Date: Saturday September 25th,2010
Time:6pm-8pm
Price: Early Bird Pricing: $45 before Sept. 10th
Thereafter $55 (Wine is included in the price)
Where: Joy Yoga Center 713-868-9642

With music ranging from The Who to Erykah Badu setting the tone, he will lead you through a 2 hour flowing vinyasa yoga class focused on aging gracefully. After class, we will enjoy Sicilian wines from the Feudo Arancio vineyards. We can all learn a thing or two about how to model the aging process after one of the few things that ages well: a bottle of wine. As John Barrymore said, "You don't age until your regrets outnumber your dreams."

Date: Sunday September 26th, 2010
Time:11am-1pm
Price: Early Bird Pricing: $45 before Sept. 10th
Thereafter $55 (Chocolate is included in the price)
Where: Joy Yoga Center 713-868-9642

After a two hour flowing vinyasa yoga class set to great music (from Sinatra to the Grateful Dead), He’ll lead you through a tasting of exotic Vosges chocolate truffles. The chocolate is a metaphor: Everything is sweeter in the moment.

David Romanelli discovered yoga after graduating college, and soon thereafter opened his own chain of studios ( AtOneYoga.com) with his thoroughly “Yeah Dave” attitude, melding main stream grooves (like the grateful dead) with the ancient practice to help open doors to new students. David then joined forces with 2007 Entrepreneur Magazine’s Woman of the year Katrina Markoff to create the Yoga + Chocolate Experience which has been featured in Oprah Magazine, Newsweek, and the New York Times. In addition to Yoga + Chocolate, David has co-created Yoga + Wine and Yoga + Country Music for his ever popular nationwide Livin’ the Moment tour. David visited 25 cities in 2009 to launch hid debut book, Yeah Dave’s Guide to Livin’ the Moment: Getting to Ecstasy through Wine, Chocolate and Your IPod Playlist (Random House) which in June was the #1 ranked book on the Amazon.com Self -Help Best Seller List. He brings his unique spirituality with a rock’ n roll sensibility to his teachings, and proves in all he does that the core of “enlightenment” is “lighten” (as in up). Visit www.yeahdave.com for more information about Dave.

SIGN UP NOW ONLINE ON OUR WEBSITE CLICK ON WORKSHOPS!

Hello, my yoga buddies! For the past 6 weeks or so, you may have noticed that I've been hanging out at the studio a lot more. That's because I've been assisting my mommy with her Advanced Yoga Studies program. It's been an intense but very rewarding program, and after all the coaching I've been giving the Angels-in-Training, this little Chihuahua is a little pooped!

As you know, I've been up at the studio throughout Advanced Yoga Studies in order to show our lovely Angels-in-Training the ropes and demonstrate the proper form for the poses. At first their form was way off, and it took lots of patience and encouragement to remind them of the proper alignment. You should have seen the way they used to do their Downward Dog - good thing they had the Yoga-Dog there to show them how it's done! Even though at times it was challenging, I found it incredibly rewarding to guide the them and share some of the wisdom I've gained in my years as the yoga-dog.

During the course of helping my mommy with this program, I discovered how much fun it is just to give of myself - to share my knowledge, my wisdom, and a few tricks I've picked up along the way - without expecting anything in return. I found that when I did expect a certain response, I ended up feeling frustrated because the response was never exactly as I wanted it. But when I let go of that, and got back to just having fun leading and sharing with them, I stumbled onto this strange paradox: when you give, you are truly the one who ends up receiving. The feeling I get from unconditionally giving my encouragement and support is so amazing that it ends up being its own reward.

So this week, don't be stingy about sharing. Give encouragement, support, and love without expecting anything in return. And when you do, you'll find that it's your life that is enriched!

Namaste,
Tiki

It's Tiki here, and if I seem a little older and more mature the next time you see me, it's because this coming Tuesday, I'm celebrating my 8th birthday! Marking the passage of another year got me thinking about how much I've learned in my eight years.

You see, when I was but a young pup, I used to push and push myself until I almost collapsed. Whether I was taking a walk, guarding the studio, or just playing with my doggie friends, I approached everything with the attitude of wanting to dominate it. Over the years, as I gained a little wisdom, I began to realize that this approach was stressful and was wearing me out. Little by little, I started approaching life from a new perspective, the perspective of listening to my body and not pushing too hard when my body told me to back off.

Now sometimes it's hard for me to hear these messages from my body because I'm always on the run and my mind seems to always be racing. That's when it's important to take a minute to relax and breathe deeply so that my mind can quiet down and I can listen to what my body is telling me. I realize that even though I ran a certain distance or jumped a certain height last week or last year doesn't necessarily mean that distance or that height is right for my body today. And you know what, with each passing year, I realize more and more that I'm completely happy and grateful to be exactly where I am.

