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“never doubt that a small, group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”
~ margaret mead
with the holidays upon us, it is easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of it all. even if you love shopping, the smell of apple cider, and gift-wrapping, the chaos of the season can easily knock you off your tranquil path. as a yogi wanting to live consciously, you may wonder how to avoid getting wrapped up in the drama while instead trying to make a difference. how can we be more savvy in our social consciousness? considering many of you will begin your holiday planning and gift giving any day now, i wanted to pass along tips for staying tranquil and mindful among the visions of sugar plums.
- be a global girlfriend. give gifts that are globally chic and environmentally friendly.
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- volunteer. you may think you don't have any time, but i promise you can find an hour to go visit someone at an assisted living center, serve food at a soup kitchen, or bake cookies for someone having a hard time.
- buy organic flowers. flowers certified by veriflora label are raised organically with a focus on conserving water and restoring habitat.
- buy eco-friendly clothing. organic cotton and bamboo are soft, less toxic on the environment, add a dash of consciousness to your look. our line, TranquiliT, will have a new web site shortly and is the perfect combo of eco-friendly flair.
- give a goat. yep, i'm serious! for the mum who has it all, this may make her feel very good.
- take care of yourself. many people get sick this time of the year due to the stress and long hours of it all. slow down, breathe deeply, sip your herbal tea (over that espresso), and remember the reason for the season. joy!
- phone a senior. visit eldercare.gov to see how a few minutes of your day can brighten another's.
- practice yoga. of course i had to throw this in, but honestly it is crucial during this time of the year. heart openers, hip openers, and yin yoga are must-haves for the holidays!
- surround yourself with positivity. holidays are stressful enough, why allow yourself to be brought down? if you feel like you have no choice, limit the interaction time with negative people as we are sponges that absorb what is around us. choose wisely.
- slow down. carve out a day, afternoon, or hour just for you. hit the bookstore, sit at a local café, or visit an art gallery. refresh.
i hope that these tips offer you some respite. thank you for your support as we've just celebrated our seventh year in business and we are truly honored to serve you. if there is anything you'd like us to add to our offerings or that you need, please let me know.
here's to chic and conscious holidays! (picture a raised glass with a festive gold bow tied around the stem, filled with a delicious sparkling cranberry juice, topped off with a sliver of orange.) may your holidays be very merry, bright and tranquil!
 xoxo,
kimberly wilson
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| - class schedule: pick up our class schedule, catered to various levels and moods: yin/yang, restorative, yoga 1-3, express, slow flow, and more! visit webscheduler for all the scoop.
- join us for kimberly's friday 12/8 6:00 p.m. yoga 2 class, with live guitar music by tim kelley!
- thanks for your support of our thanksgiving day classes — we raised over $800 for so others might eat.
- thanks for your support of niya's giving thanks workshop on 11/17, which raised $200 for save darfur.
- winter holiday reduced schedule:
- wednesday and thursday, 12/20 & 12/21 — 7:30 & 8:00 p.m. classes canceled
- friday, 12/22 — 7:30 p.m. class canceled
- saturday, 12/23 — 9:00 a.m., 9:15 a.m. & 3:00 p.m. classes canceled
- sunday, 12/24 — 3:00 p.m. & 4:30 p.m. classes canceled
- monday, 12/25 — closed
- tuesday, 12/26 through thursday 12/28 — 7:30 & 8:00 p.m. classes canceled; penn quarter and flashpoint classes canceled
- friday, 12/29 — 7:30 p.m. class canceled
- saturday, 12/30 — 9:00 a.m., 9:15 a.m. & 3:00 p.m. classes canceled
- sunday, 12/31 — 3:00 p.m. & 4:30 p.m. classes canceled
- monday, 1/1 — happy new year! two noon classes offered, 2:00 - 4:00 p.m. workshop with kimberly
- tuesday 1/2 and wednesday 1/3 — penn quarter canceled; 8pm classes canceled
- thursday, 1/4 — resume normal schedule
- click here for a description of how to sign up for classes early, buy more classes online, checking your pass status, and more! no phone reservations, please.
- you can use your pass at both dupont and bethesda locations! (webscheduler works only for the location where you purchase the pass). we hope you enjoy taking your tranquility between our 4 locations — bethesda, dupont, penn quarter, and gallery place/chinatown.
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| - we have loads of inspiring lifestyle and yoga workshops scheduled this winter, including: newbie workshop, shoulder opening, visualizing your future self, new year's day workshop, january newbie 4-week series, level 1 and level 2 teacher trainings, and more! visit enlightening events for ALL the scoop. buy a workshop passport (4 workshops by tranquil space teachers for $99) and dive deeper into your practice this fall!
