New York Times

On September the 18^th, 1851, The New York Times was published for the first time. With 106 Pulitzers, the most of any new organization and the most popular on-line news organization with 30 million unique visitors per month, The NYTimes is a mainstay of our country’s information gathering, conversation and crosswords. It’s the largest local metropolitan newspaper and the 3^rd largest overall behind the Wall Street Journal and USA Today. The Gray Lady is its nickname and their mantra/motto is, ‘All The News that’s fit to print’.

The paper was started by Henry Jarvis Raymond with the model of conservativism as essential to the public good and radical in everything that requires reform. He did not believe everything in society is either right or wrong but had the desire to preserve, improve and reform.

He set an intention and it has stood the test of time. When you set an intention, it gets you to your goal. It keeps you in clarity so that the distractions of your life fall away.

When you repeat that intention inside and out, you have laser beam focus that keeps you on your path.

The NY Times looks the same with it's black and white columns that get your hands dirty, but every day the news changes.

Every day you come to the mat, your body looks the same, but the information inside and out changes. Use the news you feel and use it as fuel to stay with your intention, move through your practice and your day.

Preserve your intention, improve our strength and flexibility and reform our ideas about the past and future remaining grounded in the present moment.

Conserve your space, breath and energy on the mat and in the world. Be clear and concise with your movement. Stick to the headlines and allow your story to unfold.

The energy of the mind is the essence of life. Aristotle

Passion is energy. Feel the power that comes from focusing on what excites you. Oprah Winfrey

Energy and persistence conquer all things. Benjamin Franklin

All the breaks you need in life wait within your imagination, Imagination is the workshop of your mind, capable of turning mind energy into accomplishment and wealth.

Napoleon Hill

"The more you seek security, the less of it you have. But the more you seek opportunity, the more likely it is that you will achieve the security that you desire." - Brian Tracy

All great deeds and all great thoughts have a ridiculous beginning. Great works are often born on a street corner or in a restaurant's revolving door. Albert Camus

Every day we should hear at least one little song, read one good poem, see one exquisite picture, and, if possible, speak a few sensible words. Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe

And now here is my secret, a very simple secret; it is only with the heart that one can see rightly, what is essential is invisible to the eye. Antoine de Saint-Exupery

The pursuit of truth and beauty is a sphere of activity in which we are permitted to remain children all our lives. Albert Einstein

Truth is stranger than fiction, but it is because Fiction is obliged to stick to possibilities; Truth isn't. Mark Twain

There are only two mistakes one can make along the road to truth; not going all the way, and not starting. Buddha

Truth is by nature self-evident. As soon as you remove the cobwebs of ignorance that surround it, it shines clear. Mohandas Gandhi

All great achievements require time. Maya Angelou

Be not afraid of greatness: some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them. William Shakespeare

Do not pray for easy lives. Pray to be stronger men. John F. Kennedy

Be faithful in small things because it is in them that your strength lies. Mother Teresa

I always wanted to be somebody, but now I realize I should have been more specific. Lily Tomlin

I would never die for my beliefs because I might be wrong. Bertrand Russell

10 years

E Plurbis Unum - Out of Many, One - The Seal of the United States

Living in NYC at the first 9/11 was a powerful and terrifying time. I had just moved back to NYC after many years in Los Angeles. Although we were all effected, I can't imagine being anywhere else in the world for that time as NY rallied together in a way I had never seen or experienced in all my life.

Yoga.

My family was close by and within the tragedy that surrounded us all, it shook many of us still standing into having a different perspective on life. I think it made us all take a good look at ourselves, those we spend time with and how we spend our time. I never in a million years thought I would become a yoga teacher but I'm pretty sure that the events that happened on 9/11 changed the course of my life.

On 9/11, it was the last day of many people's lives. In a scramble of terror, the phone calls reaching out to loved ones in the final moments were all about love and gratitude and hope. There was no talk of anger or frustration or road rage or that the barista didn't get the coffee right or you were cut off in line. Of course, I speak from experience...that's what happened to me that morning when the first plane hit the World Trade Center. I was at Dunkin' Donuts and pissed off at a woman who cut the line. How absolutely ridiculous in hindsight.

It's my goal to be of service to others. I wake up everyday grateful that I have the opportunity to teach and write. Some days are good and some days are bad, but I am always happy to teach an individual or a class room full of people. It's my path and it came into clarity in the most confusing time IN our time.

In memory of a time that's sealed in our memory, let's spend the day or practice with the collective intention to fill our souls and each other with love, hope, compassion and last but not least, gratitude - that we get to practice, move our bodies, breathe deeply and come together in community.

