Author Archive for: KarmaLove

This is exactly what we are doing with Karma right now. Since our last newsletter we have begun construction of our new community center. Walls have been framed and drywalled, the floors were in need of more than just a polish so we have had them completely stripped and sanded, they are getting stained and polished in the next few days, we have hired plumbers, electricians, HVAC specialists, construction crews, painters, movers, and floor, window, and sign specialists. And we have also ordered the new shirodhara table for the Ayurvedic Spa.

And YOU all have made it so we can do this. Many of you suggested we put a GoFundMe out there to help us afford to move the studio to our new home. When we realized this move would probably cost about $54K to do it-we decided to ask for the help-and you have shown up so incredibly generously. Our community has collectively donated $41K to bring this new center to the light. The $41K is going fast, and we are hoping to still make the end goal of $54K. So if you are considering a donation, it is still very much needed. Every single penny is going to making this a safe and inclusive place for everyone to gather within a community of loving, kind, and goodhearted people-like yourself.

Namaste friends,
This is a special addition newsletter. We’re doing things a little bit different than usual for this lunar cycle. We replaced our monthly astrology video, Michael’s, astrological report and my mega long message with the short video that showcases the new studio we will be moving to in a very short time.

We have found a new home for the studio and it’s only five blocks west of our current location at 1760 S. Broadway. It has twice the square footage as our current location, which enables us to be able to increase our offerings, our classes, and expand our community.

We will need to do some build-out improvements in the new space. And the time clock is ticking, as we need to be out of our current location by March 1st. And we intend to open at the new space at that same time.

We have set up a GoFundMe page, as well as a Venmo and Zelle donation account. We are hoping we can collect enough money to make these improvements. We currently have raised 18k and our goal is 54k. We are so very grateful to the many of you who have contributed-every little bit helps.

Namaste friends,
Happy almost winter. We finally got some snow! I have enjoyed the Indian Summer, but its weird to be in shorts in December in Colorado. I am happy to see the landscape covered in white, especially the mountains. Snow packed mountains means spring abundance. Let it snow! Let it snow! Let it snow!

Winter Solstice is around the corner and that means its time to get our nests ready for hunkering down. Michael and I put the down comforter back on the bed. We pulled the little heater out from storage. All the outdoor plants are either brought inside or put to bed in their garden homes. The storm windows are put on, the swamp cooler is wrapped in a blanket, and the sprinklers blown out. We have old radiators that heat water to warm the house, and they make an endearing gurgle sound as they begin heating and moving the water through their pipes. Our holiday decor is pulled out and on display, and the extra pines and boughs around give that cozy cabin feeling. By 5:30 I am ready to put my jammies on and crawl into bed with my book.

Winter is a still time. A quiet time. A reflective time. By design, it is meant for slowing down and restoring our energy. Yet our cultural norms have made this one of the more frenetic, expensive, and socially active times of the year.

As a extrovert, I love going to all the galas, parties, plays and concerts…but I also feel how counter-intuitive this is to my mind, body, and spirit. My little ego self wants to get dressed up, indulge in the fantastic feasts and spreads, see all the people, lights, and glitter that adorn the plethora of community functions.

But my High Self, or my spiritual heart says, choose wisely as to how you spend your energy. In fact, it says try to restore your energy, replenish with rest and quiet introspection. Use this time to go inward and listen to the deep wisdom of my inner knowing. I am called to journal, write, read, draw, paint all the things that are coming to the surface from deep within my soul. And then study their meaning and look for the messages that are coming from my Higher Power…

Full Moon Blessings.
I am just going to jump right in head first.
I have good news and bad news.

I am going to start with the bad news to get it out of the way. It is the splinter.
We need to move Karma to a new home. We have been asked to leave. The landlords have a vision for the building and unfortunately we can’t afford the new rent they are asking to make that vision happen. So we need to move on. They initially said we needed to be out by Dec. 1st.

I am of course heart sick. And a little stunned. Karma is our home. It has been a healing sanctuary for so many for so long and the whole vibe and energy at Karma is so so special and beautiful. The spirit of the studio is so moving, it holds a feeling of healing love. It is a sanctuary for the soul.

And its because of everyone who has ever rolled out their mat and found a part of themselves again. Every time someone has returned to themSelves while in class- or a meditation, or training, workshop, or a soundbath, or a healing session or just by walking through the doors…everyone’s individual healing- or aha moments has helped create the strong Shakti vibration that permeates the whole sweet space.

Namaste friends,

Geez. Full moon for sure! Lots going on these days. We came home from our yoga retreat in Spain to find our country in another government shut down.

Whenever our leadership is in disharmony it shakes the timbers of the whole establishment. As Abe Lincoln so eloquently stated a couple hundred years ago, “A house divided, can not stand”.

The ripple effect moves quickly, not just economically but also psychologically.
People get fearful and scared; they become irritable and anxious, and act from a place of scarcity and lack rather than from a place of generosity and servitude.

Our Spain retreat had a theme called “ The 8 Paths to the Heart”. We wanted to offer our attendees some inroads to their true Selves, or to their spiritual heart, called the Hridyam in Sanskrit. Our spiritual heart is different than our emotional heart or our physical heart. This “heart” is our eternal spirit that has always been and will always be long after we leave our bodies; it connects us to everything in creation, and is the divine intelligence or God-head energy that we all have. It is this “inner sun” that holds all the guidance and wisdom we need in order to access the infinite joy and bliss of our existence.

The yogis call it the “unnameable” because words can’t really describe its essence. Its energy, consciousness, and power are beyond our basic human comprehension. If we are to understand it, we must merge with it. We must trust that there is something greater than our little human ego selves moving through us, and for us. And even harder than trusting this unknown, unseen omnipotent essence, we must train our often times belligerent egos that feed on fear and doubt to be in service to our High Self

Namaste Friends,

OH this eclipse! It snuck in all subtle like and then Boom!-it knocks you sideways.
At least over here in my little world that is how it feels.

Our landlord walked into the studio in a busy moment and handed us an envelope and said “Just a little rent increase” and then walked out. The “little” rent increase is astronomically unaffordable relative to the volume of business we do.
Boom!-sideways.
What to do?
First, yoga.
Breath
Get clear
Stay calm
Listen within
Choose Love
Trust Spirit

Now let me tell you a little story about a conversation I recently had with my dad. This man is arguably one of the most interesting humans I know-and not because he is my Dad, whom I adore, but because few people have bios with as much diversity, breadth and depth as my father.

We were talking on the phone-we have these epic hour and a half conversations about once a month-and he was telling about a big project he is working on that is almost to completion-but now he has to deal with all the final details- which has presented some stressful complications.