I sincerely apologize for any inconvenience due to cancelled classes April 22-29. Please, take this opportunity to either work on building your home practice, or join another class at Mindful Yoga Collective; the instructors are wonderful!

• Friday, April 22, 9:15am class is cancelled.
• Monday, April 25, Charlotte Bell will teach 9:15-10:45am All Levels Hatha Yoga.
• Wednesday, April 27, both 9:15am and 4:00pm classes are cancelled. (Please consider joining Charlotte’s class at 5:30pm!)
• Friday, April 29, 9:15am class is cancelled, as the studio isn’t available; however, feel free to join the “Belated Earth Day Yoga Hike”! Details above!

I’ll be back to teach Sunday Restorative Yoga on May 1, 5:00-6:30. Hope to see you there.

Regular weekly class schedule resumes from May 1! 

Questions?  dana@danalevyyoga.com

All classes will be held at Mindful Yoga Collective starting from….Friday, March 18, 2016!

Here’s the weekly class schedule:

Monday

9:15-10:45am  All Levels Hatha Yoga

Wednesday

9:15-10:45am  All Levels Hatha Yoga

4:00-5:15pm  Hatha Yoga Refresh

Friday

9:15-10:45am  All Levels Hatha Yoga

Sunday Restorative Yoga

1st & 3rd Sundays (unless otherwise noted). Click here for details.

Click here and scroll down for map to Mindful Yoga Collective, 223. S. 700 E.

Finally, here’s a peek inside Mindful, for those of you who haven’t been….

Click here for the newest newsletter, in lovely full-color format! (Feel free to share the link with those you love.)

Or, read on below!

Happy Spring! Thawing, Running, Poking around in the dirt, Uncovering, And covering up again. Repeat as needed, Never giving up hope, Holding the space, Preparing To break through.

Mindful Yoga Collective Big Spring News! Starting from March 21, all classes will be held at Mindful Yoga Collective. ▪ Monday, Wednesday, Friday mornings: ▪ 9:15-10:45am “All Levels” ▪ Wednesday afternoons: ▪ 4:00-5:30pm “Hatha Yoga Refresh” ▪ 1st & 3rd Sundays: ▪ 5:00-6:30pm “Sunday Restorative Yoga” (see info below) Schedule, classes, event & workshop details at www.danalevyyoga.com See you at Mindful!

Paschmottanasana @ FURLA yoga “Sunday Restorative Yoga” Sunday Restorative Yoga is held from 5:00-6:30pm on the 1st & 3rd Sundays (unless otherwise noted). ▪ March 6* & 20 ▪ April 17 ▪ May 1* & 15 ▪ June 5* & 19 Class fee is the same as for regular classes. First Sunday Mindfulness Group meets at 7 pm on the dates marked with an asterisk.

Snowbird’s Cliff Spa Yoga Studio Yoga Experiential Retreat @ Snowbird Join Dana on Sunday, April 3 from 1:00-4:00pm at the Cliff Spa for three hours of yoga, restoratives, and meditation. Details here! Pre-registration required; offered through the University of Utah Continuing Education Lifelong Learning Program.

Rope wall & props @ Dana’s home studio Private Lessons Make an appointment with yourself! Private or semi-private lessons are available with Dana at your home or hers. A private lesson allows you to ask questions, receive even more personalized instruction, and help you set your own goals and learn at your pace. With a multiple-lesson package, we can even create a home practice for you at the first lesson, and return to check in. (Multiple lessons are offered at a discounted price.) Contact me with questions and scheduling requests.

Sirsasana @ Bonneville Shoreline Trail Thank you! Thanks to new students who recently joined classes, and to the students who took a chance and brought a friend! It’s great to work with each of you. It’s your word of mouth that brings wonderful people together to create the community where we practice! Looking forward to seeing you in the studio again soon!

Click on the link at the end of this sentence, and you’ll find two readings on the meaning and reason for chanting the Invocation to Patanjali…

The readings include Peggy Cady’s anecdotal experience in her search to understand the chant, Geeta Iyengar’s comments on the chant, and Geeta’s explanation of the symbolism in the chant, including its religious foundation. At the end, you’ll find Krisna Zawaduk’s simple explanation of the meaning of “Aum (Om)” and the reason for chanting it.

It’s not important, as I told class today, to believe in Patanjali; what is important is that we believe in something higher, greater, wider, and deeper than ourselves. It is important we believe that, if we can silence the noise we make in our bodies and minds, we can find our deeper, unadorned true nature. We can find that which dissolves the separation between ourselves and other living beings. We can believe that it exists, and, as we search for it, we are learning our selves.

In order to learn, we must “come down”, as Geeta says here:

“And you can’t learn anything unless you come down; if you think you are on the top and you know everything, then you are not a learner at all.”
–Geeta Iyengar

When we silence the noise, we silence the ego, that which causes affectation and creates what we think of us “me”.  This “me” is always changing, however. It is a part of the eternal changing nature of self. This isn’t the “unadorned true nature”.

When we practice Aparigraha, the fifth and last of the Yama (guidelines for ethical conduct), we are preparing ourselves to release the ego, the “me”, by not grasping. When we allow things to move from and towards us, when we release our hold on the identity-making, then we have found a technique for approaching the unadorned true nature.

So, this week, we talk about such things: “coming down”, or humbling ourselves; non-grasping, and quieting the noise of our ego-selves.  How does it go for you?

February can be a challenge. We can all admit it’s not the most exciting month, despite having the loving/bittersweet touch of Valentine’s Day and the three-day weekend which President’s Day provides. Nope, February is just cold, and it isn’t spring yet, darn it all.

