Yoga Made it to the Final Four

March Madness is here. I'm talking NCAA basketball.

I lost interest in televised sports long ago. But the winnowing of the field from the Elite Eight down to the Final Four has offered surprises to which even I can't resist paying attention.

Unless you've been nowhere near a sportscast, you already know that 11th-seeded George Mason University knocked off the top-seeded UConn Huskies--in overtime. They're now in the Final Four, bearing the moniker "Kryptonite Kids," along with three other teams that weren't supposed to make it either.

I heard George Mason's coach, Jim Larranaga, giving a radio interview the morning after the victory. He said something like this:

It's not about who we played. It's not about where we played. It's about how we played. We executed our game plan with effort and intensity. Without effort, you can't achieve anything.

What did Larranga's players have to say in their interviews after they big game? They praised their coach for helping them stay loose and relaxed.

Don't they sound contradictory to you? Effort. Relaxation. They just don't go together. They're opposites.

I guess you could refer to the George Mason basketball team as a living, breathing example of the union of opposites.

Did I just say "union of opposites"? I did indeed. And "union of opposites" is the definition of the word yoga.

Yoga made it to the Final Four. You heard it here first.

When Patanjali wrote about yoga in the YogaSutras he referred to two core principles on which his entire system of yoga rests: abhyasa and vairagya.

Abhyasa is practice. One commentor wrote that, "[a]bhyasa means having an attitude of persistent effort to attain and maintain a state of stable tranquility." (Emphasis added.)

Vairagya, on the other hand, is non-attachment.

Vairagya involves learning to actively and systematically encounter, explore and let go of the many attachments, aversions, fears, and false identities that are clouding the true Self.

They work together. Practice leads you in the right direction, while non-attachment allows you to continue the inner journey without getting sidetracked into the pains and pleasures along the way. (Swami Jnaneshvara Bharati)

Isn't that just what it took to get the Patriots into the Final Four, by their own admission?

Imagine what it must be like to train, practice and execute with such dedication and fervor that you arrive at a previously unimagined level of performance, only to be sidetracked by your thoughts, your sense of not belonging or not deserving, or your fear of disappointment.

Somehow, Larranaga and the Kryptonite Kids managed to avoid that fate by doing both, abhyasa and vairagya. You can, too.

Don't just read about it. Get up. Experience it. Experience yoga!

Kevin Perry
www.ExperienceYoga.org

p.s., The Sanskrit word of the day from my last Daily Yoga Tip was pada. Pada means foot or leg, as in eka pada rajakapotasana, the one-leg lord of the pigeons pose.

p.p.s., Today's Sanskrit word of the day is chatura. I'll tell you what it means next time.

p.p.p.s, I didn't know I'd spark so much excitement, interest and commentary with my Daily Yoga Tips about the 5-minute bridge pose and the picture of the neck bridge.

I'll have more to say on those and related topics later this week.

Thank you, all of you, for your sincerity and for writing me with your questions and thoughts.

Copyright 2006.
All rights reserved, Mo Yoga LLC.
Kevin Perry
Mo Yoga LLC
1305 Elmerine Ave
Jefferson City, MO 65101
(573) 680-6737

Belts, Blocks & Supination

Yesterday I wrote about my experience while holding a bridge pose (setu bandha sarvangasana) for 5 minutes.

I commented that when I lift my pelvis away from the ground, I'm extending the hip. The gluteus maximus muscle plays an important role in creating hip extension. That's why it started to burn after several minutes in the pose.

The gluteus maximus also externally rotates the thigh.

So when I really work to lift mypelvis high, or for a long time, the glutes tend to kick in and do their other job. My thighs roll out, knees come apart and more weight shifts to the outside edges of my feet.

That's called supination when the feet are imbalanced so that the arch is high and there's more weight on the outer edges of the feet than the inner.

One of my readers from Maryland, Lynn, wrote me this email yesterday, after she read my Daily Yoga Tip:

Hi Kevin,

Would it make any sense to place a belt around one's legs, below the knees, in order to keep them from separating, while doing setu bandhasana?

Hope you are doing well.

Namaste, Lynn

Here's my reply:

It does make sense, but for a particular purpose and limited time.

I like to use a belt simply to help get a feel for doing the pose without the knees apart and feet supinated. This is such a strong body pattern, I find it useful for students simply to see what it's like to do the pose with thighs parallel and feet balanced. Belting the legs helps provide that experience without too much trouble.