This is how we want to approach our yoga practice, as well. Sometimes maybe we feel the need to muscle our way through poses or fight to dominate the pose, but the more we practice, the more we increase awareness and wisdom about our bodies. Through the yoga practice, we gain a wisdom and sensitivity that makes us realize that sometimes the most benefit can be obtained just by relaxing and breathing, instead of pushing. Just as I learned that I may jump different heights on different days, we learn that our yoga practice will vary from day to day, or year to year. And we realize that wherever we are in our practice is right where we need to be. This awareness gives us a peace that truly allows us to let go and be happy in our own skin, both in our yoga practice and in our lives.

So this week take a little time to breathe, quiet your mind, and listen to your body. Take a little time to appreciate every experience in your life because those experiences have helped you gain the wisdom you have today. And take a little time to celebrate life's wonderful journey, with its birthdays, its yoga poses, and its surprising new experiences around every corner!

Namaste,
Tiki

Hi yoga friends! I've had both an exhilarating and exhausting week hanging out at the studio and inspecting the progress the Angels-in-Training are making with their Advanced Yoga Studies program (and by the way, they are doing great! They even assisted with their first class Saturday morning!). Even with all this craziness, of course, I managed to learn a lesson or two.

For the past few weeks, Advanced Yoga Studies has been in full swing. Now even though I've been through a few of these programs before and really love encouraging the Angels-in-Training and helping them out by demonstrating how a Downward Dog is really done, there is one aspect of the rigorous program of which I'm not very fond: how much of my mommy's time and attention it requires. I knew going in to the program that my mommy's attention would need to be focused on the new Angels-in-Training and not where I like it - solely on me! As you know, I'm used to being top dog around the studio, and I was pretty nervous that I wouldn't be getting the love and attention that I require. How silly of me was that! Of course there was plenty of love to go around. It all made perfect sense to me when I thought about how much I love all you students. Just because there are lots of you in class doesn't mean I love any of you any less. I realized that it's just the same for me: my mommy and, in fact, all you guys have more than enough room in your hearts to love me, regardless of the distractions of Advanced Yoga Studies or anything else.

Feeling all this love taught me that there's not a finite amount of love in the Universe; it's limitless. And the more my doggie brain pondered this fact, the more I realized that there's not a finite amount of anything else we want, either. There is limitless health, happiness, and prosperity for each of us. We just need to stop stressing out about it and allow it into our lives. Believe me, I experienced this firsthand this week - when I stopped worrying if there was enough love for me, I relaxed and could enjoy all those great belly-scratches! So this week, remember how abundant life is and take a breath or two to appreciate all that abundance - whether it's your health, your family, your career, or your favorite yoga dog!

Namaste,
Tiki

Dear reader,

I am pleased to offer you a variety of heart pumping and heartfelt yoga and spa packages to resurrect your spirit, nourish your soul, and restore flexibility to your mind and body. Your days will be filled with morning and evening classic- and restorative yoga classes, breathing practices and meditation which suit beginner, intermediate and advanced students.
Treat yourself with a beautiful, fun and healthy day or weekend retreat in the greater Houston area. La Torretta Del Lago Resort & Spa and Omni Hotel Houston & Mokara Spa are welcoming you in the heart of beauty and tranquility....The Day and a Weekend You have been waiting for!

Warm Regards,
Katalin “Kat” Axmann

“The Day Retreat” with Katalin Axmann September 25th, 2010 Saturday @ La Torretta Del Lago Resort & Spa Montgomery,TX (60 min. from Houston)

Yoga & Wellness

3 hour invigorating yoga workshop
3 hour breathing and meditation workshop
Light breakfast and delicious lunch
Receive a 20% discount on all spa services

Price: $ 110/person; includes light breakfast, lunch, six hours of yoga instruction, taxes and gratuity.

For more info: http://www.latorrettalakeresort.com/

----------------------------------------------------------------------

“The Weekend Retreat” with Katalin Axmann October 22nd- 24th, 2010 Friday to Sunday @ La Torretta del Lago Resort and
Spa Montgomery,TX (60 min. from Houston)

Yoga & Wellness

2 three-hour invigorating yoga workshop
2 two-hour restorative yoga sessions
Two hour breathing practice
Two hour meditation practice
All delicious meals
Receive 20% discount on all spa services

Price: Single occupancy: $700
Double occupancy: $550; Includes 14 hour of yoga, breathing and meditation instruction. Accommodation for Friday and Saturday night, access to Aqua Park, all meals, gratuity and tax.

For more info: http://www.latorrettalakeresort.com/

----------------------------------------------------------------------

“The Day Retreat” with Katalin Axmann December 5th, 2010 Sunday @ Omni Hotel Riverway-Mokara Spa

Yoga & Wellness

3 hour invigorating yoga workshop
3 hour breathing and meditation workshop
Light breakfast and delicious lunch
Receive a 20% discount on all spa services

Price: $ 110/person; includes light breakfast, lunch, six hours of yoga instruction, taxes and gratuity.

For more information: http://www.omnihotels.com/FindAHotel

----------------------------------------------------------------------

*IF YOU ARE INTERESTED AND WANT TO REGISTER FOR ANY OF THESE RETREATS PLEASE CLICK THE LINK BELOW FILL OUT AND MAIL TO ADDRESS LISTED. THANK YOU!

Yoga Wellness Retreats Registration Form Joy.pdf