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Focus Practice of the Month:

Take Note of Your Experience

Writing down our thoughts and describing our experiences helps us remember what is important to us.

Practicing Svaroopa® yoga makes you feel alive and full inside. You experience the bliss of your own Beingness. At the end of every class, we give you the opportunity to savor the highlight of your yoga experience.

This month, let's take it one step further. Bring a pen and notebook or journal with you to class. At the end of class, write down just one thing that stood out. By writing it down, you imprint that new awareness on your mind. I will give you a chance to share with others what stood out for you.

Honoring Those Who Served: Wayne Clayborne

In last month's newsletter, in honoring veterans we forgot to include Wayne Clayborne for his 33 years of continuous active duty with the U.S. Coast Guard.

Wayne came to the Coast Guard with a high school diploma (he says "barely") and departed with undergraduate and graduate degrees, He honorably retired at the rank of Commander. His training included successful completion of Officer Candidate School, Aviation Survivalman School, and he was a member of the first Coast Guard class to attend the Navy Rescue Swimmer School. He was especially proud that he survived the latter, for which the failure/dropout rate is 75%.

Wayne was also proud to make a difference — with nothing expected in return — to so many folks in their time of need. He helped spearhead rescues both by air and sea. He was deployed to help victims of man-made disasters and natural disasters. He was deployed to Haiti after one of its huge earthquakes and helped Haitians for several months.

Looking back, he says he is especially proud of his spouse and daughters for valuing his service and making so many sacrifices to support his career. He says "You miss a lot when you are deployed so often."

We thank you, Wayne. Giving you a free class was nothing compared to what you have given so many others.

• The following classes are onsite only (no Zoom), taught by Nancy (Phil is on retreat in PA):
• December 13: Wednesday 5:00
• December 14: Thursday 9 am
• December 15: Friday 10 am
• December 16: Saturday 10 am
• The December 7 and December 14 Yoga + Meditation classes at 6:30 are cancelled. To make up for that, there will be a Yoga + Meditation class on Tuesday, December 12 at 6:30.

On December 7th, Phil will be teaching "Gentle Yoga for Stress Relief", sponsored by the Warren Public Library with a grant from the Warren Cultural Council, a local agency supported by the MASS Cultural Council, a state agency. The class is free and will be presented at the Warren Senior Center (2252 Main Street in West Warren). Let friends know! Register with the library at 413 436-7690. (Will not be available through Zoom)

• On December 21 will be a Satsang Winter Solstice Satsang/Celebration with a little yoga, a discourse, meditation, optional discussion and refreshments: 6:30 to 8:00 pm - open to all. Free with optional donation. More information below.
• Studio will be closed from Christmas through Friday January 5th. Saturday the 6th will be our first class of 2024.
• Yoga + Meditation classes will return to Tuesdays at 6:30 in 2024.

We have yoga blocks ($18 per pair) and yoga blankets ($23 each) for sale. We also have some non-fringe, slightly thinner yoga blankets for $20 each.

Please join us in helping make sure nobody goes hungry this holiday season and forever more. Feeding America is a well-established 4-star-rated charity that's working for this goal. Hunger is a complex issue, and Feeding America is tackling it from all angles. It's working to improve access to nutritious food, expand economic security, and advocate for policies that make it easier for people to get the food they need.

Feeding America supports a nationwide network of food banks, food pantries and meal programs. Here in Massachusetts, they include The Food Bank of Western Massachusetts, The Greater Boston Food Bank and the Worcester County Food Bank. If you are from outside Massachusetts, you can look up supported food banks in your area. Click here.

We have established a Facebook fundraiser for you, or you can donate directly on the Feeding Americal website:

To find more information about hunger in the USA, click on the graphic above.

Special note: Lately, more people have been showing up in need of food. This trend will probably continue through the winter. So donations are of paramount importance now. There are many hungry and destitute people living around us. They are very appreciative of the service the pantry provides. Volunteers are always welcome.

We continue collecting donations of money, food and other items weekly for the West Brookfield Sharing Cupboard Food Pantry. Top priority includes non-perishable food such as regular sized (not large) canned proteins (meats or beans), dried beans, grains, peanut butter or other nut butters, powdered milk and cheese that does not have to be refrigerated, cookies, crackers, coffee, condiments (mayonnaise, ketchup, mustard, etc.), canned or packaged soups. Organic is appreciated by many. Also, toilet paper and paper towels. You can also bring cleaning supplies, hand cleaners, and can openers. There is a box in our mudroom where you can drop off your contributions. Thank you in advance!

Class schedule: Onsite and Online

All classes are offered onsite and online. You can enroll for the Experienced class (Friday mornings) if you know the basic poses and need little assistance. Otherwise, join the Continuing (all levels) classes.

Masks Are Optional and Available at the Studio

COVID is still around. Masks are welcomed. We will wear ours. Class sizes will continue to be limited to assure social distancing in the studio. We also have plenty of air circulation and air filters.

If you feel ill, have a cough or runny nose, or might have been exposed to someone who tested positive, please do not come to the studio, even if you tested negative. Feel free to join classes via Zoom until you are symptom free.

Scent Free Studio

Help us accommodate those who are chemically sensitive to fragrances and other scented products Thank you!

Free audio recordings of Swami Nirmalananda discourses are available online. Listen from home or during your travels. Listen

from your cell phone or PC at https://svaroopa.org/audio-recording

You can also join Swami Nirmalananda online in meditation every morning, by subscription.

New! Swami has a new book titled Yoga: Embodied Spirituality, subtitled Navigating the Inner Quest for Wholeness. We have several signed copies for sale in the studio. The book is also available in Kindle or as a paperback at https://svaroopa.org/books

"I wish I could show you when you are lonely or in darkness the astonishing light of your own being." ~ Hafez

"Yogic bliss is reliable; happiness (joy) is not. Bliss is more fulfilling than happiness. It fills you from the inside. Since bliss arises from within, you can bring it with you everywhere you go." ~ Swami Nirmalananda

"Humor is the great thing, the saving thing, after all. The moment it arises, all our hardnesses yield, all our irritations and resentments flit away, and a sunny spirit takes their place." ~ Mark Twain

Census

Census Taker: "How many children do you have?"

Woman: "Four"

Census Taker: "May I have their names please?"

Woman: "Eeny, Meeny, Miny and Frank"

Census Taker: "Okay, that's fine. But may I ask why you named your fourth child Frank?"

Woman: "Because we didn't want any Moe!"



Egged On

He was not going to visit his family for Christmas, but his mom promised to make him Eggs Benedict. So he's going home for the hollandaise.

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Enjoy your Self! Effulgent Bliss is your nature.

Much love and light,

Phil and Nancy