The Yoga Shala on Groupon

The Yoga Shala in Winter Park, Florida is being featured on Groupon today. If you have never done yoga, never done Ashtanga Yoga, never tried the Mysore method, or never been to The Yoga Shala in Winter Park (just outside Orlando) - well then there is no better time to try it than right now!

This is an AMAZING deal folks - we are offering this deal through Groupon to encourage you to stop thinking about trying yoga, and actually come in and see why so many people are trading in their gym shoes for a yoga mat! For a mere $29.00 you can experience authentic Ashtanga Yoga for one month at The Yoga Shala to see what this stuff is really all about.

1st year anniversary, October 2010

While normal monthly tuition is a great deal more expensive, a full month studying at the shala under the guidance of our wonderful and highly trained staff will help you decide if your health and wellness, our teachers, our space, and this practice are worth the cost. By the end of one month you will look and feel better, and I'm quite sure you will realize that cutting back a bit on eating out will help you magically generate the additional funds to pay for your new found love - daily practice at The Yoga Shala in Winter Park, Florida.

Owner, Krista Shirley

From our little Yoga Shala family we wish you a wonderful Saturday ahead and hope to see you on the mat soon.

Beginner Yoga at The Yoga Shala in Winter Park, Florida (in the Orlando area)

The Yoga Shala's 2012 Four Week Beginner Yoga Course dates are up! Be sure to register for your spot today!



Four Week Beginning Yoga Course
This four week beginner Yoga course is designed for students with little or no yoga experience. Students are introduced to Ashtanga yoga in a slow, safe and comprehensive manner. This beginner Yoga course is progressive, in order that each class will allow students to build from the previous. At the end this course, students will be equipped with the knowledge of the history of the Ashtanga Yoga method, a physical foundation of the sun salutations, standing postures and breath work required to advance in the Ashtanga practice, and the self-assurance to enter into the Mysore program. All classes are held at our Orlando Yoga Shala location. This course requires pre-registration, call 407-506-4626 for more information.

Beginner Course Dates - You must call to register

January 2-27

January 30 - February 24

February 27 - March 23

March 26 - April 20

April 23 - May 18

May 21 - June 15

June 18 - July 13

Please select the course time and dates you wish to enroll. You may come five days per week during the month beginner course (unless you register for the evening class, which is four nights per week); please keep in mind that it is most ideal to come four-five days per week but please be sure you can come at least three days per week in order to receive maximum benefit from the program.


Beginner Course Timings

6:30-7:30am

8:30-9:30am

9:30-10:30am

12:00-1:00pm

7:00-8:00pm


Call Shanna 407-506-7735 or Krista 407-506-4626 to Register



The Yoga Shala is located at 927 North Pennsylvania Avenue, in the heart of downtown Winter Park, Florida. We are the only authentic Ashtanga Yoga School in Central Florida and we feel very honored to share this yoga practice with you. Ashtanga Yoga is suitable for everyone! Regardless of your fitness level, age, strength, or flexibility, we can help you achieve better physical and mental health one yoga practice at a time. Call us today.

Facing Your Fears, and Letting Go

Facing Your Fears, and Letting Go

There are some days when I get up, drag myself to the mat and dread every second of it. There are days when I leap out of bed and float to my mat and want it to go on for hours. But it’s those days when I really don’t want to practice when I need to do it the most.

There are many reasons we don’t want to practice, we are tired, stressed out, feeling ill or just being lazy. But there are other reasons, and it may be that we don’t want to face our fears. Facing our fears is probably the best reason to do your yoga practice, but is for sure the hardest.

The fears that we may have can range from not wanting to push outside our comfort zone, to not wanting to face our true self, to feeling inadequate, to having to let go of what you thought you were.

The fear of dealing with the physical discomfort is a natural human behavior, so the lesson in this is easy. We must work through the discomfort to move forward. If we always did things that made us feel comfortable in life, we would probably not have many life experiences or feel very successful. On the other hand, if the lesson to learn is easy, making it happen is the actual challenge.

Attachment to fear may be one of the factors that are preventing us from moving forward. Think about it, we have lived so long with this idea of who we are, that we have this fear, so much so that we have no idea how to let it go. It’s ingrained in our being and letting it go could leave an empty space in our lives.

