yoga classes

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Appreciating the Labors of Living

Hello Everyone,

This weekend marks the official end of summer. Folks are bounding out for their final fling; boating, hiking, beaching, capturing live music. I hope that this weekend you will find some time to celebrate and honor the labors that you have put forth this year.

Often times we find ourselves running from one thing on our “to-do” list to the next. We wonder if we will ever get it all done. By the time we are half way through that list, we are already building the next list. It is this busy-ness of living that wears us down. Without taking time out to appreciate all that we have done, we will forever feel like the mouse on the wheel; spinning and spinning, yet going no where.

This is, I think one of the true gifts of meditation. We set aside time to be in stillness. We give ourselves permission to step off the spinning wheel of the doing and busy-ness of living. This is really hard to do, believe me, I know. I really like my lists. I am a doer of the highest order. And while we may stop our physical activities, the mind is still trying to keep it all going. It takes time for the mind to slow down, and stop making lists and telling stories. But if we get in the habit of sitting, every day, if even for a just a little bit, our bodies and our minds begin to look forward to this time of not doing, to this time of being. If you are new to meditation, or are looking for a refresher class, I will be hosting a meditation workshop September 22 at Village Green Yoga.

So, I am grateful for Labor Day Weekend. I am grateful I have the time to pause and reflect on all that I have done this year. I am grateful to all the workers – that would be all of us – who make this life possible. So a big shout out to farmers, truckers, engineers, laborers, office workers, cooks, writers, yogis, scientists, teachers, all of you who put your time and energy into making a living and making a life. Thank you for your labors of living.

Have a great weekend. Step with ease into the Fall. Lots of interesting things will be happening in the Seattle yoga community. My contributions include a couple of workshops and a meditation circle to begin in October, after I return from a meditation trip to India. A brief summary of my schedule is listed below, more details available through the links.

Shalom & Namaste

Diana Bonyhadi

Upcoming Events:

Loving Your Sun – A workshop exploring the fun-damentals of the sun salutation series

Intro to Meditation – A workshop offering tips and tools to help your meditation practice.

Class Schedule

Day                       Time                   Style                                     Location

Monday         9:30 – 11:00         Hatha Integration        Village Green Yoga

Tuesday         Noon – 1:00        Hatha Integration        Swedish Hospital

Tuesday         5:30 – 6:45          Vinyasa Flow                 Village Green Yoga

Wednesday    9:30 – 11:00        Hatha Integration         Village Green Yoga

Thursday        Noon – 1:00        Hatha Integration          Swedish Hospital

Thursday        5:30 – 6:45          Vinyasa Flow                  Village Green Yoga

Sunday           9:30 – 11:00        Sunday Salutations        Village Green Yoga

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Summer Schedule Changes

I find it hard to believe we are half way through summer.  But I know it must be true, because I just sent my daughter off to Camp Nor’Wester for a month, and she won’t be back till the end of August.  That means there are only 6 weeks left of summer.

Earlier in the month I wrote a post about what to do in Seattle in the summer.  How are you all doing with that?  So far I have been to the beach, hiked in the woods and gone berry picking & made some raspberry jam.  I have a lot to do in the next 4 weeks.  Next month, I will cram in all the rest – summer concerts, Shakespeare in the Park, Paddleboard Yoga and a trip to the San Juans, to name a few.  Did I mention I want to go on a food cart junket?

I missed Wanderlust at Whistler (the 3-day outdoor yoga & music festival) – Did any of you go?  How was it?

As you may have noticed there are some changes to my teaching schedule this summer.  New Summer hours:

Yoga at Swedish Hospital:
Tuesday & Thursday     Noon – 1:00    Hatha Integration/Therapeutic Alignment

Village Green Yoga:
Monday & Wednesday Mornings:

9:30 – 10:45     Hatha Integration – Alignment/Anusara Inspired

Tuesday & Thursday Evenings:

5:30 – 7:00    Vinyasa Flow

The Meditation Circle will restart in the Fall.

Speaking of meditation, if you have ever dreamed of going to India to study meditation and/or yoga, there is still time to sign up for Journey to the Source – a 2 week life changing trip to India in October. Travel with Ajayan Borys (Effortless Mind Meditation)and myself to the Majestic Himalayan Mountains and the source of the Ganges River and explore the roots of Yoga and Mediation.  For more information and to sign up, click here.  As the date draws nearer I am getting more and more excited.  Two weeks of meditation and yoga right in the very birth place of the tradition. Ajayan spent many years in this very location deep in meditation, so not will we be traveling to an amazing location, but we will be traveling with an amazing and dedicated teacher. Join us as we reach deeper into the very heart of our practice.