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| - friday, december 1, is world AIDS day. tranquil space is donating 50% of all proceeds on this day to six degrees of love — an organization that assists children in africa orphaned by the AIDS epidemic
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| - tranquil space trunk shows serve to empower women to create. we donate a portion of our proceeds to womenarts.org, who state: "we dream about what will happen as more and more women artists gain the resources they need to express their creativity fully. we are convinced that they will change the world." tranquil space agrees! please join us for tranquil space's holiday trunk show on saturday, december 2!
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| - MORE tranquility!: join us on your birthday for a FREE yoga class. (excludes 6:00 and 6:30 p.m. classes.)
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- try our new tranquiliT treatments specials:
- try our meditation offerings on sundays at 5:45 p.m., free!
- community celebration: our way to celebrate tranquil space yogis' honors and developments! please share your celebrations with us by emailing newsletter@tranquilspace.com.
- welcome to our new studio assistants, kelly and kristy!
 | - congratulations to christina gillespie on the birth of her son dylan!
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 | - welcome to the world, isabella carranza, and congrats to proud parents siobhan troy and marco carranza!
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- congratulations, kimberly on the release of your book, hip tranquil chick, and CD, get your yoga on.
- congratulations to devorah berman who gave birth to a baby boy on november 21.
- share photos of you wearing TranquiliTees around the globe! to be featured in next month's newsletter, send photos to newsletter@tranquilspace.com. this month's feature is julia coney in mykonos, greece!
gina tauschek
 this picture was taken when i was around two years old. my family found it quite amusing that if they said, "go do gina ballerina," i would drop whatever it was i was doing, waddle over to the nearest flat surface, place my hands on it and raise my leg. from the look on my face i don't look like i minded all that much! in this piece, i wanted to talk a bit about grace and at least for me that always conjures up an image of a ballet dancer, so i thought the picture was fitting.
although ballerinas have a tremendous amount of bodily grace that's not the definition i had in mind. in fact, i think the meaning of grace is actually a very subjective thing. for me, it is an inner radiance when the mind, body and spirit have found a sense of harmony and they sing. it is not necessarily constant, but we all have them, these moments of grace.
a few weeks ago i was listening to a song and a particular lyric caught my attention, it went "i need your grace to remind me to find my own." i remember thinking what an amazing relationship that would truly be. to have someone else's grace in your life — not to complete you or fix you or tell you what to do, but to simply remind you that you need to find your own.
the more i thought about it, i realized that the lyric wasn't just applicable to romantic relationships. i encounter other people's grace every time i take my seat as a teacher in every single class. i see it in the powerful warrior two, the fluid movement of the sun salutation, and the serenity of tree pose. my students' inner grace shines, and not only am i honored to be in their presence, but i am reminded how important it is to find my own.
which of course brings me to my own yoga mat and again back to my song lyric. my yoga practice is my constant reminder to keep pursuing my own inner grace. there are those moments in practice . . . and i think most people can relate when you get a glimpse of what it really feels like to have your inherent brilliance shine through, where you are content to just be. it's at those times i feel the grace that yoga offers me and it is what keeps me coming back to my mat week after week.
everyone's experience is going to be different, but i do challenge you to take some time and think about where you might encounter grace. do you let it just pass you by, or do you use it as a reminder to reconnect with your own inner radiance? that potential is in everyone, regardless of size, shape, sex, or age. if you don't believe me, take a look at the toddler in the picture. "swan lake" was never in her future, but she was on her way to a very blissful warrior three! namaste.
each month we choose a pose to focus on in each class through strong attention to alignment, variations, and/or modifications as a way to grow and expand our yogic horizons.
 vrksasana (tree pose)
benefits
- strengthens thighs, calves, ankles, and spine
- stretches the groins and inner thighs, chest and shoulders
- improves sense of balance
- relieves sciatica and reduces flat feet
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this title is reserved for yogis who have shown a strong dedication to their practice, are enthusiastic about their growth, and enjoy sharing it with others.
