Out Beyond Ideas...

Many of you commented on the Rumi poem Robin shared in class this week.
The best way to fully say in words Rumi's impact, is that he has the ability to describe the indescribable, ineffable - God.

Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing,

there is a field. I'll meet you there.

When the soul lies down in that grass,

the world is too full to talk about.

Ideas, language, even the phrase each other

doesn't make any sense.

Anyway - From Mother Theresa

One of our students shared a favorite poem with us this week.

Mother Theresa hung a copy of this poem on a wall of the orphanage she founded in Calcutta.
Its source is unknown.

People are often unreasonable,
illogical and self-centered;
Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind,
People may accuse you
of selfish, ulterior motives;
Be kind anyway.

If you are successful,
you will win some false friends and
some true enemies;
Succeed anyway.

If you are honest and frank,
people may cheat you;
Be honest and frank anyway.

What you spend years building,
someone could destroy overnight;
Build anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness,
they may be jealous;
Be happy anyway.

The good you do today,
people will often forget tomorrow;
Do good anyway.

Give the world the best you have,
and it may never be enough;
Give the world the best you've got anyway.

You see, in the final analysis.
it is between you and God;
It is never between you and them anyway.

Yoga Day USA Raised $300 for The Africa Yoga Project

Robin taught an amazing Long, Slow, Deep class to 24 participants. The Appleton studio celebrated it's 4th anniversary and there were door prizes and cake.

$300 was raised by participant donations and an MPY studio match for The Africa Yoga Project. Thank you to all who participated!

Thank You Cards Coming Soon

Jan dropped off gifts of food and art supplies, including watercolors, brushes and blank postcards for my days of rest. Today, I tried my hand at watercolor, with the Lifetime Movie Network as my muse in the background. I have no idea what I'm doing, but I thought I'd share my creations. Thank you all again for your support. Cards will be in the mail soon!

Recovering Slow But Sure

See to the left for day #2, day #3 and day #5. I'm able to walk around about 30 minutes at a time, but I'm feeling better with each new day. Thank you everyone for the good vibes, texts, e-mails, flowers, balloons, movies, gifts and food. I'm recovering at my parents home and hope to be back teaching part-time in about a week.

Questions I heard too often:
Would you like a pain pill? You can press the morphine button as much as you like.
Do you want beef broth or chicken broth with your Jello?
Did you pass gas, yet?

Questions I asked too often:
When can I lose the O2 tube?
When can I lose the pee bag?
When can I lose the IV?
When am I going to lose this water weight?

Questions I had to ask?
Nurse: Your weight is ***. Debbie: How much does the bed weigh?!
Why is the lady down hall screaming?

Questions my husband wished the Doctor didn't ask?
I took pictures do you want to see?
How do the sutures look? (after ripping off the bandages like duct tape) Come and see.

Question the hospital Communications Tech asked his boss while using the phone next to my bed?
The lady in bed here has a Blackberry, why can't I have one?

The Yoga of Relationship

The Yoga of Relationship with Diana Alstad and Joel Kramer (Yoga Journal Conference, San Francisco)

Unraveling a Knot: Process for Connecting
1. Getting Clear: Choose a knot (conflict, pattern, stuck place) to work on.
-Switch roles by taking other person's position with same emotion, tone of voice, logic, etc.
-State your own position as cleanly as possible to give your partner a feel of your living reality.

2. Anatomy of the Knot: Clarify Your Knot's Dynamics
-Identify the trigger words, feelings and tensions. Identify how and where each position "hooks" the other making you both defensive, reactive, hurt or angry.
-Which of your beliefs and values justify your feelings and give you a "right" to them? You can argue endlessly about values and never get unstuck.
-Ask yourself what's the worst thing that could happen if you lost, or give up defending your position?
-Do you get a hidden pay off from this knot? Just keeping the status quo can be a pay off - when it's in your self interest.
-Replay knot by interacting-but without trying to win or find solutions. Shift your focus from content to process by paying attention to both of your feelings and their causes.

Treat all feelings as important feedback, as "facts" rather than as either "justified" or not.

The key is to be curious and more into exploring and communicating clearly than winning, convincing, changing or getting back at each other.