Have an adventuresome August.

Shalom & Namaste

Diana Bonyhadi

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Yoga Practice for Memorial Day

Thoughts on a Memorial Day Practice

Honoring those who continue to inspire and guide us

Class today was supported by inviting in and celebrating the energies of those whom we hold sacred in our lives.  We chose to remember people whose very existence has deepened our own experience on this planet.  It didn’t matter whom we chose to bring with us into our practice.  Some may have chosen their mothers, or grandmothers, or friends, or maybe they invited Lao Tsu, or Rumi, or Leonardo DaVinci, or Ramakrishna, or Abinhavagupta or Gandhi.

We didn’t discuss who was inviting whom to class, or why.  We simply chose in our hearts, one or two people to celebrate during our practice.  And what a magnificent practice it was.  Heads bowed to open hearts, warriors were courageous and strong, mountain poses were the embodiment of strength and endurance, and forward bends – poses of stillness and embrace were soft and nurturing.

I am grateful to my wonderful students today who chose to honor Memorial Day through their yoga practice, and in doing so, honored their heroes, ancestors, and sacred teachers as they celebrated and nourished themselves.

Shalom & Namaste,

Diana Bonyhadi

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Issaquah Morning Meditation Starts Monday

Happy Spring.

This is the time of year when all sorts of new things pop-up. The ground is fertile and the weather is fair.  Today the sun is even shining, and my garden is full of flowers.  I am full of gratitude for the bounty of the earth, my family and my community.

Speaking of community, our new meditation circle starts tomorrow at Village Green Yoga  in Issaquah.  That’s right, you asked, you dreamed, you made it happen.

Starting tomorrow morning at 8:40am we will open the doors at Village Green Yoga to anyone who is interested in being part of a meditation circle.  We will begin each circle with an intention and a pranayama practice, and then join each other in silence for a 25 minute meditation.  The circle is open to everyone and will be held twice weekly:

Meditation Circle

Monday and Thursday Mornings, 8:45 – 9:15.

This is a donation-based class.

Doors close promptly at 8:50am and will reopen at 9:15.

I look forward to starting my week with you.

 

Shalom & Namaste

Diana Bonyhadi

 

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Yoga Events around Seattle

Namaste,

Last week was all about backbends. This week we are moving into arm balances.  Last week we lifted and opened our hearts.  This week we are exploring the boundaries of gravity and our relationship to the earth.  That’s right, its getting deep in here and we are having a great time.  And let me just say how much I love and admire my students.  Your strength and heart inspire me.

Come join us at Village Green Yoga, and feel the glow.

Monday and Wednesdays we focus on alignment, and Tuesdays and Thursday we open to the flow.  Hope to see you soon.

Other news and events in the local yoga world:

Steve Gold will be bringing his  beautiful music to Bala Yoga in Kirkland later this month for an evening of Yin Yoga and fine music.  Check it out  here.

Wanderlust:  Good news Wanderlust will also be at Whistler BC this summer.  Click here for more information.  Many wonderful teacher and musicians will be there to make for a fine weekend of play in the sun and fresh mountain air.

Restorative Yoga at Village Green Yoga this Friday evening at 7:00pm.  Wind down and restore yourself with this beautiful and deep practice.

Have a great week.

Namaste

Diana Bonyhadi

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Learning to Bless and Accept Change

“See, this day I set before you blessing and curse; choose blessing that you may live”
Deuteronomy 11:26

Sometimes when we least expect it, the universe throws us a curve ball.  The question is:  how do we relate to and manage change.  Even when situations seem haphazard, chaotic, sad, or frustrating, our work is to stay present to the possibilities for growth in the moment of transition.

For most of Seattle, last week was all about change.  The change that happens when you are stuck in a snowstorm.  Snow and ice were every where, keeping many of us from conducting business “as usual.”  In fact many of us couldn’t even get out of the house to do our “stuff.”  On top of that, many folks lost power and didn’t have access to their computers and other electronic distractions.  For some this was a time of great frustration, but I have also heard wonderful stories of how families and friends came together and supported one another, and had fun playing in the snow.  For those who chose the path of blessing, the snowstorm was beautiful and productive.

Of course, there are all those other big changes that happen: moving, sickness, loss of a loved one, loss of employment, the list goes on.  And while there is no denying that these are difficult and painful moments of transition, we must learn to accept that they can and will happen.  Our work is to choose how we will respond to them.

