The Shakti Shine - August 5, 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.
By the time you're reading this, I will be up to my eyeballs in sweat
at the Baptiste Institute’s Level One training in Phoenicia, New York.
I’m excited to be at this training. Excited, confident, and a little nervous. Doing something new and outside of my comfort zone is always a little nerve-racking. Unknowns flood my mind and try to bring me back to the lie I most often tell myself: I am not enough.
In preparation for the training, and in practice for lessening my gentle nervousness, I decided to spend the week before acknowledging the unknowns and leaning into the knowns.
I started practicing yoga almost 9 years ago. I was immediately hooked. I loved the sweat. I loved the energy. I loved the time with people but alone in my body. I also loved the intensity. The style of yoga I practiced at the time was precise, rigid, predictable, and definitely intense. It eliminated any unknowns, which felt safe. I would breathe and squeeze and pull and lengthen and compare myself to yesterday.
In 2013 I began teaching power yoga. This practice was different than what I had been into before. This practice was (and is) predictable and creative, grounded and light. Practicing power yoga has always been like uncovering the balance of effort & ease in my body every time I come to the mat.
Since 2013, I’ve taught a lot of classes (over 2000 for sure) and I’ve become a lot less intense.
I feel different now.
Of course I’ve grown and changed. I’ve moved and aged and opened a business. AND the difference I feel feels bigger than all that.
This practice has transformed me.
The first 2 years of my yoga practice is ions from what my practice looks like now. Back then I practiced yoga to fix what hurt and to try to be small. I wanted to Eagle so tight and so hard I would disappear. Poof.
I look at myself now, and I can see that somewhere along the way I stopped trying to play small. I look at myself now, and I see a bigger Ruby, a woman who takes up space and desires to live more fully.
When I teach sometimes I’ll say to take the ‘fullest expression’ of a shape. Reflecting this week on what power yoga has taught me,
F U L L E S T E X P R E S S I O N is it.
I used to think that fullest expression in a pose meant doing the pose perfectly, meant that I couldn’t come out or modify, meant that I had to look a certain way. I see now that what that really was is forced expression.
It feels different now.
Full expression feels like freedom.
Full expression can look messy. It might feel uncomfortable. It's definitely not perfect.
Full expression is what my body needs right now.
Full expression is making a pose work for me.
Full expression is moment to moment awareness to what is.
Full expression is me being me F U L L Y.
So despite all the unknowns of doing something new, here are some things I know and choose to lean into:
+ I am capable. I am full. I am enough.
+ I don't have to force it anymore.
+ I am most powerful when I am in full expression.
(These same things I know about you, too.)
xx
Ruby
As Shakti continues to grow and evolve it’s important that you, our community, have the opportunity to see what we’re up to.
This document is about who Shakti is, where Shakti is headed, and choices at Shakti that impact you.
keep reading
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.
Last week...
Little Lights Summer Yoga Camp
Little Lights Yoga Camp has been a space to listen, share, acknowledge, give up, recommit, play, laugh, and connect.
Each day we committed to a new intention and lived into them with the simplicity of our "rules":
Be a YES, Give up what you must, You are ready NOW!
The themes of the week were Presence, Vitality, Introspection, Play & Empowerment, and Triumph!
Our favorite piece of this camp is spending time as we wrap up at the end of each day.
Our Shakti team meetings always hold space for "acknowledgements, give ups, and commit to's." So we decided to bring that to LLSYC.
Some of our favorite shares are simple and honest and heartfelt...
"I want to acknowledge Harper's mom for using her gas and time to pick me up for Little Lights."
"I want to acknowledge Maggie for opening this space for us to come and have fun."
"I want to give up worrying about the future, and I commit to more sunshine."
"I want to to give up feeling alone because I'm not alone- I have lots of friends and family."
Happening Now...
August is Meditation Month at Shakti!
We practice meditation as an access to getting present and awakening.
As we learn & evolve, we wake up to a new way of being.
Every class will start with a 5 min meditation,
challenge cards & prizes for everyone who meditates 20+ times,
instalive meditations every day...
AND we want to come to you to lead a meditation.
Reply to this email to set up a 10 min meditation
for your work, team, friends, or organization.
This is our gift to you during the month of August!
Meditation: Necessary, Uncomfortable
By: Lane Carrandi
Meditation is recognizing what exists in my body, mind, and soul and deciding what I want to leave and what I want to take with me from a place of wholeness and acceptance.
keep reading
Inquiry Corner w/ Emily
Meditation Month!
Hi everyone, Emily here! If you’re new to inquiry, this looks like moving through questions, prompts, activities, and conversations that help you learn more about yourself. I’m excited you’re here!
Meditation month is here, yeehaw!
There's a lot to cover about why meditation, how meditation, what's meditation...
So, I'll be spending the month of August offering inquiry themed around meditation month.
If you'd like more info, check out our IGTV for informational videos on meditation.
When I started my teacher training, we were asked to meditate daily, using only our breath as a tool. So basically, no recordings, no mantras, no malas, no nothing. Just me, my breath, and a quiet, very long 15 minutes.
Five-ish years ago, meditating was a formidable task. *Nothing has changed (lol). It still feels that way today.*
For me, meditation is like eating vegetables, flossing, going to get my annual check up, getting the oil changed in my car... It feels like the thing I know I should do but don't want to do. And, I've been committed to a daily meditation practice for about a year now, and it's played a significant role in improving my mental health.
So, some inquiry:
-- What are my hesitations and preconceived notions around meditation?
-- What are the excuses I'm telling myself on why I can't meditate every day?
-- What would be possible in my life if I slowed down and meditated for 10-15 minutes every day?
Basically, take a look at all the reasons your brain is saying, You don't have time for this. And consider, maybe I do have time, and, *maybe this practice will change my life.*
"Every time you meditate,
you're rewiring your brain."
Announcements
Introducing: Shakti Scholarships
We have created flexibility within our pricing structure to support you & your yoga practice at Shakti as we all try to navigate the world we live in. Shakti scholarships come in all shapes & sizes and are available as needed.
We believe you, no questions asked. Thank you for being honest & open to receiving support.
Let us know what you need. We are here to support you however we can.
Capturing the essence of Shakti
Sabrina works the front desk, but she is also a badass entrepreneur and owner of Mila Promotional Films.
She'll be around the studio and in & out of classes capturing our Shakti spirit!
If you'd rather keep your practice private, just let the front desk know and we will make sure to respect your privacy 100%.
Fall schedule starts August 12th
Check out MBO now, and start considering your perfect Shakti schedule for the semester.
You gave us feedback, and we're giving you new options!
50 min 3:15pms, two chances for PPP, Sunday 8am, evening Revival
The new schedule goes into effect August 12th!
Waitlist worries no more!
We are ready for fall semester to be a time to move forward with clarity & simplicity!
So here's the dealio... Starting August 15th, you will accrue a fee for your late cancels & no shows. Thank you for understanding, cooperating, & committing to your practice.
Here to Dig a Little Deeper
* At Shakti we are actively committed to questioning bias, blind spots, and unconscious discrimination through inquiry within and outside of the Shakti team. Shakti teachers commit to acting in allyship for POCs and marginalized communities. We are committed to showing up and stepping into discomfort in order to open the closed doors that house internal bias and discrimination.
^ We're proud for this to be a cornerstone of who we choose to be as a community and business. Read more about what we believe here.