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Hi Mike

Feel free to come to any regularly-scheduled class. All exercises are tailored to the individual student.

I teach Raja Yoga as outlined by Patanjali in the Yoga Sutras (a prehistoric 200-line poem, the origin & practice behind the universal Serenity Prayer).

It’s a multi-faceted discipline to control our emotions and thoughts – and thus our actions, which account for 70% of what bothers us!

In short, meditation is about mind control. It’s a dual practice in self-awareness & self-control.

There’s no wrong time or place to start practicing!

FYI – here are links to a rough translation of the first half Patanjali’s poem:

chapter one

chapter two

Blessings. Hope to see you soon, Skip

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CAN’T RESIST [aka “I’ll never learn to levitate!”]

[link to the interview with Ms. D]

For my female friends and students:

Regardless of your politics, is there one of you who – in your heart – thinks she’s lying?

Poor Ivanka. I hope she’s got close friends.

For the guys:

Sorry, but the female of our species is naturally more intuitive than we are. As if to underscore that point, here’s a little locker room humor (literally):

I used to work for an exclusive investment firm. I had access to perks that only 1% of us ever do. [FYI – they have their own problems!]

The place had a private gym with separate men’s and women’s locker rooms. One morning one of the female employees inadvertently walked in on one of the male employees buck-naked.

All day she kept saying, “I didn’t see anything!”

Just like a few minutes ago when I was listening to Ms. Daniels, all I could think was, “How embarrassing! That’s not what I’d want her to say about me!”

Daniels was honest. She genuinely smiled – just not when you’d want her to if you’re Trump!

I’d say poor Trump, but I’ll go with a classic: “She’s a bitch.”

Skip

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WHAT’S A GURU?

Milena Origgi, founder of Inborn Voice, is my guru.

What’s a guru?

A guru is a cross between a teacher, a parent and a best friend.

The student/guru relationship transcends the payee/payor service provided; it’s mutually caring and supportive.

Corny? Perhaps, but I think of Milena as an experienced gardner and I’m one of the flowers in her garden! I literally stand taller and grow more aware (open?) every day, in large part because she nurtures, and encourages me to nurture, my personal “inborn voice”: the naturally unique aspects of my self.

Milena markets herself simply as a vocal coach. I get it; it’s the bread and butter, the practical aspect, of what she does (helping people who rely on their voice to make a living – teachers, singers, corporate officers and politicians)

BUT SHE’S SO MUCH MORE!

Something she said recently particularly resonated (pun intended) with me: We ALL rely on our voice to appeal, convince, motivate – but my favorite verb was “caress”.

How often have you thought of using your voice to caress your partner?

OK – I’m slow!!

Two quick personal stories:

  1. The first time I met Milena, after listening to me vent for five minutes, she motioned me into her soundproof studio – and told me to start screaming. Short version: it was more cathartic than all the time I’d previously spent in therapy combined!
  2. Last year Milena could tell that I was hesitant about teaching my first large outdoor group yoga class (I’d been invited as part of a fundraiser) and I was making excuses. She leaned over, looked directly at me and all-but sternly said “You can’t get over there and teach for 15 minutes?!” So I did. And Milena and Damiano came! ❤

How do you find a guru? Step #1: be open to the concept!

Blessings & thanks, Skip

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PROUD NEW ENGLANDER

[that’s Buddha watching over our winter garden]

I’m proud to hail from this neck of the woods.

I grew up in Vermont; went to school & met Sue in New York; and we moved here with two kids & a dog in ‘95.

Our 01945 neighborhood (2 rows of 7 houses) received more than a foot of rather heavy late-season snow today.

I just walked Penny around the block; virtually all of us are dug out; sidewalks cleared, cars dusted off – ready to go.

Not a pretty analogy, but it’s as if a giant foot kicked sand on our anthill and within a few minutes we were out and going about our business as usual.

#RespectNature

❤😊🕉

Qi Gong and Raja Yoga class schedule

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NOTE TO MY BROTHER [the open minded one!]

Do you know where I can find out what time of day I was born?

It’s a Zen thing. Apparently, not only the day, month and year we’re born – but

the actual time of day – can be predictive of one’s true nature.

 

Sounds bananas, but it’s as if humans grow and whither seasonally like everything else on the planet. Go figure.

Apparently after thousands of years of observing nature (including us), ancient Chinese scientists figured out that – just like flowers planted and blooming in different seasons have different characteristics –

times of human conception and birth influence the output. Who knew?!

