From my newsletter: Top Ten Yogis!

Top Ten Yogis of 2009

Congratulations!

1. Elizabeth (62 Classes)

2. Ann (52)

3. Lori (44)

4. tie: Carol* & Ruth (42)

5. Sheree (38)

6. John (34)

7. Tracy (31)

8. Lily & Philippe** (23)

9. tie: Mark & Mary (22)

10. Lindsey*** (21)

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*Carol took some classes at World Gym that weren't registered. ** Lily & Philippe did not start classes until September ***Lindsey did not start classes until October

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Where will YOU be next year? Set your intention now to be on the top of this list in 2010--you'll be glad you did.
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It is said that whatever you do on New Year's Day is what you will repeat most during the year. Join us at CCPC New Year's Day at 11am for a Free Yoga Class. Bring your friends. Happy Healthy New Year! ~

Congratulations and Namaste' to ALL my yogis, no matter how many classes you made it to! Linna

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Register for 4 & 8 weeks sessions for the New Year Here.

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Restorative Yoga Day Jan. 2nd has a few spaces left, join us for a relaxing day, Register Here. If you haven't confirmed your spot, let me know ASAP so we know how much food to make! We look forward to starting the New Year peacefully with you :)

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Shanti Shanti Shanti...(Peace, Peace, Peace)

Silence

A day of Silence

Can be a pilgrimage in itself.

A day of Silence

Can help you listen

To the Soul play

Its marvelous lute and drum.

Is not most talking

A crazed defense of a crumbling fort?

I thought we came here

To surrender in Silence,

To yield to Light and Happiness,

To Dance within

In Celebration of Love's Victory!

~Hafiz

Quiet!

Got to do Reiki yesterday. Not teach. Do. It was beautiful. Christmas music softly playing in the background, snow outside my windows, quiet and warm. I've been teaching so much, I haven't had a chance to just sit and give Reiki quietly... missed it. Get another opportunity today. Yay!

The whole family has been home together. It hasn't exactly been Norman Rockwell, if you know what I mean. It's been... noisy. And messy. And sometimes smelly. I locked myself in my spirit room yesterday afternoon. It was quiet. And clean. And smelled of patchouli... mmmm.

At the height of the snowstorm, we took our little eskimo dog for a walk. She was "drowning" in our back yard, needed to stretch her little legs. Used to be, this was the favorite part of a snowstorm for us. A quiet walk down the middle of the street with the snow falling silently around us, all activity at a standstill, a winter wonderland. Not exactly this time.

Between the snow blowers, the 4 wheeled drivers and the silly fool driving a motorcycle down Belair Drive being chased by a Bowie police car, causing my daughter to freak out about our little dog being killed as the driver swerved out of control heading right for us, it was again, not exactly Norman Rockwell. Especially as we extricated ourself from the snow bank we had to throw ourselves into to save our lives. And while I'm at it... what the hell? Seriously? It was 7pm Saturday night, we were at about 18 inches of snow at that point, visability was extremely limited and the roads were completely covered... you mean to tell me people could not just quietly enjoy it? We only saw 2 other people walking the whole time we were out, but there was a line of cars consistently driving up and down the streets. What happened to the old days of life stopping, people walking and being friendly, helping each other out?

Ugh. I'm geezing... but really. Unless you were driving a nurse or doctor to the hospital with your 4 wheeled drive, park it. No one is impressed. Use your feet, that's why you have them.

Don't get me started on the snow blowers... Unless you are 70 years old with a bad back, there is no need to make all that noise... Specially at night when the snow hadn't even begun to let up. Sheesh. It's as bad as those generators...and leaf blowers. No wonder our country has such high obesity rates.

Ooops, so now that I have pissed off all my macho friends... Have a Merry QUIET Christmas!

Christmas? Bring it on!

Yesterday was the last day of my marathon stretch of beautiful, blessed, exhausting work. Now don't get me wrong-- I love my work. But I have been doing an awful lot of it :) I'm ready for a bit of a break. Barry & I always take the week between Christmas and New Years off as an end the old year and begin the new connecting, remembering who you really are and what's important. Only thing is, this year Barry can't take off because he lost his 5 weeks of vacation when he got laid off from his job. He has a great new job but it takes awhile to build up to that much vacation again. He had been forever at the other job so was able to pretty much take off whenever he wanted.

But I'm not complaining--truly I'm not. He (we) were soooo lucky that he found a job at all, let alone with a better company and more stability. When I think of what could have happened, and what is happening with so many souls who can't find work, I realize that we were majorly blessed. It will be weird this year to have him working while we are home is all.

Rhia is home. The tree and decorations are up. (trick to getting it all done: host an open house the first weekend of December LOL) Most of the Christmas shopping is done... Thank God for Amazon! Got one last event, SoulCollage on Friday night, and then nothing but yoga til Christmas eve.... I will cease to be Yolinna, Reiki Master, Yoga Teacher & SoulCollage Facilitator and will try and remember who Linda, wife & mother of 2, lover of great books and comfy covers is. Will laze about on the couch, thinking deep thoughts like "now, where is that tv remote?" and "should I have another bon bon or see if someone will hold grapes over my head and fan me?"

Right. "Someone". Barry won't be home. He'd be the only one likely to help me find the remote. And I don't think he would fan me and hold grapes over my head but he would get me some bon bons. Rhia will be having the same fantasy so the likelihood of both of us lying on the couch staring at the empty tv screen because we will bicker for an hour over who should get up and get the remote is more like the reality of "vacation". LOL Cory will be coming in from work and give us the ole, "sheesh is this all you do? Some of us have to WORK!" to which we will giggle because even if we can't watch tv and are lazy as could be, it's better than having to go to work during the holidays....

Poor Barry & Cory. Lucky me & Rhia. I suppose we could occasionally get off the couch and make them a nice meal. Shaaaaaaaaaaa---right! We're on vacation!. But I will order them a pizza.

It's the least I can do.

revelations

In preparing for my open house, I decided it would be a good idea to put new herbs in and sew an extra seam on my remaining eye pillows. While doing so, I had a major revelation:

I HATE TO SEW!!!

And not only that, but:

I DON'T HAVE TO SEW IF I DON'T WANT TO!!

And then:

WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH ME?

Over and over, people have patiently and generously offered to sew my products for me since I am feeble at it. I pooh pooh them away, most martyr like-- "oh no, I will do it, I'll get better, don't worry about me".

And then like a double fool, tell folks, "so if anything happens to your eye pillow, like the seams rip out since I am so feeble, just bring it back and I will fix it for you" Because it's not bad enough to sew it once... I like to do it 4 or 5 times. Arrrrrgh!

So, I'm in the middle of cursing and ripping out the fabric that's stuck in that little place where the stupid bobbin thingy wants to grab it and tangle everything up, causing me to get out my vacuum cleaner to try and suck out all the fibers cause I'm not patient enough to take the whole freaking thing apart AGAIN, I mean really, who needs 6 screws to hold down one little plate to cover some stupid thread???? And it occurs to me:

BOINNNNGGGGG!!! I DON'T HAVE TO DO THIS!

Like who cares if I can't sew? I am really good at lots of things-- why do I feel the need to torture myself? Like, I don't win acceptance to the freakin June Cleaver school if I can't sew.

WELL GOOD! I don't want to be June Cleaver anyways. This is interfering with my application to the Mother Teresa school anyway, all this cursing.

So there you have it. I am going out of business!!! From now on, I will grow the herbs and put the concoctions together and if anyone wants to put them in a pillow, go for it. Not me!

Sheesh. Now I understand why my mother always told me I was hardheaded.