Divine Light Candle Meditation

Divine Light Candle Meditation with Mirra Palkhivala (Yoga Journal Conference, San Francisco)

Look at the flame of a candle, teaching the mind that it is the light in all creation that you seek to connect with. Bring the image of the flame into the mind through the third eye (center of the forehead) and down to the heart chakra.

Divine Light Invocations:
I am created by Divine Light
I am sustained by Divine Light
I am Protected by Divine Light
I am surrounded by Divine Light
I am ever growing into Divine Light
I am glowing with Divine Light
I am growing wiser with Divine Light
I am living in Truth with Divine Light
I am transformed by Divine Light
I am a living flame of Divine Light (pure love)
I am healing with Divine Light flowing into each cell of my body
I am offering each movement to Divine Light

"Concentrate in the heart. Enter into it; go within and deep and far, as far as you can. Gather all the strings of your consciousness that are spread abroad, roll them up and take a plunge and sink down. A fire is burning there, in the deep quietude of the heart. It is the Divinity in you - your true being. Hear it's voice, follow its dictates."

The Mother, Sri Aurobindo Ashram

A Yogic Perspective on Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

A Yogic Perspective on Carpal Tunnel Syndrome with Timothy McCall M.D. (Yoga Journal Conference, San Francisco)

Some quick anatomy and action of the wrist:
8 carpal bones (2 rows of 4)
creases on the wrist radial carpal junction
tendons and medial nerve pass through carpal tunnel
neutral alignment is like shaking hands with the thumb up
palm face up supination
palm face down pronation
wrist bends forward and backward from the carpal bones
weight on the butt of hand can cause stress to carpal bones
(tingling and numbness at night when nerve is compromised)

The muscles on the outside of forearm used in flexion are sometimes hard and overdeveloped (over use or too much training).
Healthy muscles should be strong, but soft and supple.

Posture is a huge factor in carpal tunnel syndrome:
C-shape in back- bones are linked like a chain through the body. Every bone is a lever on the bone next to it. This is similar to thoracic outlet syndrome (anterior scalenes short, pec minor too tight, clavicles rolled down and forward)
(ie The man walking fast down the street trying to catch up to his head.)
Double crush - nerves pinched in wrist, forearm, shoulder, chest
Nerves go through muscles and if muscles are tight they can constrict the nerves.
Fascia is connected throughout the body.

In posture the arrows point both ways:
"posture of depression" or "posture creates depression"

Tensegrity - tension and integrity
In yoga we try to make things straight and in alignment, but no bones are really straight.
There are natural curves and arches like a geodesic dome that is indestructible.
The carpal tunnel is a dome or an arch.

Practicing with/preventing carpal tunnel syndrome:
Work the whole body and person, not just the injury or problem.
Press down to lift up. Focus on the upward pressure vs downward pressure.
Hasta Bandha (lifting from palm of hand) and Pada Bandha (lifting from arch of foot)
Allow your body to be open, bring ease, try easy, not hard.
In our poses we can effect locally what's happening distally in the body. Opening the chest can create freedom in the wrists.
Make sure you can breathe and feel free and open in your postures.

Direct alternative treatment options prior to surgery:
Deep tissue work to release the fascia, remember the chest, shoulders, and forearms.
Vitamin B6
Fresh Pineapple (2 cups daily)
8ft yoga strap to open chest and draw shoulders and clavicle into good postural balance

Power to the Peaceful

Power to the Peaceful with Sharon Gannon, David Life and Michael Franti (Yoga Journal Conference, San Francisco)

"The best way to uplift our own lives is to uplift the lives of others." - Sharon Gannon

Chants:
Om -- The essential sound of being
Lokah Smasta Sukinoh Bhavantu -- May all beings everywhere be happy and free and may the thoughts, words and actions of my own life contribute in some way to the happiness and to that freedom for all.
Shantih Shantih Shantih -- peace peace peace
Maitri-adishu balani -- Through continuous practice of kindness, strength is attained.
te samadhav upasarga vyuttane siddhayah -- Power used properly can bring peace.

"Give up the love of power for the power of love." - Jimi Hendricks

Patanjali says that power comes from loving kindness. There is power in your practice, empowerment. What you do could matter. Feel the power in your body. You direct the power to be part of the problem or part of the solution.

