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You Cannot Change and Stay the Same
One year ago, my teacher in India said that to me, “you cannot change and stay the same.” Obvious, yes, but it hit me like a ton of bricks. I had spent decades wanting to change, changing a couple of things for a short time, then falling back into my habit field. I engaged in a lot negative self talk. All of it in a loop. The same behaviors, the same negative self talk, looping and looping, over and over again. We are here to evolve. And by evolve, I mean get to the other side of it. Whatever "it" is for you. That is your work in this life. Transcend it. The universe conspires to help those who strive so know that you have the support, and the love, and the magic that exists around us to get past your current struggle so you can see what is waiting for you on the other side of it. HAPPY NEW YEAR!
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As I watch an update about the Amazon fires in Brazil, the number of trees lost and species extinct or at risk, and the millions of tons of CO2 going into the atmosphere, I roll out my yoga mat and surrender into a deep forward bend. The fires peaked in August, but they are still happening. These fires are primarily due to farmers and loggers clearing the land for animal agriculture so people can eat meat. I can get so upset. Connect to the breath, hold the forward bend. More deeply surrender.
I started meditating before I started the physical practice part of yoga. It was hard. I had many stories and arguments about why I couldn’t meditate. You may have them too, my mind is too busy, I can’t sit still, I have too much to do, I must be doing it wrong, I can’t tell if this even works! I tell my meditation students, it was war. And, at the time it was. In Yoga, we have warrior poses, and we call the life of a Yogi the warrior path. My friend and business partner Mollie (owner of Yoga Hive Montana) chose veganism a little over a year ago. She is currently in a small town in Wisconsin with her family. She shared with me this week that it’s hard to be the trailblazer. No one gets it. We have to fight the war in order to find peace. Change is hard and, in our attempts, we fight the inside battles as we hear the inside voices and experience the fluctuations of the mind. But the first step to change is to STOP. No action, just be. Turn off the news, put away your phone, remove yourself from others, find the silence inside you, listen and FEEL. All those squirmy feelings? Feel them. The only way change is going to work is if it comes from the kindling burning inside you. Action fans the flames but doing nothing holds the steady burn. The burn that makes the change part of you. Not something outside of you to achieve, but part of who you are. For our January 40-day challenge, we include meditation. Partially because some people want to start a meditation practice, but mostly because it supports your life, your inner flame and your connection to yourself. For my frustration with the devastation in the Amazon, and the impact of our choices to the planet and our health, feeling hopeless or mad doesn’t do anyone any good, especially me. The yogic path has been paved with timeless practices that soothe and empower the spirit. I go back to my mat. Saturday, January 11 5:00-7:00 $25  Join Mel (Bhagya Shree) for a Vedic Ancestral healing ceremony to ring in the new year.
This workshop will begin with a short session of breath work and Kriya to prepare the body and mind. We will then begin a Vedic Ancestral Water Puja for our maternal line then the paternal ancestral line followed by healing mantras. This is a transformative ritual that brings us healing blessings which we take in and in turn offer outwards and forwards. To seal this ceremony we will practice candle meditation to purify and heal ourselves followed by some relaxation to integrate the practice. Please bring two medium sized bowls and a spoon, plus any photographs or special items that you wish to have present for this practice. Imagine a world where billions of people are running around stressed all the time.