The other day, while watching others do their practice, I felt a sense of loss to the person I once was. It was a feeling I had never had before. I knew that I had changed, that I had become more dedicated to my yoga practice and have changed my lifestyle, but what I hadn’t realized until that moment, was that I was no longer the person I thought I was.

Over the past few years, I have given up habits and behaviors that would not be conducive to a yogic lifestyle. While giving up those things was not difficult, realizing who I have committed myself to becoming shocked me in a way that was never even conceivable until now. What came to light, at that moment was a sense of loss. I was attached to who I had been for so many years and had a fear of embracing who I had become, of whom I have wanted to become and of whom I would like to evolve into. Fear overtook my entire being at that moment and I just wanted time to stop so I could put the brakes on for a moment to analyze the situation.

Since that moment, I have been mourning the loss of my former self. A flood of emotions overwhelm me on and off the mat, and the physical discomfort of daily practice feels more like agony. The more I try to hold on, the more painful the process becomes. So the lesson is easy, “let go”. But the action of doing so is very difficult.

Non-attachment is part of the practice of Ashtanga Yoga. I believe it is one of the most difficult practices, for sometimes we don’t even realize what our attachments are. I for one had no idea that I was attached to my former self. Now that I know, the process of letting go can begin. I know that when I am ready to embrace my “new” self, I will eagerly float to my mat knowing I have overcome yet another obstacle in this day to day operation we call life. I will have pushed myself out of my comfort zone and will feel really successful. Until then, I must experience and enjoy the journey ahead. Ready or not, here I come.

Maureen Hanusek

Right Here, Right Now

Right Here, Right Now

by Maureen Hanusek

Chances are, if you’re sitting here, reading this, you are in no immediate danger. And if you are in fact, sitting here, reading this, life is pretty good. So, at this very moment, right here, right now, all is perfect. How miniscule the present moment can seem compared to a lifetime. How infinite the present moment can be at this very second.

I am reading the book The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle. A friend let me borrow it. And it’s really got me thinking about how to stay present in this moment. So far, it’s amazing. When I truly cut out the mind chatter and things past and future, life seems so beautiful.

But every moment can’t be beautiful, can it? I wish every moment could be beautiful, but things aren’t always beautiful, like our yoga practice, for example. Some days you feel as if you could float on your mat easily from posture to posture. While other days you feel like a lead brick, flopping around on the mat like a poor dying fish out of water. Thus the Power of Now begins.

Your yoga practice is the best place to start your attention to the present moment. This is where your day begins or ends and comes full circle, on your mat. There’s no hiding from it, it’s there, waiting for you to “check in.” It’s where you peel away the layers of your external self and actually have to be with who you really are. And it’s happening every moment you dedicate to your practice. Don’t like yourself so much one day; what’s your practice going to look like? Love yourself another day; how does your practice feel? What is every moment like being you?

Being fully alive in this present moment can be a daunting task when we first realize how much effort it may take, but noticing how wonderful life is, right here, right now can fill us with gratitude and compassion. With practice, living in the present moment becomes more natural and all the chatter and pains that we seem to live with go away, if only for a fleeting moment. Soon these fleeting moments become strung together and longer lapses of clarity exist in our lives.

Sounds wonderful, doesn’t it? How do I get this clarity? Where do I begin? Begin on your mat. Whilst practicing asana, feel what the body is doing, feel the breath, the bandhas and refuse to listen to what the mind is telling you about the past or the future. Know that this very moment of your day will only exist for a very short time and that noticing it will not only make it a more enjoyable experience, but allow you to connect with a deeper inner self that may need acknowledgement. In these fleeting minutes, is where we can truly listen for that “Ah-ha” moment. It’s where breakthroughs occur and where those questions we keep asking become answered.

Now is an incredible time to be alive. Now is a powerful tool for self discovery. Now is the time to enjoy the life you have been given. Now is your opportunity to live you best life.

Weekly Donation Classes at The Yoga Shala in Winter Park, Florida (just outside Orlando)

Please Join The Yoga Shala on Saturday mornings from 11:00-12:00pm for our DONATION Guided Ashtanga Yoga class

The Yoga Shala is located in Winter Park, Florida (in the orlando area). 927 North Pennsylvania Avenue, Winter Park, Florida 32789. We are close to the Winter Park Village, downtown Winter Park, Park Avenue, and Lee Road.

Guided Ashtanga Yoga class will present the sun salutations, standing postures and finishing asanas from the Ashtanga Yoga tradition in a one hour class led by one of The Yoga Shala's teachers. All levels are welcome!