This week, we’ve been reminding ourselves how Asteya (Non-Stealing), the third of the Yamas (the first of eight limbs of yoga as outlined by the sage, Patanjali), functions in both our practice and our daily lives.

We practice Asteya in a number of ways, including the obvious of not stealing another person’s belongings. But, beyond that, we practice not stealing someone’s experience, time, or attention. We practice not stealing from ourselves in our asana practice: If the body loses its alignment, then one body part may “steal” responsibility, stability, or mobility, from another.  This “stealing” may both cause, and be caused by, imbalance.

Think of the practice of Asteya as you would the legs of a chair. Remove, or “steal” a leg, and it will fall over, dumping us from our comfortable seat, causing discomfort and suffering (dukha), not to mention embarrassment when we’re caught. Take too much, and you’ll end up on your derriere.

Back to February… In the boredom of February, it becomes harder to continue our practice than it was in the powerful, exciting beginning of the year. This is the time to engage our Tapas (drive), and stick with the reality, rather than running off to Tahiti.  What has to change is our approach.

If our practice in January was powerful and life-changing, as we intended, then February may seem mundane. So, we may alter our approach and expectations for our practice (the entry point). In this way, we may be able to discover a new facet to our practice. Make it new, find a different way to do the same thing, inquire about our experience, “receive” rather than “take”, “give” rather than “push”, open our minds and bodies a little differently to the same experiences we took on so enthusiastically in the recent past. And see what happens then!

As we leave January behind, I’d like to say a big “thank you” to the current Mindful Yoga Collective students who introduced a friend to my classes there.  Welcome, to the new faces!

And, if you took advantage of the 3 Private Lesson Special for January, be sure to contact me to schedule your sessions. I’ll be delighted to work with you.

Finally, for February….

Sunday Restorative Yoga will be held on Feb. 7 and 21, 5:00-6:30pm. (Join Charlotte and Marlene for First Sunday Mindfulness on Feb. 7 from 7pm.)

Weekly Classes:

• Mondays and Fridays, 9:15-10:45am @ Mindful Yoga Collective
• Wednesdays, 9:15-10:45am @ Metric Yoga
• Wednesdays, 4-5:15pm @ Metric Yoga

See you at the studio, or at your private lesson. It’s wonderful to work with each of you! Thank you for your practice.

Intro 2-for-1 Special @ Mindful Yoga Collective

Current students bring a new student to Dana’s class at MYC, and both of you take class for the price of one. Introduce a friend or family member!

Two ways to redeem the 2-for-1:

• Current student uses their studio pass; new student attends for free.
• New student purchases either a single-class or class pass; current student attends for free.

(This offer is only available for Dana’s classes at Mindful Yoga Collective, from Jan. 1-31, 2016.)

 ____________________________________________________

Private Lessons: Buy 2, get 1 free

Receive a third lesson free with purchase of two lessons. A series of three private, one-hour lessons can help you set up your personal practice, give you an opportunity to ask questions and learn how to practice better in class, or simply allow you to fit in an hour practice at your convenience.

Details:

• Private lessons may be held at your place or at Dana’s. If held at a studio, rental fee will be charged.
• Must purchase between Jan. 1-31, 2016.
• All three lessons must be completed in 2016.
• No refunds, non-transferable.
• Contact Dana for details!

Wednesday, Dec. 30

9:15am All Levels Class @Metric Yoga

4:00pm Basics Class @ Metric Yoga

Thursday, Dec. 31 *New Years Eve*

9:15am All Levels Class @ Mindful Yoga Collective

Friday, Jan. 1 *New Year’s Day*

No class; Friday classes will start from Jan. 8 @Mindful Yoga Collective

Sunday, Jan. 3

5:00pm Sunday Restorative Yoga @ Mindful Yoga Collective

*This class is a perfect lead-in to your week.  All levels and abilities of practitioners are welcome. It is a combination of both active and passive restorative poses. Each student receives personal attention, assistance, and guidance in the poses. As well, you will learn how to skillfully use props to support and deepen the postures for maximum benefit. 

Join Sunday Restorative Yoga this weekend, December 6, 5:00-6:30pm at Mindful Yoga Collective!
Sunday Restorative Yoga offers an opportunity to refresh the body and mind, and prepare for the upcoming week. Using a variety of props, such as bolsters, blankets, chairs, blocks, and belts, the body can be supported in poses for longer periods of time. This allows the mind to settle within the body, calming the breath, finding ease, and allowing for a deep experience of one’s Self.
This class is appropriate for any student, from beginner to advanced, who would like to deepen their practice.
(Class fee is the same as for regular classes.)

MYC has an abundance of props, and I’ll be there to guide you through the 90-minute class.

What a wonderful practice today at Mindful Yoga Collective. Using the wall for standing poses, we prepared for the Thanksgiving holiday by accepting the support of the wall and organizing ourselves effectively, all the better to go meet the world in a balanced state. (Thanks, Charla C, for the reflections.)
…Oh, and we did talk about  long, heavy femurs, melty marshmallows, and big, soft baby thighs, too….

Remember–no classes on Wednesday at Metric Yoga, or Thursday at Mindful. See you again on Monday, Nov. 30.

Have a warm, joyful, and balanced holiday. Remember to lean in and engage fully. Remember to accept support, organize yourself, then go out to meet the world. 

And when the kleshas arise, the destructive mental/emotional afflictions, the buttons that get pushed, remember this:

“Seeds of unhappiness,
Sources of fear,
Cause conflict and strife.
Roast them in the flame of awareness and clearly hear,
The inner essence of life.”
–Nicolai Bachman

Or, just watch this…