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11-11
11-11 is the eleventh day of the eleventh month of our calendar. It is Veterans’ Day (still on 11-11 and not on the nearest Monday). It is a day to contemplate what I, as a citizen, can do to invert a National policy of creating war and turning our young people into soldiers and then neglecting and abusing them when they come home wounded physically and psychologically. Surely, it should be the reverse: we should be doing everything we can to avoid war and then do everything we can to take care of the health and welfare of those who have served.
11-11 is also a day for me to honor my own ancestors; it is the anniversary of the day my beloved Grandmother Rose left her body.
11-11 is a day of celebration; it is my mother’s birthday. She has said that when she was a littlge child, that she thought the parades and the day off from school were for her birthday.
11-11 is also a delightful treat of relative leisure (Federal Holiday in the middle of the week).
It is rare for me that a single day has so many different personal imports. Each day, though, indeed each moment, impacts all of us so differently depending on our life circumstances. Some of those impacts just happen; some are chosen; some are how we react both to what happens and what we choose. I’ll be enjoying my day off to the fullest, but will also be sending loving energy to those in need, especially those suffering from current and past wars.
Web Version of Holiday E-Newsletter
Dear Friends,
May your inner light shine brightly for yourself and others through the holiday season. I wish you all much joy and safe travels. As I get ready to take some time off and celebrate with friends and family–with a little sojourn in New York as part of the plan–I wanted to let you know the schedule to make it easier to plan.
There are no Willow Street classes for the rest of the year–though a number of my friends and colleagues are offering what look like a fantastic array of workshops at Willow Street from 12/29 to 1/2. There is William Penn House this coming Tuesday, 12/21 and also 1/4, but not on 12/28. There will be two special house practices for regular students on Thursday 12/23 and Monday 12/27. Please email me if you wish to attend.
Free class week,, which runs from 1/3 to 1/9, starts the new Willow Street session. I will be offering two classes at Willow Street Takoma Park during free class week: restoratives on Monday, January 3rd, and gentle/therapeutic on Saturnday, January 9th.
In addition to continuing the gentle/therapeutics at noon on Saturdays in the Winter Session (registering is great, but drop-ins always welcome), I will be offering the last Saturday of the month from January to March “Relaxing into Optimal Alignment with Anusara Restoratives.” After a little gentle stretching and self-massage to bring awareness to the breath and body, we will enjoy the exquisite application of Anusara’s Universal Principles of Alignment to restful and supported restorative postures to release old patterns and invite in the new to find greater ease of body and mind. The workshop is designed to be a great practice for all levels; sign up for the full 3-class series and save $15! The workshop series–or even just one–makes a great holiday gift for yourself or a friend or loved one.
Also please mark your calendars in advance for “Yoga for Gardeners,” which is for all levels of yogis and gardeners alike. It will be on Saturday, March 18th. A portion of the profits, as is my tradition, will go to benefit the Youth Garden at the National Arboretum.
Peace and light,
Elizabeth
- Asana, Pranayama, and Yoga Practice | Community and Family | Food for the Body | Gardening | Meditation | Photos
A Practice
With each new horror — another I have been blessed to avoid proximity and immediate impact—I ask myself (and make some follow through) on how I can contribute more both to speaking out against injustice, inequality, and warmongering, and also to making collective life more joyous.
On a day I grieve and speak my outrage , I share work, and food, and moments of beauty.




