Inner Light Outer Peace Yoga Blog

We were blessed with great weather last Beach class, thanks for all coming out and making it a beautiful experience!

For the remainder of summer, I’ve decided to take it on the road.

The August Outdoor Yoga Tour!

Classes will be held Sunday at 4pm in a different location each week, where we can adapt to landscapes as ever changing as the weather. The tour will also give us a chance to ramble outside of our typically beaten path. Stamford, Darien and Greenwich have some awesome parks and recreation areas, let’s bring some Yoga bliss to all of them!

The schedule is below, directions and details will be provided each week. If weather does not permit, then we will move it inside to Dew Yoga. All classes by Karma Donations of kindness or cash.

Randy K will be away for a bit but expect him to return for a few classes at the end of the month to accompany us with soothing sounds.


Here’s the Itinerary

Sunday, August 2 – Weather Conditions are not permitting – class meets at Dew Yoga studio this week instead, click here for directions..
Chestnut Hill Park
Google Map for directions.



Practice on the grass – bring a large blanket or towel.


Sunday, August 9
Mianus River Park, Greenwich

Sunday, August 16
Homer Lee Wise Park

Sunday, August 23
Fort Stamford

Sunday, August 30
Mystery Location – to be announced.

Questions? Contact me, jen@dewyoga.net or call (203)524-2919.

Think you can’t afford Yoga? Think again.

Do not let the recession take a bite out of your wellness.

Beginning the week of August 1st, the Tuesday 7:00pm Open class will be led by Ann Russell and operate on Karma. No class fees or class card punches apply. In lieu of fees we ask that you bring a Karma donation to class with you.

Karma donations may be clothes, food items, books, plants, money, services, pet supplies or even good will.

Material donations will be distributed to local charities; Wilson Memorial Food Pantry, Stamford Animal Shelter to name a few, monetary donations will benefit Dew Yoga to off set over head expenses so that we may continue to serve the community in Yoga by making it available to all, especially in these challenging economic times. Books and periodicals of a wellness, fitness or spiritual nature will be accepted into the Dew Yoga lending library. If you can contribute a service, it will be either utilized by the studio or passed on to an individual or organization that can utilize such service. No donation is to small, if you have nothing to contribute please offer us blessings, a testimonial or words of inspiration.

The class is open to people of all levels and abilities.

Click here to visit Dew Yoga

A step into the stream of Karma. Teacher donates time, studio might donate space. No fees are charged and students are asked instead leave a donation that will give back to the greater community or studio, teacher or another cause. Donations are not always material or monetary, a list of suggestions is below.

Here are some ways Karma Donation Yoga Classes might be structured:

When I started teaching outdoors, we held class on the lawn outside of Turn of River Middle School, donations were collected for PETA. Students were invited to donate any amount $1 and up. 100% of proceeds were donated at the last minute, not to PETA but to the Stamford Animal Care and Control Center who had a more urgent need for funds.

Dew Yoga offers a weekly Karma Class called Yoga Stimulus, class time and teacher rotate each month. Material, monetary and service are distributed to community organizations, cover studio overhead and to provide classes to others, or shared with community members in need. More about how that works here.

Initiated by Kimberly Smith, a Branford, CT Yoga Teacher, Yoga for Food runs a nationwide annual food drive by offering Yoga in exchange for food for the Food Bank.

Dew Yoga also offers Yoga Nidra once per month by donation to raise funds each quarter year for causes such as Stamford Animal Care & Control Center, Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

Brian Kest in LA runs his whole studio on Karma Donations. From his site,
“Class fees on donation basis. Definition of “donation” – act of giving”.
Here is a link to a Yogi Times article about his decision to run his classes on donation. (It’s a .pdf download).

Ask your Yoga teacher to hold a Karma Donation class, maybe in exchange for the students doing a park clean up or tree planting, or simply to make Yoga accessible to everyone in tight financial times.

Of course honor the suggestion or request of the teacher or studio hosting the class but here are some ideas:

Your presence is already a positive contribution, there is no requirement to give more
Good intentions and wishes
Write a testimonial we can share with others new to Yoga
Books or music you love and would like to share with us.
HUGS
Dollars are always welcome to help feed the teachers and musicians
Help spread the joy of Yoga by telling your friends, family, neighbors, co-workers
A Service you can provide to the studio or teacher
Canned food items
If in doubt, ask what to bring!

I try to be a conscious shopper, I try more and more often to purchase products that are healthy for my family and friendly to the earth. We need to collectively change the way we shop, eat and play. I have yet to see the movie, Food Inc. but one particular line has been in my stream of thoughts ever since I saw the trailer (see it here), “When we run an item past the food scanner we are voting for local or not, organic or not…”. This puts the power to change things in our hands (and wallets). Product marketing is a tricky business though and not every product bearing the word organic or earth friendly is true to it’s package.

