Welcome to Our Studio!

I'm pleased to invite you to our private studio in Paia! Our space is very intimate, ensuring a personalized yoga practice for each student. As many of you are aware, we conduct classes here open to the public 5 days a week. Some of you have been calling ahead to reserve space, and that is greatly appreciated. However, we always welcome drop-ins, so if you've got a last minute hankering for yoga, just come on in! Jean Marie is also available for private and group private lessons. Simply call 808-463-9413 or email jeanmarie@infinitycrossing.com to schedule or make inquiries.

October Special: 

Bring our flyer with you to your 1st class, and receive that class FREE!

"The Buddha"

This elegantly informative film by David Grubin is a must-see for anyone interested in learning more about the Buddha and Buddhism. It beautifully integrates the story of the Buddha's life with insights from modern practitioners. Documentary, fluid animation, prose, and poetry meet on the middle path to make this film entertainingly educational. It is a well-rounded refresher for those already familiar with the narrative of the Buddha, and a perfect introduction for anyone as yet unacquainted.

The film was originally broadcast on PBS, and you can find more information about it on the website: www.pbs.org/thebuddha. You can also see clips of the film there. Better yet, "The Buddha" is now available on Netflix Instant Watch! So the next time you sit down to watch a movie, pull up "The Buddha." You won't be disappointed!

UN International Day of Peace - September 21st

If you ask a yogi or yogini, "Why do you practice yoga?" the answers will be as diverse as the practitioners themselves. However, one thing on everyone's list is certainly peace. Whether we are seeking peace of mind, peace within our bodies, peace in our hearts, or peace with each other, yoga most definitely serves that aim. Indeed, peace is both the journey and the destination on our yogic paths.
So of course we should honor the UN International Day of Peace with our yoga practice. The date is September 21st. According to the event's website (internationaldayofpeace.org):

The International Day of Peace ("Peace Day") provides an opportunity for individuals, organizations and nations to create practical acts of peace on a shared date... Peace Day should be devoted to commemorating and strengthening the ideals of peace both within and among all nations and peoples…

Anyone, anywhere can celebrate Peace Day. It can be as simple as lighting a candle at noon, or just sitting in silent meditation. Or it can involve getting your co-workers, organization, community or government engaged in a large event. The impact of millions of people in all parts of the world, coming together for one day of peace, is immense.

International Day of Peace is also a Day of Ceasefire – personal or political. Take this opportunity to make peace in your own relationships as well as impact the larger conflicts of our time. Imagine what a whole Day of Ceasefire would mean to humankind.

This is a tremendous opportunity to focus our energies together at a shared time toward enhancing peace in our lives. It seems that our world is embroiled in so many ongoing conflicts: political, environmental, and interpersonal. What a wonderful chance to unite our intentions to create Peace!

The Global Mala Yoga Project (yogamonth.org/globalmala/) serves as an organizing force for Peace Day Yoga events. The project's intention is to unite the world's yoga community to form a "mala (garland) around the Earth" through our collective practice. They suggest incorporating sacred cycles of 108 into your practice, such as: sun salutations, rounds of mantra, rounds of kriya, or minutes of meditation. The project also emphasizes incorporating seva, or service, into your Peace Day events, whether through local action, raising funds for charities, or just helping make a loved one's day a little easier.

We will definitely honor Peace Day in our personal practice and our classes wherever possible. The important thing to remember, though, is that "Peace Day" is merely a collective reminder of that which should be our intention everyday, in everything we do. A beautifully simple saying goes like this:

"No Yoga, No Peace. Know Yoga, Know Peace." 

Om Shanti Shanti Shanti

2010 Power to the Peaceful Festival in San Francisco

Nicki Doane and Eddie Modestini taught the morning "5,000 Yogis for Peace" class at this year's Power to the Peaceful Festival in San Francisco. It's a 3 day event held annually in Golden Gate Park, that began as a benefit for Mumia Abul Jamal, and has grown into a huge peace rally with live music, arts and educational booths, and a community of non-profit organizations, among many other things. It's a fantastic event, and if you have the opportunity to attend one in the future, please go! You will love it!

www.powertothepeaceful.org

1938 Footage of T. Krishnamacharya and B.K.S. Iyengar

Let's Fire This Blog Up!

Aloha all! It's a very exciting time right now, and the perfect opportunity to ramp up the blog. We just finished a 200 hour teacher training at Maya Yoga with Nicki Doane and Eddie Modestini. What a wonderful experience! We learned so much about ourselves and our practice. Nicki and Eddie possess a wealth of knowledge about yoga in all its facets. They know how to bring you back to the foundations and rebuild your practice in a stronger, more conscious fashion. Scott and I are deeply grateful to them for sharing the knowledge of their rich lineage with us.

The studio in Huelo is positively idyllic. We continue to study there with Dominique Pandolfi. She too draws from a deep well of experience. I am constantly humbled by her sweet teaching.

So where are we going from here? I'm now working full-time on growing our wellness business. I teach small group classes and one-on-one lessons every day in our private studio. Check my new schedule for class times. I'll also be posting there any classes I'm teaching at other locations. A new website is in the works as well: www.infinitycrossing.com. I'll announce its launch here on the blog in the coming weeks. There you'll be able to find out all about our business, focusing primarily on yoga, but also providing avenues into diverse lifestyle aspects like bodywork, aromatherapy, home gardening, and photography. Our intention is to nurture lifestyles of holistic wellness that radiate health and happiness from the individual to the community and ultimately, the world. Some exciting work is developing here, so we'll keep you posted!