 

Friggin’ fascinating. They’ve got it down to such a precise science that the time of day we’re born has a distinct effect on:

  • our bloom potential (i.e., how we’re likely to grow and “bloom” naturally baring a catastrophe), and more importantly,

 

  • how best to maximize that potential (in short, what combination of body-mind-consciousness work is most likely to restore someone to their true, balanced self?)

 

The “charting” gives the “doctor” (in this case a Zen Master I’m fortunate enough to have access to) another piece of information to work with when prescribing a personal “restoration protocol” for the student (i.e., so I can adjust my personal practice to make the most of it holistically).

Thanks Bud – for the time of day info and listening. Love you.

Qi Gong & Raja Yoga class schedule

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NOTE TO A FELLOW TEACHER

I think it’s great to encourage men to honor both their yin and yang attributes but yoga and other Eastern mind/body disciplines train us to control our emotions rather than remaining vulnerable to them.

“Strength begets Freedom.

Freedom begets Peace.

Peace begets Tranquility.”

 

Strength over emotions is essential; they color our thoughts and precipitate our actions which account for 70% of what bothers us!!

“Watch your mind.

Guard your words.

Keep your Qi.”

 

That said, stuffing, ignoring or distracting ourselves from emotions isn’t a long term solution. The solution is a lifelong discipline of self-awareness and self-control.

“Every second. Every day.”

 

That includes daily physical and mental exercise, specifically meditation.

That’s where Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras come in!

Blessings, Skip ❤😊🕉

Raja Yoga – Qi Gong class schedule

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QIGONG STUDENTS WANTED

My grandfather used to tell me not to worry about a bad haircut. It grows back!

Ever go to a dental or hairdressing school to get fixed up at lower, student-teacher rates?

It’s USUALLY a win-win-win: you get a hair cut or a tooth pulled and the good doctor or stylist gets a little better at his/her job – benefiting the next client or patient.

Same concept – only in this case, here’s how it works:

  • You win – you’ll leave class smiling – but it’ll cost you $10.
  • I win – I’ll be smiling – priceless!
  • My next student wins – by letting me work some of the kinks out on you, I’ll earn the next guy’s $15!

I’M LOOKING FOR PEOPLE INTERESTED IN LEARNING BETTER SELF CONTROL: PHYSICAL, MENTAL and ENERGETIC!!!

 

QIGONG = ENERGY WORK

Namaste, Skip

❤😊🕉 

Meditate – you can’t do it incorrectly [just more efficiently – that’s why I’m here]!!

$15 – scheduled group “meditation prep” classes

Current class schedule

  • Skype lessons
  • seminars
  • lectures
  • private lessons

Proud sponsor of Yoga Instructors Association (MA)

#BringBackPatanjali

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HOLISTIC VISUALIZATION 000,001

[Remember to engage your senses as part of the visualization experience!]

While seated meditating, work up to a rhythmic breath cycle: inhale – pause – exhale – pause, with each of the four quarters of the cycle lasting an equal four counts.

Here’s the visual:

Imagine you’re actually standing comfortably, boyantly in thigh-deep water as part of some luxurious spa treatment – as if you were bathing a newborn – but it’s happening to you:

Inhale – as water is being drawn up your cool back;

Pause – as the water pours gently over the top of your head;

Exhale – as water washes down the warm front of your body; and

Pause – as the water drops off the bottom of your torso back into the water below.

Meditate. It’s what’s good for you!

SO ARE SPA RETREATS!

Join my teacher, Mylena Orrigi and me as we lead a wellness retreat in the pristine baths of Sirmione, Italy the first week of June!

❤😊🕉

Meditate – you can’t do it incorrectly [just more efficiently – that’s why I’m here]!!

$15 – scheduled group “meditation prep” classes

Current class schedule

  • Skype lessons
  • seminars
  • lectures
  • private lessons

Proud sponsor of Yoga Instructors Association (MA)

#BringBackPatanjali

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WHICH WAY DOES YOUR HEART LEAD?

Our heart energy leads!

We  focus our heart energy either upward or downward.

 

To varying degrees, half of us are generally drawn downward towards the relatively heavy, dense, darker aspects of our self and life.

And to varying degrees, the other half of us are generally drawn upward towards the relatively light, bright, airy aspects of our self and life.

I took down the recent FB rants about the NRA’s tax exempt status. They were weighing me down.

Namaste. For better or worse, we’re all in this together.

Love, Skip

❤😊🕉

Meditate – you can’t do it incorrectly [just more efficiently – that’s why I’m here]!!

$15 – scheduled group “meditation prep” classes

Current class schedule

  • Skype lessons
  • seminars
  • lectures
  • private lessons

Proud sponsor of Yoga Instructors Association (MA)

#BringBackPatanjali