hurricane sandy relief donation yoga & meditation class

for some, yoga is a way for us to take time for ourselves so that we can take care of others.  some of us see yoga as a sacred practice where we set our intention or dedication to offer the energy that we generate in our class to give it away to someone or something higher than ourselves.  the beautiful thing about yoga is that it can be both things simultaneously. 

if this is something that resonates with you, then i hope you can join the hurricane sandy relief donation yoga & meditation class on sunday, november 18^th from 11am-12:30pm.

i will be teaching a creative all-level flow based yoga class finishing out in a seated meditation sending our energy to all lives that were affected by hurricane sandy.

100% of your donations will go directly to the salvation army & the humane society.  the salvation army is serving food, providing cleanup kits and offering emotional & spiritual support to those affected in the northeast and mid-atlantic areas.  the humane society is coordinating animal rescue efforts, shelter care and reunions with pet owners in the new york and new jersey areas.

please show your support for all beings affected as well as benefitting your own body & mind.

i will be handling ALL donations.  suggested donation $20.  cash or check donations only please.  (make checks payable to melita mollohan. )

if you will be out of town or unable to attend the donation class you can be there in spirit by donate any amount directly to me.

if you have any questions, please email melita at melitamollohan@gmail.com or call 304-288-0996.

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yoga & creativity workshop

Join me on Sunday, July 1st 12-3:30pm for an exploration of creativity as an extension of your yoga practice. Spend time indulging in creative play by making a vision board, meditating, practicing yoga, discussing ways to live more creatively, and engaging in svadyaya (self-study) while communing with like-minded friends.

Creative visualization is a mental technique that uses the imagination to make dreams become realities. We start by flipping through magazines, pulling out any images that make you smile. Creating a vision board out of the images that make you smile and by returning to them again & again reinforces your dreams & goals in a positive way.

All you need to bring is your journal, your favorite tea mug, old magazines that you don’t mind cutting up and an open heart & mind.

Workshop is 3 ½ hours. Cost is $49 and includes a FREE goodie bag. Tea and light snacks will be provided. No yoga experience needed, this is open to all!

This event has sold out in the past and space is extremely limited so pre-registration is a must! You can pay in advance one of two ways: while you are at BlissBlissBliss taking a class or enjoying a session OR by mail a check made payable to: BlissBlissBliss 3101 About Town Place, Morgantown, WV 26508 (please be sure to indicate that it is for the Yoga & Creativity Workshop).


Registration by June 24 is a must.
 
Cancellation policy: No refunds will be issued unless your space can be filled with someone from the waiting list. If your space is not filled, a credit will be issued ONLY if the cancellation is received one full week prior to the event minus a $25 administrative fee. NO credits or refunds will be issued if cancellation is received within one week of the event. If we must cancel due to insufficient enrollment, your deposit and paid balance will be refunded fully. For any questions, please e-mailing Melita: melitamollohan@gmail.com.

"The yoga & creativity workshop was amazing! It started me journaling again and the vision boards we made are beside my bed each night for me to remember and review. I had never participated in something like this, but it was the spark that has led me to make changes in my life that allows me to be a priority. To find the time for ME that I need to be a better Mom, a better spouse and a better person. I plan to put the next Yoga & Creativity Workshop at the top of my TO DO list." — Angela C.

what i'm currently reading

babaji the greyhound

here are the two books that i am currently reading. each one is focused on a passion of mine: bowenwork and yoga.

what are you currently reading?

image credit my android

perfect morning

my day started out with being gently woken up by a thunderstorm. i love thunderstorms! i woke up feeling great! i immediately rolled out my yoga mat, sit on it and began to breathe deeply. i moved my body gently to stretch it after my long sleep. and after waking, i took another seat to meditate. after sitting for a little while i got up and made a mug of jasmine green tea.

now that's the kind of wednesday morning i love!!

image credit my android

weekend warrior series offered at blissblissbliss

Spend part of your weekend progressing through a blissful blend of Vinyasa, Yin and Restorative Yoga.

