In a few weeks I will be turning 50. Traditionally this is a time for a midlife crisis - an excuse to get a red convertible or some such thing. I have been graced in the past with getting this mid life crisis thing out of the way, many times, at a very early age. I am able to put my focus and attention towards helping others get their red convertibles or something else they need.

 

During the last 4 years or so, Laurie and I have encouraged our nieces and nephews to pick charities, and we donate money in their names. This has been a learning experience for both us and them. They have to research and tell us why they pick the certain charity: Cancer Centers, Orpanages, etc. On our end, we have learned that small amounts of money given to charities with huge administrative costs are not very effective, as these charities tend to spend way more than our original donations on postage, sending us glossy magazines, flyers, etc., every couple of months.
 
Since then, we have adopted a philosophy for a more direct way of charitable giving. We were originally inspired by Pandit Rajmani Tigunait, head of the Himalayan Institute, in a talk that he gave about investing directly to charity. Before we traveled to India/Nepal in Feb 2007 we raised money here in NH for charitable giving. During our travels we met directly with, and donated money directly to 3 organizations in India (which you can read about on our website), where we saw the work they were doing and how all the money would be put to good use, right away, right there. Little or no administrative costs.
 
We continued with this philosophy when we returned home, raising money at the Yoga studio and giving it directly to the local food pantry to purchase large quantities of food at wholesale prices. In addition, between thanksgiving and xmas we collect food and warm clothes at the studio, and in conjunction with other local businesses downtown, it gets delivered to the local homeless shelter.
 
Right now I am on a personal mission to help a wave of refugees who have just arrived here in Concord, NH (from Nepal). These folks were originally born in Bhutan but were uprooted, persecuted and then left their motherland in an effort by the Bhutanese govt. to ethnically cleanse their country of everyone of hindu/nepalese descent. The citizenship law of Bhutan stripped an estimated 100,000 individuals of ethnic Nepali origin of their citizenship rights, a factor leading to their forced expulsion from the country. Some have spent the last 17 years (I'm not kidding) in refugee camps.  During their time at the refugee camp a fire destroyed 1300 of their homes (huts) leaving thousands of families homeless. The US govt. has agreed to take up to 60,000 of these folks. I have come to know many of them these past 2 months, and they are wonderful folks. They are going to need warm clothes for our NH winters, blankets, bus fare, they need help filling out job applications, rides to interviews, etc. They already have assistance for things like food and shelter for now.

 

I thought instead of gifts for my 50^th birthday, I would hit people up for a small donation as we continue our efforts of direct charitable giving.
 
Thanks for listening. Hope all is well. Peace, david

Tomorrow marks a week for me here. Great environment. Every day there are deer right outside and you can walk pretty close to them (they must know we're all vegetarians here). There are tons of different kinds of birds and also rabbits. And a white bird, maybe a small pigeon.

 

OK, here's what I've been working on:

-The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. It's a group of 195 short sayings that were written over 2000 years ago. I have studied and read them for the last 6 years. This week I was able to delve deeper into the Sutras during this intensive program with a master teacher, Pandit Rajmani Tigunait, the spiritual director here at the ashram. I have also spent personal time here reading and writing about the sutras and how they pertain to spirituality. In September I plan to share my insights at Sharing Yoga with a presentation "Growing a Spiritual Practice" Stay tuned for details.

- Pranayama (breath control). You've all done this in our classes. I have learned many breathing techniques over the years and have shared many of them in our classes and workshops. This week, we had a Pranayama intensive for 4 days in the mornings. Here's the key: Pick a breathing technique and practice it daily. Simple. More to come.

-Maha Mrityunjaya Mantra - this is the mantra that the ashram is using in it's year long meditation. This fits perfectly with our Yoga Sutras study and growing a spiritual practice.  When I return there will be an opportunity to learn this mantra and also work with the translation and interpretation.

 

Next, I know I'm supposed to be off for the month away from work :) , but I have been working a little. Here's some news that's not on the schedule yet.  A Tuesday 9 AM class coming in September! As we grow, we continue to be blessed with wonderful yoga teachers willing to share their practice and love of yoga with us.

 

Peace, good night, see you soon, db

My stay has been great so far. Really getting into the intensive part of our 10 day program. The focus is on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. Each evening we have a presentation pertaining to the sutras. During the day we work with a bunch 60-90 minute intensives on yoga, pranayama (breathing techniques), meditation, and mantra. I have been able to maintain a commitment to 30-40 minute meditation each afternoon.  The center is in the middle of a year long, round the clock meditaion. They are using the Maha Mrityunjaya mantra for the meditation. I have learned this mantra some time ago, probably in India, but have never used it until this week. I hope to continue the mantra meditation when I return, at least until the end of the year long program ends in November. Of course when I return to Concord we will offer a mantra workshop and include this special mantra.

