Newsletter - Prana Journal

March 1, 2007
S P IRIT FLOW YOGA
N
e
ride the wave
w s l e t t
e
r
Spirit Flow Classes
Spirit Evolution
Spirit Fun
Seva-How can I serve
~Kim’s current teaching
~Tips for starting a home
~Make Tea & Meditate: a
you?
schedule
yoga practice.
recipe for yogi tea & light-
~Workshop survey
~About Kim and her
~ Dvd Picks
hearted meditation.
~Teacher Spotlight
classes
~What is flow?
Page 2
Page 3
Page 4
Page 5
“Open your arms to change, but don’t let go of your values”
~ The Dalai Lama
Dear friends,
What a spirited, barefooted journey we have shared over nearly 2 years at Thrive and
with many of you, long before Thrive. It has been a such blessing to contribute to your
yoga practice and to witness its evolution.
!
As many of you know, I have sold my share of ownership of Thrive and will no longer be
associated with the studio. The decision was difficult, but ultimately, came down to a
conscious choice to preserve the peace among the community and maintain the integrity of my vision. As Founder of Thrive Yoga, I personally thank you for supporting a
community that was born from a passion for yoga and a dream to build a sacred space
where great yoga and great people could grow.
YOGA & SKI RETREAT
Mar.29-April 1, 2007
Aspen, Colorado
a weekend of exhilarating
yoga and skiing with Simon
Park, Jack Forgosh, Tom &
Daphne Larkin and Kim
Groark.
www.sanctuaryforyoga.com
My deepest gratitude to all of you who have offered words of kindness, support and love
throughout my transition with Thrive. To the renegade yogis who joined me for class at
Lakewood Country Club (what I am now dubbing, “The Lakewood Experiment”)--thank
you for sharing your generous donations, positive energy and glowing spirit!
!
My dream continues and I have an ever-widening circle of friends, colleagues
and yogis who are supporting its vision: to cultivate a vibrant yoga community of yoga
practitioners and teachers through flow yoga that enlightens spirit, heightens awareness, and ultimately guides us towards deeper levels of truth.
!
As I work towards this vision, it is my intention to support your yoga practice the best
way I know how-teaching! My teaching schedule is on page 2. My most recent project,
the Spirit Flow Newsletter, will continue to evolve into a resource for practitioners. !
Practicing and teaching yoga is a privilege. Each time we gather as a group to flow with
breath and intention, not only is our personal journey deepened, but the spirit of our
community is heightened. Making the choice to care for our own body, mind & spirit, is
a powerful commitment: our world becomes a more peaceful and loving place through
our own individual efforts. I look forward to continue taking this journey with you.
Flow with Kim at
American Dance Institute
March 6-May 31!
See page 2 for details.
Namaste and Aloha,
Kim Groark
Spirit flow newsletter * 9723 Holmhurst road, bethesda, md 20817
contact Kim at 301.785.7967 or kvgroark@verizon.net
March 1, 2007
S P IRIT F LO W C LA S S ES
The pearl is in the oyster.
An the oyster is at the bottom of the sea.
Dive deep.
~Kabir
Spring Schedule
March-May
effective march 6-may 31
Tuesday!
!
!
10:00-11:30 am!
All levels!
American Dance Institute
6:00- 7:20 pm!
All levels!
Try Yoga
Thursday!
!
!
*no class 3/29
6:00-7:30 pm!
All levels!
American Dance Institute
Sunday!
10:45-12:15 pm!
Level 2/3!
American Dance Institute
!
!
*no class 4/29 & 5/20
American Dance Institute
(Rockville)
1570 East Jefferson Street
www.americandance.org
*$15 per class/pay by check
or cash at time of class.
*bring your own yoga mat
Try Yoga
(Bethesda)
4609 Willow Lane
www.hotyogausa.com
See website for pricing information
Kim’s classes flow to eclectic music, ranging from ambient grooves and tribal
beats to traditional chants. Her knowledge of anatomy and spontaneous approach
guides students to embrace their own flow safely and freely, as they move through
the sound structure of postures. Informative, unique, and playful, Kim’s style of
teaching encourages students to practice from a place of authenticity and joy.
MEET KIM
Kim Groark has been a devoted student and teacher of yoga for over a decade. She teaches yoga as
a system for healing,transformation & vibrant living. As teacher, Kim is known for her compassionate spirit, unique sequencing, and ability to hold sacred space. Her creative approach empowers
students to discover their own flow between flexibility and strength, stillness and spontaneity, intuition and alignment. Kim’s classes will challenge you as they simultaneously guide you to practice from a place of honest exploration, acceptance, and personal freedom. The ever-evolving style
of her teaching, Spirit Flow Yoga, is rooted in the tradition of Vinyasa Flow Yoga and enlivened by Kundalini yoga, Anusara
yoga, Tantric Shavanism, and the great source, life itself! She is grateful for her teachers-Shiva Rea, Hala Khouri, Max
Strom, Naime Jezzeny, and John Friend, who continue to inspire her path. Above all, Kim is a wife and a mother to 20month old Sophie, who teaches her daily the art of living fully and authentically.