Good Guide is the up and coming resource for smart shopping. They rate the everyday products we bring into our homes, put into our bodies and expose our children to. They give us the power to make an educated vote at the grocery check out.

Good Guide made me aware that Cheerios was a wiser cereal choice than a Kashi cereal I had bought. Check out some of your most common purchases on Good Guide and you may be surprised and then empowered to shop consciously and vote wisely.

Read their latest story on energy/snack/granola/power bars, you know those quick snacks we throw at the kids thinking they are better than cookies or candies. I currently have THREE of their lowest rated snack bars in my pantry!

The next Yoga Nidra “Relax for Charity” will be held Friday, July 31, 6:00-6:45pm. See the Dew Yoga site for more details and information about the highly restorative practice of Yoga Nidra.

Yesterday, I was having an ‘internet challenged’ moment which evolved into an internet challenged day. Having the need to get online for just five minutes, I spent far too many minutes rebooting, reconnecting, regretting dependence on technology, reasoning and then finally realizing I was not going to solve the problem on my own and phoned Cablevision.

A service interruption was my problem and it would be restored in the afternoon however, I needed to let the Beach Yogi’s know about class that very same evening and time was running away from me at full speed.

I headed to Starbucks to use their wi-fi and even though the Barista said it was simple, I remained challenged.

It was one of those moments where as a Yogini, I step back from the situation and dare to ask myself, “Jen, is this a sign that Beach Yoga is not meant to be tonight, or is the Universe challenging me at every turn just to be sure I really want this?”

I can not remember which brilliant teacher said, “Some hurdles, road blocks an brick walls arrive only to strengthen our resolve.”

Contemplating this, I was reminded to open myself to the grace of kindness and the importance of community in service to one another when a woman, sensing my frustration, all aglow with new life in her belly and a vivacious toddler at her side approached offering assistance.

After chatting, I realized it was Meg Robustelli who I had not yet had the pleasure of meeting in person but have been in contact with by e-mail. She runs a great blog called Fairfield County Child, “Unique Places to eat, shop and play with your little one” A while back she ran a post on Kids Yoga with super joyous Ronnie Oster. Check out Meg’s site, it is updated often and has all the low down on events, happenings, specials, even give always to her readers!

Meg, thanks for noticing I was stuck and taking the time to lend a hand even when your hands were already full. I think it take a village to raise a parent, or a blogger, or maybe it takes a human heart to get stuff done when we are so dependent on technology. You set a great example of kindness and community to your daughter.

Friends, pay it forward, random act of kindness – today! I promise I will too.

Here are your best choices for fruits and veggies that are resistant to pesticides or are grown with less because of their natural abilities to fend off pests:

Onions
Sweet Corn
Pineapples
Mangoes
Asparagus
Sweet peas. Their pods protect them from insects.
Kiwi fruit
Bananas. The combination of growing high above the ground and tough skin to protect them makes bananas a low-risk choice.
Cabbage
Broccoli. Cooler growing conditions tend to protect them from insect pests.
Eggplant
Papayas

Read more here at lime.com

Beach Yoga Tonight!
NOTE NEW DAY & TIME CHANGE Monday 7/27 at 7:30pm as the sun sets, with guest musician Randy K!
West Beach, Stamford, CT Continue reading “Beach Yoga is Baaaaack”

It might be a question that arises on the mat. It is also asked by Alice in Alice in Wonderland.

“Alice: I wonder if I’ve been changed in the night? Let me think. Was I the same when I got up this morning? I almost think I can remember feeling a little different. But if I’m not the same, the next question is ‘Who in the world am I?’ Ah, that’s the great puzzle!” ~ Lewis Carroll

Even the beloved puppet guru Puppetji asks it here.

I do not get too excited about new movies, guess I have been out of that loop because to my surprise and delight today I learned that Tim Burton is doing Alice in Wonderland, starring Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter. I guess there has been some fuss about the trailer released before Disney said “Go!” but it will be out tomorrow!

How often do we take for granted that we turn on the tap and fresh, clean water is available and so abundant that we let plenty slip down the drain and out to sea.

“One billion people on the planet don’t have access to clean drinking water. That’s one in six of us. charity: water is a non-profit organization bringing clean and safe drinking water to people in developing nations. 100% of public donations directly fund water projects.”

Ike from Green Finds/Samples for (eco)mpassion has placed some charity:water bands at the studio.

Overhead expenses for charity:water are funded by private donors so by purchasing a band your $5.00 goes directly to drilling and well building projects that will put clean water in someone’s cup. Buy 4 for $20 and you have provided clean drinking water for one person for 20 years! Wear them and help spread the word, we can make a difference.

Read more about charity:water here and also learn about other ways to help. Watch some of their incredible videos and see donations in action. They have already 1,247 projects in action. Amazing.