I’m now offering Gift Cards for Yoga! Yes. I know. It might crash the internet, but here goes! You can now purchase a 10 Class Pass ($50)  or Retreat ($20) for someone you love or better yet, for YOU!*** If I was a bit more savvy on this internet thing I would require a final question to be asked before purchasing the Gift Card, much like the strange word scramble question to make sure you are a human and not a robot (why haven’t robots figured that out yet is my question). It would go something like this…

• Are you buying this gift for someone you think SHOULD do yoga?  If yes, STOP. No one wants your shouldy “gift”.

Receiving the unrequested “gift” of yoga is kind of like being given the also unrequested “Lose 20 pounds by Valentines Day Cookbook”. No one wants that.  If you have heard with your actual-biological-ears (and not your imagination, prayers, dreams & visions) that someone WANTS to do yoga, then do it. Maybe even talk with them about it first so you find out what THEY think. Do they have a yoga mat? Is there an actual class time that works for them? Are you interested in going with them?

The meditation mantra of the month of November has been the word Namaste. In my last blog post I offered a new description/definition of namaste based on a book I was reading by Karen Armstrong, 12 Steps to a Compassionate Life. One of the chapters, or steps as she calls them, is about practicing humility and recognizing “How Little We Know” – that’s the name of the chapter.  It’s about being aware of our arrogance in all the Should’s we have for everyone else. The arrogance of thinking we know what’s best for other people, whether we are in relationship with them or they are total strangers. She writes,

Hindus acknowledge this (how little we know) when they greet each other by bowing with joined hands to honor the sacred mystery they are encountering. Yet most of us fail to acknowledge this reverence for others in our daily lives. All too often we claim omniscience about other people, other nations, other cultures, and even those we claim to love, and our views about them are frequently colored by our own needs, fears, ambitions, and desires.

Maybe put that book on your list this year? Want another suggestion for you?

Clink on this link for The Prison Yoga Project. They have fantastic books and cd’s about yoga without any crazy, intimidating pictures or egos. It’s just a simple, great resource for practicing yoga. And they have cool t-shirts! Who doesn’t want a cool t-shirt? You can buy a book for someone in prison. It’s not shoulding on them. There are thousands of people in prison requesting a copy of the book. It is exactly what they want.

What do you want? Do you know? A little peace on your head? Here ya go.

***If you do WANT to purchase a Gift Card and can answer a clear “no” to the whole SHOULD question, click on the “Weekly Classes” page of this blog. At the top it says “Click here to purchase a 10 class pass or Gift Card!”. Click on it…there will be another little link for Gift Cards… Make sense? I really hope it does. THANK YOU.

Peace on your head you,

Rachel