9:30-10:30am Get started with a dynamic Vinyasa practice. This flow will challenge and heat the body and burn away anything you no longer need.

10:40-11:40am Melt into a Yin practice. Yin is a series of poses, held for a longer period, while one sends their intention, breath and consciousness to the bodily sensations. This draws the life force (prana or chi) into the deeper meridians which stimulates the immune system and rejuvenates the whole body.

11:50am-12:50pm Completely let go with a Restorative practice. Indulge in an hour of held, supported postures to facilitate deep relaxation and bring the body back into balance. This is the antidote to stress!

12:50-1pm End your time on the mat in a meditative state with a FREE 10 minute guided meditation.

Weekend Warrior is a dynamic balance of both yin and yang: action and repose, activity and receptivity, movement and stillness. And since these classes are separate you can mix and match (or stay for all 3) and choose what kind of Warrior you want to be!

Class dates are November 6th & 27th.

(Please note that all 3 classes will end in Savasana so if you are only able to get in one class you will have a complete practice. Use your blissblissbliss yoga pass - one punch per class.)

Women's Creative & Healing Mini-Retreat

the end of the week is here and boy what a crazy week it's been. between work and school i've had so much stuff stacking up i sometimes didn't know where to begin. i have to remind myself daily to take care of most important tasks and let go of what can wait until tomorrow.

this weekend i will teach some yoga, see some bowenwork clients, catch up on some school work and take a breather. what are the weekends for, right?!

if you are local i wanted to send out an invitation to join me for a mini-retreat i'm leading at blissblissbliss. below are the details. hope you can spend an afternoon relaxing and rejuvenating with me.

what's on your weekend to-do list?

hugs & namaste!

Celebrate your Autumnal Equinox with Melita for an afternoon mini-retreat just for women. You are always rushing around taking care of others so take this time to care for yourself, to let go and just "be." Take time to rejuvenate and reflect through meditation, yoga and creative play all while being around other like-minded women. Spend part of your day basking in a slow, yet energizing flow topped with a Yin & Restorative Yoga practice all while receiving some hands on healing therapy provided by Melita. You will also spend some time doing some art journaling (making a inspiration board) and Autumnal goal setting. Please bring a journal, an assortment of favorite images pulled from magazines, your tea mug and your intentions for the remainder of 2011. No yoga experience necessary, all levels welcome and the perfect opportunity to share some quality time with your bff's. Leave feeling lighter and restored with ideas abound for Autumn. Tea, light snacks and inspiration will be served. Please reserve your spot by emailing Melita at melitamollohan@gmail.com.

image credit my android phone

friday evening practice

i almost started typing "furday evening practice" which would totally be true. this is me and the clan sharing practice. hugs & namaste!

monday moment of zen

“yoga is the human quest for remembering our true nature, our deepest selves. since the dawn of recorded time human beings have sought to transcend the human condition, to go beyond ordinary consciousness. basic questions such as who am i? and why am i here? have driven mankind’s spiritual pursuits for millenia. in every human heart lies a deep longing to connect to something bigger than oneself, to find a sense of belonging and meaning to life. at the core of this longing is a basic human desire for happiness that transcends culture and time. every human being wants to find happiness.”

~From Hatha Yoga Illustrated by Martin Kirk, Brooke Boon, and Daniel DiTuro

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yoga in the park

(photo from our last yoga in the park session)

hey there local yogis & yoginis,

i hope your summer is going swimmingly with lots of activities outside in this beautiful weather!! one of the things i love most about summer is doing yoga outside! i am inviting you to join me for yoga in the park all summer long!!

our june meeting dates & times will be:
sunday, june 19th 9:30-10:30am
sunday, june 26th 9:30-10:30am

please note: if it IS RAINING then class will be canceled. if there is a CHANCE OF RAIN class will still be on until we get rained out. :)

yoga in the park this summer will be held in the beautiful jack roberts park on the corner of madigan ave and leonard st in the first ward of morgantown. (see attached pic to see location.) there is plenty of parking - in the parking lot & also free street parking. there is a playground so if you have kids they can play while you play. :)

these all-levels classes are FREE to all. donations are greatly appreciated but never required.