Michael Franti opened and closed the session on stage. He also provided hands-on assistance and China Gel applications to neck, shoulders, back and ankles during the practice.

David and Sharon taught a Jivamukti Yoga session integrating power and peace on the mat.

Forward bends reflect on our past.
Back bends move us into our future.

Journal Exercise:
Something you'd like to see changed in the world right now, today.
What would you do or give up in your life to make this happen.

Business of Yoga

Business of Yoga - Dayna Macy at Yoga Conference, San Francisco
People interested and/or practicing yoga:
2001 9-10 million
2003 14.5 million
2008 15.8 million
Yoga continues to grow. The flattening out is caused by people coming and going.

6 billion dollars spent on (2008 spending doubled since 2004):
instruction 1.7 billion
media 909 million
equipment 895 million
clothing 705 million
retreats 668 million
certification 564 million

Demographics:
68.8% Female
31.2% Male

Current practitioners:
25-34 (largest segment)
35-44 (largest growth rate and stay with yoga)
45-54
55-64
65 - older

Frequency of practice:
2-4x a week 35.9%
1x week 28.5%
1x month 16%

Why people come to yoga:
flexibility 73%
stress
general fitness
better body
overall health
strength
mental health
spiritual health
weight loss
medical
other
prenatal

**Harris Interactive (study due out Spring)

Yoga Vacation in Costa Rica

We have 6 spots left! Join the MPY staff in Costa Rica for some hot yoga and much fun. The accommodations are spotless. The jungle canopy zipline tour and the 10 accompanying Samoyed dogs is heart pumping and heart warming. The many thunderous waterfalls are breathtaking. And a friendly cow may poke his head out to remind us of home in Wisconsin. Join us April 19-26 by registering at http://www.barkanmethod.com/

Snoga! The opposite of Hot Yoga

Just Arrived: Jimmy Barkan's Hot Yoga DVD and don't miss our Barkan Beginner's Workshop

Jimmy's new DVD is now available at Midwest Power Yoga Appleton. This DVD has a comprehensive tutorial to guide you step-by-step.

Jimmy's popular Meditation CD is back on our retail shelves. This has been a "#1 favorite" of our students.

These two items are must have for your yoga library!

We still have room for you to join us for our Barkan Beginner's Workshop this Saturday, January 12th from 1:00-3:30pm. Plenty of time to see the Packers beat the Seahawks!

Debbie Williamson and Kathy Hergert contracted to work for the Yoga Journal Conference in San Francisco

Special Events at San Francisco Yoga Journal Conference, January 16-21st, 2008:
__Youth Aids benefit concert with Michael Franti
__Kirtan with Suzanne Sterling followed by Yoga Trance Dance with Shiva Rea and DJ Dragonfly
__The Power of Women in Yoga with Sharon Gannon, Gurmukh Kaur Khalsa, Judith Hanson Lasater, and Shiva Rea.
__The Power of Yoga as a Doorway for Transformation: Personal, Genetic, & Social - Dr. Dean Ornish.

Support For Our Troops

Thanks for all of the wonderful support in sending letters, supplies, snacks, treats and toys to the soldiers in Iraq. Midwest Power Yoga Little Chute collected items the month of December. To us it seems so simple, but to them it means that they’ve got support back home, and that we have NOT forgotten them! Thanks again to everyone. We really appreciate your support and love! We shipped your items to Sergeant Nathan Goelz of the U.S. Army. He's currently stationed in Baghdad, Iraq on a 12-15 month tour of duty.

God Bless!
Amber Goelz ( Sandy's daughter)

Hats for Honduras

Midwest Power Yoga in Appleton is collecting hats all week to support the Fox Cities Stars Hockey Team in their efforts to supply Honduras with some much needed hats. We will have a box in the studio for donations. Thanks to all who have donated!!!

Yoga Day Proceeds to assist our dear friend Paige and her efforts.

Nairobi 4 January 2007
Dear Friends of Africa Yoga Project,

Thank you all so much for all of the well wishes for my own safety and for the safety of the many students of Africa Yoga Project and Sarakasi Trust (our partner for acrobatic, circus and dance training here in Kenya). As some of you know I am in Nairobi, I am in a safe place, and I am writing now to update you all.

