07/04/2026
This Month at Yoga Magnolia
“Those who won our independence believed that the final end of the state was to make men [and women] free to develop their faculties, and that in its government the deliberative forces should prevail over the arbitrary. They valued liberty both as an end and as a means. They believed liberty to be the secret of happiness and courage to be the secret of liberty.” — Louis D. Brandeis
Happy Independence Day: I just watched a Netflix series called “The American Experiment,” five hour-plus episodes about the creation of the U.S. to mark its 250th anniversary. Sometimes I forget about the enormous sacrifice our forefathers made in creating this imperfect but glorious country. According to the director of the series, “There had never been a country formed out of reflection and choice, and not accident and force, as Hamilton put it.” The quest for liberty and freedom continues today. We need to be active participants in our democracy - so we don't lose it.
There is an 8:30 a.m. class on Fourth of July.
It is happening in our country now and it also happens on the yoga mat. You sense a new freedom in the body. It moves in ways you thought you had lost. But that’s not all. Every hour of the practice helps us to feel more open, bringing our souls to the surface of consciousness.
Last Month at Yoga Magnolia: We did not finish the readings on the Eight Limbs of Yoga in June, so we will continue to have readings about these limbs. The sage Patanjali wrote the Eight Limbs of Yoga in 400 AD, known as the Yoga Sutras. So far, we have heard about the Yamas, Niyamas, Asana, Pranayama. We will continue to have readings about 5. Pratyahara – Sense Withdrawal: The conscious act of drawing your attention inward. This involves disengaging your focus from external sensory distractions (sights, sounds, smells) to turn your awareness entirely within. 6. Dharana – Concentration: The practice of intense, one-pointed concentration. You fix your mind on a single object, thought, or the breath, training the mind to focus without distraction. 7. Dhyana – Meditation: The seamless, uninterrupted flow of concentration. While Dharana requires effort to maintain focus, Dhyana is the state of effortless, deep meditation where the distinction between the object of focus and the observer begins to dissolve.8. Samadhi – Absorption: The final stage of the eight limbs. It is a state of profound, blissful connection where the individual consciousness merges completely with the universal consciousness. It represents ultimate enlightenment, inner peace, and self-rea
Breath of the Month: In June, we practiced the Ha Kriya. We modified it quite a bit since sitting in Goddess for three minutes doing the Ha Kriya is an intense workout (we ended up sitting in easy sitting pose). Still, even when sitting, it’s a powerful breath – strengthening the lungs while it also stimulates the third chakra (manipura), which is the center of confidence, willpower, self-esteem and self-worth. This month, because of the excessive heat, we will practice Sitali breath, a cooling breath through a curled tongue. Again, we will stay with the breath for three minutes.
June 21 was International Day of Yoga: Each year the United Nations celebrates The International Day of Yoga. According to its website, “This year marks the 12th International Day of Yoga with the theme ‘Yoga for Healthy Aging,’ which emphasizes the importance of Yoga for all ages. Yoga can be a valuable practice for healthy aging because it supports many of the abilities that help people stay active, independent, and engaged as they grow older. By combining gentle movement, stretching, breathing exercises, and mindfulness, yoga can help improve balance, flexibility, strength, and mobility, while also supporting mental well-being and stress management.” We also celebrated the 15th anniversary of Yoga Magnolia on June 21, 2011, which was also the summer solstice. In appreciation of the studio’s students, a free class was given on Saturday, June 20, at 8:30 a.m.
Need a massage? Feel free to contact Vanessa directly if you would like an appointment for a massage. Lately she has been giving massages on Saturdays and Mondays. Call Vanessa Scaife on 252-314-0975 for more information. Gift certificates are available.
Help with your diet: Sarah Brinker is offering a free health history to see if health coaching is a good fit for you. Sarah is a certified health coach through the Institute of Integrative Nutrition and wants to help you succeed at following through with your health goals – whether that’s to lose weight or rid your body of toxins. Schedule a free 30-minute health history. Health stories can be done in person or over the phone. Call Sarah on 919-353-0882 for more information.
Need a tune-up? Do you need to be more energetically balanced? Would you like to reduce anxiety and stress and feel calm? Biofield Tuning is a form of energy medicine that uses sound waves, produced by tuning fork vibrations, to re-tune the body out of patterns of stress and tension. During a Biofield Tuning, a client lies fully clothed on a treatment table as a tuning fork scans the body. Susanna Martin is now offering this service at the studio. To schedule a tuning, please contact Susanna Martin directly on 201-401-4234.
Om Shanti,
Brenda