If you use a belt, I recommend that you put it around your thighs, above your knees. I suggest this because you'll notice that when you belt your legs while doing a pose, you tend to push them out against the resistance of the belt. I want the upper thighs to press out, away from the mid-line of my body. This broadens the back of my pelvis and creates room for the tailbone to tuck.

When I belt my shins, I have a tendency to push the shins apart, which I'm already good at, hence, supination.

Ultimately, you benefit most by learning to keep your thighs parallel on your own, without a strap, using skillful action. You want to develop the skill of using the gluteus maximus to extend the hip without using it to rotate the thighs outward.

One way to get a feel for this is to practice coming into and out of bridge pose holding a foam block between your knees or shins. If you drop the block you'll know you've let your knees come apart. That tells you you're using your glutes not just for hip extension, but for external thigh rotation as well.

Thanks, Lynn for this great question.

Don't just read about it. Get up. Experience it. Experience yoga!

Kevin Perry
www.ExperienceYoga.org

p.s., The Sanskrit word of the day from my last Daily Yoga Tip was bandha. Bandha means to bind or tie together, as in setu bandha sarvanasana, the bridge pose. By the way, setu means bridge. Sarvanga means all of the limbs or body parts. So this pose name in Sanskrit literally means to construct or tie together a bridge made with all of the body parts pose.

p.p.s., Today's Sanskrit word of the day is pada. I'll tell you what it means next time.

p.p.p.s, We still have openings in the Experience Sanskrit workshop in Downers Grove, IL on Saturday, April 8. If you've been intending to sign up, but haven't done it yet, please do it today. I don't want you to miss the workshop because it fills up to capacity. You can register here.

We're also doing the Experience Neti Flow workshop at Masterpeace Studios in Kirkwood, MO (St. Louis) on May 6 at 3:00 pm. Tuition is $30. You can register here. The Experience Sanskrit workshop is earlier that same day.

p.p.p.p.s., We're planning to announce our Experience Mudra workshop tomorrow. We've got a tentative date in St. Louis for May. Check back tomorrow for details. Reading about the power and effects of hasta mudra is not the same as actually doing the hand gestures and feeling the effects for yourself.

Copyright 2006.
All rights reserved, Mo Yoga LLC.
Kevin Perry
Mo Yoga LLC
1305 Elmerine Ave
Jefferson City, MO 65101
(573) 680-6737

Five-Minute Bridge

Yesterday I read in Yoga Journal that a woman who struggled with anxiety atttacks had a breakthrough while holding a 5-minute bridge pose (setu bandha sarvangasana).

She wrote:

Although I've sought countless therapeutic remedies for my anxiety, the eventual breakthrough I experienced didn't happen on a therapist's couch. It occurred in a single moment in a yoga class, when I managed to get into Setu Bandha Sarvangasana (Bridge Pose)--and stay in it for a full five minutes. Something happened: my back arched, my chest expanded, I breathed more deeply than I would have throught possible. And my mind cleared. All that constant, overwhelming clatter was just gone, blessedly gone.

I'm pretty sure I've never had an anxiety attack. But curiosity, I have had. Still do.

I wondered what would happen if I held a five-minute bridge pose. Don't you wonder?

I set my timer and up I went.

Frankly, it was uneventful, but revealing.

I've never held a five-minute bridge pose before, but I have done a 3-minute neck bridge.

I observed experiences and tendencies similar to those I've had while neck bridging.

First I noticed a pretty tremendous stretch in my abdominal muscles. The longer I was in the pose, the stronger this stretch felt.

But the biggest thing that came to my awareness was a tendency to shift weight to the outer edges of my feet. That made my knees come apart, so my thighs were no longer parallel.

I just kept re-adjusting, bringing my knees back toward each other.

The longer I stayed in the pose, the more my buttocks muscles got tired, and eventually, sore.

Soon the timer went off and I gladly came out of the pose.

Holding poses for time reveals weaknesses or tendencies that might otherwise go unobserved.

When you raise your hips off the floor in bridge pose, you're extending the hip joint. (Extension is the opposite of flexion.)

When you extend the hip, the thigh moves toward the back body. Conversely, when you flex the hip, the thigh moves in the direction of the front body.

The gluteus maximus muscle is one of the primary muscles responsible for extending the hip. These are the muscles that began to burn as I stayed longer and longer in the pose.

Gluteus maximus is also responsible for externally rotating the thigh. That's why almost everyone starts to turn the leg so that the knee cap points out away from the mid-line of the body when he or she is working hard to extend the hip.