I arrived in Kenya for my fifth time on December 25th, with the intention to teach. Within the last two weeks I have been a student of life in way I did not expect. I feel like I did when I first started to practice yoga, awake to the world in a new way.

Many of you have been following the elections in Kenya and the violence that erupted in the slums of Kenya with great concern. Most (if not all) of the Africa Yoga Project community hail from the areas affected and Sarakasi has been in contact with the students all through. So far there have been a reported 1000 deaths and 200,000 displaced families in the period since December 27th.

The stories we hear are very worrying and disturbing.

- Students in Dandora have gone days without food. The food available is marked up at over 50% for fresh vegetables.
- Students inI Mugumo have been forced to become soldiers and are patrolling their neighborhood. Civilians are openly walking around with fire arms. I have shared stories and time with an acrobat that was forced to be nvolved with violence.
- In Kariobangi, Kibera and Kayole people are forced out of their houses by their landlords, based on their (different) ethnicity.
- In Mathare North and Huruma acrobats want to be evacuated. Groups are hiding their group members of a different ethnicity and live in fear of being caught by their own tribesmen. A group I work with has been hiding one of their members whose house has been burnt down. The rest of the men and boys in the group are being forced from their houses to go around in groups and fight whoever attacks.
- The "downdog girls" cannot go out to buy food in fear of being raped. Sarakasi has been bringing them food and phone credit to use a shared cell phone.

Press are not allowed into these areas and are kept out by police. The security forces are there but only patrol the main roads and, according to some reports, join in the looting. The situation is extremely tense and people are terrified. For me , I have the means ($) to stay in a safer neighborhood with police. For the acrobats and yogis from Sarakasi, they have been forced to stay in midst of chaos or become refugees in their hometowns.

We are trying to help where we can. Sarakasi has been going around meeting with the group leaders to give moral support and advice. They have given them small amounts of money so they can buy food to share amongst their groups. They are monitoring the groups that are hiding their members and are on stand-by in case they have to be evacuated.

But we need help to keep helping. We need to tackle the immediate problems: the need for food & other essentials, shelter and evacuation.

However, when all this is over and when the situation has been stabilized there will be more work to do: peace and reconciliation. We believe that within Africa Yoga Project we have a unique situation since the yoga - acrobat-, dance- and music groups comprise of different tribes, who up to now have worked, created and lived together in harmony. We want to keep doing that and use our art and productions as a strong message of unity within the Sarakasi community and beyond. In order to help now and later we need funds. We of course will appeal to our donors for extra funds but that takes time. What we need now is simply money to help our community with the much needed essentials.

This war between the president and the opposition is fought on the streets where it is turning into a very ugly ethnic war and the poor people are the ones who suffer most.

Your donation however small is much appreciated and will be of great help. If you can not afford a donation , please dedicate a breath, a prayer, a yoga practice to Kenya's peace and unity. I want to acknowledge those of you, especially Jason Nemer and Jenny Sauer-Klein of AcroYoga who have already sponsored a substantial amount of emergency relief.

You can contact me by replying to this email and send the checks payable to Sarakasi Trust and send them to my NY address. Please email me and let me know if you willl be sending a check.

Paige Elenson
20 Renwick Street #5
NY,NY 10013
possible please add memo: Africa Yoga Project: Peace and Unity.

You can also donate through pay pal. Please click here to donate $100.00



You can also transfer money to Sarakasi via the details below

In case you want to find out more about
Africa Yoga Project : www.africa Yoga Project.org
and Sarakasi: www.sarakasi.org

I can not end this email without acknowledging the great resiliency and kindness of my Kenyan families. I have received more in the past two weeks than I could ever return. Each person I have met who has assisted me has redefined to me what it means to be a yogi, in unity with a universal spirit of abundance.

