Beauty.



We find it in different things and our many hearts race in response to many items of beauty.

For me, one of those is lettering.

So, I wanted to announce the imminent publication of the book Modern Calligraphy by Molly Suber Thorpe, available here.

One review quote says it all. 

“Molly  has reinvented the art of calligraphy! There is nothing more exciting than receiving an envelope in the mail that was calligraphed by Molly. Her playful and charming script makes such a statement and her envelopes instantly become treasures (not trash)!" —Cheree Berry, Cheree Berry Paper and former Kate Spade designer

Available 9.24.13, I am hoping to win an early copy from one of my very favorite blogs, Besotted Brand Blog (amazing resource for all things lettery and beautiful), to use it for invites to a back to school get-together brunch where we will collect brand new shoes for children who can't afford them.

I wish you a slowexhale | jennifer b

hazel and company twirly skirt giveaway.

Twirly skirt giveaway on hazel and company.

If, like me, you have a budding young dancer in your household, you might want to enter to win this darling layer skirt. Drawing is February 1st.



Enjoy, and I wish you a slow exhale.

namaste.

Community.

October is, for whatever reason, the month of several exciting yoga retreats. I personally can't wait! Know of any other retreats coming up? Let me know in the comments below (list url and brief event description) and I'll list your retreat in an upcoming post. 

For your consideration:

Yoga Alliance Leadership Conference: Transformation Through Yoga
October 25-28, Indian Wells, CA

Now in its second year, this event touts itself as being " designed by and for Yoga teachers. Its intent is to enhance our Yoga knowledge and teaching so that we may better transmit this knowledge to our students.... It is our belief that the greatest teacher of Yoga is not a small group of individuals, but the entire collective community. As such, our conference highlights emerging leaders from the community by selecting session presenters from our active Registered Yoga Teachers (RYTs)."

Lulu Bandha's Ojai Yoga Crib
October 25-28, Ojai, CA

Being a southern Calfornia yoga teacher, I have heard whispers about "The Crib" for years, and have coincidentally taught a class which included a yoga teacher who had flown from Chicago to attend The Crib. The teachers teaching, and the creativity shared, are unparalleled, according to fellow teachers who make it to this event every year without fail. Perhaps this is the year I will attend...

2012 teachers include: Erich Schiffmann, Patricia Sullivan, Saul David Raye, Uma Goswami, Cyndi Lee, Laura Tyree, Jason Crandell, Scott Blossom, Elena Brower, Dana Flynn, Noah Mazé, Ravi Ravindra, Chandra Easton, Sean Johnson, John Hickey, and Kira Ryder.

In a word: WOW.

What yoga conference(s) do you plan to attend this fall? Which would you like to hear more about?

I wish you a slowexhale | jennifer b

Happy endings: The close of the yoga class.

Yoga teachers: How do you close your yoga class? Do you have a standard ending, or do you mix it up?

Yogis: What do you find most inspiring as part of a class-ending ritual? What would you love to see done differently, at the end of classes you attend, so that you leave feeling fulfilled as you move off the mat and back into your world?  


Reading today of  the rise and fall of a yoga studio (and its owner's dreams) in western Cleveland, and how that owner has been learning to fall back in love with yoga after the experience, I was struck by the thoughtfulness put into the studio and every aspect of the practice.

Yoga teachers are, on the whole, thoughtful beings. We ensure that, before our students enter the front door, the room's aesthetics are pleasing, from the smell (incense; candles) to the appearance (clean, appropriately lit) to the sound (music or not). We prepare routines that are appropriate to the abilities and skill level of our students, and in our minds we hold alternative sequences in case a new student with a particular physical defect or malady unexpectedly appears. We chit chat, we answer questions that are within and without our areas of expertise. We listen. And then, when students leave, we clean up.

So, you thoughtful yoga teachers, how do you end your class? Currently, I end as follows:

• With a collective inhale, bring our hands overhead and our palms together
• Then we jointly bring our palms down to namaste in front of the heart center, at which time I ask my students to bring the blessings of the universe down to their beings 
• Hands at the heart, my students listen as I recite a quote I have memorized. My current favorite: "Whereever you are, be the soul of that place." - Rumi. 

Sometimes, I wish for a different ending. Perhaps this is just the typical human desire for the new, different, sparkly. Or perhaps it is because a change is needed. 

But largely it has to do with the fact that my class ending has to do with bringing blessings down to one's own self,  and I think I wish for something bigger, more inclusive. Something about challenging my students to share the universe's blessings outward, in some small way, rather than simply receiving them for themselves.

The yoga studio owner from Cleveland ended her classes as follows, after several om's:

"May that sound resonate out from here, carrying with it our highest intentions and aspirations for the benefit of all. May all beings, everywhere, be blessed with clarity, compassion, and a liberated heart."

And so I am inspired to try a new ending. Even if it is nothing more radical than: "Bring the blessings of the universe down to your heart center, and allow them to radiate out to those around you who need them most, friend or foe."

How do you end your yoga classes? And, do you have any suggestions for alternate endings that we all could learn from?

I wish you a slowexhale | jennifer b

Inspire.

We all can.

I just read about Lululemon's cheer station at mile 23.5 of last weekend's San Francisco marathon. They dressed like bright yellow lemons, did cartwheels, blared music, rang cowbells, and yelled. They were the light at the end of the tunnel for those tired runners who needed a little inspiration at the most challenging part of their race. "Today, like any other day, we take part in inspiring our world to go do great things." What a great goal to set for one's self.



What can we, as a yoga community, do to inspire our fellow yogis to greatness when they most need it?

Off the top of my head:

• Call a fellow yogi and encourage them to attend class when they need it most. Make it a yoga then sushi 1-2 combo. Yum.
• Offer a hug to a yogi or instructor after class. Most will welcome it. Most need one.
• Share a recent copy of Yoga Journal. or an inspiring quote.

Inspired myself, I just posted some encouragement, inviting my local yogis to join me for Sunset All-Levels Yoga Class tonight. If you're in the area, I hope to see you too!

Be inspired.

I wish you a slowexhale | jennifer b

Redecorate.

Yoga studio owners: are you looking for some new fabric for bolster covers, inspiration wall boards, or eye pillows? 

Yogis: need something beautiful for a project you're itching to complete?

Be sure to check out CraftPassion.com and Fabric Fanatics fantastic giveaway.

I'm warning you on the front side: beware, lest your studio walls end up in #624 Pink Dancing Ballerina.

Good luck!

I wish you a slowexhale | jennifer b

Welcome to SlowExhale.

I envision this as a site where yogis, and the yoga teachers who instruct them, can come for:
- community (comment. learn. share.)
- information (conferences. retreats. yoga-related research. goings-on in the yoga world.)
- inspiration (meditations. yoga teacher routines. music playlists. guest blogs by other yogis.)
- escape (leave your current mental space and take a few slow exhales.)

I invite you all to read, comment, discover, and, hopefully, to be inspired by this new online breathing space. It is for you. And for me. And I am so excited to see where it will go. And to learn from each of you.

I wish you a slowexhale | jennifer b