That's why when you raise your hips away from the floor in bridge pose your knees want to come apart. Gluteus maximus extends the hip and rotates the front thigh out so the knees come apart and weight shifts toward the out edges of the feet.

Keep turning your front thighs in toward each other, even in bridge pose. You'll notice it helps keep the back of the pelvis broad, so you can tuck your tailbone and avoid low back pain in this and other back bendings.

Don't just read about it. Get up. Experience it. Experience yoga!

Kevin Perry
www.ExperienceYoga.org

p.s., The Sanskrit word of the day from my last Daily Yoga Tip was uttana. Uttana means an intense stretch, as in uttanasana, the intense stretch pose.

p.p.s., Today's Sanskrit word of the day is bandha. I'll tell you what it means next time.

p.p.p.s, Don't miss the Experience Sanskrit workshop coming up in Downers Grove, IL on Saturday, April 8. You can register here.

We're also conducting the Experience Neti Flow workshop at Masterpeace Studios in Kirkwood, MO (St. Louis) on May 6 at 3:00 pm. Tuition is $30. You can register here. The Experience Sanskrit workshop is earlier that same day.

p.p.p.p.s., I wrote a Daily Yoga Tip last year about holding poses for time. It's called Timings for a Change. You can read it here.

Copyright 2006.
All rights reserved, Mo Yoga LLC.
Kevin Perry
Mo Yoga LLC
905 Eastland Plaza Suite B, #106
Jefferson City, MO 65101
(573) 680-6737

Too Fast, or Weak?

Today while practicing sun salutations, surya namaskar, I felt light-headed.

Every time I came up from the standing forward bend to mountain pose with my arms overhead, I felt like I was going to tip over and crash to the ground. (I didn't.)

Do you ever feel dizzy when you come up out of a standing forward bend?

Usually, I think it's because I'm coming up too fast.

So as I continued on with my sun salutations I tried a couple experiments, tips that usually work when the situation isn't so steady.

On my way up one time I really focused on my breath and took a continuous, full and steady inhalation as I gradually came up out of uttanasana. It didn't work. Still fuzzy.

The next time up I focused on muscular energy in the legs. I really hugged the muscles of my legs on to the bones as once again I came up in a slow steady fashion. No luck. I was still rickety.

Guess what I did next?

I stopped doing sun salutations and went over to the wall for a long round of viparita karani.

I put my legs up on the wall and rested for about 15 minutes.

Why? I came to the conclusion that I wasn't coming up out of uttansana too quickly. I decided that I was weak. So I rested.

Sometimes what you need is not a vigorous yoga practice, but one that restores the energy you need to function optimally.

Don't just read about it. Get up. Experience it. Experience yoga!

Kevin Perry
www.ExperienceYoga.org

p.s., The Sanskrit word of the day from my last Daily Yoga Tip was vajra. Vajra means thunderbolt, as in vajrasana, thunderbolt pose.

p.p.s., Today's Sanskrit word of the day is uttana. I'll tell you what it means next time.

p.p.p.s, Don't miss the Experience Sanskrit workshop coming up in Downers Grove, IL on Saturday, April 8. You can register here. Don't delay. We've been selling out lately. You won't want to miss it.

p.p.p.p.s., We just added an Experience Sanskrit workshop date in Kirkwood (St. Louis), Missouri on Saturday, May 6 at a beautiful new center, Masterpeace Studios. It's an incredibly beautiful space. And the work they're doing there with children of all ages is amazing.

Check out Meg's web page at http://masterpeacestudios.org/. Masterpeace Studios is a non-profit organization. I hope you'll consider contacting them and making a tax-deductible donation.

You can register for the Experience Sanskrit workshop at Masterpeace Studios here. It begins at 9:00 am and ends at 1:00 pm.

We'll also be conducting the Experience Neti Flow workshop at Masterpeace Studios on May 6 at 3:00 pm. Tuition is $30. You can register here.

p.p.p.p.p.s., Some of you have contacted me with your experessions of concern that I haven't posted a Daily Yoga Tip in two weeks. It's a long time, I know. This an instance in which I've been moving too fast and I've been weak because of it. More tips are on the way.

p.p.p.p.p.p.s., If you've read this far you deserve a real prize. I hope this is worth it: It's March 26, 2006. We are just eight days away from April 3. Why should that matter?

Well...one year ago, on April 3, I posted my very first Daily Yoga Tip. That's right. We're coming up on our 1st Anniversary! Woo hoo!

It's been an amazing year. I've heard from so many of you. I REALLY appreciate your comments, questions, and support.

