Success in Yoga Is Not Talent as It Is Perseverance

 Padma Matsyendrasana - Lotus Fish
If I would have followed my natural inclinations, I never would have gotten past CatCow pose sequence in yoga. Today after long hours of Pranayama (yes, it really does work), Meditation, and Pratapana (warm ups), I practiced Full Lotus Fish Pose. I was amazed, with once swollen knees from meniscus tears, this posture was not even imaginable for me. But, I did it!
Perseverance + patience + very thorough instructions + a climate of no fear or feeling insecure, and it just happened! I am still amazed and have one full week to see how my body responds to this healthy climate. I was concerned I would wake up this morning and have swollen or hurting knees. No, I feel great. I can see that the prana (life energy) practice really makes a difference in the body response after twelve hours of hard work.
Pressing forward today with a joyful expectation of learning and trying postures that were once un-fathomable. It just helps me see once again, that there is some talent to yoga, but I have none. I just start each day with a "beginner's mind," and see what unfolds. Once again success begins with the word, "TRY."
Whether, you are a brand new beginner or a seasoned beginner or even consider yourself advanced or a teacher, the secret to success is showing up on the mat time after time, day after day, with a willing heart and no fear. Namaste'

Trip to Massachusetts for Pranayama and Asana - Advanced Training; Being Authentic

I believe that walking in your truth or being authentic is a valuable part of who I am.  Today is my day of travel to the northeast for training.  Part of me is excited for this new journey, and yet, another part of me realizes the rigors of self-discipline, living in a dorm like setting, and taking a vow of silence each day.  I am always a little anxious as I fly and practice my breathing techniques along with meditation while traveling through the air.
Yoga has given me so many valuable tools in my toolbox to handle anxiety, dress rehearsals for fear stories, and actual trauma.  The breath training, pranayama, is one of its best accessories!  I am looking forward to the long hours of teaching in advanced pranayama just for this reason.  I know it will help me benefit others by being truthful about how to deal with worry or fear.
Yesterday evening as I was teaching my last class I thought to myself how wonderful it is to be able to crawl along the floor, get up and down with ease, and have a healthy body.  The yoga postures or asanas keep me in shape and out of typical "grandma hood" behavior.  Yes, there are days that I struggle with stiffness and even arthritis, but the effort to keep moving has been a lifesaver.  When I began yoga back in 1995, my knees were very painful, and I struggled with daily hives due to frazzled nerves.  Now, my body is flexible and strong.  Balance is sometimes a struggle whether I am inverting or standing on both feet; however, I know that my practice is evolving, and my goal is to become better and better every day.
So, Kripalu, here I come!  Advanced classes, pranayama training, and difficult asanas ahead!  Softening into gratitude for how far I have come and finding joy in each part of the journey, I am fulfilling my dharma one right step at a time.

Massachusetts Bound 500 RYT in Progress!

Jeanne K Doss

Headed to Massachusetts for Advanced Training in Pranayama and Asana

500 RYT

November News - Yoga for Aroma Therapy and Immunity

Dear Friends,

I am so happy to see this new month begin as Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday.  Gratitude is something I practice every day and especially for you!  We have exciting events going on this week and throughout November. Join me today on Monday for Core/Back Strength Day at Tranquility!

Our classes include the following:

1. 9:00 a.m.  Flexibility for All
2. 10:30 a.m.  45 minutes of Power Practice
3. 12:00 p.m.  Healthy Back and Core with a Gentle Approach
4. 5:30 p.m.  Power Yoga for Strength, Flexibility, and Balance
5. 6:45 p.m.  Sheri is teaching Beginner's Yoga with a Restorative End

Tuesday classes enjoy the NEW CHAIR YOGA practice at noon:

1. 9:00 a.m.  Flexibility for All
2. 10:30 a.m.  45 minutes of Power Practice
3. 12:00 p.m.  Chair Yoga for Arthritis and Osteoporosis
4. 5:30 p.m.  Power Yoga for Happy Hips and Hamstrings
5. 6:45 p.m.  Ashley is teaching a Beginner's Yoga with a Restorative End

Wednesday classes include an additional meditation practice (just 25 minutes):

1. 9:00 a.m.  Flexibility for All
2. 10:30 a.m.  45 minutes of Sun Salutes
3. 12:00 p.m.  Sheri is teaching Gentle Yoga
4. 4:45 p.m.  Short Meditation for Stress Release
5. 5:30 p.m.  HOT Power Yoga for Balance, Flexibility, and Strength
6. 6:45 p.m.  Beginner's Yoga with a Restorative End  

Thursday classes include the Chair Yoga class and WORKSHOP at 6:45 p.m. with Jeanne teaching Yoga for Immunity from Colds, Virus, and Flu Season:

