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this month's e-news contains:
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May our bodies and minds be healthy.
May our thoughts be filled with love.
May our practice be free of obstacles.
May we carry its benefits into the world.
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opening muse
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"To practice is to pay attention to your whole life: your thoughts, your bodily sensations, and your speech and other actions. As you do, you will discover that nothing is separate from anything else. Thoughts are the sensations of the mind just as sensations are the thoughts of the body. Each moment of your life is a moment of potential practice."
~ Judith Lasater
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The teaching at Tranquil Space encourages taking your practice off the mat and into your daily life. Our focus is on empowerment, challenging yourself to meet your edge, recognizing boundaries, and becoming more aware of your thoughts and reactions. By taking this practice off of the yoga mat and into your daily life, you are able to create mindfulness, flexibility, and strength in all interactions, not just when practicing yoga on the mat.
At the beginning of practice at the studio, students are encouraged to set an intention or dedication. This sense of connecting to the deeper core of your practice can lead to amazing revelations. By truly reflecting on why you practice yoga, what it means to you, how your body is feeling at that moment, and how your breath is flowing, you are able to experience clarity that can ultimately bring peace. This is that sacred feeling of being in the flow, where no internal or external distractions matter. You are experiencing what in yoga is coined "one-pointed;" completely absorbed in the present moment. Letting go of expectations of how it should be and simply enjoying what is. "To let go is to stand in the middle of the marketplace, with all its confusion and noise, and to remain present to yourself and all that is." — Judith Lasater
This idea of setting an intention or making a dedication can be carried into your personal and professional life. Bringing awareness to your reactions, patterns, and distractions will lead to a larger insight into who you really are. Noticing how you feel around certain people, how your body reacts to a phone call, how your breath becomes shallow when placed in specific situations — these are all indications of what is going on within. Mindfulness in all aspects of your life can lead to a better understanding of what influences your actions.
One of my favorite post-yoga class readings states, "The only way out of pain is through it." We are complex souls filled with continual ups and downs that lead to such varied feelings as vulnerability and elation. By connecting to the heart of an intention or honoring someone through a dedication, you are able to reconnect with yourself and your motivations. Allow small events throughout your day to assist you with this reconnection — the dinging of your e-mail, feeding a crying baby, handling a challenging colleague, commuting to work, or waiting in line for lunch. These are all moments of potential practice. A chance to turn inward, notice your breath, and reflect on your reactions.
May is a beautiful month, most of the chill in the air is gone and spring beckons us with possibility. The chance to return to nature, take chances, run barefoot in the grass, breathe the fresh (pollen-filled) air, and reconnect with a simpler way of life. Kick off your shoes in anticipation of sand, picnics, and sun-filled days to come. My hope is that this practice seeps into your being and instills a sense of wonder in the warm weather that lies ahead. What better incentive for carrying a playful practice off of the mat? Explore the unlimited possibility that you possess. Every moment can be a moment of practice, on AND off the yoga mat, when done with clear intentions and a playfully mindful spirit.
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Kimberly Wilson
Creative Director |
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For further exploration of the modern girl's practice of yoga on and off the mat, join me on Saturday, May 8, for the Hip Tranquil Chick workshop. Indulge yourself with an afternoon catered to creating a stylishly conscious life based in intention and sprinkled with creativity.
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latest studio happenings
Share Tranquil Space with a friend!
- We are OPEN Memorial Day Weekend! View our reduced schedule.
- Mother's Day: 4 delightful workshops in celebration of femininity and connection — a day filled with yoga, bellydance, babies and more! Visit our enlightening events page for details!
- Celebrate with us! Saturday, May 22 from 6:00 - 9:00 p.m. TranquiliT trunk show and anniversary soiree: an evening of yoga, shopping, music, and celebration.
- We heard you! We've added another baby & me class with Carol, and extended all of our yoga 3 classes to 90 minutes! View our increased spring schedule.
 Race for the Cure! Join the Tranquil Space Team on June 5. For details, visit our enlightening events page.- Escape to the Yucatan in July with Lisa. Click for details: explore the magic of yoga in mexico.
- Lots of great workshops — jump into yoga 2, cooking from the inside out - a mindful approach to cooking, off the mat series, book club, 4 Mother's Day celebratory workshops, and more! Visit our enlightening events page for details!
- Expanding tranquiliT boutique: New designs and lines are arriving, along with tranquiliT tees with built in support.
- Interested in free yoga? Visit our studio opportunities page for our current needs.
- Newbie Yogi Series coming on Saturdays in May! A 4-week series catered to the developing, inquisitive yogi. Visit the newbie yogi series page for details!
- Baby and me classes with Carol and her baby now on Tuesday afternoons AND Thursday afternoons!
- $5 charity classes taught by blossoming teachers at Tranquil Space and benefiting The Eddie Fund. All proceeds made will be donated to Tranquil Space yogini Nancy Alexander in memory of yogi Eddie Morrison, who lost his battle with brain cancer. Space is limited, please arrive early. Last weekend: May 2!
- Community celebration. A way to celebrate Tranquil Space yogis' honors and developments!