This past year we had the honor of sharing the last months of life with a very dear friend.  Of course we were devastated when he passed.  But we also were able to be present for that moment of passing and to feel blessed by the time we shared with him.  Our choice was either to sink into the sadness of our loss, or to embrace the goodness of his life.  I still cry, but I also smile when I recall our time spent together. A blessing.

On Monday of this week, another big change came my way.  As many of you now know, I am no longer teaching at Urban Oasis.  I have greatly enjoyed my time there and learned a great deal from my many wonderful students.  The next evolution of my practice will be at Village Green Yoga, where I will expand my current teaching schedule to include the Tuesday and Thursday Vinyasa classes previously available elsewhere.  So the big changes of this week have offered me moments of reflection and the opportunity to expand my outreach and have greater simplicity and continuity in my life. A blessing.

Here’s to embracing change, an everyday practice.  We just never know what is around the corner.

Shalom & Namaste,

Diana Bonyhadi

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Changes

As many of you know, I am no longer teaching at Urban Oasis.  I am moving my practice and will be teaching the Vinyasa Flow classes at Village Green Yoga at the same time I used to teach them elsewhere

Village Green Yoga is located on the back side of Gilman Village in Issaquah.  Village Green Yoga is easy to get to, parking is readily accessible, and the community is lovely.  You can sign up online here, or in person at the studio.  If you have never been to Village Green Yoga, please arrive a few minutes early to fill out the forms and get acquainted with the space.

Please let me know if you have any questions.  I look forward to teaching in this new venue.

Namaste

Diana Bonyhadi

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New Yoga Classes for the Fall in Issaquah

Hey Everyone,

School started today.  Both my kids were out the door before 7:ooam.  That seems an ungodly hour for teenagers to be up.  But both of them were up ahead of schedule and ready to go.  Good for them.  And the weather cooperated as well.  Who wants to go to school on a hot sunny day, better that is was gray and cold here.  But it is so quiet here, and I miss them already.

Now that we are back into the school routine, it is time to figure out how to spend all those uncluttered hours while the kids are gone.  And even if kids are not a part of your daily planning, Fall is a great time to establish or re-establish your routine for healing and exercise.

My teaching schedule for the Fall has changed quite a bit.  I will be offering more classes, in more locations, and with greater variety of styles.  As always, each class will be designed to meet the needs of the students, but I will incorporating more of the therapeutic trainings I have been doing as well as more of the Anusara studies I love so much.

It is with regret that I am announcing I will no longer be teaching at the Samena Club in Bellevue.  I will miss all my wonderful and dedicated students and it would be great to see some of you again at any one of my expanded teaching locations in Issaquah.

I will begin teaching on Monday and Wednesday mornings, (9:30 – 11:00am) at Village Green Yoga, in Gilman Village, starting Wednesday September 7th.  This would be a great class for all you Samena folks who want to stay on the same schedule we were before.

I am also pleased to announce that I will be teaching at the new Swedish Hospital in the Issaquah Highlands.  I am offering two classes:  7:45 – 8:45am on Mondays  and Wednesdays with a class therapeutic class focused on hips and backs.  I will also be teaching an hour of Hatha Integration yoga at noon on Tuesdays and Thursdays.  These classes should begin the second week of September, ut we are still working out some kinks in the system so I will let you know as soon as we have everything launched.
Finally, my hours at Urban Oasis Yoga & Wellness have also changed.  I will continue to teach my Tuesday and Thursday mornings Vinyassa Flow classs from 9:30 – 10:45, but my evening Vinyassa Flow class has been moved from Tuesdays & Thursdays to Mondays & Wednesdays  at 5:30 – 7:00.

So, that is all for scheduling.  I hope you have all had a wonderful summer, filled with  many moments of fun, play, and relaxation.  Perhaps even some travel, and time for family.

While I maintained a full teaching schedule, I was blessed with some great travel adventures.  I also got some well-deserved hammock time.  Lazing in a hammock is pretty close to a zen experience.  I mean once I get in, I find myself letting go completely.  I watch the clouds, feel the sun on my skin, and listen to the birds in the sky.    And I don’t do much more than that.  I think I may have to figure out a way to hang a hammock in my house. It seems that I drop  more quickly into meditation mode in the hammock then I do when sitting in my studio.  I do hope that many of you were also able to find time to let go and be present – with or without the hammock.

Speaking of hammock time, here is a great video.  This was a talk on TED which is one of my favorite web sites.  The guy’s name is Eoin Finn and he is a Yogi and Blissologist, and the founder of Hammock Enlightenment.   I think guy is on to something.  Enjoy!

See you all soon.

Shalom & Namaste,

Diana Bonyhadi