Poetry Break

Miracle Birth.

Sometimes
it feels like hard labor,
forgiveness.

But.
Breathe deeply
through each contraction
and press on.

Miracles are born
of your efforts.
Miracles!

They take their first breath in your arms
and are soon wriggling to be released.

They come dancing,
No!
Waltzing!

With everyone
and every thing
and every situation
without hesitation.
And with uncontrollable
Wild belly-laughter.

My dear,
they are worth the effort.

Miracles are born.
Miracles!

Each time
you forgive.

Do you get the joke?

"What this means is that the world of illusion will end when I can see the humor, the cosmic, karmic joke (karmedy, as I like to call it) of it all. When I can see through the illusion and see to what is really going on, I laugh. Something releases in me that allows me to breathe and relax again; then I am able to fully accept myself and whatever else goes on around me."

https://www.yogaville.org/2017/03/11/last-freedom-choose-miracles/?utm_source=Programs+Newsletter&utm_campaign=ac0db9054e-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2017_03_11&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_aa3ddf97f4-ac0db9054e-68900789

I'd like to tell you about an experience I had some years ago.

I had a temporary break with reality that some might call psychosis and others might call a spiritual emergency or perhaps at other times and places, a prophetic sort of vision. At that time I believed very literally that heaven was right here on earth, that everyone I met was so radiantly beautiful, and that the outward struggles I witnessed were totally unnecessary. I remember seeing a woman walking with a crutch and felt like shouting to her "throw down that crutch and walk! This is heaven for goodness sake!" And during that period there was this refrain in my head... "do you get the joke?" It was so persistent that it was actually kind of terrifying at the time. But to remember it now, after reading the really great blog post above, it seems like a great thing to ask myself when I get caught up in this or that drama: "Do you get the joke? Where is the humor hiding here?"

This is all well and good for those of us whose main struggles may involve turning an entire load of white laundry pink or forgetting where we put our keys for the 1000th time. I wonder about situations that seem very serious. Like famine... like war... like addiction... like environmental collapse. Is there any humor to be found in those situations? Perhaps not if you are looking at it abstractly... those are some big freaking serious problems and its high time we band together and do the required work to solve them. Let's not pretend that anyone living through such difficulty *should* be able to find humor there. But if you are living the experience of famine, or war, or environmental collapse (and let's remember, if one of us are... all of us are. And a heck of a lot more than one of us are) there must be a way to take heart and keep on going. And if there is a way, it's got to be humor. There must be joking. There must be laughter. There must be relaxation. If we are ever to deliver ourselves from these dismal realities, I hope that in the process there will be joy intermingled with our blood, sweat, and tears. I hope that as we apply ourselves firmly to solving the challenges before us as individuals and as creatures sharing this beautiful planet, we find laughter and lightness in going about the important and meaningful work ahead of us. And the way to ensure that we do, if we aren't already doing it and we're lost in seriousness about ourselves and our mundane lives, is to start practicing it now.

As the author of the blog post says, there is a level of reality at which all is absolutely perfect. There is also a level of reality at which we experience life as anything but. If we can ride our human experience in the context of the bigger picture, we can find our way to laughter and relaxation about our struggles. In that relaxation we are able to be fully present and thus we are more capable of riding the experience in an elegant, creative way. We can apply ourselves fully to every single moment, doing as spirit calls, and remain unattached to either to our notions of how things "should" be or to the ultimate outcome of our doings.

Tuesday Night Yoga moves to Ananda Shala

Same time, same awesome practice,  new location!

6:30-8pm
Ananda Shala
shalawellness.com
34 S. Market Street 
​Frederick, MD 21701

Class Canceled Tonight (1/5/17)

Sat Nam Beautiful People!

Class tonight, 1/5/17, at Gaia Healing Center, is canceled due to the prospect of slippery wintery weather.

We'll hope for a better forecast next week!

Warmly,

Tracy

Yoga Classes Start January 3rd!

Here is the lowdown on my weekly Kundalini Yoga class offerings!

*Please, if possible, let me know you are coming by dropping me a text or email or giving a call.  Also, don't hesitate to contact me any time with questions/comments/requests.  I'm here for ya!

