Yoga in the Park for a Cause

With the wonderful change in the season in the air, so are there wonderful changes with AOD. We are now in a larger space, YIPPEE! and we are growing! New teachers, New classes, New students and new workshops and events.

One of the recent events, was on September 24th, Yoga in the Park for a Cause, it was part of the Global Mala Project, which is a world wide event, bringing all the yoga communities together to practice for Peace and service to mankind. They raise money for a charity of our choice. This year we help support The Community Welcome House.

Part of the mission of AOD, is to reach out to the community and make a difference.
Yoga means union and that can mean union on all levels. Union of your mind,body and breath. Union of our consciousness to the universal consciousness ( Self,the Divine, God or whatever resonates with you).

The way I see it, is as you practice yoga, it begins to quiet the mind and body, and you begin to experience the very simple, core essence of your being, the light and life of your being. You then begin to experience the connection/oneness with the Universal Light ( again the Divine/God or whatever resonates with you), which brings us to the true nature of our beings, which is full of peace and love. Our true nature is Love.

Yoga offers to us, self-examination and self-study and then those bonds of pain and hurt begin to be broken and it frees our true nature of Love to be fully expressed in this world.

So it is only a natural expression of our nature to reach out to others and help.
Because in doing so, we are helping ourselves, we are healing ourselves, as we help heal others.

This world, with it’s mind caught in illusion, is full of pain. Everyone competing with others, only to bring more pain and division among us all.

Yoga crosses through all denominations, cultures, age and sex. It unites us within the heart of our hearts.

We can sit around and complain and moan over what we may see happening in this world, or we can do something about it. First, starting with ourselves and then reaching out with compassion to others.

There will be other opportunities to join yoga events, to reach out and make a difference in our community. It is my hope that all of the local yoga community will come together and show our community that Yoga is about love and unity. YES! WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE!!

May all Beings be Happy and in peace!
Abundant Blessings to all,

Om Shanti

Donna ( Shankari)

September is National Yoga Month!

Chocolate, Wine, Chakra Yoga. Saturday, September 10th    The class runs from 6-8pm and is free to all Ancient of Days students. Only $5 for guests! You do NOT have to drink wine or eat chocolate to attend this class.

“Yoga in the Park” Saturday, September 24th. Yoga in the Park will run 9-10:30am. The project will raise money for the Community Welcome House. The event will take place at Temple Avenue Park. Please bring your own mat. Free water will be provided.  There is a suggested donation of $20.00.

Kirtan with Shyandas. Saturday, September 24th. Enjoy a night of blissful chanting at the Selah Center of the Poncey-Highlands, Druid Hills Baptist Church, 1085 Ponce de Leon NE, Atlanta, GA 30306. Concert begins at 7pm. Please RSVP at 4026 Sharpsburg-McCollum road, Newnan, GA or email Ancient of Days Yoga. Event is limited to 25 people. Tickets are $20 when ordering by website or $25 at the door.

Atlanta Yoga Conference, September 30th-October 2nd. For more information please visit the Atlanta Yoga Conference website.

Current Promotion for New Students:  During September the first class is free for all new students or you can receive 50% off any class package.

Today marks the first day in our NEW SPACE!    Monday, August 1st is the beginning of  our new class schedule in our brand new studio! We now reside at 4046 Sharpsburg/McCollum Rd ( Hwy 154)  Suite# 207.  Please do stop in an say hello, enjoy some yoga, and admire our brand new space. There’s already a lot of love in this place and we want to share it with you.

Grounded kids Fall Focus six weeks series, starts August 15th.  Don’t forget that Earlybird Registration ends August 8th. It is currently $75 before August 8th, afterwards, registration is $80.  $10 off, for siblings. Register online today!

“Yoga Care for the Caregiver” Friday, August 5th - Donna will present this event at the  ”Lunch and Learn” -  at Cambridge House  Adult day care, at 12-2 pm.  If interested, Call to make your reservations. 678-423-8700

CPR Training Saturday, August 13, American Heart Assocation CPR  for adult, child and infant is being offered at Ancient of Days. The class will run 10am to noon.  $40.  Please call ahead to register. 770-301-0519.

Current Promotion for New Students:  During August the first class is free for all new students or you can receive 50% off any class package.
“Yoga is a light, which once lit, will never dim. The better your practice, the brighter the flame.”  B.K.S. Iyengar

It’s kind of surreal that I now hold the keys to a space for the “Ancient of Days Yoga Center”. Nine years ago, I wrote in my journal of a vision/dream of a center that would be an oasis for the weary, the stressed, and the brokenhearted. A place where souls could unwind and be rejuvenated and be strengthen to live their lives to their fullest potential. A place that would attract all the different healing arts to help serve the needs of the people. And a place to build community of service and love.

This “vision” also included acreage of land with meditation gardens and pools. While just starting out with a small 400 sq/ft. of practice area. I promise atleast to have a potted plant and a tranquilty fountain.
The words that came my way to encourage me years ago, which I now share with my students, have come back to revisit me again. Those words are:

“Despise Not Small Beginnings’” (The Bible).

As I hold these keys, I do think in the past of all the hopes and expectations of one day having such a space for a healing arts center And I also look to the potential of the future of how this center can serve and make a difference in an individual’s life ,as well as ,  in the community…who knows? maybe even global.

