A Simple Summer (May 2025 Newsletter)
Photo Credit: Sipra Pimputkar
Heading into summer we are excited about the experiences that it holds. In the thrill of the moment we spend time gathering those material goods that will make the experience spectacular. New outfits that may never see the light of day again, packaged foods, and the like. More is produced to cater to these passing needs, but then there's the next and the next, and industries are in competition to offer the best and the latest, all packaged in attractive plastic and other materials that add to the trash. Where will it go? What are we leaving the children? We forget that sometimes it becomes what Mahatma Gandhi called, “commerce without morality”. Do we really need all those things? After the trip or experience that item is of no use anymore, thus creating waste and more stuff that the earth has to absorb or recycle. Where will it go? Trash overflows everywhere. Gandhi astutely pointed out that not only are the white coats responsible for dealing with the junk we thoughtlessly create, and leave it for the scientists to clean up and find solutions. But the white coats need to follow well established scientific methods and work on new science keeping the good of all humanity in mind. It’s not just the white coats, but each of us must become scientists involved in creating an environment that is clean and safe for our own children and the children of the earth so that in Gandhi’s words, it is “science with humanity". Be humane, be compassionate and be a scientist protecting this earth and all it offers us plentifully and constantly. Summer is wonderful. Enjoy it naturally.
Namasté,
sipra
A Note about YWB’s Future
We will have more information for you later this month, but we wanted to update you about some upcoming changes for Yoga-Well-Being. Our current plan is move out of our current studio space starting June. We expect to still be holding in-person classes at the church, just in another location. We will have more details for you later this month.
Thank you to everyone for your well-wishes as sipra has recovered from her broken wrist, and your patience with our schedule changes. Her recovery is going well; she may be able to teach again next month.
April Showers Bring May Flowers (April 2025 Newsletter)
Photo Credit: Tai Pimputkar
April showers bring May flowers. Gentle showers can turn into deadly storms. However it turns out, the fresh flowers, the birds, new life in the animal world are all ready to burst into a season of joy and fulfillment but remember to make a personal commitment to forgo some of the fun times and create your own season of remembering those who have passed on, are suffering or lost. All around the world, there are traditions very similar to the Lenten period before Easter. Look into them and choose one that resonates with you. Here are some suggestions for you to try: give up a favorite recreation, favored food, rendezvous with friends or the like.
Happy spring from YWB!
Namasté,
sipra
A Note about sipra’s Classes
Studio founder Sipra Pimputkar fell and broke her wrist after class at the end of February while walking her dogs one night. She continues to recover, but it will take some time. While she recovers, sipra’s classes will be covered by other instructors as possible. This may be a good opportunity for you to experience an instructor you haven’t tried before.
We appreciate your patience as we deal with this situation, and we will keep you informed about sipra’s progress.
Welcome, Spring! (March 2025 Newsletter)
“When one flower blooms, spring awakens everywhere.” - John O'Donohue
Happy spirng from YWB!
Namasté,
sipra
Looking Forward (February 2025 Newsletter)
Image credit: Tai Pimputkar
The big news of the moment is the Buckeye championship at the NCAA football. Deservedly so. They worked hard for it.
Working hard is not seasonal. It is almost a 24/7 effort. It is every day, in all kinds of weather, situations and fields. Whether they are glad or sad, healthy or sick (except for contagious diseases,) they show up and complete the tasks set for them. Practice, practice, practice. Beyond that they practice on their own, maintaining a strict diet and honing their skills on their own.
Above and beyond all the many aspects of preparation and the game itself, there is an awareness of an energy that guides and protects. Whatever their faith or belief, you may have noticed the players, the fans, and the coaches and staff all turning to that divine element that we all recognize through their gestures. Nothing happens without THAT!
Namasté,
sipra
Happy New Year! (January 2025 Newsletter)
Image credit: Bob Brewer
The New Year is upon us. We at YWB wish for you Happiness and Joy, Justice and Peace.
Another year is ending, and if you stop to think about it, how was it? Did you achieve your goal or goals? Are you satisfied with how life has turned out? If your answer is 'yes', cheers to you! If not,what can you do about it? Time moves on and the past is unchangeable. Let it go and set a new, achievable goal.
Ayurveda, the ancient and universal system of health and balance, observes nature for guidance in our own lives. Observing and following the behavior of plants and trees and animals around us is the best guide to living our own lives.
