And The Winner Is...

YOU!!!

Congrats to you all for putting in the time, effort, and heart. This 40-day challenge has been a tremendous success and we are very proud of all of you.

Spend these last few days loving life and enjoying yourself. We will celebrate all of your hard work next week with a great party--details TBA.

Here is your last but of homework.

1. On the top of a page write, "I want to manifest..." Then leave four or five lines and write that again. Do this a total of four times. Spend two minutes on each one. Don't censor yourself here--just write down whatever surfaces. Telling your mind allows your intention to take root and blossom.

2.What would you do in your life if you could not fail? Would you change something? Try something new?

3.What are the limiting beliefs that are preventing you from doing what your wrote in question 2? Do you think you would fail? That you might succeed? That others would be resentful? That you don't have the time, or shouldn't, or aren't "supposed to?"

4. What is your overall life vision?

Celebrate Today

By now, you all have been at this 40-day thing long enough to have seen yourself through a few ups and downs. You probably started with some fear and excitement and that got you through he first 10 days. Then the work began in earnest. You were already commited--"I can do this!"

Then the fatigue and the aches and pains set in;Life began to get in the way. So you took baby steps and kept going--maybe you're still taking those baby steps. Maybe all you could do was keep your head down and put one foot in front of the other.

Well, my little yogi friends, It's time to look up and take stock of the view. Breathe deeply and look at how far you have come. There are still miles to go, but now you can see the end of the trail.

West Coast Yogi, Joel Kramer says: " Learning to do yoga is learning to love doing it." Learning to love even the parts you don't like very much.

What we hope is that you have realized that this practice is yours for the taking. Yours. We are here for you as teachers to facilitate that, but ultimately, yoga is about your relationship with YOU.

You only have 2 weeks to go--enjoy this time!

And think about treating yourself to the Mary Bruce Workshop that we are hosting this weekend, November 2-4 , at the downtown studio. Mary is lovely and nurturing. This is the perfect way to start your final week of the challenge.

Homework:

1.How much do I believe in myself, and how much does that play out in my everyday life? Do I trust my intuition? If so or if not, what results does that produce?

2. When, where, and with whom do I feel the most grounded? With my Friends? When I am by myself? With my spouse?

3.How mindful am I of even the smallest details of my days? Am I present enough to notice all the actions I take? Do I remember what I said to the salesperson at the store, what route I took to get to work, how and where I hung my coat, and what I told my kids when they asked me a question? Am I truly there in all of these moments.

Good Luck!

Week 4. Baby Steps

We are so proud of how hard all of you are working!

We also know that some of you are really feeling this work physically. I have heard from some about aches and pains that have come up.

Don't forget that this is a physically rigourous practice. You have to honor your aches and pains and make an effort to soothe yourself. It's not very Yogic to "push through " pain. My suggestion is that you back off and take baby steps. Now is the time to try Susan's restorative class. One or two gentle days will not set you back. In fact, they may be just the thing you need to see you through to the end of this program.

Here is an idea: Use one of your daily meditation practices to do a restorative practice like savasana, or put your legs up the wall and just relax for 10 minutes.

And remember...baby steps!

This week's questions:

1.What excess baggage am I carrying around with me? What thoughts, feelings, worries, or past situations am I clinging to that drain me?

2.What do I most need to let go of ? What are the things that I would be relieved to finally release? Anger toward someone in my life? Stress about money? Fears that arose from a past negative experience?

3.Do I really give myself enough time to relax and restore myself? How can I carve out more time for this?

In The Thick of It!

OK, The Honeymoon may be over but now the real work begins! You guys are great. We encourage you to stay focused and use the support resources available to you.

One great way to keep the fire going is to attend this weekend's workshop with Jim Bennitt. We have lowered the price to $75 to make it impossible for you miss! So get yourselves downtown this Friday night and see what all the buzz is about!

Week 3 questions:

• How much do I believe that the winds of grace support me, and how does this play out in my everyday life?
• In what areas of my life can I have less reaction and more divine interpretation? For instance, in my relationships, when things get stressful at work, when I’m stuck in traffic, when I make a mistake, etc?
• How can I enhance the quality of my life through a shift in my attitude? How would situations feel different if I practiced nonreactivity, rather than launching into an automatic response?
• What things are most likely to trigger reactivity in me?
  What can I do in those moments of reactivity to respond better? take a walk? take a breath? remind myself that every circumstance is an opportunity to practice equanimity?

Week 2 and A LITTLE BONUS!!!!!!

As a midway bonus, we’re offering you guys the opportunity to take Jim Bennitt’s Workshop, Becoming Fierce, on 10/19-21 for only $125( discounted from $180.)

It counts as 4 classes, so if you know you need to “bank” classes this is a great way to get through a bunch in one weekend.

Email Jennifer --jennifer@practiceyoga.com-- if you’d like to take us up on this fabulous offer!!

Check-out Jim's Video!

http://www.jimbennitt.com/images/JimBennittDemo2.mov

Here are the questions to think about this week:

1. What is the most meaningful creation in life? Is it my work? my family? or myself?

2. What is my most courageous act? Courage doesn't always mean heroism-often courage

shows up in more subtle ways, such as having courage to leave a toxic relationship, to try something you've never done before, or to take a different path than those around you.

3. When do I feel most energized? For some people, it is when they are working or playing, or others, it is when they are quiet and alone. When do you feel the most alive?

4. What are the forces in my life that drain my energy?

5. Whom do I resent, and how is that resentment affecting me?

Write a bit in your journal every day about the answers to these questions, we’ll discuss on Sunday.

KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK!

And We're Off...!

Day-3 and counting.