1. 9:00 a.m.  Flexibility for All
2. 10:30 a.m.  45 minutes of Power Up with Sun Salutes
3. 12:00 p.m.  Chair Yoga for Arthritis and Osteoporosis
4. 4:15 p.m.  Iron Yoga - Power Practice
5. 5:30 p.m.  Open Shoulders, Open Chest with Janelle teaching
6. 6:45 p.m.  $10 Workshop fee for "Yoga for Immunity" with the recipe for Tumeric Toddy, what essential oils to use, and how Ayurveda teaches to improve your immunity
7. Tumeric Toddy Recipe

• 1 cup hot water
• Grated (peeled) fresh ginger
• 1/2 squeezed lemon
• 1 teaspoon of honey/tumeric paste
• (2 and 1/2 tablespoons of tumeric plus 1 cup of honey)
• Stir and enjoy the immunity building drink!

Friday classes are always fun, and we love ending the week with a positive intention:

1. 9:00 a.m.  Flexibility for All
2. 10:30 a.m.  Sun Salute UP!
3. 12:00 p.m.  Healthy Back for Beginners
4. 5:30 p.m.  HOT Vinyasa Flow - Power Practice

Saturday classes are a trio of different levels and the best of Jeanne K:

1. 9:00 a.m.  Iron Yoga - Power Practice
2. 10:30 a.m.  Beginner's Yoga
3. 12:00 p.m.  Happy Hips and Hamstrings - Vinyasa Flow with a moderate flavor

Sunday classes include meditation and hot yoga for November and December (but we are adding in a fun class at 2:00 in January with Janelle that is not over 75 degrees)

1. 4:00 p.m.  Meditation
2. 4:30 p.m.  HOT Vinyasa with Ashley

*****

​Chair Yoga is taught by Jeanne and will be focused on doing what you can with an open dialogue for questions.  It is on Tuesdays and Thursdays at noon.    We work on breathing, gentle movements of the body, and range of motion for the joints from a chair.  Please bring your yoga mat, too!  $67.50 for 10 classes in this series of workshops ($6.75 per workshop class).

​Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra offers a wealth of wise advice about posture, attitude, and aging gracefully. Sutra II.46, says, “Asana must have the dual qualities of alertness and relaxation” and calls for a balance of effort and ease in postures. I try to challenge myself without strain, letting my breath indicate if I’m crossing the line into risky territory.  Yoga Journal, Dr. Loren Fishman, Loren Saltonstall, and Carol Krucoff

We will have this class throughout the November, December, and January calendars.  However, as I will be gone for two weeks to Massachusetts for training, the class will go off the schedule starting November 12 - Thanksgiving.  I will restart the Chair Yoga workshop class on Tuesday, December 1, at 12:00 p.m.

*****

Ayurveda, the science of yoga, essential oils from Young Living, yoga postures for immunity, and de-stressing along with my recipe for a Tumeric toddy are the themes of this coming Thursday night at 6:45 p.m.  $10 Workshop fee and join us to help build your immune system with Tranquility Yoga and Mind & Body Essentials, Jeanne K Doss and Dana Rowe.  Please let me know you plan to attend.  Thank you!

*****

​I thought BOGO was the right term, but someone said, "No, it is BOGOHO." Our November special is only on Saturday, November 28, 2015, in the studio itself for a buy one card, and get the next card half off with a year's expiration for a starting date.  In other words, you decide the day you activate the card within a year's period of time, and then the expiration date will begin from the starting date you choose.  The cards that are available include:  6, 10, and 20 punch cards with a 30, 60, and 90 day respectively time limit.  Perhaps you might like to purchase a yoga mat, strap, and card for a friend or relative for Christmas; then, you could get the second card for yourself at half off.

*****

Flying to Massachusetts for training at Kripalu on November 12th and returning home on the 27th, our schedule for November is modified.  Please continue your attendance as we have amazing teachers who are covering the classes for me.  I am so thankful for you!

​Namaste', I am on my way to fulfilling my dream of being a 500 hr RYT and making our studio the only Kripalu place to practice in Oklahoma!  A place where the physical body, the breath body, the emotional body, the mental body, and the spiritual body are in harmony.  Come home to yoga; come home to Tranquility!

Jeanne K

Jeanne K. Doss; www.tranquilityyogastudio.com
ERYT 200/Yoga Alliance; Certified Personal Trainer/Cooper Institute; Pilates and Aerobics certifications; Zumba training Level 1 and Gold; YogaFit 1 and 2; Yoga Therapy Certification Level 1

"Undisturbed calmness of mind is attained by cultivating friendliness toward the happy, compassion for the unhappy, delight in the virtuous, and indifference toward the wicked."
(The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali)