The Shakti Shine - November 11, 2019

Shakti Love Notes

We are always growing. I love that! And the more I grow, the more I recognize how important it is for us all to share what we're going through-- even (and especially) me.

So these Love Notes are a space for me to share with you each week-- about the studio, my life, how our community is growing.

Your community is where you invest your energy, knowing that your energy will be used, replenished, restored, and returned to you.

Yesterday was day ten of Gratitude Month at the studio. In the journal I wrote for us, day ten is a reminder to be grateful for community.

I took Maggie's Sunday 4:30 Power Hour, and before we started class she asked us to meet three new people (it's the Shakti way!) and share "Hi, my name is _____ and right now/today I feel _____." All three people I met (plus myself) said something liketired, exhausted, groggy, stressed.

By the end of class, though, I didn't feel groggy. I felt clear. I felt replenished. And I felt connected, not alone.

In savasana she read from the gratitude journal: Your community is where you invest your energy, knowing that your energy will be used, replenished, restored, and returned to you.

That's it, I thought. That's why we do this. That's why I come to yoga, that's why gratitude month, that's why "Hi, my name is _____ and right now/today I feel _____.", and that's why Shakti exists in the way that it does.

Community.

In the journal it goes on to say: Community is a sense of unity and belonging. It’s connection. It’s visibility. It’s a cultivated sense of trust. Brené Brown says in her book Daring Greatly, “Courage is showing up and letting ourselves be seen.” To be seen is to be vulnerable, to be vulnerable is to open yourself to authentic connection, and to engage in authentic connection is to take part in community.

Courage is more than showing up. It's "letting ourselves be seen.” And it's through letting ourselves be seen that we come to know community.

I am so grateful for a community that sees, for a community that I feel safe to show up to and be seen. I'm so grateful for the way my energy is used, replenished, restored, and returned to me in ways I often can't see in the moment but I later realize it's been returned tenfold. And I am very grateful for a practice that puts me face-to-face with myself while at the same time connecting me in community in ways that remind me that I'm not alone.

How do you define your community? Where do you feel community in your life? How do you participate? What types of authentic connections are you having day-to-day?

xx
Ruby

Beyond the mat...

We love Athens.
And we love you.
So let's have more of that-- together.

Here's where you can see what we're up to outside of the studio.

Have ideas about where we should be / what we should check out / how we can show up?
Reply to this email to let us know.

Gratitude Month is happening!

Gratitude Month is an in-studio challenge that extends far beyond our Shakti walls. This year we're joined by grateful hearts in Georgia, New York, California, Florida, Colorado, Tennessee, North Carolina,Texas, Illinois, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Canada, India, and the UK. Be sure to tag @shaktiyogaathens and #shaktigratitude on your social media posts this month to share in the Shakti Love.

The journal, In the Practice of Gratitude, is a 30 day guide to practicing gratitude every day.

Journals are $15. >>> Order your copy here <<<

~ Inquiry Corner ~

Emily's bringing back yoga philosophy for a
6-part series on the koshas!

Koshas are the energetic layers of being that surround our soul. When we align (or clearly see) all the layers of our being, our truest self is able to shine out.

~ This week will be an introduction to this philosophy of being! ~

> Check it out on instagram <

Meet the Shakti Team!

Maggie Scruggs

Why do you teach at Shakti?

I teach yoga to offer students and myself a chance to recalibrate to what they truly want and because Shakti is a space where we can play, laugh, get it wrong, be messy, and create something new every time we practice.

How do you honor the roots of a yoga practice in your every day life?

I meditate daily and stay curious in the history of yoga as it relates to modern humans- finding the bridge between honoring the practice and adapting it for humans in 2019
What kind of teacher do you strive to be?
I strive to be the teacher that you don't remember in your practice- I want to teach in a way that students lead themselves and discover new possibilities without holding onto a quote I read or a song I play. I want to be able to guide from support and giving space to students to take ownership for their own practice.

NINETEEN VOICES: THE COMPLETE COLLECTION
by: Emily Unwin

Last fall, Emily interviewed 18 femmes about body image... "Nineteen Voices started out as talking to women about their bodies and has morphed into a discussion on patriarchy, race, love, exhilarated living, prana, parents, rebellion, fear, white privilege, diet culture, comparison, sexual assault, eating disorders, grief, forgiveness, and deep, scarring wounds. ...

... THIS SERIES (is) TO SHOW WOMEN THAT THEY AREN’T ALONE, THAT WE NEVER KNOW THE WHOLE STORY, AND THAT VULNERABILITY HEALS, SAVES, AND CREATES.

Many of these women you’ve met at the studio or seen around. You’re going to learn things about them (about me) that will change how you see us. In that way, we all had something to lose. Keeping our courage in mind, I invite you to read (or listen) with an open heart. To believe. To mourn the losses, grieve the traumas, and get fucking angry right alongside us. Breathe it all in. Don’t shy away from what it brings up for you.

We love you.

-Emily

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