April 2005 Newsletter

“The world is nothing more than Beauty’s chance to show herself. And what are we? Nothing more than Beauty’s chance to see Herself. For if Beauty were not seeking herself, we would not exist.” – Ghalib

April is the month of Aphrodite, Goddess of love and beauty. In India she is called Lakshmi or Shri. Shri is the manifested form of Shakti, constantly seeking us. Shri is beauty, She is the Earth, the World-Mother. On April 22nd we celebrate Earth Day, and the 29th Arbor Day. This is a time to connect more deeply to the elements. I invite you to walk in beauty as a way of being more at peace with yourself and the world. Walking in beauty is opening to grace, to possibility, to make our lives more meaningful. Yoga is a way of doing this. It is a journey of reconnecting yourself with your inner self, your source.

Modern yoga in the West often places more importance on the physical body without much attention to the spirit. This kind of yoga alone is not enough for our times. The time is ripe to recognize the interconnection between personal and spiritual well being as well as the well being and healing of our planet. You can set an intention during your practice to contribute to your own health by tending to your spirit and as you do so you contribute to the healing of others and of Mother Earth. You can identify with the brightest light and become it. After yoga we are better able to be in the presence of our own self. We do yoga for an awakening, a glimpse of who we are at our very core, our essence. We obtain clear insight and can richly participate in life making it a more artistic offering. We do yoga to create beauty.

The promise of yoga is ‘the more you open your heart to the beauty inside the more the Divine will reveal its presence to you.’ There is a Tantric worldview that states “The world is beautiful because it is a manifestation of the most beautiful one.” Meditation on this cultivates a shift that allows us to participate more fully in the passion of our own gifts.

Here is what’s new:

• Yoga Nidra Workshop "Step to the front of your Life" Yoga Nidra, derived from the tantras is a life changing approach to complete relaxation. For true relaxation you must remain aware. Yoga Nidra can be described as deep sleep with a trace of awareness, a state of being that allows you to reach beneath surface tensions and awaken your potential for greatness through the medium of sankalpa. A sankalpa is a resolution created by you, a positive statement in the present tense designed to align you with your destiny, to accelerate this process. After creating our sankalpas, we will begin with some gentle stretching to prepare for the practice of Yoga Nidra. As Rod Stryker says, " This is more than a systematic approach to total rejuvenation and healing, it is truly a gift to help you shape your destiny and live the richest life you can imagine." Join Mary Bruce Friday April 22nd. from 6:00-8:00 p.m. at Arizona Yoga for this amazing experience! $25prepaid, $30 the day of. Please call AZ Yoga to register. 480.941.6855 voicemail | info@azyoga.net | 2334 N. Scottsdale Rd. #126 Scottsdale, AZ 85257

• May Intro to Yoga - Note Changes in the Dates - Sunday May 1st, May 8th and 22nd at At One Yoga Scottsdale from 3 to 5 pm. Go to www.atoneyoga.com for more info. • I will be assisting Rod Stryker in Dallas for Vinyasa Krama: The Energetics of Sequencing May 11 - 15 A Pure Yoga Master Training. If you are interested in participating is this workshop see www.pureyoga.com for more details.

• No Intro to Yoga In June

• There are still a few spaces left for In Sabina, Italy. See www.marybruce.com or call me at 602-432-7663 for more details.