Thank you so much for your love and prayers and I look forward to the future of this project. With great love,

Paige Elenson
Director, Africa Yoga Project

SARAKASII TRUST
Correspondence Address: Sarakasi Trust, P.O. Box 33339, 00600 Ngara, Nairobi, Kenya.
Office and Rehearsal Space Address: The Godown Arts-Center, Dunga Road, Nairobi, Kenya.
Tel/Fax: +254-20-559757 and +254-20-555894. Mobile: +254-722-81126 and +254-734-811926
Bank Details: Sarakasi Trust, USD Account (012) 402009840; Euro Account (012) 432000110;
Kenya Commercial Bank, UN Gigiri, P.O. Box 39402, Nairobi, Kenya;
Swift Code KCB LKENX

Debbie Williamson on TV

You may have seen a familiar face in a yoga segment of the Kennedy Center For The Hip & Knee television advertisements. Debbie is assisting a recovering hip replacement patient through a sequence of yoga poses. The commercial was filmed at Midwest Power Yoga in Appleton and Debbie was also the technical advisor for the yoga portion of the shoot.

Vacation with Jimmy Barkan

A few spots still available to take a yoga vacation and/or receive an advanced certification in Hot Vinyasa Yoga in Costa Rica this April. Debbie will be assisting Jimmy and Robin, Laurie, Bill & Deb, Kathy, Sue and Gina are all attending from our studios. Join us! Details available at our Appleton studio or online under Appleton workshops.

Bootcamp with Baron Baptiste

Midwest Power Yoga Teachers have attended numerous Teacher Training and Personal Revolution Bootcamps. Debbie, Deb, Sandy and Jan will be applying to attend Level 2 Teacher Training this June in Montana.

The Benefits of Hot Yoga (90-100 degrees and 60-70% humidity)

1. Your body burns fat more effectively, fat may be burned as energy during the class.
2. The heat produces a fluid-like stretch allowing for greater range of movement in joints, muscles, ligaments and other supporting structures of the body.
3. Capillaries dilate in the heat; more effectively oxygenating the tissues, muscles, glands and organs and helping in the removal of waste products.
4. Your peripheral circulation improves due to enhanced perfusion of your extremities.
5. Your metabolism speeds up the breakdown of glucose and fatty acids.
6. You benefit from a strengthening of willpower, self control, concentration and determination in this challenging environment.
7. Your cardiovascular system gets a thorough workout.
8. Your muscles and connective tissue become more elastic and allow for greater flexibility with less chance of injury and improved resolution of injury.
9. Sweating promotes detoxification and elimination through the skin - which is the body's largest eliminating organ.
10. Just as when your body raises its temperature to fight infection, the raised temperature in the room will assist in improving T-cell function and the proper functioning of your immune system.
11. Your nervous system function is greatly improved and messages are carried more efficiently to and from your brain.
12. Metabolism improves in your digestive system and in the body's cells (that is food in the gut and nutrients in the cells).

Moo Meditation

Have you ever noticed a cow out your car window and moo'ed?

Once upon a time in a land far away lived a poor uneducated, mentally challenged man who tended a herd of cows for his master. He happened upon a meditation teacher and was very taken with his calm, loving, gentle and happy nature. He decided he wanted to know that experience first hand. And so he went to the teacher and begged him to teach him a way to achieve the inner peace that radiated so obviously from the teacher. The teacher accepted him as his student but quickly found that the man couldn’t understand any of the philosophical points he was making and as a matter of fact couldn’t even remember the mantra Om when he tried to teach it to him. The teacher lovingly said, "My oh my, you don’t seem to know anything at all, can’t be taught, and can’t remember anything. You are devoted and sincere in your desire to gain happiness though, so I will try to help you. My son, what do you know?" The man said, "Oh great teacher, the only thing I know is cows. All my life I’ve spent caring for cows, making sure they graze, are milked, and are kept clean. Yes, for me, everything is cows." "Well, that’s alright," said the teacher, "then you know what sound the cows make." "Oh yes," said the man, "they say moo." "Very well then," said the teacher, "for you, moo will be your mantra. All you have to do is say moo continually and you will reach freedom from suffering and know real bliss." So the man chanted moo, moo, moo when he took the cows out to graze and he chanted moo, moo, moo when he milked them, and he chanted moo, moo, moo when he cleaned them. He chanted moo all the time and very soon merged with that vibration, which is Om backward, and reached the highest heights of joyous understanding and lived happily ever after.

From this story, we learn that it is virtually impossible to chant Om "wrong".
--Meditation Society of America