Monday, October 24, 2011

Yoga Retreat in Mexico!


Hello readers, last July I participated in a retreat hosted by Leigh Evans and Summer Quashi; it was awesome.  Seriously, I do not use that word lightly to describe events.  Defined, the word: 

awe·some/ˈôsəm/

1. Extremely impressive or daunting; inspiring great admiration, apprehension, or fear.
2. Extremely good; excellent

I would love to attend the retreat in Mexico.  If Leigh is hosting, it will be prepared with the minutest attention to details to physical and spiritual aspirations and will be lead by caring minds and hands who will inspire everyone else to be the same.

Yoga Retreat in Mexico
8th Annual Retreat in Yelapa
with Leigh Evans
Jan. 28-Feb 4, 2012



Written in the respected Yoga Journal website:

"Start each day with pranayama and meditation on the beach, followed by a vigorous asana practice in the yoga studio.
Bliss out in the afternoon with restorative yoga, thai massage and chanting!
Nestled a few miles south of Puerto Vallarta, on the West Coast, between densley jungled mountains and the sea, the 1,500 person village of Yelapa is accessible only by panga, the local water taxi! Life here moves to a slower, earthier rhythm, not to the turbo- charged hum of the 21st century."


Hotel Lagunita
www.hotellagunita.com
Palapas (with private bath)
Double Occupancy
Buddy special-$1,100/person
Sign up with a friend by 11/15


$1,200/person by 12/1
$1,295/person after
Single Occupancy
$1,375 by 12/1
$1,475 after
Price includes accomodations,
meals, and 2 yoga classes/day
For information contact
dainalexandra@yahoo.com

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Greenhouse Holistic: Graduating The School of Pain

Greenhouse Holistic: Graduating The School of Pain: "The knowledge that you have emerged wiser and stronger from setbacks means that you are, ever after, secure in your ability to survive. Yo...

Graduating The School of Pain

"The knowledge that you have emerged wiser and stronger from setbacks means that you are, ever after, secure in your ability to survive.  You will never truly know yourself, or the strength of your relationships, until both have been tested by adversity. Such knowledge is a true gift...It is painfully won, and it has been worth more to me than any qualifications I ever earned."

-- J.K. Rowling's 2008 Harvard commencement address --

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Greenhouse Holistic: Honoring September Eleven

Greenhouse Holistic: Honoring September Eleven: I was with the Yoga Teacher Training classmates on September 11; a room full of people who are committed to a better way of ...

Honoring September Eleven

I was with my Yoga Teacher Training classmates on September 11.  Summer Quashie, our guru, reminded us to honor that horrific day for all the sufferings and also the possibilities of positive changes that followed.  Imagine that all people around the world had an “experience” watching the towers collapsed (even more if they had no reaction at all).  The impact one felt in Germany could be greater than one felt several blocks away and many were inspired to make a difference. The experience made me think of the present, where I was, how I felt being there and if I wanted to be there in the future.

When the second plane crashed into the towers I had not slept but a few hours in the last 48. My first thoughts were hoping that all the fashion shows and party that we had to produce that day would all be cancelled.  All I wanted to do was sleep.  I am not proud of that reaction, even if it lasted only seconds, but it was a catalyst that will affect a lifetime.  Many of us ran home to be with families the rest of us sat in front of the TV, bleary eyed, opened mouth and speechless.  We watched and watched and watched.

After that day, a few of my friends stopped working or changed their jobs and even career.  They knew what I discovered recently.  "They were not happy with who they had become."  For me, it took many more crisis before I had the courage to confront my doppelganger.  The first of many battles that I had to fight included leaving everything I had in New York.  After selling all my belongings (it was very difficult to part with Manolo and Gucci, even if they were just shoes). I flew to Paris with two suitcases.  Thank God, my best friend met me at Charles De Gaulle Airport.  Except for Hong Kong and Indonesia, France was the only country I "knew."  New York was and is my home and I was very sad to leave but I did.  I told myself that I would come back when the old, real me returned.

I returned to New York in 2005, after only 13 months in Paris.  I threw myself back at work and at the same tried to hold on to the person I had recovered after many months alone, searching and writing.  It was difficult working in an industry where my integrity was constantly tested.  I started to see the contradictions in my work and personal beliefs.  More than a few times, I compromised my values to accomplish a project.  The means justified the end was my mantra!  I was collapsing, loosing my grounding and the fall was harder and higher than I had ever experienced.