March 1, 2007
S P IRIT EV O LUTIO N
Going Solo...but HOW?
Practicing outside of the group class environment can be a challenging endeavor, but surprisingly rewarding. Here are some tips to help you get started:
* Stop thinking about what you will be missing by not going to class.
*Your practice at home WILL be different. Different does not mean worse
or better. Lose the judgment.
*Check in with your breath. Let this be your starting point. Some days,
you’ll start moving through sun salutes, other days, you’ll just sit for awhile.
Whatever you are doing, breathe mindfully and allow the breath to guide your
movement. Track the breath into specific body parts and let those parts move.
*Listen to your body. Let the body tell you how to move-in other words,
don’t think about what postures you should do, feel what postures you are drawn
to.
*Cultivate and practice random, sponaneous movement. There’s no one
around, so really go for it-I find this typically helps me rdive into the posture
sequences that serve me.
*Practice without a clock! This will actually help you get in touch with your
body’s natural rhythm and flow, as you are no longer dictating when and for how
long you are supposed to remain in certain postures.
* Be willing to change mid-stream. You might start out meditating and then
discover that what you really want to do is dance. Or vice versa.
*Lose the Agenda. Most things that are healthy for the soul have nothing to
do with our plans and more to do with play. Get back to child’s mind.
*Get creative. Use whatever it takes to get you in the spirit of practice.I have
a friend who does the dishes as her warm up to asana practice because it calms
her!
*Using Dvds/Cds can be helpfull..but like using yoga props, can easily turn
into a crutch. Be inspired by the moment, rather than a habit.
DVDS FOR FLOW PRACTICE
Shiva Rea’s Fluid Power & Yoga Shakti
Sri Dharma Mittra’s Maha Sadhana(1&
2)
Seane Corne’s Vinyasa Flow Yoga,
Uniting Movement & Breath (Session 1)
& Vinyasa Flow Yoga, The Body & Beyond (Session2)
Max Strom’s Strength, Grace & Healing
Duncan Wong’s, Source Power
What is VInyasa Flow or Flow yoga?
•
Flow yoga is a practice in which the movements link fluidly together with meditative awareness and attention to breathing.
•
Continuous movement is balanced with postures held for longer periods of time. What keeps us flowing is the breath that
continues uninterrupted during the periods of stillness and movement.
•
Sequences of postures intelligently build towards a peak. We start with the simple and build towards the more complex.
•
Specific themes/intentions can inform the structure of class,such as strength building, endurance, relaxation, a focus on
specific areas of the body, fun, philosophical inquiry, balance...the options are limitless.
•
Flow yoga always incorporates sound body mechanics, alignment principles, connection with breath, sustained attention, and the development of a balance between strength, flexibility and endurance.
•
Flow yoga teaches us how to get into the flow of what is appropriate for our own body in every moment.
•
The intention of a flow class, regardless of its theme, is to stay present with and connected to the moment and therefore
teaches us how to flow through the fluid nature of our practice and our lives with grace and ease.
•
Flow yoga incorporates all classes of asanas: moving series (ie sun salutations), standing postures, balancing postures, inversions, twists, backbends, and forward bends. How these postures are sequenced can vary.
March 1, 2007
S P IRIT F UN
I got hooked to Yogi Tea when I was living in California and practicing at a studio called The Center
for Yoga. The tea would be served out of those big steel urns, polished to the point where I could enjoy
the reflection of my goofy, post savasana grin as I poured myself a cup after class.
Yogi Tea Recipe
Ingredients:
20 whole cloves
20 whole green cardamom pods(open them
up)
20 whole black peppercorns
5 sticks of cinnamon
1/4 tsp. of ANY black tea
(pick one you love-use
loose tea,not the bags)
6 cups cold milk
(2% or whole milk works
best-you can also use
soy milk-try vanilla soy
for extra sweetness)
“Either we are here in
the universe to inhabit
the lovely eternity of our
souls and grow real, or
we might as well dedicate our days to shopping and kill time watching talk shows.”
~ John O’Donohue,
Eternal Echoes
Today, the Center for Yoga is no longer the Center for Yoga (it has now become Yoga Works), but my
memories of that studio, including the yogi tea, has stuck around. I have made this recipe many times
over the years, and the tea is always delicious, but never exactly the same--this phenomenon, I have observed, is also prevalent in my personal yoga practice, and is a reminder that if we pay attention, our life
can never be experienced the same way.
There is something very healing about making something
from scratch. It gets the creative juices flowing while at the
same time is deeply relaxing. It is a great natural meditation, if you allow it to be.
HEALTH FACTS:
Black pepper is a blood purifier,
Cardamom is for the colon,
Cinnamon is for your bones and
Cloves is a tonic for the nervous system... Black tea acts as an alloy for
all of these ingredients creating a
chemical structure for good health!
If you’re with me so far, you’ll begin. Gather all your ingredients. You’ll be cooking and meditating for the next
25-30 minutes, so take a few deep breaths as you settle into
this intention. Remind yourself, with your next inhale,
that you’re making tea for the sheer pleasure of it. With your next exhale, let go of any ideas of what
you think your tea should taste like or look like. Inhale deep, and exhale slow. Ground yourself in your
kitchen. There’s no one to impress here and nothing to worry about. Take one more very deep inhale
and on your next exhale, let out the sound “tea”..did you notice how the word itself brings your mouth
towards the shape of a smile? If not, smile and say it again. In the words of the great Yogi Bhajan:
“Fake it and you will make it.”
