Blessings in unexpected places

Good quote today from Abraham (receive the daily e-mail here). Reminded me of where I'd been that seemed so in despair and horrible at the time and now it's led me to the open house party of Yoga Patch. Without being in the car accident, I probably wouldn't have discovered yoga and fallen in love with it so deeply, now sharing it as an instructor in a brand new studio right by my house.

During a Unity sermon I sat in a few years ago, the reverand once said "horrible" events in our lives are either to bless us in some way later or for us to be a blessing. Maybe both happened in this situation.

If you're in Kansas City, hope you can join us for one of the events this weekend.

"There will be a time, not so far from now, that you will look back on this phase of your life and instead of condemning it or beating up on it... Instead of blaming or guilting, you will feel appreciation for it, because you will understand that a renewed desire for life was born out of this time period that will bring you to physical heights that you could not have achieved without the contrast that gave birth to this desire."
--- Abraham

Book Giveaway - Enlightenment for Idiots

Comment about your favorite yoga book and have a chance to win a copy of Enlightenment for Idiots.

After you make your comment with your first name included, send me an e-mail to Rama.Mama@live.com. There will be a drawing of all commenters, and I will e-mail you if you win to ask for your postal address. I'll do the drawing in two weeks, Aug. 7 and will announce the winner afterwards.

A few months after having Brijin, I finally read a fiction book again. For those of you who have small children, you understand how difficult it is to fit a small pleasure like reading a novel into your life.

To multitask, I read Enlightenment for Idiots; not only was it about yoga but was silly and entertaining like a beach novel. A perfect combo for this yoga teacher / gossip magazine addict (I actually don't have any subscriptions anymore, but my friends keep giving me their old copies of USWeekly and People. What's a girl to do? It's recycling.).

The author, Anne Cushman of Enlightenment, contacted me via this blog and said she'd give me a copy of her book to give away to one of you. So tell me about your favorite yoga book, fiction or nonfiction, now.

I'm also giving the copy of the book Cushman gave directly to me away at the grand opening of Yoga Patch at 7108 Wornall Rd., Kansas City, Mo., next Friday, July 31. Read more about Yoga Patch, the new studio I'll be teaching at beginning August 10 (see the schedule).

Yoga or running... you know my choice

Cute newspaper column comparing running and yoga. Totally from my perspective, as someone who prefers the ease and relaxation of yoga to the anxiety and tension running long distance gives me (Sorry Dad, who has long coached cross country, but you know I can't run longer than a 400.).

Figure if you're going to exercise - and yes, yoga is much more than "just" exercise - might as well do what you enjoy, right?