Getting ready for winter, plants and trees cut off the food supply to the stems and limbs. Photosynthesis stops in fall to start the process of preparing for the frigid winter ahead. Without the magic of sunshine, plants and trees lose their leaves and become dormant. They appear lifeless and dead.
Our own lives need to become dormant as well. Well, that is not to suggest dormant like many mammals who sleep through the winter. It simply means using those techniques of dormancy that nature uses. For us, winter is full of seasonal holidays when we celebrate with rich foods such as steaks, pies, and lots of cheese. Wines and alcohol are free flowing. Late night entertainment and sports keep us awake into the wee hours of the night. Winter is time for vacations, travel and winter sports. So be it. But try to balance the fun with some early to bed and late to rise days.
Adapt your diet for winter needs. Stews and soups, hot, nourishing and relaxing, are perfect, along with nuts and crunchy chips. Ideally, cook with heat generating spices like hot peppers. Add astringents to build up the immune system adding foods like pomegranates to your meal. Whole grain bread provides carbs to soothe the body and add a layer of fat that keeps out the cold. Eat lots of beans, lentils and other grains that are complex proteins and immune system builders. Beans keep you regular in the cold dry air which can cause constipation and irregularity. If beans disagree with you, try adding epazote leaves when cooking the beans. Don't forget a small dessert.
The liver works hard in winter to protect us from winter illnesses like flu, infections and the Corona Virus. The liver also uses energy from food to create energy for the body. Adding rich foods and alcohol to the diet puts the liver into over-drive.
Don't forget citrus fruits for a daily supply of vitamin C. It is the season to try out the many delicious varieties available in the next few months for immune support.
Go to bed at 8 pm, and enjoy the sports, movies, and entertainment from your bed. Or just enjoy a good book or movie in bed. Hibernate!
Namasté,
sipra
Calendar
Thursday, January 1, 2025: Yoga-Well-Being reopens for 2025!
Mondays, January 13, 20, & 27, 7:30 PM: Ayurvedic Wisdom for Healthy Digestion
Follow us on Facebook for news, events and more.
JOY! (December 2024)
Sketch by Rose Winston, age 11, of Tai Pimputkar’s cats, Willow & Merlin
Willow and Merlin
Soft as snow.
Look. Feel.
Be present. Oh Joy!
Hard as ice.
Experience. Look.
Be present. Oh Joy!
May your holidays be happy and blessed.
Namasté,
sipra
Gitanjali 69
by Rabindranath Tagore
The same stream of life that runs
through my veins night and day runs
through the world and dances in
rhythmic measures.
It is the same life that shoots in joy
through the dust of the earth in
numberless blades of grass and breaks
into tumultuous waves of leaves and
flowers.
It is the same life that is rocked in
the ocean-cradle of birth and of death,
in ebb and in flow.
I feel my limbs are made glorious by
the touch of this world of life. And my
pride is from the life-throb of ages
dancing in my blood this moment.
Calendar
Saturday, December 7, 10 AM to 4 PM: Mini Music Festival and Jam Session at Fourth Avenue Christian Church
Saturday, December 21: The Winter Solstice, the longest night of the year.
Tuesday, December 24 to Wednesday, January 1: Studio closed for the holidays
Thursday, January 1, 2025: Yoga-Well-Being reopens for 2025!
Coming in 2025:
A new massage therapist will be sharing our space, starting in January. More details to come; contact us for more information.
Ayurveda classes will resume in the new year.
Follow us on Facebook for news, events and more.
Awake and Grateful (November 2024 Newsletter)
In a conversation, an acquaintance, retired from work, said they were in a place of suspended animation where they did not know whether to sink or swim. It must be a very frightening place to be where one doesn’t know whether to sink or to swim or whether, in fact, they are sinking or swimming.
It is nature's way to allow everything to move at a pace that is comfortable - neither rushing along, nor dallying but maintaining a steady rhythm from day to day. The seasonal changes in nature are at an easy, comfortable pace. One cannot hurry nature nor stop it in its tracks.
This natural state helps all beings develop just like everything around us is growing. It recognizes the season of growth, that of ripeness and then a season of slowly moving into a restful phase of dormancy.
There is no struggle to change anything.
The important thing is to recognize and fall in step with what happens in our environment and within each of us.
We must be or become active participants in our own lives, whatever stage we are in. At the same time, be present to the simple pleasures of life, be in constant gratitude, because really we have plenty and more than enough for this moment. Float along with joy.
Happy Thanksgiving.
Namasté,
sipra
Calendar
Sunday, November 3: Daylight Saving Time ends - a chance to sleep in!