Please share your recent news with us by e-mailing newsletter@tranquilspace.com.
- Congrats to our AMAZING blooming teachers who graduate on Sunday after 4 months of teacher training! Abby, Alise, Angela, Carolyn, Dayna, Dianne, Erin, Felina, Heather, Jemitra, Johanna, Kate, Katharine, Laura I., Laura S., Marci, Marianne, Michele, Nancy, Rob, September, Shay, Vanessa!
- Tranquil Space was mentioned in the May issue of Lucky.
- Kimberly Wilson was featured as the Member in Spotlight of Yes!Circle, DC's innovative entrepreurial group.
- Congrats to Shelby Settles, who will be getting married on May 22.
- A warm welcome to Johanna Birkel, Dave Nichols, Farah Godrej, Jennifer Haile and Jennifer Martin, who are new team players at Tranquil Space.
- Congrats to Siobhan Troy and Lisa Farmer for surviving an intense week with renowned yoga teacher Ana Forrest.
- BIG thank you to September Fortier and Laura Szwalek for donating their time with 2 karma yoga events.
- Congrats to Kevin Waldorf and Laura Szwalek for getting accepted to graduate school.
- Goodbye to fabulous studio and public relations assistant Shay Lawrence who is moving this month. You will be missed!
- A warm welcome to Molly, born to Chrissie Sant on March 25, and Megan, born to Julie Raggio on April 18.
- Congrats to Tina Plottel and Kimberly Wilson for the completion of graduate school.
- Please share photos of you wearing tranquiliT tees off the beaten path. This month's feature is Siobhan Troy and Lisa Farmer in their tranquiliT tees in Massachusetts. To be featured in next month's newsletter, send photos to newsletter@tranquilspace.com.
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asana of the month
crow/bakasana
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Benefits:
- Strengthens arms and wrists
- Stretches the upper back
- Strengthens the abdominal muscles
- Opens the groins
- Tones the abdominal organs
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yogi of the month
johanna birkel
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When I first stumbled upon Tranquil Space I was looking for a place to expand my practice. I had been practicing for some time and was growing restless. I was ecstatic to discover a studio that is also a nurturing and loving community. A place you can come and be challenged and comforted. Grounded and uplifted. Yoga has elevated all aspects of my life. But it was Tranquil Space that inspired me to embark on extraordinary new beginnings and become a yoga teacher. This decision has had a profound effect on my life. I am immensely thankful to Tranquil Space teachers and yogis for all of their encouragement and inspiration. Tranquil Space continually inspires me to live the most vibrant and fulfilling life I can. Every moment. Every day. |
tranquiliTeam player of the month
peg armstrong
Although I did not know the importance of the moment, I knew that I had encountered an essential part of myself when I first stepped into the Tranquil Space class at the church on 16th Street. Not long after beginning yoga classes with Tranquil Space, I signed up for the level one teacher training. (Subsequently, I completed level two as well.) It was a decision that struck me as uncharacteristic because I put very little thought into the cost, the meaning of it, the potential for benefits, and the many other factors that weigh into most decisions that I make. I heard about the training and applied. I just knew that it was something I needed to do.
Tranquil Space is an important part of the journey that I am on to discovering my true nature. They say that our true nature can be found within the lotus flower in our hearts. The lotus is a spiritual symbol that represents many things, but I love the image of the blossom rising out of the mud and opening in its majestic beauty. I feel fortunate to be part of a community that values kindness and growth through the deeply spiritual practice of yoga. It is my hope and pleasure that I will continue to be part of helping myself and others to address these two struggles as expressed by Swami Muktidharma Saraswati:
There are two types of experiences (among others) that occur for us during our pilgrimage towards the spirit. The first is that sometimes we don't know how to cope with the external environment and we get stuck easily in the mud of our mind, losing sight of the lotus flower. The second attitude is an out of balance reaction to the physical world of matter and we get caught in a kind of false spirituality, ignoring our earthly roots and flying into dreams.
Tranquil Space helps me to stay grounded and fosters love in my heart for all of our experiences.
Namaste, Peg
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tranquiliT boutique
yoga clothing and accessories
 Shop the tranquiliT boutique this Spring! Tranquil Space's own line of yoga clothing and accessories, tranquiliT, is designed to celebrate the bodies and spirits of the style conscious yogi. You will find tranquiliT tees, pants, and yoga accessories online at the tranquiliT boutique!
Tranquil Space is excited to share our newly expanded tranquiliT boutique! All pieces are hand picked by Kimberly, made of luxurious fabrics that move with you, and designed for wearing on and off the yoga mat. The tranquiliT boutique blends a love of fashion and desire for comfort with a sprinkle of flair. Enjoy the clothing while on the mat or on the town.
Our featured item this month is the newly expanded tranquiliT line, which which will be unveiled at the TranquiliT trunk show, along with the arrival of two new lines, Sweetees and Sweet Pea! Share your shopping thoughts and register to win a gift certificate at the tranquiliT boutique by submitting this boutique survey
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As a continuing benefit of our Charity Community, a portion of the tranquiliT proceeds are donated to My Sister's Place — an organization committed to eradicating domestic violence.
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