please bring your mat (or towel if you don't have a mat) some water and anything else you need. be sure to pass this email along to your friends and family - the more the merrier!!

and yes, you will receive my signature neck massage during your savasana!!! :)

if you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask. i hope to see you on these sundays!

hugs & namaste,
melita

image credit me

yoga in the park

hey there morgantown yogis and yoginis!!

i am starting my second annual 'yoga in the park' and wanted to extend an invitation to you to join me!!

our first outdoor yoga adventure will happen this coming sunday, may 22nd 10-11am.

i am hoping to meet at least twice a month for the rest of the summer (or until it gets too cold outside!). if it IS RAINING then class will be canceled. if there is a CHANCE OF RAIN class will still be on until we get rained out. :)


yoga in the park this summer will be held in the beautiful jack roberts park on the corner of madigan ave and leonard st in the first ward of morgantown. (pics are of actual location.) there is plenty of parking - in the parking lot & also free street parking. there is a playground so if you have kids they can play while you play. :)


these all-levels classes are FREE to all. donations are appreciated but never required.

please bring your mat (or towel if you don't have a mat) some water and anything else you need. be sure to pass this email along to your friends and family - the more the merrier!!

and yes, you will receive my signature neck massage during your savasana!!! :)

if you have any questions, please don't hesitate to email me at melitamollohan@gmail.com. i hope to see you on sunday!

hugs & namaste,
melita

image credit me

monday moment of zen

"there comes a time in life when you have to let go of all the pointless drama and the people who create it, and surround yourself with people who make you laugh so hard you forget the bad, and focus solely on the good. after all, life is too short to be anything but happy."
~ karl marx

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blogging in waves

it seems as if i've had a lot to say recently. :)

sometimes my blogging comes in waves - a whole lot at once and then it goes down to a trickle (aka only monday moment of zen posts).

just like the moon has an impact on the ocean, it also has an impact on us as well.

last friday, march 4th was the new moon. with the new moon our energy can also be slower and we can be more reflective and pensive. the new moon is the perfect time to create new goals or dreams for yourself. it's also a time to give up anything that no longer serves you.


in my yoga classes last week i asked my students while they were lying on their sides, before coming back up to an easy seat to end class, to think of one thing that they want to get rid of. it could be anything from a negative relationship, to a job or project that they no longer want, to that last 5 pounds. i asked them to imagine that as they sat up that was left behind on the floor. to actually picture whatever was no longer serving them being left behind so that something newer and better could come in it's place.

i also showed them the shivalingam mudra.

the shivalingam mudra is an energizing and powerful mudra when your energy is down, when you feel as though you need more power over a specific situation or just in general, to help break negative thought patterns, and to help boost self-confidence and self-esteem. perfect for the new moon!!

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foot in mouth, almost, but not quite

my "un-yogic" blog post caused quite a stir. i got a lot of comments on both the post itself and on my facebook page.

while i was writing this from a point of view of me being un-yogic some others feelings got hurt in the process.

this was not my intention - ever!!

when i started this blog (3 years ago the 16th of this month!!) i laid some very basic ground rules:

would i want people to read this if is published on the front of the new york times??

** yes - proceed ** no - definitely do not publish ** maybe? - still, do not publish**

and i still stand by this today.

when i re-read what i wrote for the umpteenth time i thought that maybe something that i had written might be taken wrong. but as always in the publishing world, it was too late...

so, i say this out of complete sincerity - i never meant to hurt anyone's feelings and since that i know i did, please know that i am very, very sorry!!


it's not about one specific person, incident, situation, etc. it's about the shifting of energy as a whole. i am reminded of the quote i put up a couple of monday's ago for the moment of zen.