Tuesday, November 5: Election Day - virtual classes only
Saturday, November 16, 1:30 PM: Yoga Nidra Workshop
Thursday, November 28, 11 AM: Free Thanksgiving Day Yoga; all other classes cancelled
Friday, November 29: Studio closed for Black Friday
Intentionally Simple (October 2024 Newsletter)
It takes just one person to walk away from the crowd and go his own way to be noticed. I cannot help but think of Mahatma Gandhi as one such personality. It is his birthday on October 2, and it is with him in mind that the topic this month is Intentional Simplicity. Gandhi was a lawyer with a degree from England's Inner Temple. He reverted from a showy lifestyle and focused instead on more important matters such as helping the downtrodden (the untouchables) in India and then the untouchables in South Africa. He returned to India for the freedom fight against the British. Shedding all outward signs of materialism, he is known as one of the leaders who dressed in handwoven, undyed cotton, and actively led India to freedom with a simple nonviolent movement of resistance, known as Satyagraha, resisting all things that were imported including the adopted British lifestyle.
It takes just one person to walk away from the crowd. By doing so, they show strength, purpose, direction and above all intention. This leads to a conscious, conscientious and self-directed spiritual movement led by one’s conscience, which is the Spirit. Then they can begin to live purposefully and within an environment that is free from artificial complexities and consumerism, which lead to life that becomes progressively more stressful.
We are each unique and uniquely gifted. Let’s each find our own way to voluntary simplicity. Who are you?
Namasté,
sipra
Calendar
Friday, October 18, 7:30 PM: Jewelry Making Workshop
Monday, October 21, 7:30 PM: Self Care with Ayurveda
Thursday, October 31: No evening classes for Trick or Treating
Sunday, November 3: Daylight Saving Time ends - a chance to sleep in!
Saturday, November 16, 1:30 PM: Yoga Nidra Workshop
Thursday, November 28, 11 AM: Free Thanksgiving Day Yoga; all other classes cancelled
Friday, November 29: Studio closed for Black Friday
Follow us on Facebook for news, events and more.
this and THAT… (September 2024 Newsletter)
This is where I am
That is where I am going.
This is who I am
That is who I want to be.
This is life as I have known it till now.
That is as it turns out each Fall; the season of
Goodbye, AU REVOIR and see you soon.
This is never That
THIS is always changing, while
THAT never does.
THIS is NOW
THAT is the ever-vibrant energy that pervades all and EVERYTHING.
And is never not present in the present tense.
THAT is never THIS.
THAT is beyond anything that can be described or is material/matter
No words can describe, no words can express.
THAT is nothing, no thing,
THAT is SAT, CHIT, ANAND.
Truth, Consciousness, Bliss.
AHAM SAA
I am THAT, I AM, I…
Namasté,
sipra
Calendar
Tuesday, September 17, 7:30 PM: Lecture: Yoga Knowledge in Translation
Monday, September 30, 7:30 PM: Self-Care with Ayurveda
Friday, October 18, 7:30: Spiritual Jewelry Making Workshop
Saturday, November 16, 1:30 PM: Yoga Nidra Workshop
Follow us on Facebook for news, events and more.
Ebb and Flow (August 2024 Newsletter)
Our life flows on without stopping for a single moment much like water which cannot stand still and instead is always looking for a new outlet. That is natural for all liquids and for all of us. It is nature. We are filled with moving flows within us - water, breath, nerves and energy. All those moving parts left untrained and uncontrolled make us crazed and anxious. In the Tao Te Ching it says, “There is nothing in the world more soft and weak than water, yet for attacking things that are hard and strong there is nothing that surpasses it, nothing that can take its place”. Be soft, be gentle, be flowing. Allow all these energies to move you. As it is, with power and strength and allowing our thoughts to lead us, the reckless mind constantly directs us all the time, even in our dreams. What shall we do about it? Do nothing. Learn to allow for silence and stillness. Meditate with no thoughts of achievement or gain. Sit silently, walk silently. Look around at the splendor of the world that surrounds us. Allow your thoughts to come and go. Pay no attention to them. Put away the device for a part of each day. It is as insidious as the wayward mind. From the Tao again, "Activity conquers cold, but stillness conquers heat. Purity and stillness are the correct principles for mankind."
Namaste,
sipra
Photo Credit: Diane Sorensen
In sipra's backyard is this little statue of Buddha covered in moss and vines, sitting placidly through all kinds of weather.