This, this is so important (a lesson I'm still learning!): "Life can be serious, but yoga is a chance to remember what it's like to play, laugh, be creative, and feel like a kid again, Marchildon and Rumbaugh agree. "We take yoga seriously, but we try to take ourselves lightly,” says Marchildon. Sure, we all want to master the poses, but the "play" element of yoga is less about being "good at it" and more about having fun and trying new things with your body, Rumbaugh adds. "Having a sense of humor, being able to laugh through the tears, that’s what we’re all about," she says. "It’s the secret ingredient to aging well on the mat.” "

"As you age, you recognize that everyone has been through something, Marchildon adds. "You don’t want to wallow the rest of your life in things that happened in the past. You have to move forward ... things that happen to us change us, and with God’s grace they change us for the better." Couldn't have said it better myself. I began yoga in earnest at the age of 50; that was 13 years ago. Do I struggle sometimes? Yes, indeed. But I often remind myself how much more I would struggle without Yoga. Give yourself a Christmas gift of yoga, no matter your age. 2018's a great time to start.

Newsletter out today about yoga schedule changes for the holidays, marketplace specials, and more! Read all about it! http://mailchi.mp/69fe0d3ef8ab/holiday-yoga-schedule-changes

"Instead, it's best to stop using your entire arsenal until you understand which products are truly beneficial to your skin: "If you develop a skin reaction to your products, it's always best to stop them all, give your skin a rest, and add back one at a time with a couple of days in between." Like trying to determine food triggers, this is so hard - to just stop. But it's critical sometimes to begin afresh so that you can truly learn the root cause of a problem, be it dietary, intestinal, or skin-related. A good article here on skin issues and products. Take the time to read your cosmetic labels and ditch the chemicals!

Putting this out there in hopes the message will reach the right person: Jessica, you emailed us through our website but when I replied, my email bounced "because the address couldn't be found, or is unable to receive mail." Would love to answer your question about yoga for your daughter, so please message me here on Facebook. Thanks!

It's that time again - time for Happy Hour Yoga! This Friday, 5:30-7:00 p.m. Dark and light. Stress and Calm. Yin and Yang. We'll mix it up with a strong focus on powerful, strongly held Yin yoga poses to bring you some inner peace, lower your holiday stress, and power up your body's immune system. Please join us!

I'm generally not a huge fan of "super yogis" or other celebrity types telling us how to live our lives,though I do think if you've got the star power, what better way to use it than for the greater good? This is just one of those pieces that makes me think about the power those in the limelight have to encourage others to work to effect change. I think I qualify as one those "straight-edged hippies" Tara Stiles mentions, environmental concerns being at the top of my mind, action, and lifestyle choices for many years. Sometimes the "fixes" are simple. So give it a read.

Wondering about our schedule for the Thanksgiving holiday? Next week, Laura Youngblut will lead her usual Wednesday night class at 6:00 p.m. We are closed, of course, on Thursday, 23 November, but Pat Leitzen Fye will be on the teacher's mat on Friday morning at 9:00 a.m., and again on Saturday morning at 9:00. Got a friend or family member visiting for the holiday who'd like to join you at class? Bring them along and they'll pay just half the drop-in price (just $7!)