So, my birthday was awesome. Thank you to all of you who offered such beautiful words and blessings to me through your cards and gracious gifts.

I love the words of Dharma Mittra who says, "In Yoga practice, age is never an obstacle...it's an evolutionary grace." He would certainly know, considering he's been practicing Yoga for fifty years and is 68 years young.

There are so many blessings unfolding in my life, from the improved health of my father, to the gift of family, community and friends, and the guidance of inspired Yoga teachers like Shiva Rea and Rod Stryker. I feel grateful to be in this community where so much Goodness is awakening. The times are changing, and these changes are for the better. We are going through a collective awakening as we grow stronger in our Muladhara Chakra, and this awakening is both unifying and enlightening. It is teaching us what it really means to be Faithful and fearless.

I just wanted to post a couple of announcements here about what's coming up in the not-so-distant future. Beginning Friday, October 24th, I will be teaching a new class at an awesome studio called Chi Dallas, located in Fair Park. This will be a lunchtime class from 12 - 1 pm and will be a great rate of $10 to drop-in!

And, we'll have an uplifting and inspired Holiday Yoga class coming up in the beginnig of December on December 6th at exhale spa. I know it might seem a little far away, but it will be here sooner than we can imagine. So, just something to be aware of as the weeks ahead start to become filled with the festivities of the approaching holidays.

I'm especially thrilled to announce an awesome Yoga and Eco-Adventure retreat I will be holding in Montezuma, Costa Rica this January 24-31 2009! Those of you that receive the newsletter, will be getting all the info about this soon. This will be an 8 day, 7 night retreat to the beautiful Los Mangos sea-front resort (pictured above) in Montezuma, where we will get to spend an amazing week revitalizing and renewing ourselves for the brilliant New Year. Each day will be filled with Yoga in the open-air pavilion, fabulous, nutritious and delicious meals, incredible adventures like horseback riding, snorkeling, surfing, hiking, relaxing aquatic massages and natural face masks and the incredible gift of community and friends. This will be a life-enhancing experience which will positively transform your body, mind and spirit and awaken you to the fullness and gift of each breath you breathe. I hope you will be able to join me and Global Soul Adventures Founder, Kate LaCroix as we guide you through this inspiring week. If you are interested in registering, you can do so online at globalsouladventures.com. I hope you will be able to join us.

So, stay tuned as I update the blog with more inspiration from Rod Stryker. What a gift to receive such incredible wisdom from such an illumined teacher. I have been learning the Invocation to Patanjali which he taught us at the training. It's a bit tricky to learn, but learning these chants helps to build retentive power, which is called Smriti, also one of the 5 principles of enlightenment, according to Patanjali. Although there is much mythology around the sage Patanajali, who is the Father of Yoga and the reason any of the Yoga we practice on the planet exists, he was actually a living person who walked the earth sometime around the 4th to 6th century BCE. I believe as a practitioner of Yoga, and to realize the fullness of what Yoga promises if we commit ourselves to the journey, it behooves us to learn the Invocation to Patanjali. When we say this invocation, we are essentially calling upon Patanjali for guidance and wisdom in our journey of enlightenment. You can listen to an audio of the Invocation here.

"This is the real meaning of Yoga-a deliverance from contact with pain and sorrow." - The Bhagavad Gita

Be well and I'll be back soon!Read more