What A Yoga Day!! The In’s & Out’s

Well what a Yoga Day we had!!

View all the photos…

There was yoga (of course), great music performances by our local elementary schoolers led by their music teacher Ms Cheryl Logan, a raffle extraordinaire (thanks to all of you!) and other joys like yogi tea (thanks Michelle!), frosted vegan “yoga day” cupcakes, certificates & organic apple juice which we totally forgot to serve – that’s how much fun we were having!!

All in all more than 100+ people stopped in for Yoga Day!

Our gentle yoga class got it all going at 8am – 20+ participants were on board and ready to set sail in their yoga journey. We calmly progressed through our moves and sequences. Some of the attendees were new, some were experienced, yet all moved together. A neat start to the morning – bending, breathing, extending & ideating.

After class we talked for a moment about nandan vijiana (aesthetic science) and how to make the world beautiful through artistic expression – including music.

And then – amazingly – our 4th & 5th graders from Lothian Elementary and Shady Side Elementary performed!! And you can hear some of what they did by listening to the podcast below.

(Right now I can only get one sound file into a blog post – I have 14 short sound files and I will continue to try and get more up onto the site .)

Suffice to say here that our young musicians. were AWESOME!

There were strings, flutes, clarinets – all for our listening enjoyment. They did great…They more than deserved their certificate of participation and vegan “Yoga Day” frosted cupcake.

After that it was back to our yoga practice with Yoga for Strength and Fitness. And what a turnout we had – 30+.  There were newbies, oldbies and ones in between and everyone worked hard, played hard, rested hard, and then again lunged forward and did their best. Shavasana, meditation, and a story about a boy saving the starfish reminded us that with inspiration and coordination all kinds of problems can be solved.

Then we were treated to another musical performance by 3rd – 5th graders from Lothian and Shady Side featuring clarinets, flutes, and strings, followed by a grand vocal performance by first and second graders from the aforementioned schools. And how beautifully they sang! Everyone thoroughly enjoyed the performances – which were followed by more cupcakes and certificates!

Then came the free raffle – a raffle like no other!! Special thanks to all those who donated a most unique array of items.

Teresa Crofoot of 1 Tree Yoga: Two Yoga Bags, Glass-Beaded Bracelet; Karen McDonald of SERC: Amarylis Plant; Patti Sachs:  Hand-Made Mahogany bowl & 2 rocks from Alaska; Lisa Oswald:  Homemade Jam (2) and Apple Butter;  Michelle Drake: 2hrs Face Painting; Janel Boises: 3 hrs of Creative Child Care; Dona Haske: Silpada Jewelery Gift Cert $25; Holly & Kerry Pierce: Annapolis Symphony CD, Hot Cocoa Kit, Wall Clock, Candle; Laurie Morin of Health, Prosperity & Abundance: Skin Care & Wellness Gift Package;  Nancy Bateman: Karma Free Gift Set featuring Washes, Creams, Soaps, & much more; Kirk Johnson: Hand-Made Hinged Cutting Board; Sharon Brewer of Green Violet Herb Farm: Balms, Salves, Teas, and Lavender; Holly Ross: Candle Holders; Renaissance Yoga: 2 CD’s,  Monthly Yoga Pass.

I think all the winners thoroughly enjoyed their prizes as there were a lot of ooohs & aaaahs!!

That’s right – after an exciting free raffle like that it was time for our relaxation segment of the morning. We did a guided seated meditation followed by a lying visualization, complemented by a personal journey of peace and tranquility.

There were some who even stayed for the entire program!

By that time it was time to pack it all in – and what a morning it was! Lots of free yoga, great giveaways, wonderful music, and your spirited participation.

Plus we also raised a healthy sum of $150 for the Haitian Earthquake victims which was donated to Doctors Without Borders via their on-line donation program on Sunday, Jan 24, 2010 .

Thanks to all for coming in and attending!! We look forward to seeing you there next year!!

Here is a list of all of our musicians:

Shady Side Elementary: Melissa Witte, Sarina LeCroy, Destiny Smith, Morgan Stueckler, Delaney Sancomb, Kate Gott, Ellie Broglie, Joshua Baker, Greg Smith, Katie Bedard, Caterina Grandi, Emilee Williams, Fin von Schilcher, Paula Duck.

Lothian Elementary: Jennifer Potter, Caitlin Brumley, Aaliyah Allen, George Carney, Abby Adey, Grace Barber, Ashely Liston, Madison Collins, Ciara Tongue, Shaun Butler, Sarah Webster, Ava Wishnow.