Today we reflect on the moment we became one - differences aside, we stood together, in memory, we stand unified. - Boeing

God promises a safe landing, not a calm passage. If God brings you to it, he will bring you through it.

Although the world is full of suffering, it is also full of the overcoming of it.
 Helen Keller

A very small degree of hope is sufficient to cause the birth of love. Stendhal

Do all things with love. Og Mandino

Let us always meet each other with smile, for the smile is the beginning of love. Mother Teresa

Love does not dominate; it cultivates. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion. Dalai Lama

May we not succumb to thoughts of violence and revenge today, but rather to thoughts of mercy and compassion. We are to love our enemies that they might be returned to their right minds. Marianne Williamson

Our task must be to free ourselves by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature and its beauty. Albert Einstein

Healing is a matter of time, but it is sometimes also a matter of opportunity. Hippocrates

"When you are inspired by some great purpose, some extraordinary project, all of your thoughts break their bonds, your mind transcends limitations, your consciousness expands in every direction and you find yourself in a new great and wonderful world. Dormant forces, faculties and talents become alive, and you discover yourself to be a greater person by far than you ever dreamed yourself to be." Patanjali

Our sorrows and wounds are healed only when we touch them with compassion.Buddha

"The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past, not to worry about the future, or not to anticipate troubles, but to live the present moment wisely and earnestly." Buddha

"Let us rise up and be thankful, for if we didn't learn a lot today, at least we learned a little, and if we didn't learn a little, at least we didn't get sick, and if we got sick, at least we didn't die; so let us all be thankful." Buddha

"He who lives with his senses well controlled, moderate in his food and drink, he will not be overthrown, any more than the wind throws down a rocky mountain." Buddha

The practice of forgiveness is our most important contribution to the healing of the world. Marianne Williamson

We need to give each other the space to grow, to be ourselves, to exercise our diversity. We need to give each other space so that we may both give and receive such beautiful things as ideas, openness, dignity, joy, healing, and inclusion. Max de Pree

Healing does not mean going back to the way things were before, but rather allowing what is now to move us closer to God. Ram Dass

"Take care of your body with steadfast fidelity. The soul must see through these eyes alone, and if they are dim, the whole world is clouded." Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

"What one relishes, nourishes." Benjamin Franklin

"He that would live in peace and at ease, must not speak all he knows, nor judge all he sees." Benjamin Franklin

"Do not anticipate trouble or worry about what may never happen. Keep always in the sunlight." Benjamin Franklin

"Time heals all wounds." Anonymous

"The time to relax is when you don't have time for it." Sydney J. Harris

"The soul is a breath of living spirit, that with excellent sensitivity, permeates the entire body to give it life. Just so, the breath of the air makes the earth fruitful. Thus the air is the soul of the earth..." Hildegarde of Bingen

"Wherever there is a human being, there is an opportunity for kindness." Seneca

"We must always change, renew, rejuvenate ourselves; otherwise we harden."Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

To keep your interest alive, do what you love and love what you do for "...when work is a pleasure, life is a joy. Maxim Gorky

"Love one another: you'll be happy and healthy. It's as simple and difficult as that." Michael Leunig

"A strong positive attitude will create more miracles than any wonder drug." Patricia Neal

"Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy." Thich Nhat Hanh

"Breath is the bridge which connects life to consciousness, which unites your body to your thoughts." Thich Nhat Hanh

"A quiet mind cureth all."Robert Burton

"Do everything with so much love in your heart that you would never want to do it any other way." Amrit Desai

"Teach only love for that is what you are." A Course In Miracles

"Sing songs that none have sung, think thoughts that ne'er in the brain have rung; walk in paths that none have trod; weep tears as none have shed for God. Give peace to all to whom none other gave, claim him your own who's everywhere disclaimed. Love all with love that none have felt and brave the battle of life with strength unchained." Paramahansa Yogananda

We need to give each other the space to grow, to be ourselves, to exercise our diversity. We need to give each other space so that we may both give and receive such beautiful things as ideas, openness, dignity, joy, healing, and inclusion.Max de Pree

"To ease another's heartache is to forget one's own. Abraham Lincoln

"Love is the great miracle cure. Loving ourselves works miracles in our lives." Louise L. Hay

"I promise to keep on living as though I expected to live forever. Nobody grows old by merely living a number of years. People grow old only by deserting their ideals. Years may wrinkle the skin, but to give up interest wrinkles the soul." General Douglas MacArthur

"To insure good health: Eat lightly, breathe deeply, live moderately, cultivate cheerfulness, and maintain an interest in life." William Londen

