Greetings in the flow!

Aimee and Kalen McBride

Skiing this past weekend with our 3 year old son (Kalen) was quite an eye-opening
experience.

In getting our son ready to go out onto the slopes, I was thinking of the fun we were
going to have but also of all the potential obstacles ahead of teaching him how to ski. Meanwhile, Kalen was just thinking about the moment we were in….That he’s hot in his snowsuit and has to pee.

When we put him on the chair lift and then on the snow he’s just thinking: “I want tofly down the hill.” Then he said “I want to go by myself”. Of course, this being his first time, I never imagined he’d be able to ski by himself – I was wrong. The only hard art is keeping up with them so they don’t crash but no surprise with my child as crashing was his favorite part. The truth is, kids instinctually know how to fall safely on their own. We just have to be there to pick them back up.

When I saw how easy it was for my little guy to zip by me on the mountain with no fear I realized more than ever that kids don’t have the same mental restrictions as adults. They don’t consider or maybe even realize the potential dangers/obstacles ahead; they simply know to go for it.

What if we approached life in the same way? Just go for it – in this moment without fear of the outcome. Of course as adults we must exercise some reason in our endeavors but the truth is that when we get going too fast, we also instinctually know to sit down so we won’t crash and we know how to pick ourselves back up if we do.

Enjoy the ride.

Blessings,

Aimee Firor McBride

SANSKRIT WEEKEND, MARCH 2-6
with Pierre Couvillion

Chanting Mantras, Hymns, and Prayers !
FRIDAY, MARCH 4 6:30-9PM COST: $40

Learn to sing – and even lead – popular favorites such as the Gayatri Mantra, Maha Mrtyunjaya Mantra, verses from the Bhagavad Gita, and the Teacher-Student Prayer. !Word by word translations and easy to follow melodies will be taught! Recordings are welcome.

Learn Basic Sanskrit: the Ring of Sounds
SATURDAY MARCH 5 2-5PM COST: $50

Sanskrit is designed for inner experience. !At the very beginning, it helps us reclaim our voices by identifying 5 precise mouth positions and specific kinds of sounds at those positions.Learning sanskrit organizes language just as yoga postures organize human movement potential. This class teaches these 5 mouth positions and several different kinds of sounds.

the Ring of Sounds continues, Reading, Writing,
and Sutra Chanting
SUNDAY MARCH 6 8:30-11:30am 1-4 PM
COST: $175 includes Saturday

Sanskrit has many profound qualities. Its name means “perfectly made”, and its structure is polished and symmetrical like mathematics. This class finishes theSanskrit alphabet,explores how to read and write, and introduces the classic Yoga Sutras of Patanjali.

BRING LAPTOP OR MEMORY STICK – 1 YEAR OFSANSKRIT (4 COURSES) $50

Learn more about Pierre and download Sanskrit courses a twww.evolutionyoga.org

February Instructor Focus:
Tori Lundock

1. How long have you been practicing yoga or pilates, and what inspired you to become a teacher?

I’ve been practicing yoga on and off for about eleven years. I became a dedicated practitioner five or six years ago when I was a grad student at the University of Florida. It was after a spur of the moment decision to attend a yoga retreat in Puerto Rico hosted by the local yoga studio owner, Melissa Montilla, that I realized how much I loved the actual study of yoga – the philosophy, the breath, the history. At that point, I became an actual student of yoga.

2. Where did you study to become a yoga teacher and what additional training have you received?

I enrolled in the Yoga Works 200 hour program hosted by Sanctuary Yoga in Gainesville, Florida in 2007 and I really loved the in depth explanation of asana that it offered. I wanted to share what I learned and so I began teaching Astanga at UF. A year and a half later, I moved to Northern Virginia and enrolled in the 200 hour teacher training at Flow Yoga in Leesburg – a program affiliated with Ananda Shala. I chose that program because I felt it offered what I had been missing – the permission to move and flow in practice and to energetically feel and understand asana and breath. It was through that training that I met Maria Garre and came to love the Prana Flow style of teaching and practicing. I’m now enrolled in the 300 hour teacher training here at Ananda Shala. It was through that training that I came in contact with many other gifted and inspiring teachers including Shiva Rea and Shannon Paige Schneider.

I’m a painter when I’m not When I’m not practicing or teaching, I enjoy spending time outdoors in warm weather hiking, swimming, or just sitting in nature. Cold weather finds me indoors reading and cooking. I love traveling as well, and I love taking trainings and classes in new places with new teachers.
Pilates.

I hope students come away from my classes with a deeper appreciation and love of their body as it is. Every body is beautiful and strong in its own way. My hope is that people in my classes gain a new understanding of the subtlety of their body – how it moves and how it interacts with itself – and that this awareness fosters a deeper feeling of connectivity and an honest love for themselves as they are. When we feel in touch with our selves – everything about our selves – we feel more connected to those around us as well. This feeling of integration is the greatest gift I have received from my own practice thanks to remarkable teachers and it is this that I hope to pass on.

Please join Tori at Ananda Shala on:

Wednesdays for Prana Flow Yoga – Level 1 at 5:30PM
Wednesdays for Prana Flow Yoga – 2/3 at 7PM



Upcoming Events & Schedule

Tuesday, February 22, 6-7PM
Advancing Your Intermediate Mat Workout
COST: $20 Pre-Register, $25 drop-in

Sunday, February 27, 1:30-3:30PM
Absolute Beginner Workshop
with Sera Crandell
COST: $20

Saturday, March 5, 2-5PM
Learn Basic Sanskrit
with Pierre Couvillion
COST: $50

Sunday, March 6, 8:30AM-4PM
The Ring of Sounds Continues:Reading, Writing and Sutra Chanting
with Pierre Couvillion
COST: $175

Saturday, March 19, 8-10AM
Prana Flow® Masterclass
with Andew McAuley
COST: $25

Saturday, March 26, 8-10AM
Prana Flow® Masterclass
with Maria Garre
COST: $30

UPCOMING TEACHER TRAININGS

♦ March 4-6
Sanskrit Weekend
with Pierre Couvillion*

♦ March 18-20
Applied Anatomy and Massage
with Andrew McAuley*

♦ March 25-27
Chakra Vinyasa
with Maria Garre*

♦ May 20-22
Fluid Power
with Maria Garre*

♦ Aug 12-14
Yoga + Ayurveda
with Maria Garre*

♦ Oct 7-9
Anjali Restorative Yoga + Prana Flow® for Depression
with Shannon Paige Schneider*

* Required for 300 Hour Program
* Elective for 300 Hour Program

For times and pricing information please visit our Web site!

Learn more

March Specials

Join us on March 5 for March First Saturday for a Casino Night! Come to the Shala to play games and win up to
100% off an item, March 5, 5-9PM

Want to dive deeper into your pilates
or yoga practice?

Try a few privates with a senior teacher at Ananda Shala, 3 sessions for $150

We will also be continuing our
“Free Friend Friday Night”! So come join Kristen on Fridays at 5:30 PM for Yoga Groove and you can bring a friend for FREE!