Not so hard to imagine, right? I went to the Rec Center the other day to do a treadmill workout. It was not a pleasant experience. It was a Sunday morning and the energy was frantic. The locker room had people stepping all over each other, annoyed, and the workout areas had a bunch of grumpy people, clearly getting their workout in before diving into a day of rush and a massive to-do list. Everyone’s stress was due to things more important than the next person’s. And this energy is not just here, it is everywhere. We all matter, and each of our thoughts and energies adds to the collective consciousness. We all matter. In that building, I felt negative energy everywhere. I do daily practices to keep my energy strong and stable and it was like, WHAM! I need to do something now so this doesn’t affect me, and then affect those around me, and so on. Here is your tip! When the collective stress (or your own stress) is in your system, take 5 conscious breaths. Eyes open or closed. Only think about the breath. See if you can feel it all the way in your belly. Make it slow. With your full attention on the breath. 5 times. Then move on. (Whisper voice: you just meditated).  With Melanie Morrow
Friday, January 10th 6:30-9:00p $35 in advance, $45 at the door Breath of Love is a multi-layered, multi-dimensional body of work that uses a specialized breathing technique, allowing you to shed old patterns, emotional blocks, traumas and ancestral imprints that keep you in a place of struggle, self-sabotage and unhappiness. Breath of love helps you to unwind your frazzled nervous system, release patterns of anxiety and depression, and allows you to open to profound self-love and connection to your inner guidance. In this introductory workshop, you will be intuitively guided through a session set to a heart-opening soundtrack curated for the deepest physical & energetic reset. No previous experience is required. For years, Melanie has been exploring the different aspects of self; the physical, the energetic, the spiritual, the emotional. She graduated from Healing Spirits Massage Training Program in Boulder in 2006. Melanie has Level 1 & Level 2 Reiki attunements & spends time practicing in community & with her two children. As a Breath of Love group facilitator, she intuitively guides others on profound, yet gentle breathwork journeys to connect with their inner guidance & to explore new possibilities in their lives.  What is Challenge You?
It's a food challenge to move towards more plants and less animal based and processed food. It's also a meditation course. Because we learn to trust our intuition by sitting alone, with no stimulation, and being in silence. You will learn how to meditate, have all your meditation questions answered, and be completely supported until meditation becomes a habit. You will also learn how to eat a plant based diet, get the answers to your nutrition questions, be given tons of resources, and all you need to know to shop and cook delicious plant based meals at home. And you get support all the way. Don’t worry, there is yoga too! In the past, we had a program called BeYou (yoga+meditation). It was great. We also had one called BeNourished (plant based diet challenge). Also great. The world has changed since then, and so have we! The planet in peril, we need to change our habits NOW! We each need radical accountability for our choices and behaviors. And radical support. So we built Challenge You: 40 Days of Yoga Hive Radical Wellness. Over 40 days and 6 meetings (which can be watched remotely) we will learn to meditate, learn some yoga as part of a daily practice (about 30 mins a day) and learn to eat less sugar, alcohol, meat, dairy, eggs and processed food. All with support from Blaine and the tribe who signs up with you. We will have a social platform to communicate with each other between meetings, post recipes, send love and ask questions. And full access to Blaine the whole time. Blaine has been a meditation teacher for years and, if there is anyone who can make DELICIOUS food from plants, it's her. She has been doing it for 11 years and she knows how it is done! Blaine is also a certified plant based nutrition coach (since 2012) so we have that part covered too. Here is how it works: We start Sunday, January 12 and have in person meetings on Sundays from 6:30-8:00p. About 30 mins meditation and yoga practice and one hour meeting. Can’t make meetings? No problem. We record and you can do this from home! The 40 days officially starts on January 13 (with the first meeting Jan 12 to learn how this works) and ends on February 22. Six Sunday meetings (Jan 12, Jan 19, Jan 26, Feb 2, Feb 9, Feb 16). You also get an amazing manual with so much information! And we record everything. The weekly practice we do each day will be recorded so you can do it along with us at home every day of the week. We’re so sure of these transformational practices that if you attend (or watch) all the meetings, practice daily, log your experiences, and complete all of the homework assignments, and STILL don’t see positive changes in your well-being, we’ll give you your money back. Yes. For real. Money-back guarantee. Summary:
You can buy this as a stand alone or include 40 days of a Yoga Hive Membership for unlimited yoga over this period. We have 4 options:
It is Holiday time and there is A LOT going on. I feel it myself… “next week I free up a little” is basically my motto right now. There is also a lot going on at the studio (you can read what’s up below) and plenty of planning and strategizing for next year. I am also doing more work with Energy Medicine Yoga which is really exciting because Lauren Walker is a profound teacher of mine.
