Sentenced to Life

Sally was an amazing woman. She had cancer for several years and lived each day with purpose, a smile and a positive attitude. Her diagnosis was not a death sentence, but a life sentence. She actively extracted more enjoyment out of each day than most. Last week I got a call from my sisters and mother urging me to come home to Tucson. My father is quite ill and this may be my last chance to have some quality time with him. I am telling you this to reassure you that, I love teaching yoga, but will be away for 2 weeks from Thursday Dec 29 until Wed Jan 11 and yet I have friends who will teach my classes while I am away. Keep your commitment to your practice strong, because this is really the practice of self realization.

In this time of New Year's soul searching and goal setting, I hope you take some time to compassionately reflect on your attitude for the coming year. You have been sentanced to life. What are you going to do with it? What do you want to become, what are you willing to give up, or put in to reach your aspirations? Trust that we are all works in progress, there is no real failure. We all learn the lessons of the past and employ with courage what we have learned.

I look forward to seeing you live the life you would like to, full of passion, meaning, and grace.  Namaste,
Michelle

Illuminating news~Adding Class Tues 9:30 am

With the decrease in day length, you might be feeling an affect, especially when it is cloudy and cold. We crave pick me ups such as sugar and caffeine to fill the feel-good-gap.  Our practice nutralizes those external affects. Yoga is a wholesome treat you can give yourself, gain more energy, strength and mental clarity and peace while at the same time cultivating friendships.

Next week we focus on illumination and we will make simple inexpensive gifts to give others- from the light of the heart! I have added a Tuesday morning class so now you can attend morning classes on Tuesday at 9:30 am! I am so excited to give you this extra day so you can better incorporate yoga into your life. Here is my schedule at the Davenport School of Yoga's Bettendorf location:

Mon 6:00pm
Tue   9:30am
Wed  7:00pm
Fri     8:00 am (beginner)
         9:30 am

Between the Known and the Unknown

The path of the heart is the middle path between contrary compliments. We are not good or bad, light or dark, brilliant or dull. We are not only male or female, but have attributes of both often with one dominating.  This concept is the key to Shiva Shakti Tantra and it is a path we walk in order to recognize ourselves along the way.

When we have a great deal that is known in our life, we feel confidence, stability, continuity while the unknown provides a fertile bed for the seeds of chaos, mistrust and fear to grow. The trick is to balance to recognize the unknown as the alluring mystery and the known as the stable place we leap from and return back to.

The more you know, the more you don't know. Engaging myself in this new Davenport School of Yoga Bettendorf is a bit of the known and the unknown. I know I am surounded by truly wonderful teachers and students. We all don't know if the community will support it by showing up and receiving the gifts we offer at every class, but I hope so. It has been a thrill to see so many familiar faces coming into the studio. I look forward to seeing you again this week. 

Perhaps this Deember, you will find the balance you need as your life gets busy. My wish for you is that you are so familiar with your still calm center- that not even a gale force wind of can blow you off your path.
Namaste,
Michelle Campbell

Change is good!

Aparigraha, is one of the yamas, or ethical codes in yoga and translates to non-atachment or non-possesiveness.  We seek to rid our lives of the distractions, the inconsequential, the unimportant and fill our lives with the more substantial. This doesn't mean we forsake responsibilities or commitments, but it does ask us to reevaluate those frills in our lives that pull us in so many directions until we feel frayed. Instead, we focus on what is truly most important in our lives. In yoga class we need to be less attached to where we place our yoga mats and more on the experience of being present to the practice of yoga.

