Good morning to my fellow yogis and yoginis! Between my birthday and the enjoyment of watching you in yoga class, the past couple weeks have been full of fun and excitement for me. This week, though, I'm back to my normal schedule and back in the swing of being a yoga dog.

Even though it was great to be back in class and back to my yoga-dog duties, this week did seem a little boring and routine compared to all the excitement I had been having. My first instinct was to start wishing for the next big birthday party so that I could have fun again. But then it hit me that this was no way to go through life - living only for events that happen every once in a while and mindlessly trudging through the rest. I want to have fun in between those big events, too!

With this thought in mind as I was watching yoga class, I realized that there was a valuable lesson for me in the way that y'all practice the poses. You see, with yoga, our first inclination is just to focus on hitting these big, exciting postures, and we sometimes forget about all the movements in between those postures. But the more we practice, the more we start to become aware of our bodies and how we move into and out of the postures; we start to enjoy not only the poses, but all the stuff in between the asanas, as well. We learn not to rush from one impressive pose to the next, but instead to really get in there and experience every bit of the movement. This lesson starts to carry over into our daily lives, and before we know it, our hearts are filled with an appreciation that causes us to move through each day wide-awake, and experience everything that day offers, even the stuff that used to feel boring and mundane.

There is much more to life than just birthday parties, just as there is much more to yoga than hitting impressive postures. When we start to experience and enjoy the movement between the postures, we're teaching ourselves to experience and enjoy even the day-to-day routines in between the exciting parties.

So this week, I'm going to focus on really living and experiencing my daily routines, not just blindly sleepwalking through them until my next party. And I hope you will also focus on connecting to the appreciation and joy that keep you energized and radiant, even in those weeks between birthday parties!

Namaste,
Tiki

Joy Yoga Center is Now carrying Pangea Organics Facial Products!

Ecocentric Skincare: Always Beneficial, Never Artificial
Pangea Organics has devoted their skincare line to accentuate the positive
and eliminate the negative. You won't find artificial, synthetic, or
petroleum-based ingredients. What you will find are healthful, high quality
herbs, oils and pure essential oils.
Not only will your body feel great but also your conscious knowing that
you're supporting sustainable agriculture and culture -everything from fair
trade sourcing and organic farming to living wages and the use of renewable,
recycled and recyclable resources. In other words, good for you, good for
everybody!

Facial Cleanser
Gentle yet effective, this cleanser will remove most make-up, cleanse dirt
and excess oil from the pores, and leave skin beautifully balanced.

Facial Scrub
Our gentle scrub employs enzymes and bits of adzuki beans and cranberry
seeds to deliver a double wallop of exfoliating action. Restore and balance
skin to a smooth silky softness with Two Time Award Winning Scrub.

Facial Toners
Our toners are multi-purpose by design: they open the pores to receive more
goodies (such as facial cream), deliver the goods (many nourishing herbs and
plant essences),then tighten up the pores for a firming and slimming effect
(toning tissues and making them pores appear smaller). Added Bonus: Spritz
yourself when you need a wake-up call or are feeling blue. Skin Type
Specific.

Facial Creams
Two Time Award winning creams are designed to protect, balance, nourish, and
moisturize. Ingredients such as Argan oil, Evening Primrose Oil, Pumpkin
Seed Oil, Rice Bran Extract and Shea Butter are handpicked for their
anti-aging, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, vitamin and essential fatty acid
- rich, cell regenerating, and natural sun protecting properties. Skin Type
Specific.

Facial Mask
This Five Time Award winning mask pays tribute to all terrain with
ingredients culled from sea to forest to mountain to desert. This mask does
everything from detoxifying, deep cleansing and exfoliating to toning,
moisturizing and reducing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. Your
skin will emerge glowing, polished and radiant. You will emerge relaxed,
rested and beautiful. Great for all Skin Types

From now until the end of August, you’ll receive one raffle ticket for each Wisdom & Co item you purchase at Joy Yoga Center! The winner will receive airfare, hotel, and as many classes as they’d like to attend at the Colorado- Estes Park Yoga Journal Conference!

Joy Yoga Center is honored to be the only yoga studio in Houston asked to participate in this promotion, so your chances of winning this amazing prize are really good!

http://wisdomandco.com/

What is Transformational Breathing?

Transformational Breathing is one of the fastest growing healing and self-enrichment techniques available today. Maximum physical and emotional benefits along with expanded states of awareness are the natural products of increased oxygenation.

The process begins by learning how to open your breath and utilize the entire respiratory system. This results in more energy and increased brain function that leads to more enjoyable mental and emotional states.

This process results in permanent transformation of pain and denser energies in the system and enhanced feelings of clarity and lightness.

The method is very natural, easy, and self-fulfilling. No special skills or effort are required - beyond the personal desire to outgrow limitations and become more positively empowered. Additional Benefits: - more strength and power in your asanas - better circulation and energy to the muscles - clearer mind for your yoga practice - an awareness of the movement of prana in the body.