These keys not only represent this long held vision, but they also represent a personal transformation of my own life. I feel like the poster kid of  how yoga can transform a soul and renew hope for fullness and happiness of being. The journey has been amazing..and it aint over yet!!!

So these keys represent so much, the fulfillment of hopes of the past, the promise of an elightened and enriched future , and the testimony of faith and patience in the Divine.
How does yoga play into all this?
Yoga silences the raging thoughts of the mind, so that one may tap into the silence within one’s own being, where dwells the source of  being, the Divine

( Be still and Know that I AM -Bible)

And it is this conscious connection to this source that we find  all that we need to make all things Possible!! ( All things are possible to him that believeth – again the Bible)

As I  hold these keys , I feel such power,  of the past and future..  and  the of changed lives,  great experiences in self and communal growth and wonderous things yet to come!

But, NOW, in this moment…. I feel the  keys  saying..it is time to go paint and set up the studio to be prepared  for classes in a week!!

“How do we practice with difficulty, with our emotions, with the unpredictable encounters of ordinary day?  For those of us with a hunger to know truth, painful emotions are like flags going up to say, “You’re stuck!”  We regard disappointment, embarrassment, irritaion, jealousy, and fear as moments that show us where we’re holding back, how we’re shutting down. Such uncomfortable feelings are messages that tell us to perk up and lean into a situation when we’d rather cave in and back away.
When  the flag goes up, we have an opportunity: we can stay with our painful emotion instead of spinning out. Staying is how we get the hang of gently catching ourselves when we’re about to let resentment harden into blame, righteousnes, or alienation.”  from  Comfortable with Uncertainly, by Pema Chodron.

Recently, I suffered emotional pain,  which is no blame to anyone, but has  become a blessing, in that,  it caused me to step back and witness why I was suffering.  ATTACHMENT! Good Ole’ attachment does it everytime!

Attachment and falling back in the illusion of  Impermance.  Yoga was given to me as a gift from God..and I knew that I was called to share this  gift..a  dream /vision was  given to me.  Somewhere through time.. it became MY yoga and MY dream .  I had forgotten that all belongs to the Divine Spirit.  All  that flow into my life are  gifts…and  nothing is permament.. but all things ebb and flow and wax and wane.

In the deepest of the deepest within me.. I desire truth,  I desire self-realization, god-realization..to walk in god-consicousness.. to be pure light and  love, to realize our oneness..and walk accordingly.  So  being divinely timed , I  pick up Pema Chodron’s book, Comfortable with Uncertainty, and  read those words…”For those of us with a hunger to know the truth,  painful emotions are like flags going up to say. “you’re stuck!’    I HAVE BEEN STUCK!!! I am so grateful for experiencing  pain , in order, to get UNSTUCK and   relinquish all things back to Spirit  and get back into the beautiful divine flow  of Spirit!

I see too, how we seek security through holding on.. wanting  things  to not change, Yet the  truth is all  is  impermant.  The only truth, the only thing we can hold on to is Spirit .

May I always realize  this..May I be confortable with Uncertainty!

Namaste World!

This is my first attempt to blogging.  I assume that blogging is for self-expression  or self-musing.. a kind of a doodling with thoughts and words  rather than through pencils and drawings.  Also,  I see blogging as a  means to communicate information and knowledge that may be helpful to others. or to let people know, I AM HERE!  Perhaps blogging is a means to  stimulate  an exchange of ideas or perhaps it is simply entertainment.  Who knows? maybe blogging is a form of self- therapy!

The intent of my blogging may very well  be all of the above.

As many of you know .  I am a yoga instructor in the  Newnan, GA area. (  It is not my intent  to go into my yoga background  at this time. you can read my profile on www.ancientofdayscenter.com ).   If  you  asked me  over 10 tears ago, who I was.. I  would of said, the mother of nine kids. ( yes nine! I birthed  them one at a time with one man and yes we owned a TV!!) . I find it interesting how  I  (we) indentify  our being with what role we may be playing at the time.  The truth is I am that Divine light that shines within  us all. Yea,,,  I  forget  that  truth  many times too.. and get caught up in the mirkiness of my  mind.  Yoga is a wonderful tool  that brings us back to  the rememberance of that  truth of our  being, that, We Are Divine Light!  The same source flows within us all.  Thus, we are  One.   Namaste, the light within  me recognizes and  honors  itself in you.

My desire is to learn to remain in the clarity of that truth and serve God and mankind that we may all come into this universal  consicousness, or simply, God-consciousness.  I do confess.. I still get distracted and  I still find  I have  attachments that draw my mind away from truth. It seems  the mind  likes  to run off an d play  in Maya ( the illusion of this world).  But, with hope!   I have found  that as I have  journeyed in this world, that slowly,  you find that, that which glittered and shined and  promised much happiness, quickly  dulled and failed you, leaving you empty again.

ok, with all that said, my intention  for this blog is  to share any spiritual insight that I learned  and continue to learn  through my own journey  to Self-realization. (  self is not to be confused with ego,  but  I  am talking about God -Conscious realization).

And in sharing my insights, I am hoping it will promote you all and others  to also  share  here  your insights, so together  we encourage each other  and  together  grow  in the Light.

May we all  know peace.. may we all know health.. may we  all know  Truth..May we shine that peace and truth  into  the world, dispelling the darkness .

Om shanti shanti shanti

Shankari (donna)