Overall, it's great to be able to focus completely on Yoga here, and not have to think about the details of life. Off now for relaxation before tonights program. peace, db

I arrived at the Himalayan Institute Friday, 8/15 and have settled in. The first part of my progarm - a 7 day Yoga Sutras intensive - began last night. Typical day - rise at 530, Yoga class at 6 or 630. (hardcore yogis rise at 430 and meditate for 1 hour first. Then breakfast at 8, then Yoga Sutras walking, pragarm from 10-1230, then lunch, and time off till 4. (i slept) Today we had fire ceremony at 4. At 530 meditation til 6-615, then supper. Yoga Sutras Program continues at 730-9. Tonight there is a guest special swami here to give an additional talk. then, 9-10 PM - I play guitar. That's it for now. peace, db

OK, So I decided to take the month of August off. This is a test run to see if the Yoga studio can live without me for a month, or more like if I can live without it for a month. If everything goes OK, we are planning on taking next August off and traveling to India/Nepal again.

 

For the first 10 days off I have been at home. I have not done much Yoga. I did get to work on the house a bit and play and record a lot of music. I have walked every day in the area around our house. The pictures below were taken in the last week and represent a snapshot of our surroundings. We are only 12 miles from downtown Concord. Here is what I've seen within a 10 minute walk of our home:

 

 

 

Today I head to Boston for 4 days for a "Functional Anatomy for Yoga Teachers" course. After that, I head to the Himalayan Institute in PA for a 10 day Yoga program. When i'm done there I will drive to MD and meet Laurie and my Aunt and Uncle and hope to do some sailing.

 

I'll have my camera with me, so maybe more pix from the road. See you all soon, peace, david

If you've been to Sharing Yoga this week you got to see the latest addition to the studio: an Iyengar Yoga Backbender. I have been searching for a used one of these for a year. I found one in Maryland. My uncle lives in Maryland. I google mapped my uncles address and the sellers adress - 7.5 miles apart. Talk about meant to be. I sent my uncle the $$ to purchase it. Then I called another friend in Maryland that just happened to be coming to Boston for a visit on 4th of July. I asked if he was driving up. Yes! I asked him to stop by uncles and pick up the Backbender. Yes! Talk about meant to be. I met my friend in Salem and picked up the Backbender. Here is a picture of one:


I know, it looks like a whale. We are calling it Moby (after the musician). Anyway, you lay over it in different ways, and it let's your spine lengthen, you can passively stretch you back, you can experience a gentle, supported inversion. It does a lot of other stuff too. We are just getting aquainted. Moby (Backbender) will share the studio space along with our Mr. Headstand Machine, who has been with us for years. As far as I know we are the only Yoga center around this neck of the woods with either of these Yoga specialty items. Just one more reason to visit us. Stop by and take a class and say Namaste! to Moby (backbender) and Mr. Headstand Machine.

peace, DB

Earlier this month I asked folks at Sharing Yoga in Concord, NH., if they would be willing to share their thoughts, feelings, experiences and insight about Yoga.  Thanks to all who stepped up and contributed. We shot the video right at the studio. The project was totally unscripted, so it has a "Real Feel'. Visitors to the website can now get an idea of who is doing Yoga. These folks are your friends and neighbors and co-workers, not professional actors. They are not human pretzels. They share their stories of how and when and why they started Yoga. They share the benefits they get from Yoga practice. Check it out. peace, david

Do you teach Yoga? Do you know someone that does? Please let us know. We are currently looking to add up to 5 teachers for the Fall schedule.

Here is the latest schedule. Please note the Wed. afternoon class is now at 5:30.

 

Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat	3rd Sun/month
11:30	12:30	11:30	12:30	11:30	9 AM	9AM
5:00	4:30	5:30		5:00
6:15

Please join us this Friday, June 13th, 7 PM for live music with the Down Dogs at Sharing Yoga. Bring food and drink to share. Hope to see you there. Peace.

Yes, more classes. Some of our classes are still really crowded, so I've decided to add acouple of classes to the schedule for the months of June and July. I will be teaching 2 classes on Fridays. An easy class at 11:30 AM and then an all levels class at 5 PM.  If there is enough interest we may end up doing the ashtanga Yoga primary series during the 5PM slot for the 2 months. The website will have the new schedule posted next week.

 

And, more music. Please be our guest on Friday, June 13th for live music at the studio beginning at 7 PM. Shane, Andy and I have been rehearsing some new material and are excited to play for you. All are welcome - yes bring kids. We are also playing the weekend before, Friday, June 6th, in Manchester at the Underground Music-Art-Poetry Project.

 

Hope to see you all soon. david

 

ps. visit the website for yoga in concord nh http://www.YogaConcord.com

 

 

Sharing Yoga is rocking! Please join me in welcoming yet another wonderful Yoga teacher to our growing community. Carrie Foss has just completed her Yoga Alliance 200 YTT registered Yoga Teacher Training and has agreed to begin teaching at Sharing Yoga. We are so lucky and blessed. Carrie has started teaching the Monday 615 class and will also begin subbing for me. Carrie has a great approach to her teaching and brings a huge smile with her where ever she goes. Come and take a class with Carrie! (we are always looking for great Yoga teachers - email me)

 

Our 7 week sessions have been SO successful that we are expanding, again. In addition to the Yoga 101 - Beginner Series on Tuesday nights and the Yoga for Weight Loss Series on Wednesday nights, we are adding a 7 week "EZ Yoga" series on Saturdays at 10:30-11:30. here are the details:

 

 

Speaking of more classes, I've decided to add more classes to the schedule for June and July. I will be teaching Fridays at 11:30 and 5 PM. This is for JUNE/JULY ONLY.  Remember to get on our email/text list and receive alerts to your email or cell phone when I offer extra and impromptu classes. If I have time I like to teach more and this is the easiest way to get the information out there.

