On the Way to William Penn House for Tuesday Night Yoga Practice


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
Although, having been raised as a Quaker and continued to practice as such in adulthood, I do not observe most of the Jewish rituals and holidays. This year I was certain that I at least wanted to bake something traditional for Rosh Hashanah, and I felt engaged with wanting some part of ritual observance.
Thus in recognition of RGB leaving this embodiment into that of a tzaddik, I have a honey-glazed, sourdough, apple challah–baked round for the cycle and fullness of the year.

This morning Maitri and I participated in Quaker silent worship with Friends Meeting of Washington via Zoom. I have friends offering for the first time, or expanding their offerings through various on-line platforms, of both meditation and asana practices.
For those of us able to do so, it is critical to stay home to slow contagion and alleviate burden on our already stressed by poor and inequitable policies health care system. It is also critical to reach out to elected officials and into our own means to help others be able to stay home and get any needed care.
What capacities for adaptability and generosity might we find in this situation?