It's been a blast. I love doing this. I hope you love it, too. Keep me in your prayers as I keep going.

If you'd like to read the very first Daily Yoga Tip I wrote, it's called Get Upside-Down, Give Your Heart a Break, & Boost Immunity Too. Read it here.

Copyright 2006.
All rights reserved, Mo Yoga LLC.
Kevin Perry
Mo Yoga LLC
905 Eastland Plaza Suite B, #106
Jefferson City, MO 65101
(573) 680-6737

My Dad, The Yogi

My dad and I had a conversation about his blood pressure a couple weeks back. It made me think of this article I wrote about him back in 2002. I hope you enjoy it. Here it is...

Not long ago, after several long car trips, my dad found himself with serious back pain. He’d spent time in bed and missed many days of work before we finally got together to see if what I’d learned from yoga could help him.

I’m happy to say that I could see my dad relax and be more at ease as we worked together. He left that day without the limp he’d been living with for too long.

Unfortunately, the weeks of compensating for one pain had set him up for others that took many more weeks to resolve.

During those weeks we met several times. At one of those visits he told me a story that amazed me, and still does. Many years ago when he’d hurt his back, a co-worker with a long history of back pain taught my dad two things he believed were essential to resolving back pain. My dad has used these two techniques throughout the decades to take care of himself.

The first of these is hanging. He described supporting himself with stiff arms (like a gymnast on parallel bars) in the corner of the kitchen counter. From there he lets his legs dangle free. The weight of his lower body tugs on his spine and relieves the pinching and irritation of his nerves.

My dad’s friend also emphasized how important it is to regularly practice progressive whole-body relaxation. He taught my dad to start at one end of his body and one-at-a-time relax every part of his body.

My dad obviously mastered this skill. He told me that he has used his ability to relax to lower his measured blood pressure on demand. He’s done it at his doctor’s office. And on one occasion he did it to change his rating on a life insurance policy, so he could get a cheaper premium payment!

I immediately thought of the stories I’d heard about when yoga was first introduced in America. Swami Rama came here in 1969 at the invitation of Dr. Elmer Green of the Menninger Foundation in Topeka. There he demonstrated body control that Western science had never documented before. Here’s one description:

“He amazed scientists by his demonstration, under laboratory conditions, of precise conscious control of autonomic physical responses and mental functioning, previously thought to be impossible. Under these scientific conditions, Swami Rama demonstrated his ability to stop his heart from pumping blood for seventeen seconds, to produce a ten-degree difference in temperature between different parts of the palm of his hand, and to voluntarily produce and maintain specific brain wave patterns on demand.”

When my dad told me what he’d done, it hit me like a ton of bricks: just like Swami Rama, my Dad is a yogi!

Hatha yoga is not about learning to perform stunts that astonish your friends. It’s about looking inward and paying attention. Your body then becomes the vehicle for a journey that extends far beyond the performance of sideshow tricks.

So if my dad’s story is not about performing some Houdini-like feat, what is it about? I believe it’s about self-help, to borrow from the sign over the bookstore shelf.

My dad and his friend both sought as much help from others as they could. But at some point they received all they were going to get. As with most chronic issues, the solution was up to them. Each had to resolve his difficulty through a practice or a discipline that he adopted and used over time.

The paradox of ‘doing it yourself’ is that most of us learn what to do to address our concerns from a teacher. My dad learned two simple techniques from a friend that he still uses to address his pain today. His friend was his teacher.

While my dad is lying on the floor in the middle of the night practicing his relaxation, his friend isn’t there with him; neither is his doctor. Dad’s doing it himself. His friend can’t feel his pain. His friend can’t make it go away.

But in an equally real way my Dad is not there alone. The gift his friend gave him by teaching him to care for himself is a lasting gift of great value. When someone has taught you to care for yourself you’re not alone at all.

I’m grateful for the friend who taught my dad to relax. I’m grateful for Swami Rama’s teacher who led him on the yoga path. I’m grateful for all of my teachers, who’ve shared with me what their teachers gave to them.

I’m inviting you today to share some positive experience of yoga with those around you. Even if it’s something small, show them yoga. You never know what lasting effect it may have, maybe even decades into the future.

The old saying goes like this:

“Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.”

People are hungry. Feed them.

Don't just read about it. Get up. Experience it. Experience yoga!

