Zoom class days have changed to Wednesdays and Sundays beginning Sunday 11/12. Zoom links available via email only. If you are interested in joining Contact me here!
Posts Tagged With: jivamukti nyc
Cha-cha-cha-changes
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Tags: jivamukti, jivamukti nyc, Jivamukti Yoga, jivamukti yoga nyc, live stream yoga, Yoga
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Black Lives Matter
For those of you actively participating in peaceful protests – stay strong, be safe, be smart.
If you feel like practicing this week, I am here. If not, I get it. The schedule is below.
I never expected the person who sits in the White House to make any type of supportive statement about BIPOC, the Black Lives Matter movement, or the horrific actions of the police officers who killed George Floyd. The fact that he ran and hid with the lights of the White House turned off was extra appalling. I won’t dignify those officers or the person who happens to be sitting in the White House by saying their names.
I will say these names LOUDLY. I will support BIPOC in any way that I can and actively stand up for their rights, now and always. These are only the names of the people who were killed by police that made recent “headlines”. There are countless others:
TONY MCDADE
GEORGE FLOYD
SEAN REED
BREONNA TAYLOR
AHMAUD ARBERY
TAMIR RICE
KORRYN GAINES
PHILANDO CASTILE
ERIC GARNER
TRAYVON MARTIN
FREDDIE GRAY
SANDRA BLAND
President Barack Obama made a statement on Monday, June 1st. I urge you to read it. And to echo what he says later on, changes to the way our policing system works happens at the local level, not federal. VOTE!!!!https://medium.com/@BarackObama/how-to-make-this-moment-the-turning-point-for-real-change-9fa209806067
theroot.com also posted a timeline of events that led to what they call the “Fed-Up” Rising, https://www.theroot.com/a-timeline-of-events-that-led-to-the-2020-fed-up-rising-1843780800
Be well. Stay safe. Stand tall for BIPOC. They aren’t being heard. It’s way past time to listen. See you on the mat.
Love,
April
Suggested donation is $10-20 sliding scale or free if you are currently without income due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Please be honest about this as teaching Zoom classes is currently my only form of income.
Payments accepted via Venmo @April-Dechagas or PayPal aprildechagas@gmail.com, or Zelle.
Zoom Yoga 5/6-5/11 & the Greenbelt of Staten Island
I’ve been trying to use my free time wisely – exploring nature right here in NYC and I’m in awe of what surrounds us.
Did you know there are 2800 acres of natural woodlands and creeks right in Staten Island (with the exception of Moses Mountain – which is man made, but still very cool!)? I have lived in NY my whole life and had no clue this was here! It’s called the Greenbelt, and it’s amazing! I felt like I was upstate yet was only 15 minutes from my apartment in Brooklyn! So crazy, and my new favorite spot! Before now SI was mostly just a way for me to get to the mainland US, and to occasionally attend a Passover Seder or SI Yankee game. Who knew!!
I imagine that this, along with the marshlands I’ve been exploring, is what most of NYC looked like before it was built up. It’s filled with wildlife – just yesterday I met a raccoon, chipmunks, squirrels (of course), turtles, a red bellied woodpecker, bluejays, gray catbirds, great egrets, and canadian geese. Oh, and chickens (!), but I think they belonged to someone. There are deer also, but I did not have the pleasure of seeing one. I can’t wait to get back!
Zoom teaching schedule and some photos from my outdoor (socially distanced and face masked responsibly) adventures.
See you on the Zoom mat!
Zoom Yoga 4/29-5/4 & Blackout Poetry
To close out National Poetry Month, below you’ll find some “blackout” poetry by my friend Lauren Krauze. Yes, the same Lauren that brought you “Short Sweet Poems.” Check out her Instagram page for more – she’s been posting a new one everyday!
