In other news from our filtered water spigot, come and make use of our private courtyard and practice some yoga in the great Portland outdoors before we are called in for the season.. Any class can take to the sunshine if we are graced with her presence. We look forward to seeing you on the mat and in the community..

It is easy to lose sight of the blessings that we have when the daily struggle is so great. It seems as though there is a new horror every day; from catastrophic oil spills, to families losing their homes, to entire countries being leveled by earthquakes, you name it, it’s out there. And the problems are so grand, so much bigger than life, where do we begin. I had forgotten, just for a moment, that we begin where we are; we begin on our mats. What we do through our practice, as students and as teachers, matters. Every time we share that space, that collective breath, we make a difference. For a moment, we envelope each other in strength, in hope, in union. We reach out with that breath and expand beyond our little corner of the world. I had forgotten the power of Prana, the innate life force. What we give in our moments of yoga is profound; it changes us, and those around us. I had forgotten. What grace, to be reminded.

Time to get on the lines. 5 slacklines were set up between trees and posts in the park, surrounding us on all sides with the treacherousness of our assumptions. Time to let go. The ground was no longer what we knew it to be; not solid, not something we could sink our teeth into or even expect to stay under foot. Anything you tried to hold on to would cause an earth-shattering shaking, and chances of recovery were slim. But there were moments… There were moments of stillness that overtook the shaking, the gripping and the resistance. I would pull into my center, release what I thought was my holding, but there was still more. My resistance poured fourth like a river that had been dammed. How had I not noticed? How had I been holding so tightly and not noticed? With all that I was trying to juggle, I had grasped for control, subtly and over time. It had gone undetected. It was time to walk the line; to take a breath and let go; because when you are balancing on next to nothing, giving in to the profound force of nature, is the only way.

Two half-hour sessions of led practice in the studio, with some fun partner playtime in between. First led session starts at 4:15, second session at 5 :15.

Maintain center in the midst of chaos, laugh as you lose balance, steady yourself as you regroup, enjoy the unpredictable nature of practicing with the ones you love.

Space is limited, so please RSVP by June 8 to info@elementumnw.com. We will be waiting for you all!

–Family Night at Elementum (2368 NW Thurman), Saturday, June 12 from 4-6 p.m. Suggested donation $20.00 per family.–

Is it this baggage that defines us, the accumulation of each and every experience that shapes who we are and where we sit in the world? Makes perfect sense that we would want to hold it. Like photos of our childhood, our first loves, the first place we called home, or the beginnings of the families we have created; we hold these experiences perhaps for fear of losing something. What a beautiful thing nostalgia is, right?

What I will ask is this; the next time you have cause to re-live a prized moment in your history, close your eyes. Breathe in the feeling of your body, the rhythm of your pulse and the sweetness of that memory. It lives in your very skin. We hold for fear of losing something that, we can not lose–who we are, the foundation that was built by our first kiss, our first love, our first loss, and whatever else you can think of, lives in each and every cell of our bodies. It shows in the glow of our smiles, the depth of our tears and the roots of our breath. It is something that we can never lose.

So let there be light. We move our bodies and take in each breath, to let in light; space! It is space that gives rise to compassion; space that gives us energy to love; space that feeds clear judgement and space that allows us to be, all those things that we have spent so many years creating.

It is not the holding of these moments, but rather the letting go, which allows us to live our experiences; to be the mother, the father, the husband or wife, the teacher, the student, the lover and the loved. Without the simple act of creating space within ourselves, those pieces can not find their way. So we breathe in and out; we stretch our muscles, move our bones and we put down our baggage, piece by piece. We let in the light, and through the tiniest of cracks; we make space.

Heather Rice is moving on, but has left us with many a great gift, and we were blessed to have shared some time and space with her. Thank you, Heather, for your support!

The amazing and talented Dana Levy has joined the full-time staff and we are looking forward to all that she has to share.

Stay abreast of the new schedule and classes, new teachers, and the wonderful workshops we have in store, all of which will be posted on our calendar and announced through our blog.

The outdoor practice space is patiently awaiting the warm weather and, when it makes an appearance, as many of our classes as possible will move into the great outdoors. This means no more reason to put your yoga practice on the back burner for summer! We can enjoy all the beauty that Portland has to offer and still spend some quality time on our mats. As a community practice space it is our wish to serve just that.

If there are things, classes, workshops, or events that you wish to see and participate in, please feel free to share your many thoughts through email: info@elementumnw.com or by phone: 971-275-7717.

It is, as always an honor and a pleasure to share your practices with you each and every week and we look forward to doing so far into the future.

My dear friend and neighbor was over at our house the other day planting some seeds in a piece of our unused garden. (I know, blasphemy; an unused garden in Portland????? Story for another day.) They were sunflowers, to be exact…the Alice-in-Wonderland gigantic ones. She plants these every year, and my 4-year old son is fascinated by them. He looked at the seed and asked me, “Mama, where is all the sunflower part? The seed is too small”. He is right you know, the seed is too small to hold all that sunflower. It is, however, the perfect size to hold all that potential. What a daunting task that lies before that tiny seed; it must grow so much as to dwarf our big human bodies, and all in a matter of a month or two, (or maybe three, I am not sure).

But the sunflower is not stressed out by this task. It hunkers down in its bed of soil and cozies up for the journey; taking each step one at a time. A little water, a little work, a little snack, a little sunshine, and bit by bit it becomes magnificent. Each day it becomes stronger, more capable. It builds on the back of the previous day’s work. Not every seed will make it. Not every task gets accomplished. We plant our seeds and tend to our potential, knowing and embracing all the while that (guess what folks?) it WON’T all get done. Some tasks will fall by the side and some will become magnificent.

Bit by bit, we also build on the back of the previous day’s work, and we revel in each root that extends into the soil, each leaf that pushes above the surface. The trick is to remember, no one gets it all done. If we are human, we will leave unfinished business; it paves the path for what is to come next. It is the potential that will get picked up another day, or maybe by another person. If nothing were unfinished, we would be–finished, that is. Our unaccomplished tasks are our seeds. They give us reason to rise every morning and sometimes to pause as to where we begin, but they are a necessary part of the human experience.

We have planted many seeds here at Elementum and we are tending to them every day. Some will flourish and some will not.  A little water, a little snack, a little work and a little sunshine will determine who we become. This community is growing and we are cultivating its strength with every practice.

More classes have arrived at Elementum, and our sunny retreat from urban living is almost ready to break the surface of the soil. Please join us and our growing staff when you get the chance. Bit by bit, we are growing from our tiny seed into a thriving community..