Kevin Perry
www.ExperienceYoga.org

p.s., The Sanskrit word of the day from my last Daily Yoga Tip was svana. Svana means dog, as in adho mukha svanasana, downward facing dog pose.

p.p.s., Today's Sanskrit word of the day is vajra. I'll tell you what it means next time.

p.p.p.s, Don't miss the Experience Sanskrit workshop coming up in Downers Grove, IL on Saturday, April 8. You can register here. Don't delay. The price for the Downers Grove Experience Sanskrit workshop goes up to $75 on March 18.

Our Experience Sanskrit workshop in St. Charles, Missouri (March 18) is sold out. Sorry!

The Experience Sanskrit workshop is the fun and unforgettble way to learn and remember the Sanskrit names of the yoga poses you already do! It's four hours of energetic fun. And you get a 120-page course manual to keep and use when you go back home. Find out more at www.ExperienceYoga.org.

Copyright 2006.
All rights reserved, Mo Yoga LLC.
Kevin Perry
Mo Yoga LLC
905 Eastland Plaza Suite B, #106
Jefferson City, MO 65101
(573) 680-6737

Bent Arms, Weak Arms

I worked with several students this weekend, preparing to do handstands, adho mukha vrksasana (tree pose with the mouth facing down).

To get ready for adho mukha vrksasana, we practiced adho mukha svanasana, dog pose with the mouth facing down.

In both poses, the arms are along side the ears. In this arm position you can't see your arms. Go ahead and try it. Bring your arms up along your ears. Now ask yourself, "are my arms bent or straight?"

Many were surprised when I told them their arms were bent in downward facing dog pose.

If you want to be able to stay in downward-facing dog pose longer and with more ease, make sure your arms are straight. Draw your elbows towards each other and extend the arms long. You can even put a strap around your elbows so they can't bend. (Please get help from an experienced teacher for this.) You'll be amazed at how easy the pose is!

When you take the bends out of your elbows, the bone in the upper arm aligns with the bones in the lower arm. You instantly become structurally stronger. Without getting stronger muscles, you're immediately able to bear more weight for a longer time.

But this seemingly simple instruction is easier said than done.

Many of the same students were surprised when I asked them to take their hands wider apart on the mat, before they came into the pose.

You see, the wrist joint, elbow joint and shoulder joint all work together as one system. When your shoulders are stiff and your hands are too close together, it's almost impossible to straigthen your arms.

When you're elbows are bent, you're weak.

So widen your hand position. Take them apart, so your hands are slightly wider than your shoulders.

Your downward-facing dog pose will get easier, and you might surprise yourself by doing a hand stand that you previously thought you weren't strong enough to do.

Don't just read about it. Get up. Experience it. Experience yoga!

Kevin Perry
www.ExperienceYoga.org

p.s., The Sanskrit word of the day from my last Daily Yoga Tip was garuda. Garuda means eagle, as in garudasana, eagle pose.

There's the picture to the left of students doing garudasana.

p.p.s., Today's Sanskrit word of the day is svana. I'll tell you what it means next time.

p.p.p.s, Don't miss the Experience Sanskrit workshop coming up in Downers Grove, IL on Saturday, April 8. You can register here.

If you're interested, please don't delay. Our Annapolis workshop sold out. And many who wanted to come were turned away.

Our Experience Sanskrit workshop in St. Charles (March 18) is also sold out. We're telling people who really wanted to come that they can't!

So don't delay. Also, the price for the Downers Grove Experience Sanskrit workshop goes up to $75 on March 18.

The Experience Sanskrit workshop is the fun and unforgettble way to learn and remember the Sanskrit names of the yoga poses you already do! It's four hours of energetic fun. And you get a 120-page course manual to keep and use when you go back home. Find out more at www.ExperienceYoga.org.

Copyright 2006.
All rights reserved, Mo Yoga LLC.
Kevin Perry
Mo Yoga LLC
905 Eastland Plaza Suite B, #106
Jefferson City, MO 65101
(573) 680-6737

Travel Neti

Today, I pack. That's right. I'm gathering the stuff a traveling yoga teacher uses and, hoping I've forgotten nothing, zipping it into my two-wheeled travel bag for tomorrow's trip to Annapolis, Maryland.

Saturday afternoon, Sallie Keeney and I will be teaching the Experience Sanskrit workshop at Golden Heart Yoga Center. It's sold out to capacity. We're expecting a great crowd. It's exciting.

We're thrilled about meeting new students and getting reaquainted with old friends from the mid-Atlantic region.

We're so grateful to Lynn Matthews and Jenny Otto, owners at Golden Heart Yoga, who have prepared the way for us in such an excellent fashion! Wow!