"in the entire world, there is not one human being who is free from pain. even in favorable conditions, a person encounters struggle. the external form of struggle appears to be cruel. some describe it as a horrible demon, but its nature is not malicious. in fact, it is proper to welcome struggle, for its arrival is always auspicious. struggle keeps us from growing sluggish. it changes an animal into an ideal person. it transforms an ordinary human into a spiritually-awake person respected by the world... it is alright if we cannot receive struggle with love, but struggle should never be discarded. to discard struggle is to discard god's grace."
~ swami kripalu

although it may be hard to welcome struggle when you are in the midst of it, try to remind yourself that it is there for a reason. you will take away a lesson from it. for each time there is struggle there is also a shift of energy that helps us grow. and yes, i have to remind myself of this exact thing when i'm in the midst of struggle. :)

one of my favorite mantra's is lokah samastah sukhino bhavantu

which translates to "may all beings everywhere be happy and free. may the thoughts, words, and actions of my own life contribute in some way to that happiness and to that freedom for all."

with an emphasis on the thoughts, words, and actions of my own life being key.

so what about you guys, any mantra or quote that you go to when in the midst of struggle?

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un-yogic

do i.....

cuss (sometimes like a sailor)???

occasionally eat meat???

speed thru yellow lights (or even occasionally run red lights)???

vent to my boyfriend about how frustrated i am over how un-yogic some things are at my yoga studio???

get angry or defensive over stupid shit???

have to have things my way???

be sarcastic so much so that sometimes it seems rude???

sometimes have a short temper???

get selfish and put myself first???

you betcha!!!

so tell me... what sort of un-yogic behaviors do you sometimes indulge in?

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thoughts

in a recent yoga class that i was lucky enough to attend focused the class on half asana and half meditation. the teacher (and a dear friend of mine) had us to set in a circle for the meditation portion of the class. as she was leading us to our find our stillness she said something to the effect of not letting other people put us in boxes that label what we are, that we are much more than that. while at the time it didn't really sink in until after the mediation was over and we shared any experiences we had and spent a little time talking. it was at that point another student said she really enjoyed what she had said about that. and i thought to myself, "yeah, exactly, why do we let other people dictate what we do or who we are?!"

sure we all have labels of what it is we do: mother, daughter, friend, lover, accountant, lawyer, landscaper, cat person, lover of frogs, francophile, and on & on. but those labels are just that... labels. they can describe us but they aren't who we really are. and why do we feel the need to fit into these labels or boxes that others put upon us? sure, we want people to like us but you can't make everyone happy all of the time. and if you try you will certainly go mad!

so why not be who you are and own it?! it will make things a lot easier in the end, don't you think??

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blissblissbliss open house

if you are local (or even semi-local) consider joining me tomorrow for our open house at blissblissbliss. here are the details of all of our free events:

A Day of FREE Bliss for ALL!

OPEN HOUSE CELEBRATION

Sunday, January 23, 9am - 5pm

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

Free Informational Classes:

11:30am – 12:30pm Essential Oils and Mixology (Lela)

12 – 1pm Ayurveda 101 (Elizabeth)

1:30 – 2:30pm FYI: Ayurvedic Massage (Elizabeth & Melita)

3:30 – 4:30pm Essential Oils and Mixology (Lela)

Free Mind/Body Classes:

9 – 9:45am Hot Vinyasa (Melita)

10 – 10:45am Gentle Yoga (Laura)

11 – 11:45am Partner Yoga (Heidi & Mary Jo)

12 – 12:45pm Ashtanga Yoga (Mary Jo)

1 – 1:30pm Meditation (Lela)

1:45 – 2:15pm Belly Dancing Demo

2:30 – 3:15pm Restorative Yoga (Heidi)

4 – 5pm Shine On: Sun Salutations (Heidi) *active, flowing class

Free Body/Energy Work:

10 minute Chair Massages (9-10am, 10:30 – 11:30am, 12 – 2pm)

15 minute Thai Yoga Bodywork (9 – 10:30am)

