D.C. Yoga Week 2009

Whether you’re new to yoga or an experienced yogi, D.C. Yoga Week is the perfect time to try out that yoga studio you’ve been meaning to visit.  From May 2nd through May 9th, a hub of studios will be offering free and $5 yoga classes in and around the Washington, D.C. area.

Round out your yoga week on May 9th with an outdoor, free-for-all yoga day on the National Mall from 2-5 p.m. Simply show up with your mat at the intersection of 15th Street and Constitution Avenue NW.  See you on the mat and chant for sun!

Visit DCYogaWeek.com for participating studios, outdoor yoga info and other details.

Free Outdoor Yoga presented by Even Keel™

Find inner peace in urban chaos this summer with Even Keel’s 2nd Annual Free Outdoor Yoga Series.  Washington, DC has beautiful parks, stressed out residents, and a great yoga community –including some great locally-based yoga clothing companies like Even Keel.

This yoga series is open to anyone in the DC area interested in practicing yoga outdoors.  Just show up with your mat, meet some new yogis/yoginis and experience a new style of yoga or a teacher you’ve never met. Details below.

WHEN: Third Sunday of every month – May through September (May 17, June 21, July 19, August 16, September 20) from 10:00-11:00AM

HOW: Participants show up the third Sunday of the month at the designated location and are encouraged to bring a mat, towel, and water. All levels of students are welcome, although it is helpful to have a basic knowledge of yoga.

WHERE: Rock Creek Park – Connecticut Ave/Cathedral ExitOff of Calvert Street, NW (near the intersection of Connecticut and Calvert) take 24th Street, NW into the park – at the bottom of the hill in the grassy field on the right hand side (near the exercise stations).  Metro: Red Line to Woodley Park-Zoo/Adams Morgan, walk south on Connecticut Ave., right on Calvert St., left on 24th St, walk down hill into Rock Creek Park, open field on right hand side of road.

About Even Keel Even Keel is a yoga apparel company that specializes in unique designs, beautiful colors, and sustainable fabric.  The company was started by Liz Matthews, an avid yoga student and occasional teacher.  Even Keel brings a balance of style and function to the mat.  The colors are rich, the designs are elegant – and all of fabrics are made of bamboo and organic cotton.  Even Keel believes strongly in using sustainable fabrics. And all of our clothing is manufactured in the United States.  For more information, please visit www.EvenKeelYoga.com.

Beautify It

Towards the end of my 20-minute morning meditation yesterday a phrase popped up in my head “you just need to beautify it”.  I zoned into it, heard it a couple times and then snapped out of it.  What does it mean?  What is the “it”?

The timing of this is ironic in that recently I have felt in my meditation practice I am just going the motions.  It’s been dry –meaning no revelations/insights have come out of it.  I’ve questioned –is it worth it?  Am I sitting just to sit?  Am I being impatient?

Now “you just need to beautify it” has peaked my curiosity.  What in my life needs more beauty – my relationships, my teaching, my yoga practice and/or something else in my life?  What is the “it”?  I guess I will have to sit in silence (meditate) and see.

Beautiful, Funny, Delicious

I had an awesome spur-of-the-moment yoga experience this past weekend.  A friend, who also happens to be one of my new favorite yoga teachers ☺, invited me to take a couple David Romanelli workshops with her at Sacred Space in Rockville, MD (D.C. area).  The workshop themes were 1) “Beautiful, Funny, Delicious and Yoga + Cheese & Olives” and “Fear, Yoga + Chocolate (not necessarily this exact mix but you get the picture).

Prior to showing up, I assumed two things about his Yoga + Wine, Yoga + Chocolate workshop themes 1) they would be focused on the niyama tapas and 2) the chocolate, wine and cheese were just part of a marketing ploy to get people to his classes.  To top it off, once I arrived and met him, my internal chatter was “This is a guy I use to party with in college…and he’s teaching yoga.  You’ve got to be kidding me”.  By the way, to support my first impression please jump to page 18 (My Struggle Is My Joke) in Dave’s book Livin’ the Moment.

After the first 10-15 minutes of during Saturday’s workshop, I realized I really like this guy.  I felt completely at ease with his presence.  He’s down-to-earth, laughs at himself and doesn’t take life or yoga too seriously.  It was such a refreshing change of pace from the yoga I’m exposed to regularly -particularly the teachers that take themselves and yoga way too seriously (I’m sure I fall into this category at times).

Conclusion:  Yeah Dave (aka Romanelli) rocks!  He’s funny, inspirational and a true yogi that can connect with current day practitioners, at all-levels.  Dave’s workshops are a great reminder that yoga is about feeling good and living well both on and off the mat.  His “beautiful, funny, delicious” mantra is a great tool in learning how to seize the moments of your day.  Best of all, the treats at the end of his 90-minute chill flow were divine –Vosges luxury chocolate, couture hot chocolate, Sicilian wines and olives.  One of my previous blog postings talked about the senses.  Yeah Dave gives you the opportunity to check back in and enjoy your senses to the max.

For a Yeah Dave sighting near you, visit  www.YeahDave.com.  By the way, if you live in the D.C area be sure to visit Sacred Space in Rockville.  It’s a serene studio space – and worth the hike even if you don’t live in MD.