But this time is also a bit frightening. For instance, I might forget to pack the clothes I wear when I teach. That's a bummer.

From time to time, I forget to pack my neti pot. No big deal, you say?

Well, you're right. It's not too big.

But for me, it's about the same as forgetting my tooth brush or shampoo, essentials I need for basic hygeine. I don't want to go out and teach a workshop, or much else for that matter, with dirty hair or teeth that haven't been brushed.

When I'm without my neti pot, I don't feel quite right.

(If you don't know the benefits of the yogic practice of jala neti, you may want to read the Daily Yoga Tips I've offered before here and here.)

If I forget my tooth brush or shampoo, I just pick up replacements at the corner convenience store. But if I forget my neti pot, well, I'm in a jam...

...until a few weeks ago. I was in Texas. I discovered that when I order an Americano at Starbucks it's so hot it comes in two paper cups.

I finished my coffee (Speaking of finishing my coffee...I gave up coffee for Lent. More on that later. Mmmmm...green tea.). I rinsed out the white plastic lid, you know, the one with the little hole through which you sip.

Then I filled the clean paper cup with warm water and a pinch of salt. I put on the clean lid, tilted my head and, voila, travel neti. Neti without a neti pot.

That little hole on the lid works perfectly.

I'd be kidding you if I told you that none of the warm water ran down the side of my cheek. It did. But with a little practice, I had an excellent neti experience and a clean, fresh upper respiratory system.

Now you can too, even if you are your neti pot are miles away from each other.

The really big benefit of making this discovery is this: packing isn't so stressful! If I forget my neti pot, everyone knows there's a Starbucks everywhere!

(A note to beginners: get real good at using a regular neti pot before you try this somewhat silly, but useful, stunt. For Shiva's sake, don't start with a Starbuck's coffee cup!)

Don't just read about it. Get up. Experience it. Experience yoga!

Kevin Perry
www.ExperienceYoga.org

p.s., The Sanskrit word of the day from my last Daily Yoga Tip was vrischika. Vrischika means scorpion, as in vrischikasana, scorpion pose. Look at my last Daily Yoga Tip for a picture of the pose.

I didn't see a scorpion in Mexico. But my student Mary did! I'll try to get her to send us the picture she took. Until then, you can look at the one I've posted here. Enjoy!

Speaking of packing, I'm glad that when I packed my bags in Mexico one of these critters didn't hop a ride home with me...at least as far as I know. It sure would be a surprise to discover him when I unpack in Annapolis!

p.p.s., Today's Sanskrit word of the day is garuda. I'll tell you what it means next time. Here's a clue. Tomorrow I'm flying on US Air from Missouri to Maryland. There's an Indonesian airline named after Garuda.

p.p.p.s, Here's a note I received from Kelli Austin today. Kelli is the Director of Sunshine Yoga at Chiro Studio in Kansas City. She hosted the Experience Sanskrit workshop at Sunshine Yoga a few weeks ago.

We did a little chanting at that workshop and you'll notice she talks about the acoustics in her yoga room. It made for a very energetically vibrant beginning to the workshop. That positive energy continued throughout the day. Here's what she had to say:

Hi Kevin! I want you to know that I continue to get rave reviews about you and Sallie's workshop. In fact, I got a call this morning from a woman who wants to come to Shantala because she said the acoustics at Sunshine Yoga were so amazing. And the first time she visited us was for your workshop. She said that when we chanted together it brought tears to her eyes. So thank you again for everything.

I also want to make sure that you and Sallie remember that Shantala will be at Sunshine Yoga on Friday, March 17th (St. Patrick's Day). We will have early registration at 6:30 pm and will be serving a light, vegan meal. I would love to see both of you again and so would many of your students. For more information about Shantala, see the website at www.sunshineyoga.us.

Have a beautiful, sunshiney day! Kelli Austin

If you don't know about the music and kirtan of Benjy and Heather Wertheimer, this is a great opportunity to find out. You won't be disappointed. And you certainly won't be disappointed by the venue!

Even though we can't be with Kelli and our friends in KC that night, we'll be in St. Louis the following day for our Experience Sanskrit workshop at Jane's House in St. Charles.

We're sticking around afterwards because Benjy and Heather are providing another evening of kirtan in Webster Groves. Please contact JennTara at jenntara@yahoo.com if you'd like to be there, too! We can't wait!

Copyright 2006.
All rights reserved, Mo Yoga LLC.
Kevin Perry
Mo Yoga LLC
905 Eastland Plaza Suite B, #106
Jefferson City, MO 65101
(573) 680-6737