20 minute Energywork & EFT for Pain Relief (9:30 - 11:30am, 3 - 5pm)

10 minute Reflexogy (10:30 – 11:30am)

20 minute Cranio Sacral Therapy (11am – 1pm)

20 minute Reiki Sessions (1 – 3pm)

friends sharing yoga

here is a video of my friend lela and i sharing yoga practice. we were each doing our own thing yet loving practicing together. we are in the namaste studio of blissblissbliss where i teach.

hugs & namaste

rest

yesterday i read from "meditations from the mat" about rest in yoga. all of the yoga teachers i know (including myself) urge students to take a rest whenever their body needs it. after all, we are not your best teacher, you the student are! you know your body better than anyone else!

sometimes, myself included in this, will push ourselves through postures only to do half as well as we would have if we would have taken a few resting breaths in child's pose or an equivalent resting pose.

as you become more familiar with yoga and the poses you can learn to take a quick rest during the posture. you do this by softening some muscles that aren't required to hold that pose. for instance, you don't need to clinch your jaw in order to get into your best virabhadrasana 1. clinching your jaw doesn't make you any stronger as a warrior so let it go and maybe smile a little. :)

so now that you've given yourself permission to let yourself rest when you need to during your yoga practice, let's look at how we can take that practice off the mat.

especially during this time of year when colds & flues are getting passed around like candy at halloween we should take care of ourselves so that hopefully we don't get sick. and if we do get sick then by resting properly will allow our bodies to heal more quickly thus getting you out there faster to do the things that you do best!

here are a few ways you can take your rest off the mat:

~ take a bed day, half a bed day, or even a few hours to rest in bed either before your day begins or after it ends

~ sit by the fireplace and let the warmth and magic surround you


~ sit down with a mug of hot tea (or coffee) in hand, feel the warmth against your hands, and sip slowly

~ take time to snuggle with pets or loved ones - this is welcomed and enjoyed by everyone

~ call up a friend that you haven't talked to in a while and reminisce about something silly that you did or happened in the past - laughter is medicine for the soul!


i am taking my own advice today. i am writing this post from bed with a mug of honey lemon ginseng green tea on one side of me, my kitty (pictured above) on the other side and my pup in between my feet. :)

may you find your rest on and off the mat!

hugs & namaste

image credit and me

FREE vinyasa class

i am teaching a FREE all levels vinyasa yoga class this sunday, january 9th at blissblissbliss 11am-12pm. i hope you join me!

in case you weren't aware, blissblissbliss has moved to greenbag rd in morgantown. unfortunately for those of you who are a fan of gps you are going to have to do this one the old school way as gps doesn't recognize our address :)

if you are on greenbag rd at the 4 way stop where the kingwood pike crosses it then drive toward sabraton. here is what you will see on the left in this order:

wonder bread store
mountainview elementary school
richard drive
a house
clinton water association building

and we are the next left - there is a business plaza that has beautiful buildings that look like houses. up front you'll see an insurance company and about town realty. we are in the back building, on the left. there aren't many visible signs but i assure you, if you follow these directions it will lead you right into blissville. :)

if you have any questions or concerns about the class or how to find us, please don't hesitate to email me: melitamollohan@gmail.com.

image credit me

end with a bang

this past wednesday was the perfect day off.

one of my good friends lela & i started the day with breakfast at one of my favorite local cafes, the blue moose cafe. we then headed to pittsburgh to do a yin yoga workshop with richard gartner.


we then headed back to motown and met up with ryan at our favorite place to eat, mother india before dashing off to watch true grit.

while i'm not a western loving girl i have to admit this was a pretty good movie. good enough in fact that i asked ryan to watch the original this evening. i definitely enjoyed the newer edition. no offense to "duke." :)

i'm enjoying my new year's eve at home with ryan & the pets. i wish you a safe and happy new year!

if you are local (and not too hung over) consider joining me tomorrow for a new year's day yoga practice. details here.

hugs & namaste

image credit & credit