(To skip to the bullet list of offerings for the coming winter and spring of 2015, scroll down)

Winter greetings,

As we arrive at the winter solstice and all its cultural manifestations, I find myself juggling once again a host of often polarizing demands - of my for love for my work and my body's need to rest, of a call to connect to others in joyful celebration and my heart's desire to go inward and reflect. It seems the ever oscillating dynamic of dark against light that is so mesmerizing when written in the sky, can also provide a framework within which to explore a similar pattern in our human experience - one where perhaps the goal isn't balance after all, but rather a state of acceptance of and appreciation for the full spectrum of our experience as human beings.

This fall, and indeed these recent years, have been indelibly marked by our increasing awareness of the stark differences in the ways human beings experience the world. We have seen our communities inflamed by conflicts - about economic injustices, environmental atrocities and unimaginable abuses of power. We have grieved for the violence perpetrated in our names while a small percentage of our human family remains insulated from poverty and the ravages of war and an imperfect legal system that seems to target the vulnerable as often as not. We have been reminded of how lucky we truly are if we live in relative confidence of our day to day survival, and that our good fortune comes with a responsibility, at the very least, to pay attention; to see ourselves clearly along side and the political, social and economic realities we participate in, as uncomfortable as that may be.

We don't know the answers. Sometime it seems we can't even agree on the questions, but we are asking them, talking about them, even arguing about them, in our homes and on the internet. And though that can feel disheartening at times, I believe that is exactly where we can find our ability to "be the change" as the saying goes. Yoga, often defined as "union", infers as well the idea of effort, of intentionally engaged, even heated connection-making. As the holiday season inevitably reminds us, relationships require upkeep. And if we value our relationships with our greater human family, we will at times find ourselves faced with difficult conversations, and we will bring to those all of our flaws and shortcomings, all of our tears and door slamming and unskilled word choices. As we pause in the dark stillness at the core of winter, let's take a breath, and acknowledge ourselves and each other for continuing to show up at the table.

Those of you that take my weekly classes or occasional workshops may have heard me repeat again and again that "Yoga is hard because life is hard." I say it to make you laugh, to distract you from how hard you're working, but also because it's true. I know it to be true by the uncountable ways in which the work of my yoga practice has shown up to support me as I meet the challenges that life inevitably delivers alongside her exquisite gifts. Because more and more often, I am able to bend without breaking, and to breathe through difficulty and discomfort. Because I'm getting better at forging connections between disparate aspects of my physical and psycho-emotional bodies, and also the communal and familial bodies I exist within. I'm seeing more clearly than ever that those connections are forged not by eliminating differences of opinion, or by "agreeing to disagree", but by listening, by staying connected, by rooting down and softening my edges and engaging obstacles from a centered place, and so becoming more powerful even as others also become more powerful. Because I'm learning, if slowly, when to rest, and when to pause and wait for another day. I'm learning to honor other's boundaries and my own as the very contours of the distinct and unique gifts by which we put beauty into the world.

I cannot tell you how grateful I am to all of you who, by participating the in the classes I teach or the events I organize, have contributed to the ongoing conversation that is the Yoga I practice.

Below is a list of my classes, trainings, retreats and events for the winter and Spring of 2015. And remember you can always find me at my drop in classes at People's, or privately by using the contact form here. Please join me in the practice of knowing ourselves, of creating ourselves, of unfolding into more and more of ourselves with every passing year.

Much much love,

Alison

January 1st, 2015 - Embody Your Intention

A New Years Day edition of the Yoga practice Lab - noon to 2pm at the People's Yoga - Strong practice

January 8th to February 12th, 2015 - Demystifying the Bhagavad Gita

January's Thursday night Myths & Methods - 6 Thursdays, 7:15 to 9:00 pm at The People's Northeast Second Studio - level two standing poses and handstands

January 18th & 19th 2015 - Introduction to the Multiverse

A Winter Retreat on the Oregon Coast - Yachats Oregon - all levels welcome

February 28th to March 5th, 2015 - Myth, Multitudes and Matter

Yoga and Biodiversity Retreat in Barra de Potosi, Mexico - all levels welcome

Loom Immersion and Integration Intensive

The Art of Living Skillfully, the Skill of Living Artfully - 100 hours - March 20th to July 12, 2015 at the People's Yoga - for teachers, teachers to be, and dedicated students of all levels. Yoga Alliance certified. Contact me for more information