Our Manifestation Workshop this past Saturday was an illuminating and uplifting experience for all who attended. Marydale led an in-depth discussion of the book Ask and It Is Given by Esther and Jerry Hicks (The Teachings of Abraham), going over the processes presented in the book for releasing resistance and lining up with the things we want to manifest in our lives. These things are not just “things”, like money, cars, or jewels, but fulfilling work, loving relationships, healthy bodies, and inner peace.

Everyone participated enthusiastically with questions, examples, and personal stories of synchronous events and miraculous manifestations in their own lives. The questions asked by participants were thoughtful and sometimes difficult, but Marydale answered them all in her inimitable way, leading to profound discussions and insights. Through practicing the various processes, areas of resistance were uncovered and participants began to get a clearer picture of what it is they really want to create in their lives.

The scope of the information was such that we were only able to cover half of the processes in the book, so, by unanimous request, we will be conducting a follow-up workshop on Sunday, February 12th from 10:00 am – 5:00 pm. If you missed our first Manifestation Workshop, you won’t want to miss Part 2. You can register online or at the studio, but don’t wait – the workshop is already filling up.

Thank you to all of our Manifestation Workshop participants for an amazing workshop. See you in February!

At our Holiday Potluck last night, we were struck anew by how truly blessed we are here at Param Yoga. Our wonderful students and friends arrived in droves bearing gifts of food that overflowed our tables. There was conversation and laughter as we celebrated the holidays together, including the lighting of the menorah and the singing of the Hebrew blessing by Stephanie Landau. As a special bonus this year, we were treated to a musical performance by the amazing Roxie Sakura and her talented band. Roxie is a gifted singer/songwriter and a valued member of the Param Yoga community. Her performance of the chant Om Namo Bhagavate, which she first heard in yoga class, drew a deep sigh and hearty applause from the audience. Marydale got up to speak afterwards and shared her 10 steps for anchoring your life in happiness. Many of you requested a copy of this list, which we will post on our blog soon.

This year was an incredible first year at Param Yoga, and it is all due to our friends and students who have attended classes and workshops, participated in Reiki Share, and joined us for Yoga Day and other special events. You are the bricks that hold us together and the foundation of everything we do at the studio. We look forward to continuing our journey together in 2012 and beyond…

Thank you and Happy New Year!

Thank you to everyone who contributed their time, talents, and enthusiasm to our float and booth in the Chatsworth Holiday Parade & Festival. The theme of the parade this year was The Polar Express. In the spirit of the movie’s message, we titled out float “BELIEVE”. The float consisted of a white pickup truck, lent and driven by Scott Thompson, pulling a flatbed trailer donated by Al and Cecilia Flaata. Our crew of volunteers decorated the float in the Arctic colors of white, ice blue, royal blue, and silver, and covered it with pillowy cotton “snow” and glittering snowflakes. Marydale made incredible garlands of evergreen boughs with blue, white, and silver flowers, berries, and snowflakes, which framed the large Param Yoga signs attached to the front, side, and back of the float. Shimmering ribbons accented everything and trailed in the breeze. Griffin Thompson sat atop the truck representing the boy in The Polar Express, ringing his bell to let everyone know that he believes. Friends and students of Param Yoga sat on hay bales in the trailer to ring their bells, wave to the crowd, and proudly represent the studio. Leading us in the parade were two magnificent horses on loan from Kelly Holland of Rancho Providencia. These beautiful animals were dressed to match our float and, in keeping with the magical theme of the parade, sported unicorn horns. Many people commented on the originality and beauty our float, and we are so appreciative of all those who made it possible. This holiday, remember to believe in yourself and to celebrate the magic of the season. Happy Holidays!

For more pictures of the Parade and Festival, visit our Facebook page.

Our first Yoga & Meditation class last night was magical. As we sat on our mats in a circle with candlelight flickering and soft music playing, our attention was brought fully into the now, focusing our awareness on the fullness and beauty of the present moment. This quiet and calm atmosphere was the perfect complement to our gentle and flowing yoga practice, preparing our bodies to sit in meditation at various times throughout class. In the weeks ahead, we will practice more techniques for stress relief through Yoga and Meditation, so please join us for this unique and calming class.

For more information, click here.

One of Marydale’s friends recently returned from a trip to India and brought us these beautiful bags to sell in the studio. There are three styles: a zippered pouch (8 ½“ x 6 ½”), a zippered purse with an adjustable strap (9 ½” x 10 ½”), and a large tote bag (17” x 18”). All of the bags are multi-purpose. The pouch can be used as a clutch or pencil bag, the purse makes a handbag or shoulder bag, and the tote can be used as a shopping or grocery bag. The bags are made of a water-resistant material that looks and feels like oilcloth, and the pouch and purse are fully lined in silk. They all come in a variety of bright colors and Indian motifs. Each bag is $20 plus tax. There are only a few of these beautiful and unique bags left, so snap one up the next time you’re at the studio before they’re all gone.

Students and friends of Param Yoga met at the studio this past Friday night to celebrate the once-in-a-lifetime date of 11/11/11 with a drumming circle and meditation. This was our second drumming circle at the studio and was, if possible, more enthusiastic and energetic than the first. There is a special significance in numerology to the number 11, and this confluence of three 11s comes around only once in every century, so we are incredibly fortunate to have had the opportunity to experience it.

