Category Archives: Blessings/Meditations

Yoga Update & Thanksgiving Blessings Galore …

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A few reminders from Peaceful Hands Yoga …

** There will be no Monday/Wednesday classes with Jackie at Peaceful Hands Yoga Thanksgiving week. Classes resume on Monday, December 2.

** Our annual Open House/Yoga Class benefit for the Wildlife Center of Virginia is Saturday, December 7!

I hope you can join us … for class or just swing by for the Open House. I know this is a busy time for everyone, but it’s a rare treat to see one of the Wildlife Center’s animals up close. And, I’ll have plenty of treats, so invite a friend, too! The Center relies on the generosity of folks like us to make their life-saving work possible. All the details are here.

** I hope you take time to unroll your mat during this week of thankfulness. Here are some of the Thanksgiving blessings that I’ve shared in our classes over the years. Perhaps one (or two) could be a perfect fit at your table as you share love and gratitude with family and friends this week:

~ This timeless and inspiring Thanksgiving blessing from the civil rights activist W.E.B. du Bois is the one I share at the end of every Thanksgiving Yoga class: Give Us Thankful Hearts

~ Albert Schweitzer’s “Rekindling Our Light” inspiration: Rekindling Our Light

~ The Buddha explains why we should all be thankful: So, Let Us All Be Thankful

~ Instruction for the Gratitude Savasana and Energy Bridge: Thanksgiving Yoga ~ A Blessing, Part 1

~ A reminder of the “powerful energizer” that the spirit of gratitude is: Thanksgiving Yoga ~ A Blessing, Part 2

~ A poem of Gratitude from Harriett Kofalk: I Give Thanks

And … my favorite cartoon … ever.

via mutts.com

I am thankful for our moments together … if you’ve unrolled your Yoga mat with me once, twice, or countless times over many years … I am grateful for the kindness and inspiration you give me. May you have much to be grateful for this Thanksgiving.

With Bushels Of Thanks, Jackie

Yoga Update, Wildlife Center News, & Thanksgiving Blessings Galore …

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A few reminders from Peaceful Hands Yoga …

** There will be no Monday/Wednesday classes with Jackie at Peaceful Hands Yoga Thanksgiving week. Classes resume on Monday, November 26.

** Our upcoming Open House/Yoga Class benefit for the Wildlife Center of Virginia is more important than ever!

On Thursday, the Wildlife Center suffered significant damage from the severe ice storm that hit the East Coast. As of Sunday morning, they are still without power (and have no back up generator).

Some of the damage: Continue reading →

Happy Thanksgiving …

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How many pumpkins can fit in the back of a Subaru Outback?

The correct answer is: This many.

Thank you to the lovely Shanks family who have Madison Gardens on Route 29 and who donated all these pumpkins to the Wildlife Center of Virginia. The bear cubs are going to have a delicious treat on Thanksgiving! (And, yes, I counted as we loaded … there were 248 pumpkins loaded into the Subaru, if you include the ones piled up on the front passenger seat.)

Wishing you a peaceful and happy Thanksgiving. And, because some of you asked, I am sharing with you the blessings from our Yoga classes last week — along with some from previous Thanksgiving classes.

“At times our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person. Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us.”  ~ Albert Schweitzer

This is, by far, my most favorite cartoon of all time … from Mutts

this moment mutts

I have looked for other blessings of gratitude over the years, and there are beautiful ones out there, but this is the one that I always come back to. It is from W.E.B. Du Bois, the tireless civil rights leader and author.

Give us thankful hearts … in this the season of Thy Thanksgiving. May we be thankful for health and strength, for sun and rain and peace. Let us seize the day and the opportunity and strive for that greatness of spirit that measures life not by its disappointments but by its possibilities, and let us ever remember that true gratitude and appreciation shows itself neither in independence nor satisfaction, but passes the gift joyfully on in larger and better form.

And, here’s a cornucopia of other gratitude blessings from our Yoga classes over the years …

Click here for the Gratitude Savasana and Energy Bridge instruction: Thanksgiving Yoga ~ A Blessing, Part 1

Click here for another beautiful blessing that guided our meditation at the end of a previous Thanksgiving class: Thanksgiving Yoga ~ A Blessing, Part 2

Here The Buddha explains why we should be thankful: So, Let Us All Be Thankful

And, for a beautiful poem of Gratitude from Harriett Kofalk that served as the foundation of one of our Thanksgiving Day Yoga practices: I Give Thanks

I’m sharing all these with you again to inspire you (“inspire” being simply the sneaky way of saying … I’m “reminding” you) to unroll your mat sometime this week … and infuse your practice with gratitude and a smile. Even if you do just one asana this week — just one — be grateful that you can.

May you have much to be grateful for this Thanksgiving … including this moment. And, this moment. And, this one. And … 

Namasté

Thanksgiving Blessing

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“At times our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person. Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us.”  ~ Albert Schweitzer

This is, by far, my most favorite cartoon of all time … from Mutts

this moment mutts

I am thankful for this moment … and this one, too. And, I am thankful for each of you who share your Yoga with me.

I wanted to share last week’s Yoga class blessing with you. I have looked for other blessings of gratitude over the years, and there are beautiful ones out there, but this is the one that I always come back to. It is from W.E.B. Du Bois, the tireless civil rights leader and author.