240-315-3822

Brightlightyoga5@gmail.com

*Payment for all classes:  Give what you can, suggested $15-25.  

Tuesday evenings, 6:30-8pm

Ananda Shala
http://www.shalawellness.com/

34 S. Market Street 

​Frederick, MD 21701

**Starting February 4th, 2017** 

Saturday mornings:  7-8:30am  

The UnSchool of Yoga

http://www.theunschoolofyoga.org/

125 South Carroll Street, Suite 225

Frederick, MD 21701

More about Kundalini Yoga:

Kundalini yoga is the yoga of community. There is just nothing like being in a room full of people whose intent is to strengthen, grow, and heal.  Nothing like it.

A Kundalini Yoga class consists of centering with a mantra or two, breathing, stretching and movement (I like to think of it as yogaerobics- lots of dynamic exercises that get energy moving in the body), deep relaxation, and meditation.  The classes are very beginner friendly and are for all body types and abilities.  Expect to be challenged physically and mentally to go beyond old limitations and allow yourself to stretch and strengthen the body, mind, and spirit. 

Kundalini yoga works the entire system, strengthening bones and muscles, increasing flexibility, releasing nervous tension, balancing hormones and the glands, opening the lungs, increasing the circulation, massaging the internal organs, releasing toxins, and more.

Mentally and emotionally, this style of yoga helps us process our experiences in healthy ways, leading to greater self-acceptance and the ability to make wise choices in support of ourselves.  It is excellent for anxiety, ADHD, depression, addiction, bipolar disorder, and more.  I know, because mental and emotional struggles are what led me to this practice and the results are what inspired me to teach.  I'm a living testament that however dark life may seem, however insurmountable the challenge, Kundalini yoga provides the supportive tools you can use to heal and grow.  Over time you'll be looking at life from a whole different perspective, with a whole different understanding. Everything changes when we decide there must be a better way and we set off in pursuit of it.

Spiritually, Kundalini yoga opens our perception so that we may experience deeper and deeper truths and the unfolding of our full potential.  It allows us to face our fears with courage and grace as we move beyond them and step into our power as creative beings.  We begin to sense our oneness with all others and we look for ways that our gifts may be used to serve the whole.  We no longer tolerate the gross injustices of our times and we actively seek ways to take responsibility to change what is out of alignment with truth and life. 

Welcome!

Hola Amigos!

Welcome to my Blog!  It's called Local Yogi!   

Why Local Yogi? 

1.  I'm Local!   Not local in the sense that I live near You... necessarily.  I'm local in the sense that I Live near Me. I live where I live and I try my best to stay there.  I want to get to know my bit of Earth as best I can through all my senses.  I want to know the plants, the animals, the insects, the curves of the land, the smell of the soil, the angle of the sun in winter, the prevailing summer breeze, the rain and where it flows when it hits the ground.  I want to know all the people who live around me.  I want to weave myself into the web of life that exists right here. I want to nourish this place and be nourished by it.  I see no better way to heal the planet and empower myself than to live right here, fulfilling my needs from my immediate surroundings and local community.  

2. I'm a yogi!  I practice and teach Kundalini Yoga as taught by Yogi Bhajan.  Practicing yoga clears away my old habits and patterns so that I can be myself ever more fearlessly and creatively.  I'm not interested in yoga for yoga's sake.  I'm not interested in yoga to help me cope with a dysfunctional society. I'm interested in yoga that teaches me to see clearly the madness of the mainstream culture and my role in perpetuating it.  I want yoga that spurs me on to challenge the status quo and change it; yoga that supports me as I live my ordinary life every single moment of every single day.

Here is a Very important thing:

I am the mother of two amazing human beings.  A nearly 7 year-old girl and a nearly 5-and-a-half year-old boy.  We learn together at home.  They inspire me to Keep Up and Try My Best.

So I think I'll write here about my adventures in localness and yogidom and mommyhood and whatever else may be in my heart. And you, my dear, can write to me about your adventures in localness and yogidom and mommyhood (or daddyhood) and whatever else may be in your heart. And together we'll go about "being the change" and illuminating the planet with our acts of wisdom and love.