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Everyday Yogis
Greetings
Practicing yoga is a great thing! It builds strength,
flexibility, stamina and balance. In class we are encouraged to
contemplate how these physical benefits correlate to mental and emotional
attitudes as well. We see how yoga can address our growth on many levels.
One of our responsibilities as yoga practitioners is to take what we
learn on the mat, off the mat. Yoga supports our growth and the way we
live.
Last week in one of our immersion classes we were
discussing how we practice yoga "off the mat". I was so
inspired
by some of the comments made and reminded that we have some truly
incredible practitioners in our midst. They put their hearts into every
sun salutation and, even more importantly, they put their hearts into
service for others in so many ways.
This month we are adding a
new monthly feature to our newsletter called Everyday Yogis
s. It will
feature some member of the HeartSong community who expresses the
principles of yoga in an outstanding way in his or her everyday
life.
We hope you enjoy
learning about one another this way and that we are all inspired by the
amazing things community members are involved with!
Namaste', Leslie
July's Everyday
Yogi
Linda
Warnock
 In addition to her
regular yoga asana practice at HeartSong, Linda is a runner. She puts in
a
good number of miles every week (which her hamstrings just complain a
little about in
yoga class :) ).
For Linda however, running is not just a past time
or another way to stay in shape. Running for her is about supporting and
saving lives. Linda runs with a group called Team In Training and raises
money for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society through her efforts. This
year, she is running her 10th marathon in service of people who are
suffering with cancer. Running for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society has
become intensely personal for Linda; her son-in-law, Erin John - age 30, in
remission from Hodgkin's lymphoma, was diagnosed July 14, 2006 with
non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. He is currently in remission.
Linda is a great example of
someone who practices tapas (discipline) and karma
(selfless service) yoga. Linda says this about her yoga practice "on
the mat": "I've found that my yoga practice helps me in a number of ways.
Some of them physical; working out my very tight runner's hamstrings,
building strength in my core - so useful in staying upright and supporting
my legs when running the long training miles necessary to prepare for a
marathon (26.2 miles). Yoga is also helping me learn how to open up my
chest, and to release tense and tight shoulders, allowing me to breathe
more deeply - essential in endurance running. Along with all that I am
learning about my physical body, yoga also encourages me to move into a
sense of stillness and reflection. Practicing yoga helps me still my ever
thinking and darting mind. To be quiet, to rest and put the cares and
burdens of life aside, if only for a a short while. In so doing, I become
stronger and better equipped to live life fully, joyfully and
productively."
Linda's goal is to raise $10,000 this year to
help find a cure for cancer. We will have a donation jar out at the
studio if you would like to contribute a dollar or two or more.... You
can
also go to Linda's website and donate from there.
To read more about
Linda, Team in Training or to donate click here
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