I write this for a couple of reasons. One, this will be short. Two, I talk to lots of people at Yoga Hive and within all the busy-ness I hear a theme in our Tribe that I have been thinking about. We are evolving and not everyone is OK with that. More people are on their meditation cushions and yoga mats and taking yoga trainings and things within them are shifting. Things like spirituality, craving more space and quiet, more plant based eating and cleaner lifestyle choices. It is GREAT, but in this time of spending more time with family it is also challenging. People don’t always like it when you change, especially the people who raised you or have known you a long time. When I graduated from my training in India, I drew a card as part of my graduation ceremony. It currently lives on my altar at home. It says this: One of the great secrets of authentic power is to be absolutely free of others opinion of you. Read that a couple of times. It is liberating. Friday, December 20th 7:00-8:30p $25 in advance, $30 at the door Join Hannah for an All Levels Aerial flow celebrating the Winter Solstice. We will honor the shortest day and longest night of the year through aerial flow and yin yoga, essential oils, mudras and breath work. The evening will close with an extended candlelit savasana in the silks to embrace our inner light.   Beyond Babysitting
A Mindful Meetup for Minis Because we ALL deserve a night out! *Holidays Around the World* DROP YOUR KIDS AND SHOP! ~Bring your kids in holiday wear! All activities will be holiday themed and mindfulness based! We will discuss other major holidays celebrated around the world.~ Saturday, December 21st 5:00 - 8:00pm Children ages 3-10 are welcome This kids yoga party allows for KIDS to have a fun night out while YOU enjoy a 3 hour date night! Think 'Mindful Meetup for Minis' where your kids get to have just as much fun as YOU ARE! What is Beyond Babysitting? *Beyond Babysitting is a meetup for kids to gather and enjoy an evening of fun & mindful activities. *We sing, dance, play mindful games, create a conscious craft, and learn tools to help manage emotions. * We set up little 'stations' for the kids to enjoy throughout the event. This allows for them to help create the curriculum and have the freedom to express themselves. * Each month we have a special conscious craft/ STEM experiment related to our topic of the month! * We have an intro circle and closing circle to allow children the opportunity to experience a mini mindful meetup. * We teach your child breathing techniques that can be used to reduce stress and anxiety. * We talk about what yoga is and how to incorporate it into their daily lives * We practice partner yoga to allow conscious connections between children * We DRESS UP, we PLAY, we CREATE MUSIC, we TALK ABOUT LIFE, we EAT MINDFULLY, we MAKE NEW FRIENDS, and we CREATE MAGIC! OUR EVENTS ARE ALWAYS 100% SCREEN FREE ALL OUR TEACHERS ARE BACKGROUND CHECKED $45 for one child $65 for two siblings $85 for 3 siblings (Scholarship opportunities are available for low income families. Please send Lauren Moon a private message if you would like more information on our scholarships!) The last four event were completely SOLD OUT! Please sign up in advance to secure your spot. We limit this event to 20 kids and 3 adults and we do not accept walk ups for this event. *~*CHILDREN UNDER 3: Please make a special request if your child is under the age of 3. There is a potential for your child to come, but you will have to pay an extra fee because children under 3 likely need someone assisting them at all times. *~*CHILDREN OVER 10: Special requests for children over 10 can be made for a Junior Leader opportunity, send us a message for more details! IMPORTANT THINGS TO NOTE: ** Please bring kids with full bellies** ** Light snacks will be provided so please let us know if your children have any allergies** Drop-off time is between 5:00-5:30pm Pickup time is between 7:30-8:00pm *Any pickup after 8pm is charged in 15 min increments at $20 for each 15 mins Himalayan Kundalini with Gordie Roach Janurary 1, 2020 9:00-10:30am $30  Join Gordie for meditation, breathwork and movement to detoxify and enliven your system bringing in the new energy cycle of the decade. Himalayan Kundalini is holistic, integrative and deeply transformative. It is a practical, systematic science of enlightenment and evolution of consciousness that goes well beyond the mat and infuses all areas and aspects of life.
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BlaineBlaine Wilkes is the owner of Yoga Hive Colorado, and writes inspirational musings for our newsletter, which we post here, along with upcoming trainings and workshops. To filter, navigate using the links above to see the category you're interested in. If you have questions, or wish to get in touch with Blaine, drop in to a class, or connect online: Archives
December 2019
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