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Tags: blackout poetry, jivamukti nyc, Jivamukti Yoga, lauren krauze, live stream yoga, national poetry month, poems, poetry, yoga online, zoom yoga
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Zoom Classes 4/8-4/13 & National Poetry Month
It’s National Poetry Month! Each week a different poem will be featured as the dharma talk in my 90-minute classes! Along with this week’s schedule below, you’ll also find a poem by Rumi called The Guest House.
Log-in for Zoom classes is available by email only. If you are not currently on my mailing list, but would like to attend class, please send me a message!
The guest house ~~ Rumi
This being human is a guest house.
Every morning a new arrival.
A joy, a depression, a meanness,
Some momentary awareness comes
As an unexpected visitor.
Welcome and entertain them all!
Even if they’re a crowd of sorrows,
Who violently sweep your house
Empty of its furniture,
Still, treat each guest honorably.
He may be clearing you out
For some new delight.
The dark thought, the shame, the malice,
Meet them at the door laughing,
And invite them in.
Be grateful for whoever comes,
Because each has been sent,
As a guide from beyond
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Tags: coronavirus, covid-19, jivamukti, jivamukti nyc, jivamukti online, Jivamukti Yoga, jivamukti yoga nyc, live stream yoga, love in the time of corona, poetry, rumi, social distancing, social distancing yoga, the guest house, world poetry month, yoga distancing, yoga online, zoom yoga
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Live-Stream Classes 4/1-4/6
As much as I love personal connection with friends/families/students and miss it A LOT, I am extremely grateful for the technology we have today that allows us to still stay close, even though we are apart. Zoom yoga has been a surprising blessing.
Some changes for this week – I will not be holding class on Thursday this week. It is my 40th birthday, and I am taking the day off! By request, I am also adding a 7 am class back on to my teaching schedule. For those of you who need to get practice in before you work from home.
Schedule for the week is below. From now on Zoom log-in information will be sent via email only. If you would like to take class and are not currently on my email list, please contact me with your email address!
Live-Stream Yoga
NYC and most parts of the world are currently in social distancing mode to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Unfortunately this means no in-person yoga classes (and honestly, also no income for self-employed yoga teachers.)
I will be offering live-stream yoga classes and guided meditations (schedule below) via Zoom.US until we are no longer in lock-down. Sign-in details will be posted on social media outlets, so if you don’t follow me already, you can on Instagram @aprildechagas and my FaceBook yoga page April Dechagas Yoga.
Recommended donation for yoga asana classes is $10 via Venmo @April-Dechagas or PayPal aprildechagas@gmail.com. Meditation sliding scale $5-10. Class is free for those of you who do not currently have income due to COVID-19 closures – but please be honest about this, as I mentioned above, I also do not have any incoming $.
Schedule (log-in details change for each class – so be sure to check Insta or FB):
Monday 6:00 p.m. EST; 90 Min
Wednesday 12:00 p.m. EST; 90 Min
Thursday 9:00 a.m. EST ; 30 Min Guided Visualization Meditation
Saturday 5:00 p.m. EST; 90 Min
Coming soon – 60 Min asana classes
This poem by Fr. Richard Hendrick was shared with me by a student today:
Lockdown
Yes there is fear.
Yes there is isolation.
Yes there is panic buying.
Yes there is sickness.
Yes there is even death.
But,
They say that in Wuhan after so many years of noise
You can hear the birds again.
They say that after just a few weeks of quiet
The sky is no longer thick with fumes
But blue and grey and clear.
They say that in the streets of Assisi
People are singing to each other
across the empty squares,
keeping their windows open
so that those who are alone
may hear the sounds of family around them.
They say that a hotel in the West of Ireland
Is offering free meals and delivery to the housebound.
Today a young woman I know
is busy spreading fliers with her number
through the neighbourhood
So that the elders may have someone to call on.
Today Churches, Synagogues, Mosques and Temples
are preparing to welcome
and shelter the homeless, the sick, the weary
All over the world people are slowing down and reflecting
All over the world people are looking at their neighbours in a new way
All over the world people are waking up to a new reality
To how big we really are.