We hope you all are off to an exciting and inspired start. For the next 6-weeks this blog will be dedicated to keeping you up to date with all things related to the 40-day challenge.

Feel free to post thoughts and feeling here and to throw out questions for me or any of the other participants.

Below you will find this week's homework questions. These questions are for your own personal contemplation. On Sunday afternoon the questions will be discussed but at no time are you required to disclose any personal information that you are not comfortable revealing.

A challenge such as this can really stir things up in you life, emotions and body. Be patient with yourself and use the resources available for support.

I have been looking around the internet for some meditation links that may be helpful to you in your challenge. itunes has too many to pick. There are free podcasts (start there) and you can buy some recordings for about $9 or $10. If you come across one that you love please let me know!

We wish you all the greatest success.

Elizabeth Wipff
Workshop Director

Homework Questions

a. How much am I taking responsibility to learn and grow from the experiences, both easy and difficult, that I have in my life?
b. What are my beliefs about:

• My body (Do I believe it is too heavy, too weak, or just right? Do I believe it serves me well?


• My relationships? (Do they nourish me? What purpose do they serve in my growth and in my life? Do I believe I am treated as I want or ought to be?)


• My work? (Is it fulfilling?)


• Spirituality?(Do I believe in a higher power?)


• Sex? (What role does it play in my life? Do I experience shame or joy around it? Do I misuse it? Do I see it as a vehicle for spiritual and emotional expression?)


• Money? (Do I believe it is the root of all evil, or does it simply give me freedom to do what I want in life? Do I have a lot of fear around making it or keeping it?)

c. When in my life am I fully present? In my job? With my partner or kids? When I am working? When I am playing? When I am alone?

d. Where in my life am I hiding? In other words, where do I privately know that I need to take more responsibility and/or become fully present?

e. Where in my life am I flirting with disaster?

Counting Down...to the 40-day Challenge

Our 40-day Challenge Begins October 1, 2007. Sign-up Now and Change Your Life!

Take The Challenge! You Won't Regret It.

Hooray Johnna

Our first Fall offering was a BIG hit! PY is so grateful to Johnna Smith for coming all the way from North Carolina for one afternoon!



Johnna taught a challenging and fun afternoon of backbends and inversions that had all of us sweating. What a great way to spend a beautiful fall afternoon.



Coming soon:

• Saturday, September 30, 2007--Advanced Beginner Backbends with Paula Lynch


• Monday, October 1, 2007--40--Day Practice Challenge begins


• Friday-Sunday, October, 19-21--Jim Bennitt teaches "Becoming Fierce." A fabulous Tantric Hatha Weekend!

SIGN_UP FOR ALL THESE PROGRAMS TODAY!!!

And Don't Forget

This week we offer $6 classes for 6-days to celebrate our 6Th anniversary.

Happy Fall

Don't Miss the Fabulous
Johnna Smith
At PRACTICE YOGA for ONE DAY ONLY!

For all of you who want to Fire Things Up or Re-Start your practice--

THIS IS THE WORKSHOP FOR YOU!

Call the studio today to sign-up for
POWER PLAY
212-255-7588-West Village
212-724-4884-Upper West Side
www.practiceyoga.com

FIRST BLOG EVER!

So we're finally in the 21st century, blogging with the rest of the world, and hoping you'll join in with us.

We have tons of events to share with you and are hoping that you'll help us make the practice yoga community both tight knit and more global.

Here goes:

Practice Yoga Fall 2007

Hello everyone! I hope you all had a fantastic summer (I know, I know, it’s not quite over) and that you are ready to get back to class. Fall is the perfect time to reconnect to your yoga practice or to take it to a new level. We have some exciting things planned to help you do just that.

In honor of our 6th anniversary we are offering 6 days of yoga for $6. What a great way to check-out some of our fabulous fall classes, try a new teacher, or challenge yourself to practice everyday for a week!

September kicks off a year-long series of workshops designed to help you deepen your practice and explore new avenues. And there is something for everyone:

• September 15 brings Johnna Smith—senior student of both Baron Baptiste and Rod Stryker-- to Practice yoga Downtown for a “Power Play” intensive. “Power Play” will blend the strength and intensity of Baptiste’s Power Yoga and the sensitivity and introspection of Stryker’s Tantric Hatha. This is a program not to be missed.

• For those of you who want to take things a little slower, we have put together an “Advanced Beginner” series that will begin with Advanced Beginner Back Bends taught by Practice Yoga teacher Paula Lynch ,Sunday September 30, 10-12 Downtown Studio.

• On October 1, 2007 we will begin our first 40-day Practice Challenge. Participants will be asked to commit to a structured program of classes, meditation, and lifestyle changes designed to change your body, change your habits, and dare we say…change your life. In exchange for your commitment –and a little of your sweat—we will provide a structured program, support and buddies, a fantastic goodie bag, and…FREE YOGA (for all those that finish the program). Look for details in the coming weeks.

Some of our other fabulous fall offerings:
• October 19-21 Midwestern Yoga Celeb, Jim Bennitt, returns to Practice Yoga October 19, 20, 21 to challenge your body and change your mind!!
• October 28 Paula Lynch will teach Advanced Beginner Inversions. Get over you fear of going upside down.
• November 2-4 Arizona’s own Mary Bruce comes to practice yoga with her sweet blend of Anusara and Rod Stryker’s ParaYoga—A rare treat!
• January18, 19 2008—Midwestern Earth Mother and Yoga Scholar, Karina Ayn Mirsky, brings her wisdom and warmth and some REALLY GREAT CLASSES

Call the studio today to sign-up for our initial fall offerings: Upper West Side-212-724-4884 West Village 212-255-7588

We can’t wait to see you back in class!