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Thursday Nov 27, 10 am-11:30 am $18 drop-in

Give Thanks. Feel Good. Prepare yourself to celebrate in balance.
Join Pamela for an all levels Vinyasa class to celebrate our bodies and our abundance. Feel free to bring your family and friends. (anyone age 13 or over, at any level of fitness or experience is welcome.) Practice opening your heart by donating non-perishable food to to hungry Philadelphians. (not required to attend the class.) Pamela will be delivering the collected food items to Philabundance.

Here are the most requested non-perishable food and household items:

Child Sized Retail Pack- shelf stable milk, juice boxes, snacks, veggies, etc.
3. Canned Goods- vegetables, tomato products, beans, etc.
4. Meals in a Can- pasta, soup, stew, vegetarian beans, fruit, etc.
5. Staples- sugar, flour, breakfast cereal, pasta, dried beans and grains.
6. Condiments- peanut butter, jelly, ketchup, mustard, dry non-dairy creamer.
7. Beverages- juice, dry or instant coffee, dry tea, Glucerna, Ensure.
8. Household Items- especially laundry detergent, dish detergent, and diapers.

Nov. 5, 2008

Dear Brother Obama,

You have no idea, really, of how profound this moment is for us. Us being the black people of the Southern United States. You think you know, because you are thoughtful, and you have studied our history. But seeing you deliver the torch so many others before you carried, year after year, decade after decade, century after century, only to be struck down before igniting the flame of justice and of law, is almost more than the heart can bear. And yet, this observation is not intended to burden you, for you are of a different time, and, indeed, because of all the relay runners before you, North America is a different place. It is really only to say: Well done.
We knew, through all the generations, that you were with us, in us, the best of the spirit of Africa and of the Americas. Knowing this, that you would actually appear, someday, was part of our strength. Seeing you take your rightful place, based solely on your wisdom, stamina and character, is a balm for the weary warriors of hope, previously only sung about.

I would advise you to remember that you did not create the disaster that the world is experiencing, and you alone are not responsible for bringing the world back to balance. A primary responsibility that you do have, however, is to cultivate happiness in your own life. To make a schedule that permits sufficient time of rest and play with your gorgeous wife and lovely daughters. And so on. One gathers that your family is large. We are used to seeing men in the White House soon become juiceless and as white-haired as the building; we notice their wives and children looking strained and stressed. They soon have smiles so lacking in joy that they remind us of scissors. This is no way to lead. Nor does your family deserve this fate.
One way of thinking about all this is: It is so bad now that there is no excuse not to relax. From your happy, relaxed state, you can model real success, which is all that so many people in the world really want. They may buy endless cars and houses and furs and gobble up all the attention and space they can manage, or barely manage, but this is because it is not yet clear to them that success is truly an inside job. That it is within the reach of almost everyone.

I would further advise you not to take on other people’s enemies. Most damage that others do to us is out of fear, humiliation and pain. Those
feelings occur in all of us, not just in those of us who profess a certain religious or racial devotion. We must learn actually not to have
enemies, but only confused adversaries who are ourselves in disguise. It is understood by all that you are commander in chief of the United States and are sworn to protect our beloved country; this we understand, completely. However, as my mother used to say, quoting a Bible with which I often fought, “hate the sin, but love the sinner.” There must be no more crushing of whole communities, no more torture, no more dehumanizing as a means of ruling a people’s spirit. This has already happened to people of color, poor people, women, children. We see where this leads, where it has led.

A good model of how to “work with the enemy” internally is presented by the Dalai Lama, in his endless caretaking of his soul as he confronts the Chinese government that invaded Tibet. Because, finally, it is the soul that must be preserved, if one is to remain a credible leader. All else might be lost; but when the soul dies, the connection to earth, to peoples, to animals, to rivers, to mountain ranges, purple and majestic, also dies. And your smile, with which we watch you do gracious battle with unjust characterizations, distortions and lies, is that expression of healthy self-worth, spirit and soul, that, kept happy and free and relaxed, can find an answering smile in all of us, lighting our way, and brightening the world.

We are the ones we have been waiting for.

In Peace and Joy,
Alice Walker

Karen DeGregorio’s Kripalu Flow class begins Oct 26. Drop in for $16.

Kripalu Flow–Sundays 11:30 AM - 12:45PM
Set yourself up on Sunday for a smooth start to the week ahead. This class offers a nourishing posture flow woven together at a moderate pace. You will be led into a deeper awareness of body, mind and spirit. Each class invites students to personalize their yoga practice.

Getting to Know Me:
I love dancing, poetry, reading art history books, travel, speaking Spanish, Marvin Gaye songs and sunflowers.

I fear rodents, bigots and isolation.

Things not known about me…..I made my high school prom gown and I use to sing at weddings.
After studying Art History and Theology at Boston College, I lived  and worked in Peru for four years. Upon returning to the USA, I became a classroom teacher in independent schools where I have taught, Spanish, art and social studies.

Several years later, I went back to school to work on a Masters in Spanish. I lived in Madrid, Spain for a year as part of my program.

I added yoga to my teaching experience about 10 years ago. When I first began a personal practice some 18 years ago, I was suffering from severe back pain. Yoga helped heal me. My relationship with yoga continues to evolve each day. I am certain that the body is my true teacher. It is through the body that I have come to know myself better and to experience a higher being.  I thank my Kripalu teachers for this path to self-awakening. I offer my students a safe and caring atmosphere in which to discover the healing powers that lie within their bodies.

There’s a groove to grow
Being open to everything
Light.
Dark.
Splash.
Breathe. Smile at the sun.
Lick the sky.
Heaven now.
Singing. Free.
Explore. Mom I love you.
Touch. I like this. Time.

Richard Garrison’s Intermediate Vinyasa class has begun! Join him Sundays from 9:45-11:00 AM for a challenging “from the heart” Anusara style practice. Check out his class description on our schedule page.  Special ~ Drop-in for just $9 through Oct 5th.
Richard trained in the Anusara style of Yoga with Beryl Herrin and is also is certified in Bodywork. For more information visit: www.youryogatime.com

Getting to know me:
“I love the smells, sights, and feelings that are experienced when riding on two wheels.  I love to convince people that they are more capable than they may be, so they can discover talents they never knew they had.

I am afraid of getting flat tires and forgetting people’s names.

You probably don’t know that I once slept in a graveyard while in Guatemala because it was the only safe place to spend that night.  Our minds are so powerful.  I was able to not get too spooked by shutting scary thoughts of ghosts and such out of my mind.  Before long I fell asleep”