Sacred Story Circle

with Elaine Blanchard

2 Sunday sessions: February 5th & 12th

10:45am - 12:15pm

$24 if you register for both sessions; $15 per session if you pay per session.

Facilitator: Elaine Blanchard

Stories are our most valuable legacy. Our stories reveal how much we have already received and how much we have to give. Stories awaken our curiosity, heal our hurts and connect us as community members.

Elaine Blanchard facilitates Sacred Story Circles, allowing people the opportunity to discover and develop personal stories in the context of a respectful and compassionate small group.

The topic for these events is “Valentines: a Beating Heart Story.”

Circles are limited to eight participants. To register, email .

To learn more about Elaine Blanchard's storytelling work, click here.

Yoga Workshop with Manouso Manos

February 17-19

Come study with one of Iyengar Yoga's most influential and gifted teachers.

Manouso's teaching is bold, intelligent and purposeful, and awakens your connection to the body and interest in the practice of yoga.

He is a dynamic teacher, with great depth of understanding of the subject of yoga, and challenges you to your potential in every pose.

Manouso has been a student of BKS Iyengar since 1976 and recently accompanied Mr. Iyengar on his travels and teachings in China. Manouso is an experienced master of the Iyengar method of yoga.

This is an all levels workshop.

Class schedule
Fri.   Feb. 17     6-8:30 pm
Sat. Feb. 18     9:30- noon & 2:30-5:00
Sun. Feb.19      9:30-noon

Cost: $225 for the workshop if you register by Jan. 19

After Jan. 20, the cost will be $250.

You can sign up for individual sessions at $65 per session.

To register, email or call her at 901-767-6093.

To read more about Manouso Manos, click here.

Read interview with Manouso Manos.

Starting Yoga from Scratch: For Beginners*

Next class: Saturday, February 25. 4 - 5:30pm

$15.

*For beginners, including those who have never tried yoga

Come see what all the hoopla over yoga is about. Is it stretching? Is it relaxation? Will it tone my muscles and improve my game? Find out how
your tight muscles actually help you practice yoga.

Bring your body just as it is, dressed comfortably for movement. We will look at basic active yoga poses and end the class with relaxation.

No matter where you are starting from, you will be surprised how good yoga can make you feel.

Cost: $15. To register, email or call 901-726-1115.

Light on Yoga Discussion Group

Next meeting: TBA

Your yoga practice can bring insight and a sense of well-being that extends off the mat and into your life.

Light on Yoga by BKS Iyengar is the definitive guide to the philosophy and practice of Yoga by its greatest living teacher. This book should be a part of every yogis library. You will return to it again and again for inspiration and guidance in your practice.

This group will meet on select Saturdays through-out 2011 & 2012. We will read the Introduction together & discuss the question "What is Yoga?"

I will provide guidance as to how you can use the book to customize your practice for your needs.

All welcome.

If you missed the previous sessions, you can still join us!

Healing Meditation 1

with Daniel LaMontagne

Next 8-week course starts January 24th

Healing Meditation Level 1 is about learning to explore the many aspects of meditation that create openings for healing - intuition - energies and movement.

In these classes I will incorporate the work of Jon Kabat-Zinn on stress reduction as well as may other teachers including Eckhart Tolle's A New Earth: Awakening to your Life’s Purpose, and Jack Kornfield's A Path with Heart.

Daniel has over 20 years experience teaching meditation classes. He has studied many different meditation disciplines over the last thirty years, including Transcendental Meditation, Vipassana, Zen, Sum Faht and Guided Visual Meditation. There will be handouts given at each class with information on the subject as well as things to reflect on. We also have fun.

Class meets Tuesdays: 4 - 5:30pm for 8 weeks

Cost: $145. To register, email , or call him at 901 685-2462.

	Reasons to Meditate
1.	Improves overall health by strengthening the immune system
2.	Reduces anxiety & stress
3.	Increases alpha rhythms
4.	Decreases breathe rate
5.	Lowers blood pressure (even when you are not meditating)
6.	Lowers cholesterol levels
7.	Enhances psychological & emotional health
8.	Lowers the amount of cortical and lactic acid in the body
9.	Helps concentration
10.	Helps promote consciousness of the individual & unfold your mental/physical potential

Group Conscious Connected Breathwork

with Daniel Lamontagne

Next workshop: TBA

Conscious Connected Breathwork is a simple, gentle yet powerful conscious breathing technique.

It brings into awareness not only our unconsciously held beliefs and emotions, but also the relationships we have with our bodies, ourselves, our intimates and our world.

When we consciously breathe with this awareness, we make it possible to resolve, integrate and heal previously unresolved issues within ourselves. This frees up energy, bringing greater aliveness and joy. It can allow us to move towards fulfillment of our potential as human beings.

It is a powerful healing method which offers you an experience of freedom and mastery in your life.

Conscious Connected Breathwork brings expanded awareness on all levels: physical, emotional, psychological and spiritual.

The breath is a sublime healer. It is the umbilical cord to the Divine. By using a variety of smoothly connected breaths; energy which may be called prana, chi, ki, or the life force is taken into the body where it dissolves and brings up anything that is unlike itself. When this takes place, blockages that have been holding us back at the psychological, spiritual, or cellular source surface and a deep inner transformation occurs.

Daniel is a trained certified conscious connected Breathwork instructor.

Cost: $25

You need to register to come to this event. Space is limited.

To register, email or call him at 901-685-2462.
Persons attending need to bring a blanket and pillow.

Please note: If you suffer from a serious ailment such as a heart condition it would be advised to check with you doctor before coming.
I hope to see you there.
Blessings,
Daniel

Mindful Communication Workshop

with Jean Handley

Next Workshop: Date & Time TBA

Come join us as we develop a consciousness and practice practical skills that promote clear communication, deep understand, and vital compassion with oneself and between people. It provides effective strategies for meeting needs, and progress towards reaching personal or group goals and promotes a mindfulness that decreases the likelihood of conflict, defensiveness, depression and anger. It is more than a communication technique for at the heart of MC is the experience of empathic connection between people.

Enhanced speaking and listening to one another in a way that improves clarity and mutual understanding
Increased ability to understand feelings, needs and requests that are not always clearly expressed within one’s self and with others.
More fully developed ability to translate criticism, judgment, blame and other hard-to-hear messages into feelings and needs.
Deepened empathic attitude and mutual respect.
Improved ability to transform anger-one’s own and others-safely and respectfully.
Reduced resistance and defensiveness with more overall cooperation.

Call Jean Handley to register at 722-8619 or email

$60 for individuals or $100 for couples participating in the workshop together.

Jean Handley and her work with Mindful Communication was featured in the Memphis daily newspaper, The Commercial Appeal. Click on photo for article.