Tuesday, July 26th

8:15pm - Intro

8:45-9:45pm - Full Breath Session

Investment: Intro + Full Breath Session: $30

Full Breath Session only 20

Sign up Now Online under Workshops!

Instead of standing in line during your lunch break staring at the clock, I ask you to slow down a quiet your mind. Make a concsious decision for one day to pack your lunch for work and during that lunch break come in for a Reiki treatment. Not only is it important to nourish our bodies with the foods we eat, but also with the energy we surround our self with. Have you ever left diner with friends and felt incredibly drained? Or do you remember the last the last time you had a wonderful conversation with someone and you left feeling as if you were floating? It all has to do with the energy we surround our self with.

Reiki is a form of Japanese Energy Work which moves negative energy from the crown of your head out through the bottom of your feet. Reiki also restores and re balances your life force energy. Contact Mary Kathryn to experience a sacred Reiki Energy session.

This fully clothed treatment will last one hour and during July I am offering a 10% discount Monday thru Thursday between the hours of 11:15-1245. Each session will be $67.50.

Oh and that packed lunch? Break it up into small snacks through out the day which will create another opportunity to slow down.

Enjoy and share your energy!!

Contact me so we can book your appointment

Mary Kathryn LeMaster, LMT

Craniosacral Therapy

Reiki Therapy (Master Level)

512-470-6148

marykathrynl@gmail.com

Hello to all my yogi and yogini friends! I hope you are all having a wonderful 4th of July weekend!

Independence Day is a perfect opportunity to celebrate independence of all kinds: the independence we enjoy in this country, as well as the individual independence we each have that allows us to choose any path that we like in life. Each of us enjoys a freedom that allows us to live in a way that rings true to us, no matter what anyone else has to say about it.

Even I got a chance to enjoy my independence last week! You see, my mommy took me to the dog park so that I could play with the other doggies. But they were wrestling with each other and generally being way too rough - not jumping around and running happy laps the way I like to play. So I asserted my independence and went off on my own to play in my own way, doing a couple downward dogs and leaping around in the grass. Now some of the other doggies barked at me because I chose to be different; I was acting in a way that was unusual and weird to them, and this made them feel uncomfortable. But I knew that I had the freedom to follow my heart and run around in the grass, no matter what those other dogs said, and I found this to be much more enjoyable than if I had rough-housed with them just to fit in.

Now I know you have experienced the same thing from time to time - maybe people even think you're weird for practicing yoga. But you know how great it makes you feel to do yoga because you've chosen to let that healing experience into your life. There is an incredible freedom that comes when you choose to live in a way that's right for you. You realize that your yoga practice makes you feel great, and when those other people catch up to speed, maybe they can enjoy it, too. But in the meantime, the fact that they are making other choices doesn't keep you from enjoying the benefits.

So over this Independence Weekend, remember that being true to yourself, without concern about what others may have to say about it, is true independence, and this is something that no one can ever take away. When we follow our hearts, we feel empowered and free in any situation. Now be sure to post this prominently and pass it along to your friends and family so that we can all remember this week to assert our independence by following our hearts and living true to ourselves.

Namaste,

Tiki

Good Morning Yogi Friends!

Lately I have notice with it being Summer and all I have a lot of new faces to greet! This makes me very excited to introduce myself to each and every one of you. I run to the door, follow you to sign in, then off to the dressing rooms, and even sneak in your classes from time to time. In fact I get so caught up with making time for you that I totally forget about myself and to take my nap!

Before I know it my mom is picking me up and taking me off to meet and greet others on her busy day. What then happens is that I get exhausted and frustrated and begin to bark for no reason at all.

You know sometimes It's easier to see others outside looking in, but we forget to look inside ourselves and become aware of when we bite off more than we can chew. Taking on more responsibilities than we can handle can become the source of our anxiety and stress.

Lucky for us we have our yoga practice which reminds us to observe how we react and feel in different poses. Remember that this practice is not only used on our mats but also off. It's when we can become aware of these sensations that we can make the transformation to these patterns.

So this week when you notice you are feeling overwhelm, be sure to adjust some time for yourself to rest!

Namaste,
Tiki

1. Mahamrtyunjaya Mantra - by Reema Datta
2. Guru Om - by Donna De Lory
3. Govinda Fly - by Sharon Gannon
4. Somewhere Only We Know - by Keane
5. Om Purnam - by One at Last
6. Never Knew What Love Meant - by Lotus
7. Shambho Shankar - by Meenakshi
8. She’s Got You High - Mumm-Ra
9. Krishna Love (feat. Jai Uttal) - by MC Yogi
10. Nine Million Bicycles - by Katie Melua
11. Dancing Shiva - by Sacred Earth
12. Hari Haraye - by Rasa
13. Om Arya Sumati Dharma Dharana- by Reema Datta
14. Ra Ma Da Sa - by Snatam Kaur