In astrology and numerology, 11 is considered to be a Master Number. It represents duality and should not be reduced to a single digit. It is believed that the number 11 possesses the qualities of balance, equality, and justice, along with the doubled attributes of the number 1, including higher ideals, invention, refinement, congruency, fulfillment, and vision. Whether there is any truth to this, many people feel a particular resonance to the number 11, especially when it occurs in multiples.

Any reason is a good excuse to join together in community to celebrate our many blessings, so 11/11/11 was a natural call to gather in love and gratitude. Led by the amazing Ivor Weiner, we drummed, shook tambourines, and rattled maracas until the air thrummed with positive vibrations. We flowed this resonance into a guided meditation honoring the moment, all that had come before, and all that lay ahead. It was a beautiful evening and we thank everyone who participated and shared their loving energy with us.

In use daily at the studio, this double-wall glass bottle with diffuser has become indispensable. The bottle is made of borosilicate glass, making it resistant to “thermal shock”, or cracking due to rapid temperature changes. This means that it can safely be used for both ice cold water and piping hot tea. The double wall insures that cold drinks won’t “sweat” and hot drinks won’t burn your hands. It also creates the beautiful illusion that the liquid is suspended in midair.

The bottle we sell at the studio has our logo on the front, our motto and website address on the back, and our ginko leaf on the lid, but they do not obscure the view of the liquid inside. Drop in a blooming tea ball and watch it magically unfurl in the hot water. I like to do this in the morning and continue to re-steep it, so that I can enjoy the beauty of the flower throughout the day.

You can use loose tea in two ways:

1. Put the tea in the diffuser and pour hot water over it into the bottle, then remove the diffuser before drinking, or
2. Remove the diffuser, put the tea in the bottle, fill the bottle with hot water, then replace the diffuser to use as a filter when you drink from the bottle. This is the preferred option if you like to re-steep your tea.

The bottle holds a generous 16 oz. and is dishwasher safe (the lid must be hand-washed). With a little care, you can enjoy this beautiful and functional bottle for years. Pick one up for yourself at the studio…and get one for a friend. It makes a perfect gift for the holidays.

We have no idea why this bar is called Yoga Bar, but it was the name that first caught our attention and we’re so glad it did. Yoga Bars are raw, organic, fair trade, vegan…and delicious! They are made with only five ingredients: Organic Raw Dates, Organic Raw Cashews, Organic Raw Cacao Butter, Organic Raw Pistachios, and Organic Raw Honey.

Yoga Bar was chosen as the Best Raw Food Bar by NaturalNews.com with good reason. The cocoa butter makes these bars taste like white chocolate and they simply melt in your mouth. It’s a small snack that is surprisingly satisfying. Yoga Bars are the perfect bite before or after yoga, since they feed your hunger (and your sweet tooth) without filling you up or weighing you down.

We also offer Indigo Nights, which is a raw, organic, vegan fudge bar by the same company that makes Yoga Bar. The next time you’re in the studio, pick one up (or two, or three…) and taste how delicious “healthy” can be.

I returned to the studio this week after a transformative experience at Rancho La Puerta. I want to share everything about my week in Mexico, but there’s too much to tell all at once, so today I will focus on the Labyrinth. Rather than try to explain it myself, I will provide this description from the Rancho:

You are about to discover a long-dormant mystical tradition that insists on being reborn in modern society. Welcome…

Evolved from the spiral forms of nature, labyrinths have been known to the human race for over four thousand years. The Cretan labyrinth, Hopi medicine wheel, Jewish Kabbala (Tree of Life) and Tibetan sand paintings… all share the labyrinth motif and theme of transformation… either through meditation or a participant’s actual walk along the path.

Not a maze—which confuses the participant with game-like devices such as cul-de-sacs, false leads, high walls, and other elements of challenge—the labyrinth seeks to quiet our mind and lead us to peace and inner knowing.

Rancho La Puerta’s labyrinth is an archetypal and non-denominational mind/body/spirit experience, and is a replica of the famous floor labyrinth laid in Chartres Cathedral sometime between 1194 and 1220.

The path is a classical eleven-circuit design, a metaphor for our journey through life. One path takes you to the center and back out again, leading you through many turns. The six-petaled center is known as the rosette. In some traditions, each petal of the central rosette symbolizes one of the six stages of planetary evolution. Standing in the center, the first to the left is mineral, the second (moving clockwise) is vegetable, then animal, human, angelic and divine. Ten labyrs—the hourglass—are symbols of women’s creativity and power. Each two-thirds circle along the outer edge is a lunation that tracks moon cycles and may have been a way of determining religious feasts in the Middle Ages. Your guide to the experience will further explain may of these fascinating references.

May you find all you seek on your journey.

Before you begin to walk our labyrinth… pause and take a deep breath.

Allow yourself to focus and slow down. Find your own pace. You may pass people or allow them to walk around you. The path is two-way. If you are going in and another person is going out, you will meet on the path. Do what feels natural.

As you walk, you may either choose to let all thought go and open yourself to the experience, or you may consider a question as you walk.

The walk into the labyrinth is a time of releasing and letting go of the details of your life. The center is a place of meditation and receiving what is there for you to receive.

As you leave the center and retrace the path that brought you in, focus on integrating the insights you have received.

Each experience in the labyrinth is different.

The best way to learn about the labyrinth is to walk it a few times with an open heart and open mind.

Adapted from “Walking a Sacred Path” by Dr. Lauren Artress

You don’t need a labyrinth to create this experience for yourself. Simply walking in a spiral pattern or along a well-known path can allow you to free your mind of worries and chatter. Questions may be answered and insights gained. At the very least, you will leave the experience with a feeling of peace. Try it for yourself.