Begin by boiling 3 quarts(12 cups) of water. Watch the water boil. This is drishti, folks. Only you’re not
gazing at a candle flame, you’re gazing at still water in a pot. Cultivate that focus. If you’re human, you
will notice, very shortly perhaps, that you are watching the water and secretly wishing it would hurry up.
If that’s happening, close your eyes, re-focus the gaze on your breath. Then open your eyes and try
again. Do this as many times as you need in order to make peace with the water boiling. If you are
really struggling, meaning, you’re getting all worked up because you’ve been asked to watch water boil,
remind yourself that a)no one forced you to b)you can walk away c)you can laugh at yourself and come
back to your breath. The choice is always yours. Practice Radical acceptance and make it yours.
As the water starts to boil, notice what that creates-a sense of anticipation? relief ? happiness because
now you get to DO something? Once the water has come to a boil, add the first four ingredients of the
recipe. Do this as if you have all the time in the world. Continue boiling for 15-20 minutes. You can
give the ingredients a gentle stir...take time to pause in your stirring...notice if your stirring is an act of
moving away from stillness or a sincere desire to stir. Breathe. Close your eyes, stop stirring, and take a
really deep inhale. Can you identify each individual spice on its own? Is it different than if you try to
smell the spices as a whole? Does one smell reign supreme? There is no right or wrong answer. Just
stay present. Notice how your breath changes in response to a particular scent...if you’re bored at this
point, you’re human...stay with your breath and your brew.
March 1, 2007
S EV A TALK TO ME!
I would love to teach workshops that serve you. Below are 4
workshop topics/themes. Please let me know which, if any,
appeals to you. If you have any other suggestions, specific or general,
please let me know.
1.)Yoga Alchemy: a deep extended practice incorporating the elements of vinyasa flow, guided kundalini, free-form/spontaneous
dance, pranayama, poetry and creative journaling.
2.)Slow Flow Yoga: a practice that will move you through the entire
body gently, slowly and sweetly. We will take our time entering, exiting and maintaining each posture. Don’t be fooled, this class will be
very challenging.
Om Shanti
Anya Gordon is a bright light in our vinyasa teacher
tribe and I know many of us will miss her classes, her
spirit and her smile. The Oregon yoga community has
just gained a gem! This photo was taken in January
2007, in preparation for our partner yoga workshop..it
captures for me the essence of what made her a great
teacher....grace. Her presence was one which allowed
others to be themselves. You can stay in touch with
Anya by contacting her at onion@hotmail.com.
3.)Renegade Yoga: Off the hook, crank up the volume, blows away
any stereotypical and conventional yoga class. For those of you who
have wanted to burst out and sing while in class, this is for you. For
those of you who think you know what yoga is, this class is even
MORE for you. Don’t just step out of the box....lose it completely!
4.) Journey through the Chakras: Explore and understand the Chakras and their archetypes. A flow practice that will be enlivened by
trance dance, visualization, meditation and spontaneous journaling.
Send your response to kvgroark@verizon.net
(tea meditation cont’d)
Continue to breathe deeply and naturally. Hear the sound of the water boiling. Smell the spices as they unfold and swirl. Do certain
images come up in response to what you smell? A memory? A Color? A particular sensation in your body? Notice these things and
allow them to pass through you. If you’ve gotten this far, you’re doing great...if you’ve already went into the other room, no judgment,
just kindly walk yourself back to the kitchen.
Once you’ve boiled for 15-20minutes, add the loose tea leaves. Stir and smell, smell and stir, for about one to two minutes. Notice the
beautiful change in the color of your brew. Next, add the milk . You’ll want to add a 1/2 cup of milk for every one cup of liquid remaining in the pot. Don’t worry about this being exact!. For you perfectionists, there is a great lesson or a major frustration here.
Again, choice is yours. Can you trust what you see and taste? Even if you’ve never made tea before, you certainly know what tastes
good. Usually, about 6 cups of milk works well- but again, this isn’t a rule. Let the brew return to a boiling point, then remove it immediately from the heat. Be extra mindful here so it doesn’t boil over. Now you’re ready to strain and serve. The meditation is still
happening. DO NOT START TO CLEAN THE KITCHEN! (this is a different meditation for another time.)
Stay present as you choose a mug and fill it with tea,.. Adorn it with a favorite condiment, perhaps a dollop of honey or a fresh slice of
ginger root. Snuggle down into a comfy chair, and enjoy the aroma and steam as it rises from your mug of tea...as you take your first
precious sip, savor it. When we savor things, we need less amounts of things. Once you realize this, you may be ready to let go. Take
that fresh pot of tea-a literal manifestation of your time & energy & focus- and just give it away....a friend, a neighbor, the mailman,
doesn’t matter who....just give it away, let go, and feel amazing. Peace can be as simple as that.