Donation class (any dollar amount): The month of September all proceeds will benefit New Hope For Kids in Central Florida.

Instructors at The Yoga Shala will be donating their time each Saturday to teach this class. Please come join us each weekend to raise monies for a wonderful cause!

New Hope for Kids provides services to Central Florida children during some of the most difficult and challenging times of their lives. At our Center for Grieving Children in Maitland we offer support to children ages 3 to 18 who are grieving the death of a loved one. These children come to us during a moment of extreme vulnerability - because of a death caused by illness, accident, murder or suicide - suddenly unsure of what the future holds for them. New Hope for Kids Grief Program teaches them that they are not alone and that there is hope.

Our Wishes for Kids Program improves the quality of life for children who have been diagnosed with life-threatening illnesses. These kids face isolation and educational stagnation resulting from long-term hospital or home care. Physical disabilities may also limit their mobility and access to normal learning and social opportunities. New Hope for Kids provides one very important wish as well as a long-term series of family activities for special needs kids. This gives these children hope for the future and strength to go on striving.

Click here for more information about New Hope For Kids

If you would like more information about The Yoga Shala, please visit our website.

Kaiden doing downdog in the kitchen ;)

I hope you enjoy this video! Kaiden is my son. He'll be 16 months on September 3rd and he's already a great little yogi. We took this video about a week ago in our kitchen one night. He know's down dog very well :) Since he was a tiny baby I've always done my yoga practice at home at least once per week so he can get some exposure to the peacefulness of the practice, and the joy I get from it in my life.

Come Join us THIS EVENING for Life Bliss Meditation Workshop at The Yoga Shala in Winter Park, Florida

Life Bliss Meditation Workshop at The Yoga Shala in Winter Park, Florida (in the Orlando area)

Experience an Inner Transformation…

with Lourdes Cordero, RYT

Saturday, August 20, 2011

6:00 pm – 8:00 pm

The Yoga Shala

927 N. Pennsylvania Ave.

Winter Park, FL 32789

407-506-4626

www.TheYogaShala.Org

Learn to naturally overcome the barriers of every day challenges by becoming more attuned to your body’s intelligence and being established in the immovable Bliss within… Life Bliss Meditation is a simple, natural, effortless and easily learned technique practiced for 35 minutes. This meditation helps to release stress, reduces anxiety, creates inner peace, improves your relations, and reawakens your intuition.

Please bring a pillow and/or blanket. $10 Suggested Donation (100% Proceeds will benefit the American Diabetes Association). Please Bring a Dish to Share (Optional) for Satsang (Discussion, reflection and/or just enjoying each other’s company).

June Donation Classes at The Yoga Shala in Winter Park, Florida!

During the month of June, 100% of our donation class proceeds will benefit GRIND FOR LIFE - a group that helps people with cancer.

Please come join us every Saturday from 11-12pm to raise money for this great cause! Our teachers donate their time, The Yoga Shala donates the space, and all we need are loving students to donate a few dollars to help this cause!

Grind For Life, Inc was founded in 2003, by life-long skateboarder Mike Rogers, after his second battle with sarcoma cancer. Mike's tumor was located behind his right eye and nasal cavity. He endured a 17 hour surgery a cranial-facial resection with a brain-lift, removal of his eye, cheekbone, and half of the roof of his mouth and some of his teeth. He beat cancer once as a pre-teen, and again 25 years later. Mike beat the odds and is skateboarding competitive again.

WHAT THEY DO The mission of the Grind For Life organization is to provide financial assistance to cancer patients and their families when traveling long distances to doctors and hospitals. In addition, we educate and inspire these patients and families concerning cancer survival and recovery. Those who qualify may request assistance for travel and lodging expenses, meal, and personal needs. Funds for this organization will be raised by, but not limited to, hosting skateboarding events and festivals, ebay sales of donated goods, fundraiser's, Grind For life sponsors a skateboard team to perform at these events to keep the spirit of skateboarding alive.

Visions
Our ultimate goal with this organization is to have a couple of apartments near Memorial Sloan-Kettering Hospital in Manhattan, so people who are receiving treatment at the hospital can have their family near them. We want to be able to provide a comfortable place to stay, charge fees based on a sliding scale, provide support for those who are not accustomed to the city, and make a rough situation a little easier for those who travel long distances for treatment.