Love one another and help others to rise to the higher levels, simply by pouring out love. Love is infectious and the greatest healing energy. Sai Baba

Healing may not be so much about getting better, as about letting go of everything that isn't you - all of the expectations, all of the beliefs - and becoming who you are. Rachel Naomi Remen

"Sorrow looks back with sadness. Worry looks up and down, from side to side, with fear. Faith looks forward with hope and gladness." Anonymous

"Don't hold to anger, hurt or pain. They steal your energy and keep you from love." Leo Buscaglia

"One word Frees us of all the weight and pain of life: That word is love." Sophocles

All healing is first a healing of the heart. Carl Townsend

Forgiving does not erase the bitter past. A healed memory is not a deleted memory. Instead, forgiving what we cannot forget creates a new way to remember. We change the memory of our past into a hope for our future. Lewis B. Smedes

"Whenever you are confronted with an opponent. Conquer him with love." Mohandas K. Gandhi

In gratitude, love, hope and compassion,

Lady

Labor Day

My mom gave birth on Labor Day. She labored hard on Labor Day. My birthday!

It's the first Monday in September and is a creation of the labor movement dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers. Its a yearly national tribute to all of us - in yoga!

In the spirit of prosperity and well being for ourselves, each other and our country, let's set the collective intention as we practice and go about our day to celebrate

YOU!

In the end, though, maybe we must all give up trying to pay back the people in this world who sustain our lives. In the end, maybe it's wiser to surrender before the miraculous scope of human generosity and to just keep saying thank you, forever and sincerely, for as long as we have voices. - Elizabeth Gilbert

Only one who devotes himself to a cause with his whole strength and soul can be a true master. For this reason mastery demands all of a person.

Albert Einstein

Be faithful in small things because it is in them that your strength lies.

Mother Teresa

Continuous effort - not strength or intelligence - is the key to unlocking our potential. Winston Churchill

Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will. Mohandas Gandhi

We gain strength, and courage, and confidence by each experience in which we really stop to look fear in the face... we must do that which we think we cannot. Eleanor Roosevelt

Where there is no struggle, there is no strength. Oprah Winfrey

Good actions give strength to ourselves and inspire good actions in others. Plato

As much as we need a prosperous economy, we also need a prosperity of kindness and decency. Caroline Kennedy

Prosperity gathers smiles, while adversity scatters them. WILLIAM SCOTT DOWNEY

In our lives, change is unavoidable, loss is unavoidable. In the adaptability and ease with which we experience change, lies our happiness and freedom. Buddha

Most of us miss out on life's big prizes. The Pulitzer. The Nobel. Oscars. The World Cup. But we're all eligible for life's smaller prizes... A pat on the back. A kiss behind the ear. A four-pound bass. A full moon. An empty parking space. A crackling fire. A great meal. A glorious sunset. Hot soup. Cold beer." —Unknown

All the world's a stage, and the men and women merely players. They have their exits and their entrances; and one man in his time plays many parts. William Shakespeare

When one door of happiness closes, another opens, but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one that has been opened for us. Helen Keller

Success is getting what you want. Happiness is wanting what you get." Dale Carnegie

A smile is a curve that sets everything straight. Phyllis Diller

Laborious,

Lady

Irene and Katrina

When an international, national, natural disaster happens whether it's in your backyard or abroad, it's impossible not to feel the impact on some level.

While our neighbors on the east coast are dealing with hurricane Irene, and we're rounding the anniversary of hurricane Katrina, it's important that we empathize and support those who are challenged the most whether it's with our, time, money or at least - the energy of our intention.

As we move through our practice and our day today, let's focus on staying grounded, within and physically so we can transmit that energy to those whose lives are in tumult. Deep breath in, deep breath out.

The foot feels the foot when it feels the ground. – Buddha ***Balancing is hard enough to do on two legs, let alone one, be gentle with your thoughts whatever trials get you off your center.

The stiller I am, the more everything moves in the immense vocabulary of being. Margaret Hasse

We are so much more undiscovered than we are discovered. Kobi Yamada

We all have within us a center of stillness surrounded by silence. Dag Hammerskjöld

We still do not know one thousandth of one percent of what nature has revealed to us. Albert Einstein ***On or off the mat, don't force anything...let your body and mind unfold it's natural stretch and instinct in it's time.

