Love yourself. Then forget it. Then, love the world. — Mary Oliver
Dear Shala Community,
We’re moving into March like a lion with some schedule tweaks and exciting new offerings!
newsletters
newsletter archive: february 2021
Dear Shala Community,
Happy Black History Month! We hope this letter finds you well.
december 2020/january 2021 newsletter, letter to community
Dear Shala Community,
After 20 years of owning and operating our beautiful studio in Union Square, we have decided to close our doors at 816 Broadway. After several attempts to negotiate with our landlord, in the end we couldn’t agree on an affordable way to keep the space while there is still so much uncertainty for brick-and-mortar yoga studios.
newsletter archive: march 2020
Dear all,
This month we’ll focus on jnana and twists. As we approach the spring equinox, we are reminded of the ubiquity and constancy of change, and the role of jnana (wisdom or knowledge) in the process of navigating the many twists and turns of life. Wisdom guides us into questions like, who am I? What am I doing in this life? Where am I caught in delusion, and what is the true reality?
newsletter archive: february 2020
newsletter archive: january 2020
Dear all,
Happy New Year, Happy New Decade. It’s a time of looking back, looking ahead, and trying to find some sense of presence and groundedness in the now.
newsletter archive: december 2019
Dear all,
We’d like to acknowledge our deepest gratitude to Sharon Gannon, David Life, Jivamukti Yoga, and all of its teachers and locations. Jivamukti was the birthplace of many of the first and most authentic yoga teachers in the West. Sadly, it will close its physical location in Manhattan this month.
newsletter archive: november 2019
Dear all,
Last month we learned so much from Kate Johnson’s workshops on cultivating a more diverse yoga community. Our aim as a studio is to make the Shala a welcoming and inclusive space for anyone and everyone interested in the practice of yoga.
newsletter archive: september 2019: practices for whatever life brings
Dear all,
We hope your summer travels have brought you joy and restoration. While we’ve relished the sweetness of the season, we’re looking forward to an autumn full of learning and inquiry.
Our focuses for this month are yoga and the nervous system, and Tree pose (Vrksasana).
newsletter archive: august 2019
Dear Shala family,
We hope you are slowing down and enjoying the long summer days. Our posture focus for the month of August is backbends. We love their energizing effect, and how they represent and bolster attitudes of fearlessness, radical openness, and compassion.
Please keep an eye on our schedule for class cancellations and teacher substitutions on Labor Day weekend, August 30-September 2. We wish you all a safe and joyous holiday!
Love,
Barbara + Kristin
newsletter archive: july 2019: steady breath, steady mind
Happy July!
True summer seems to have arrived promptly with the solstice. We hope you’re enjoying the sun, the park, the sea, and every opportunity to be with friends, family, and neighbors.
To those on vacation, we’ll miss you! To those around town, we look forward to seeing you in class—we’re focusing on forward bends (to balance out all the outward-moving, expansive, solar energy of the season), and adding in more pranayama practices.
Please check the website for additional schedule changes, sub notices, and class cancellations.
Love,
Kristin + Barbara
newsletter archive: june 2019: late spring, early summer
Happy June!
As summer approaches and the days become longer and brighter, we begin to shed the many layers that kept us warm and dry throughout a long winter and a very wet spring.
Yoga philosophy regards the physical body as a big coat enveloping the subtler bodies, and as the vehicle of the soul on its way to enlightenment. We’ll spend these last weeks of spring and first bits of summer exploring how yoga helps us tap into the subtle bodies and sheaths that live beneath and beyond this big coat.
newsletter archive: april 2019
Happy Spring!
We are excited for a very energetic season of goings-on at the Shala! This past weekend we began our 6th 200-hour teacher training with a fresh group of students, which means you can look out for TT workshops open to all.
Some happenings in Union Square (details below):
- An advanced anatomy and sequencing workshop with Annie Piper, Joe Miller, and Maria Cutrona
- An Ashtanga Yoga intensive with Tim Feldmann
- An Ayurveda intensive with Maria Rubinate
- A meditation series with Jocelyne Stern
- A new art show by our dear friend, Sheila Anozier
In Fort Greene, we are super excited about hosting free yoga classes in the park every Saturday from May 18 until late October, made possible by our partnership with the Fort Greene Park Conservancy.
Whether you’re practicing in the city or Brooklyn, this month we’ll focus on arm balances and the fifth yama, aparigraha.
As always, we look forward to seeing you at the Shala.
Much love,
Kristin + Barbara
newsletter archive: march 2019: learning, growth, and transformation
Dear Shala students,
Sharon Salzberg, our teacher of 20 years, is experiencing health issues. She is reported to be recovering well from a recent hospitalization, and is taking time off to rest. Please keep her in your lovingkindness meditations. With gratitude for her life and work, this month we’ll focus on her teachings—come to class to hear her wisdom!
Happy Women’s History Month. We are fortunate to live in a time and place where the paths of yoga and meditation are shared by so many empowered women.
With love,
Barbara + Kristin
newsletter archive: february 2019: practice in community
Dear Shala students,
We hope you are staying warm!
This January 26 marked 1 year since moving to the other side of Broadway. Thank you for breathing life into this space—we are so happy to share it with you.
Here is a selection of Shala news and events happening over the next month or so. We’d love to see you at one (or every one!) of these gatherings, workshops, or classes.
With love,
Barbara + Kristin
newsletter archive: january 2019: peace peace peace
Dear Shala students,
We wish you and your loved ones peace and joy in the new year. May we each take a little time to consider what we found to be helpful, skillful, and grounding in 2018, as well as who and what brought out the best in us, and made us feel good and connected. May we resolve to keep those things close to our hearts, and integrate them into our days as we move into another cycle.
May we also acknowledge what was not helpful, skillful, or grounding, and let it pass. May our practice help us reflect on the direction we want to head in and the goals we’d like to set for ourselves. As Yogi Berra once said, if you don’t know where you’re going, you will end up someplace else.
We look forward to going deeper into our lives and practices with you in 2019.
With love,
Barbara + Kristin