3.5 hours)

Saturday, April 17thth 3:00pm-6:30pm ($35.00)

After a short introductory lecture and Q&A, there will be a guided asana series to warm the body up. Afterwards, there will be a step-by-step breakdown and practice of the asana of the primary series from the Baddha Konasana to the final asanas of finishing sequence ending with Uth Pluthi. There will be plenty of time for dialogue with students and questions will be encouraged.

INFO & REGISTRATION: $35.00 per session or $125.00 for the entire series. Pre-registration is required! Each session meets at The Yoga Shala. You can pre-register in person at 927 N. Pennsylvania Ave. Winter Park, Florida, 32789; or online at http://www.theyogashala.org/. For more information and registration contact Krista@TheYogaShala.org

Workshop Cancellation Policy/Refunds:All cancellations must be made 10 days prior to the start of the workshop. Refunds will be given in the form of studio credit only (less a $15 processing fee). No credits will be given within 10 days of the start of workshop.

Make time for yourself

I have a wonderful student visiting Orlando, Florida with her husband and children. She has a dedicated practice and has spent the last month studying daily with me at The Yoga Shala. She leaves soon and I'm going to miss her because she is a full time mother of two, but makes sure to find time to do her practice - a real inspiration to me! Just the other day she came to me after practice and told me she was feeling guilty - guilty for taking this time each day to drive to Winter Park, and do her yoga practice at The Yoga Shala. I simply reminded her how important it is for her to take that time for herself each day in order to be of benefit to her children. I truly believe that we must take care of ourselves in order that we can take care of others. If we don't make the time for our own well being, we will lose our sense of self...She smiled and said, "I needed to hear that today, thank you Krista!" I hope you hear my words too - do not let your job, your family, your obligations and life responsibilities make you feel guilty for taking time each day to feed your soul - THERE IS TIME FOR IT ALL!

Manju Jois Teacher Training and Weekend workshop at The Yoga Shala, Orlando, Florida

Kelli and Me 7 months pregnent :)

Manju's led class (maureen and alea doing their practice)

Manju

Saturday Led Class

Saturday Led

Led Batch in Navasana

Miss Sati

Led Practice

Monday Mysore - Hi Mona :)

It's been a great week with Manju Jois here at The Yoga Shala doing his teacher training. We have one more day of the weekend workshop - then Orlando bid's farewell to Manju until next year. I've got a couple really great photos of this week - hope you enjoy!