Give us thankful hearts … in this the season of Thy Thanksgiving. May we be thankful for health and strength, for sun and rain and peace. Let us seize the day and the opportunity and strive for that greatness of spirit that measures life not by its disappointments but by its possibilities, and let us ever remember that true gratitude and appreciation shows itself neither in independence nor satisfaction, but passes the gift joyfully on in larger and better form.

Feeling Blessed? Here’s a cornucopia of gratitude blessings from our Yoga classes over the years …

Click here for the Gratitude Savasana and Energy Bridge instruction from 2011: Thanksgiving Yoga ~ A Blessing, Part 1

Click here for another beautiful blessing that guided our meditation at the end of that 2011 Thanksgiving class: Thanksgiving Yoga ~ A Blessing, Part 2

Here The Buddha explains why we should be thankful, from a class in 2012, click: So, Let Us All Be Thankful

In 2013, I revisted Albert Schweitzer’s wisdom in “Thanksgiving Yoga: Rekindling Our Light”, click: Rekindling Our Light

And, for a beautiful poem of Gratitude from Harriett Kofalk that served as the foundation of a Thanksgiving Day Yoga practice in 2010, click: I Give Thanks

I’m sharing all these with you again to inspire you (“inspire” being simply the stealthy way of saying … I’m “reminding” you) to unroll your mat sometime this week … and infuse your practice with gratitude and a smile. Even if you do just one asana this week — just one — be grateful that you can.

May you have much to be grateful for this Thanksgiving …

Namasté

Thanksgiving: Rekindling Our Light

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From our Thanksgiving Yoga classes this past week …

To infuse your Yoga with the spirit of gratitude during this Thanksgiving season, dedicate your practices this coming week to those who support you, inspire you, and keep your heart warm.

As Albert Schweitzer once wrote:

“At times our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person. Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us.”

We show gratitude to the family and friends who support us and embrace us, as well as those teachers who inspire us with their words and actions from afar.

And, why limit yourself to just Thanksgiving week? The next time you unroll your Yoga mat, offer up a simple dedication to someone in your world. Give them the fruits and spirit of your Yoga. Join your heart light to theirs. And, see where you go …

 

Feeling Blessed? Here’s more on gratitude from our Yoga classes over the years …

Click here for the timeless and inspiring Thanksgiving blessing from W.E.B. du Bois.  It is the blessing that I share at the end of every Yoga class at Thanksgiving: Give Us Thankful Hearts

Click here for the Gratitude Savasana and Energy Bridge instruction:Thanksgiving Yoga ~ A Blessing, Part 1

Click here for another beautiful blessing that guided our meditation at the end of one Thanksgiving Yoga class: Thanksgiving Yoga ~ A Blessing, Part 2

Here The Buddha explains why we should be thankful, click: So, Let Us All Be Thankful

And, for a beautiful poem of Gratitude from Harriett Kofalk that served as the foundation of another Thanksgiving Day Yoga practice click: I Give Thanks

I am most grateful to you … if you’ve unrolled your Yoga mat with me once, twice, or countless times over many years … I am grateful for the kindness and inspiration you give me. May you have much to be grateful for this Thanksgiving.

Namasté

Each Step Must Be A Goal

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I sometimes think that goal-making sends our awareness and attention only to the end result — the goal we seek to achieve.  And, then we miss the journey itself, the effort, the adventure, the process. And, it’s that process that is probably the most important benefit. ~ Namasté

“It is not enough to take steps which may some day lead to a goal; each step must be itself a goal & a step likewise.” ~ Goethe

 

Here Alone Is The Peace You Are Seeking

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During this week’s Yoga classes … I shared this wisdom of Selvarajan Yesudian, a Yoga Teacher and Physician (most known for bringing Yoga to Sweden in the 20th Century):

“Yoga never demands the sacrifice of our reason. It only bids us: use it a thousand times more.

Yoga does not require us to give up our active lives. It says simply: act, but know how to act.

Yoga does not by any means wish us to push our understanding aside. It only tells us: discriminate correctly and act fearlessly.

Yoga does not expect us to flee from the world and to retire into the Himalayas. It assures us: the refuge you seek, you will never find in the outside world. It is within you.

Leave the stormy world of the senses behind you, raise your consciousness to the central point of your being and realize that here alone is the force, here alone is the peace and here alone the refuge you are seeking.

Yoga teaches us: do not condemn the world. Deify the world with your deeds, purify the world with your utterances and ennoble the world by your presence.”

~ Selvarajan Yesudian, Yoga Teacher & Physician (1916-1988)

Finding Simplicity & Peace ~ Inside & Out

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I came across this peace prayer quite awhile ago.  It seems especially relevent during times when the fast pace of news and life can seem to overwhelm us and our senses. 

It’s important during these stressful times to come back to the Yogic practice of Pratyahara — drawing our senses inward for the peace, quiet, safety, and wisdom that our heart can offer.

I adapted the prayer so that it could serve as a Savasana Yoga meditation this week.  As we keep the Earth Day spirit in our hearts, perhaps this meditation can be of benefit.

A Blessing of Simplicity & Peace


We give thanks for simplicity and peace.   Let us find such places within ourselves. We give thanks for places of refuge and beauty. Let us find such places within ourselves.

We give thanks for place of nature’s truth and freedom, of joy, inspiration and renewal, places where all beings may find acceptance and belonging. Let us search for these places in our world and in ourselves.  Let us restore them. Let us strengthen and protect them.  Let us create them.

May we mend our outer world according to the truth of our inner life. And, may our hearts be shaped and nourished by nature’s eternal wisdom.

Namasté