Related to yoga, I have said good bye to the evening class at the Bettendorf Community Center. It's a nice place, but our class has already outgrow the space, so it was quite wonderful that a new opportunity to teach in a dedicated yoga studio in Bettendorf came up.  I am honored to be included in the diverse community of yoga teachers that will be teaching at the new Davenport School of Yoga's Bettendorf location. The studio is located behind the Fareway and Healthy Habits and next door to the Pichiotti Chiropractic Center and will offer almost 40 classes a week! You will have so many opportunities to practice yoga in this new space with wood floors and blue and gold walls. We will even have a rope wall and props for you to use! The address is 3420 Towne Pointe Drive

So I ask you to practice aparigraha as we venture into our new space beginning November 7th for weekly classes on Monday at 6:00pm and Wednesday at 7:00 pm.  Friday morning yields 2 more classes you could take from me, an 8:00 am and a 9:30 am class. I will still teach the Tuesday and Thursday class at 9:00am at the Bettendorf Community Center.  And lastly, Oct 29th at 9:00 am,  I am teaching about how to create a yoga class of simple poses and meditation to establish your hOMe practice at the BCC. This is part of your session package, or counts as a $10 class.

Change is good! Namaste~ Michelle Campbell, your resident Anusara inspired yoga teacher

Fall Kitchari recipe

Monday class is at 6:30 pm for Oct 3rd only, thank you. I am so appreciative of all you dedicated yogis who are coming to Monday night Yoga class! It a great way to power up your week. Come even if you don't feel like you'll have the energy- beacause you will leave with more than you left!!! That's because Life is better with yoga and even better with yoga friends!

Kitchari

Ingredients 1 cup Basmati Rice 2 cups Mung Dal (split yellow or red lentils) 7 cups (approx.) Water a bit of Salt 2 Tbs. Ghee 3 tsp. Mustard Seeds 2 tsp. Cumin Seeds or Powder 2 tsp. Turmeric Powder 2 tsp. Coriander Powder 2 tsp. Fennel Powder 1 pinch Asafoetida (Hing) ___________________________________________ I don't know what hing is, but the rest is just wonderful and easy to find. Both balancing and nourishing this porridge is a great way to transition your metabolism into reving up for fall as is consuming warm soups and teas. You can make this anytime as a restorative and simple meal. Thanks to the Avervedic Institute in New Mexico, a great resource for the sister science to yoga. Find out more at learn more about ayerveda Namaste, Michelle Campbell

Polar opposites

When two groups of people don't agree with each other and get the opportunity to tell everyone about it, we call it politics. When  two parts of our bodies fight, we have pain, and then we might pop vitamin I (Ibuprofin), but there is another way Y-O-G-A! Good biomechanics will get your body back into allignment, and your committment to your practice can keep it there. This way everyone wins, the tight spots loosen, while the weak parts strengthen.

This duality begins at a mental level,"where the mind goes the body follows". In yoga studies, you might come across the Malas. These ancient concepts are relevant and help us to understand whats going on today. Mayiya Mala is like a dust that covers a mirror of the self.  It is a partcularly nasty dust because it polarizes. Something is either good or bad, love or hate, left or right,  too hot or too cold, too spicy or too bland- always polar opposites. Yet when we see this tendancy of the mind, we can use the windex of our yoga practice to remove this dust. When Mayiya mala is dissolved, we can experience Unity, Love Compassion and we see the other side is not so far off from us. Do you think Politicians should be required to study yoga? The world would be a much different place because...life is better with yoga.

Fall Transition

A tree's strength lies in its ability to bend. This statement is a little counter intuitive. Isn't ridgidity better? Physics and trees tell us not necessarily. To be able to bend with the wind instead of snapping at the first change of the wind's direction is more successful.

Bernding, changing, transitions are the ever changing spiral pattern of our lives. Each transition in the year involves a mental and physiological change. Our bodies remember how to increase our metabolism to keep us warm in the cooling coming months. The decreasing day length means trees are getting the stimulation to draw down vital nutrients and store them away in their roots for next year leaving colorful leaves behind. Squirrels gather nuts and stash them away with renewed ferver. And we get to decide how we will react to this change, with dread for the ice possible in our path in a few months or with delight that we are able to experience the first fall furry of leaves and ripening apples and pumpkins. Each colorful leaf, spiky seed pod or ripe fruit, nut and pumpkin is nature's celebration of the bounty of summer.

In class this week we will remain balanced even through change, using shoulder loop and pelvic loop to bend safely. The results will help rev up your internal fires to prime your fall metabolism and keep your spirits bright!