 amy chanlongbutra
i love yoga. it's been there for me when i needed a stretch; it's been there when i needed to reflect; it's been there when i just wanted to challenge myself on the mat. i love how yoga fits everyone and expands and contracts to fit all moods and life situations. it can be as soothing as hot chocolate on a winter's day or as fiery and exciting as hot peppers dancing on my tongue. i love how a community can be created around yoga and sharing a practice can bring people together. i love how yoga is still a living art form where the interpretation of yoga is very much each artist's own, that a single brush held in a different hand will yield a million different brush strokes. i am grateful yoga has been my canvas to explore who i am and where i am in life. most importantly, i am grateful for the path that yoga has paved for me to meet the friends, teachers, and students that i have through this yoga community. through yoga and opportunities such as teacher training at tranquil space, i have found compassion and love for one another from fellow yogis, the courage to teach and bring yoga to others from my teachers and friends, and the wisdom that opening the heart is as important as expanding the mind. . . . so namaste and may there be light, love, and lots of yoga in this world. . . . yeah!
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this title is reserved for members of our team who embody the tranquil space values, excel in their role at the studio, and have a passion for their practice.
 julia coney
i came to tranquil space after hearing kimberly's podcast on itunes. my oldest brother had just passed away and my doctor recommended i try yoga to deal with the grief. all my family lives in in texas and louisiana and i felt alone. i look back at that time and realize god guided me to search on itunes for yoga. i saw the hip tranquil chick logo and decided to listen. i listened to all the podcasts and began taking classes in march of this year. shortly after that, i became a studio assistant. the incorporation of yoga into my life has benefited me spiritually, mentally, and physically more than any other form of exercise i have tried. it truly affects every aspect of my life. i can't imagine living without yoga.
i take my yoga practice into my everyday life. i begin each day with an intention and a dedication as we do in class. i often dedicate the day to someone else, but at least once a week i dedicate the day to myself. on those days when i don't have time to get on the mat or to class, i carry the principles of yoga. because of yoga and tranquil space the beauty writer in me laying dormant has been able to flourish. the worries and problems that i normally hold inward are allowed to be released on the mat.
tranquil space has given me a home away from home. i'm thankful for all the wonderful people that i've met at the studio. through tranquil space i have found an addition to my family and a new aspect on life.
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 clothing, accessories, and specialties to enrich your life on and off the mat
tranquiliT boutique is a fusion of fashion and passion in celebration of yogis' bodies and spirits! tranquiliT boutique carries a delightful selection of comfy and chic lines that transition from the yoga mat to the market or museum. all pieces are hand picked by kimberly, made of luxurious fabrics that stretch with your body, and designed for nurturing your yoga lifestyle. look for newly added yoga cards, organic bath products, and more books!
tranquil space's own line of yoga clothing and accessories, TranquiliT, is designed for the style-conscious yogini and has been featured in shape, lucky, daily candy, fit yoga, the washingtonian, and the washington post. view our most recent mention in the examiner.
 saturdays at the tranquiliT boutique
saturday is now the best day to shop at TranquiliT boutique. the days of trying on everything and finding nothing are over. simply have tea and be pampered by our boutique manager and personal shopper, joanna lo. joanna loves to help others, has a unique eye for style, and she knows the fit and feel of every item we carry. she's insightful, honest, and witty, and will help you walk away satisfied. email joanna if you'd like to confirm an appointment ahead of time.
to receive seasonal updates and discounts on the TranquiliT line, along with musings on yoga for the modern girl, click here.
in alignment with our values, a portion of the TranquiliT proceeds are donated to my sister's place — a local organization committed to eradicating domestic violence.
 
at tranquil space we believe that yoga is a lifestyle. the tranquil space specialty spa is an urban oasis where you can nurture your body and soothe your soul with TranquiliT treatments — specialty services that cater to the yogi spirit.
how TranquiliT treatments can benefit you:
- reduce stress and enhance relaxation
- promote deeper and easier breathing
- reduce blood pressure
- strengthen the immune system
- enhance capacity for calm thinking and creativity
- increase awareness of mind-body connection
- develop and enhance your practice on and off the yoga mat
- foster a feeling of well-being and peace of mind
 the mission of tranquil space is to provide a nurturing environment that encourages the unfolding of a creative yoga practice that is carried off the yoga mat into one's daily life.
 the vision of tranquil space is to use yoga as a catalyst to live life fully and consciously.
tranquil space dupont
2024 p street, nw
washington, dc 20036 |
tranquil space bethesda
7475 wisconsin ave, suite 8
bethesda, md 20814 |
tranquil space penn quarter
first trinity lutheran church
4th & e streets, nw
washington, dc 20001 |
tranquil space chinatown
flashpoint
916 g street, nw
washington, dc 20001 |
© 2006 tranquil space, llc. all rights reserved.
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