To how little control we really have.
To what really matters.
To Love.
So we pray and we remember that
Yes there is fear.
But there does not have to be hate.
Yes there is isolation.
But there does not have to be loneliness.
Yes there is panic buying.
But there does not have to be meanness.
Yes there is sickness.
But there does not have to be disease of the soul
Yes there is even death.
But there can always be a rebirth of love.
Wake to the choices you make as to how to live now.
Today, breathe.
Listen, behind the factory noises of your panic
The birds are singing again
The sky is clearing,
Spring is coming,
And we are always encompassed by Love.
Open the windows of your soul
And though you may not be able
to touch across the empty square,
Sing.
March 13th 2020
Stay safe out there kids!
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Tags: coronavirus, covid-19, jivamukti nyc, jivamukti online, Jivamukti Yoga, live stream yoga, social distancing, social distancing yoga, Yoga, zoom yoga
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Ramayana Series Part 10: The Search for Sita
For more background on Hanuman, check out episode 5 of the Myth Series (full series on Yoga Mythology tab – episode 5 below…)
Ramayana Part 6: The Two Boons of Queen Kaikeyi
This week #mythmonday became #epictalestuesday when it was posted by Jivamukti, but I just received the video, so now it’s a #flashbackfriday lol
The word “utsav” in Sanskrit means ‘spontaneous celebration” which is what happened throughout Ayodhya when Rama and Sita were declared king and queen. This declaration lasted just a few hours before Kaikeyi cashed in on her boons, and then an instantaneous depression fell upon the kingdom, just as quickly as the celebration was started.
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Tags: epic tales of yoga, indian epic, jivamukti, jivamukti nyc, Jivamukti Yoga, myth monday, myths of the asanas, rama, ramayana, sita, sita ram, yoga mythology, yoga myths
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To New Beginnings in 2020
As we close 2019 and the decade of 10’s, I want to wish you a very happy new year. For many students and teachers of Jivamukti NYC, we may be thinking of the last 4 weeks rather than the last year, and are ready for something fresh. But I have to say, overall 2019 wasn’t so bad…
In the wake of Jivamukti NYC closing, I wanted to get my harmonium worked on so I could bring it to the “pop-up” Jivamukti classes I will be offering in the city. Classes wouldn’t me the same without a mantra jam session to start it off! This harmonium was a hand-me-down from another teacher, who I bought it from for only $100, about 4 years ago. It unfortunately was in no shape to bring to class – it was out of tune, some of the keys were sticking, and it was wheezing a bit. (I also realized it was SUPER HEAVY.)
I brought it to Mindra Harmoniums in Ozone Park (please go there if you are looking for a harmonium! It is a family run business, deeply connected to Jivamukti, AND they offer you home made dahl while you are there!) where Mindra told me there was a big crack in the “heart” of my instrument. He also said usually no one fixes this, but that he would look into the cost of parts. But after some investigating, it was realized that it would be too much time and effort to fix, and it was more worth it to buy a new one. So I am now the owner of a brand new Baby Bhakti, and it is much lighter and sweeter sounding than the old one.
This whole situation was a mirror image of the Jivamukti situation. My (our) heart was broken, the problem was too expensive to fix, and now we have to start new. And so off we go into 2020 with new adventures and a sweet sounding Baby Bhakti 🙂
Also in the wake of Jivamukti NYC closing, I find myself with A LOT of free time. Too much really. I have gone from 9 public classes a week, to only 3 at the moment, and although this is temporary, I am going stir crazy. But this forced “vacation” is a good thing, and I am getting back to long overdue projects, including drawing again. In the past 3 days I have created 8 drawings that are part of a larger project coming to you soon! One of which I will share with you today:
This is Nandini – a magical cow who offers to you everything you need. May 2020 offer you everything you desire.
With Love and appreciation, April
april dechagas 