"Within you there is a stillness and a sanctuary to which you can retreat at any time and be yourself." Hermann Hesse ***Do whatever you need to do to find it, move it, sing it, get yourself there! - moi

"Through return to simple living Comes control of desires. In control of desires Stillness is attained. In stillness the world is restored." Lao Tzu

"No thought, no action, no movement, total stillness: only thus can one manifest the true nature and law of things from within and unconsciously, and at last become one with heaven and earth." Lao Tzu

Your innermost sense of self, of who you are, is inseparable from stillness. This is the I Am that is deeper than name and form." Eckhart Tolle

"It is the stillness that will save and transform the world." Eckhart Tolle

Whoever can see through all fear will always be safe." Tao Te Ching

You become what you think about all day long and those days eventually become your lifetime." Wayne Dyer

From silence you come, to silence you go.

Enter your inner space and know where you come from.

The eternal silence awaits you with endless patience." Unknown

"If you judge people, you have no time to love them." Mother Teresa

Difficulties are meant to rouse, not discourage. The human spirit is to grow strong by conflict." William Ellery Channing

It has often occurred to me that a seeker after truth has to be silent." Gandhi

To be dedicated to this moment, is to be dedicated to our nothingness!

And our nothingness is our freedom!" Unknown

"I am glad that so much movement happens in this stillness." Richard Land

"The stillness in stillness is not the real stillness; only when there is stillness in movement does the universal rhythm manifest." Bruce Lee

"Uncontrolled, the hunger and thirst after God may become an obstacle, cutting off the soul from what it desires. If a man would travel far along the mystic road, he must learn to desire God intensely but in stillness, passively and yet with all his heart and mind and strength.” Aldous Huxley

"For those who wish to climb the mountain of spiritual awareness, the path is selfless work. For those who have attained the summit of union with the Lord, the path is stillness and peace.” Bhagavad Gita

the mind is restless, turbulent, powerful, violent; trying to control it is like trying to tame the wind." Bhagavad Gita

"If water derives lucidity from stillness, how much more the faculties of the mind! The mind of the sage, being in repose, becomes the mirror of the universe, the speculum of all creation. Chuang Tzu

"The sound of 'gentle stillness' after all the thunder and wind have passed will be the ultimate Word from God." Jim Elliot

"Activity conquers cold, but stillness conquers heat."Lao Tzu

"One’s action ought to come out of an achieved stillness: not to be mere rushing on." D.H. Lawrence

Staying in tadasana (mountain), even when things around you me blowing about,

Lady

Family Fit Fete

Amelia Earhart

On August 24^th 1932 Amelia Earhart became the first woman to fly across the US non stop. Her trip was from LA to Newark. It took 19 hours.

She was not charged for her additional baggage. Whether you are on your mat or drinking your morning cup o' joe whilst blog surfing, let's make the collective intention today to be open to all possibilities. Setting goals and having intentions are important, otherwise, there is nothing fueling your passion and drive. If you are working in rejection, defeat or 'shoulds', 'coulds' or past experiences, you will probably stay stuck where you are. In yoga, especially hot yoga where mirrors are present, it's easy to keep your eyes on a still point of focus - you. You are your goal and if you fall or fail, guess who will be there to pick yourself up? You, the most important person in the room. So, nourish that person, that goal and that intention.

Anything and everything is possible if you are open to it. And nowadays, it doesn't take 19 hours to get across the country. Back then, it did.

It's all possible. Enjoy.

To accomplish great things, we must dream as well as act. Anatole France

We need men who can dream of things that never were. John F. Kennedy

The key to realizing a dream is to focus not on success but significance - and then even the small steps and little victories along your path will take on greater meaning. Oprah Winfrey

Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goal. Henry Ford

Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you'll land among the stars. Les Brown

The important thing is to strive towards a goal which is not immediately visible. That goal is not the concern of the mind, but of the spirit. Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

Some of the world's greatest feats were accomplished by people not smart enough to know they were impossible. Doug Larson

Goals are dreams with deadlines. Diana Scharf Hunt

Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go. T.S. Eliot

If you want to make your dreams come true, the first thing you have to do is wake up. J.M. Power

Life's problems wouldn't be called "hurdles" if there wasn't a way to get over them. Unknown

Though no one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending. Unknown

God gives us dreams a size too big so that we can grow in them. Unknown

The question isn't who is going to let me; it's who is going to stop me. Ayn Rand

Don't say you don't have enough time. You have exactly the same number of hours per day that were given to Helen Keller, Pasteur, Michaelangelo, Mother Teresea, Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson, and Albert Einstein. ~Life's Little Instruction Book, compiled by H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

The best angle from which to approach any problem is the try-angle. Unknown

How am I going to live today in order to create the tomorrow I'm committed to? Anthony Robbins

Sometimes the path you're on is not as important as the direction you're heading. Kevin Smith