 

 

Wow! The response for registration for both of our 7 week intro series has been nothing short of amazing. We are SOLD OUT again!

 

Yoga 101 - Beginners Series classes are held on Tuesday nights from 6-7 PM.  This is a great place to start Yoga if you've never tried it, or the perfect place to get back into Yoga.

 

Yoga for Weight Loss classes are held on Wednesday nights from 6:45-7:45 PM -  Learn how stress affects weight management.  Learn how an easy Yoga routine can help you manage your weight.  Great for beginners. 

 

Last session we had a great group of people.  Come see why your friends, family, neighbors, and co-workers are choosing Sharing Yoga as THE place to try Yoga.

 

 

Thanks to everyone, all 40+ of you, who made it to our (your) first anniversary party Saturday night at Sharing Yoga in Concord, NH. The theme of the party was chocolate and what a selection of chocolate we had. I think I still have a chocolate headache today. The book swap went well, people brought books and took new books home with them. The kids were treated to a clay sculpture party and we all got to hear the great, new stereo system in the studio space. We all got to eat some delicious food. Thanks to the great chefs who brought food. We had a raffle for door prizes and gave away a monthly membership, 2 tickets to WAH!, baseball cap, yoga mat, and coffee mug. Congrats to winners. See you all in class soon.

Saturday, April 12th, 6 PM. Join us for our first anniversary party at Sharing Yoga in Concord, NH.  Bring something chocolate (be creative), bring a snack to share (vegetarian, of course), and bring a book (book swap). Hope to see everyone there.

 

We will be giving away:

 

It's hard to believe that next month, April,  we will be celebrating the 1st anniversary of Sharing Yoga Community Yoga School in its current location above Foodees Pizza in downtown Concord, NH. The year has flown by. We plan to celebrate with a simple event at the studio with food and friends. Thank you all so much for being a part of the huge success. We could not have done it without your help and dedication. Classes are thriving. The Saturday class has been overflowing and when I am able I will continue to offer a second (unadvertised) class right after the first one.  Our lunchtime classes are full a lot of the time and the energy is great!  Both of our 7 week series were sold out last time around and if you've been to the unadvertised "Yoga for Abs and Core Strength" class on Thursday evenings you can see the wonderful sense of community we share.  We have more great instructors coming on board and guest teachers (like tomorrows 10:30 AM class with live acoustic music) continuing to share their love of Yoga with us. Stay tuned for the details of the 1 year celebration. peace to all. david

Just got back from a great weekend at The Himalayan Institute in Honesdale, PA.  Pandit Rajmani Tigunait, the spiritual head of the ashram, gave a program this weekend and shared his personal practice of Yoga postures, breathing techniques, insight to the Yoga sutras of Patajali, and ayurvedic cleasing and healing. Tons of great new (new to me) information. I am taking the next couple of weeks to digest, practice and continue journaling my experience of the past weekend. In all my Yoga trainings and workshops, retreats, etc. over the years, this weekend was one of 3 life-altering experiences that I have had.

 

The first one was the 7 days I spent on retreat studying with David Life in the summer of 2003 where I was introduced to chanting. I was moved (and instructed) to make chanting a huge part of my practice and that has manifested into the Down Dogs kirtan band, and a daily, personal mantra practice.  (Please see me if you are interested in mantra and chanting.) The second one was the day I met Dharma Mittra in NYC.  My experiences with him continue to be nothing short of miraculous. The third was this weekend.  Decades of Yoga knowledge and practice was summed up and shared with fellow members of the institute. It was amazing. Visit their website. Go and take a rest and program at the campus in PA. You will not be disappointed. See you in class. peace, david

We are into our 2nd week of our 7 week "Yoga for Weight Loss" series at Sharing Yoga in Concord, NH.  I have been presenting this program through Concord Hospital's Center for Health Promotion for over a year now.  I have recently added a session of this program at Sharing Yoga Community Yoga School.  The course is very popular. It is full. We are taking names for a waiting list for next session which is to begin late April.

 

If you have tried different ways to manage your weight and are not having much luck, why not try Yoga. My personal experience with Yoga has allowed me to shed 30 lbs. of excess weight. Granted this took place slowly, and safely, over the course of 5 years. But think about it. If someone told you that 5 years from now you could weigh 30 lbs. less than you do now, would you be willing to give it a try? Look back at where you were 5 years ago. Have you made progress? This is no "magic bullet".  We are not proposing dropping tons of weight in the next couple of months. What we are offering are the tools you need to begin a positive, long term change.  The focus of our program is three fold: stress reduction,  strengthening the mind body connection, and a sequence Yoga postures that promote weight loss. 

Why not give it a try. Visit  YogaConcord.com  for more information