The impossible is often the untried. Jim Goodwin

The vision must be followed by the venture. It is not enough to stare up the steps - we must step up the stairs. Vance Havner

It is easier to go down a hill than up, but the view is best from the top. Arnold Bennett

I am looking for a lot of men who have an infinite capacity to not know what can't be done. Henry Ford

One of the secrets of life is to make stepping stones out of stumbling blocks. Jack Penn

There are no shortcuts to any place worth going. Beverly Sills

Know your limits, but never stop trying to exceed them. Unknown

Part of the issue of achievement is to be able to set realistic goals, but that's one of the hardest things to do because you don't always know exactly where you're going, and you shouldn't.George Lucas

The greatest dreams are always unrealistic. Will Smith

Out of the strain of the doing, Into the peace of the done. Julia Woodruff

The only thing that has to be finished by next Tuesday is next Monday. Jennifer Yane

Map out your future, but do it in pencil. Jon Bon Jovi

Most people would succeed in small things if they were not troubled with great ambitions. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

You must have long-range goals to keep you from being frustrated by short-range failures.Charles C. Noble

Arriving at one goal is the starting point to another. John Dewey

Flying high,

Lady

Shine

Darlings,

I always love looking at what happened back in history. It allows me to sit with it in the present, let it resonate with me so that I can use it as fuel for what's next...future!

People often ask me, what the heck is this history yoga? Well, come to class and find out, that's what I say. If you can't do that, here's the deal, the collection of people in a room that come together to practice will never be the same more than once...not unless you intentionally plan it that way. So, in a way, we are creating history. Everyone has their reasons to come to a class - surround themselves with people of different backgrounds with the collective intention to clear space for themselves, be inspired, work out the mind and the body. It's important to have an intention, otherwise, what's the point of anything.

Today, our collective intention is to shine. How did I get that from this, August 21st, 1959 being the anniversary of Hawaii becoming the 50th state? Well, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the proclamation admitting Hawaii into the US, but he also issued an order for the American flag. It's the one we know and love today featuring 50 stars arranged in staggered rows of five six-star and four five-star rows. The new flag became official on July 4th, 1960.

The flag and country were complete with a star spangled shiny flag.

So, shine.

It's a great way to start the practice on this inspiration. Allow the postures to open up naturally in the body and let your true light shine with brilliance.

There are two ways to spread light. Be a candle or the mirror that reflects it. Edith Wharton

What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us. Ralph Waldo Emerson

There isn't a person anywhere who isn't capable of doing more than he (she) can. Henry Ford

There are two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle." Albert Einstein

In order for the light to shine so brightly, the darkness must be present. Francis Bacon

With every opening of the body and mind while practicing, there is a push or pull through areas of roughness and holding. Ease your way into these spaces with deep breath and a gentle mind and the balance of dark and light won't be so extreme.

Energy and persistence conquer all things. Benjamin Franklin

You are responsible for the energy you create for yourself and you’re responsible for the energy that you bring to others. All life is energy and we are transmitting it at every moment. We are all beaming little signals like radio frequencies and the world is responding in kind. - Oprah Winfrey from her last show May 25th, 2011

Passion is energy. Feel the power that comes from focusing on what excites you. Oprah Winfrey

Without contraries is no progression. Attraction and repulsion, reason and energy, love and hate, are necessary to human existence. William Blake

The more you lose yourself in something bigger than yourself, the more energy you will have. Norman Vincent Peale

With out passion you dont have energy, with out energy you have nothing. Donald Trump (and a little money doesn't hurt either...Lady)

Just as your car runs more smoothly and requires less energy to go faster and farther when the wheels are in perfect alignment, you perform better when your thoughts, feelings, emotions, goals, and values are in balance. Brian Tracy

Balance your thoughts with action. If you spend too much time thinking about a thing, you’ll never get it done. -Bruce Lee

Accept challenges so that you may feel the exhilaration of victory. George S. Patton

Take responsibility for the energy you bring into this space. Dr. Jill Taylor

There is no passion to be found playing small - in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living. Nelson Mandela

If passion drives you, let reason hold the reins. Benjamin Franklin

The peace I am thinking of is the dance of an open mind when it engages another equally open one. Toni Morrison

What life have you if you have not life together? There is no life that is not in community. T. S. Eliot

Our strength is a contented and intelligent community. Rutherford Hayes

The body is a community made up of its innumerable cells or inhabitants. Thomas A. Edison

But let there be spaces in your togetherness and let the winds of the heavens dance between you. Love one another but make not a bond of love: let it rather be a moving sea between the shores of your souls. Khalil Gibran

Glimmering,

Lady