lil blog: August 2010

Waldorf Inspired Class

By lil omm , 5:11 AM

Classes for infants and toddlers in DC--Starting September.

Saplings Garden – Fall 2010

Saplings Garden is a class for parents and their toddlers, inspired by
the principles and practices of Waldorf education.

The way in which active "on-the-go" toddlers experience the
world is through constant movement and direct experience with everything
they see, hear and touch. With the understanding that their senses are
wide open, this program is designed to be a peaceful time for toddlers
to explore, play and engage with one another in a safe and nurturing
environment and for parents to observe their child(ren) in a relaxed
way. Teachers will demonstrate a calm and quiet way to spend time with
children of this age and facilitate a classroom rhythm (including circle
time and singing songs) that children will come to participate in
naturally. The space will have open-ended toys made of natural
materials to encourage imaginative play and provide a sensory experience
that is not overwhelming. A fresh, organic snack will be provided.
Jeanne Feeney will teach this class with an assistant.

When? Wednesdays 9:30 -11:00am

September 15th – December 8th (no class on November 24th –
Thanksgiving break)

Two parent evenings – Tuesday, September 14th, 7:30pm (the other is
TBD)

Where? Josephine Butler Parks Center
http://www.washingtonparks.net/parkscenter

Cost? $380 for 12 week session of 1-1/2 hour classes & two parent
evenings

Who may attend? Children in the age range of crawling to 2 years, 3
months old accompanied by one or more parent(s). A grandparent or
caregiver is welcome to join the family in attending the class at no
additional charge, space allowing. Please inquire if you are interested
in this option. Enrollment will be limited to 10 families, on a first
come first serve basis.

How do I enroll? Fill out attached enrollment form and send with
payment to City of Trees Enrichment, 1628 New Jersey Ave NW, Washington,
DC 20001

Seedlings Garden - Fall 2010

Seedlings Garden is a class for parents and their infants inspired by
the principles and practices of Waldorf education.

Class will provide a supportive environment for new parents to discover
ways to observe and learn about their babies and explore various topics
related to parenting and child development through facilitated
conversation and readings. Parents will learn simple songs and games
for engaging their babies. A fresh, organic snack will be provided
along with opportunity for informal discussion.

When? Wednesdays 11:30am-1:00pm

September 15th – December 8th (no class on November 24th –
Thanksgiving break)

Two parent evenings - date and time TBD

Where? Josephine Butler Parks Center
http://www.washingtonparks.net/parkscenter

Cost? $360 for a 12 week session of 1-1/2 hour classes & two parent
evenings

Who may attend? Expectant parents and parents with pre-crawling babies.
More than one adult may accompany the infant for the same cost. Maximum
enrollment is 8, on a first come first serve basis

How do I enroll? Fill out attached enrollment form and send with
payment to City of Trees Enrichment, 1628 New Jersey Ave NW, Washington,
DC 20001

Teacher and additional information

Jeanne Feeney is a registered movement therapist and a graduate of
Sophia's Hearth, a Waldorf early childhood teacher training program. In
2004, she helped initiate the first classes for parent and infants and
parent and toddlers at the Washington Waldorf School where she
continues to work. As a movement specialist and dancer/choreographer,
Jeanne holds classes and workshops under the auspices of Movement
Laboratory, where she also has a private bodywork practice.

To learn more about Waldorf Education: http://www.whywaldorfworks.org/

City of Trees PCS is an initiative to create a Waldorf-inspired
public school option for the students of DC. Visit us at
www.cityoftreespcs.org .

Questions? Please e-mail Adrienne at adrienne.gallo@cityoftreespcs.org

Saplings Garden and Seedlings Garden

Fall 2010

Enrollment Form

Class size is limited and early registration is recommended.
Registration is not accepted without payment.

Please check one:

o Saplings Garden, Wednesdays, 9:30am-11:00am

o Seedlings Garden, Wednesdays, 11:30am-1:00pm

Parent__________________

Parent

Address

Cell phonePhone_

E-mail address_

Child's
name

Child's date of
birth__________

Does your child walk or crawl?_ Is your child
talking?_

Age(s) of siblings in
household_______

Any allergies? (please describe)
_

Are there particular topics you would like to see included?
_

__________

Please send completed form with payment to:

City of Trees Enrichment, LLC

1628 New Jersey Ave NW

Washington, DC 20001

City of Trees PCS is an initiative to create a Waldorf-inspired
public school option for the students of DC. Visit us at
www.cityoftreespcs.org .

Yummy...

By lil omm , 7:35 PM

"The Summer Day" by Mary Oliver

Who made the world?
Who made the swan, and the black bear?
Who made the grasshopper?
This grasshopper, I mean-the one who has flung herself out of the grass,
the one who is eating sugar out of my hand,
who is moving her jaws back and forth instead of up and down-
who is gazing around with her enormous and complicated eyes.
Now she lifts her pale forearms and thoroughly washes her face.
Now she snaps her wings open, and floats away.
I don't know exactly what a prayer is.
I do know how to pay attention, how to fall down
into the grass, how to kneel down in the grass,
how to be idle and blessed, how to stroll through the fields,
which is what I have been doing all day.
Tell me, what else should I have done?
Doesn't everything die at last, and too soon?
Tell me, what is it you plan to do
with your one wild and precious life?

(From The House of Light, Beacon Press, Boston, 1990)

Magazine of Yoga Article on lil omm

By lil omm , 6:10 AM

Today we were featured in The Magazine of Yoga.
It's quite a spread and we want to thank all of our teachers and students and community members who practice yoga at lil omm and who are part of our community.
Thank you, love to you all!

http://themagazineofyoga.com/

My Journey into Kundalini Yoga

By lil omm , In intentions , lil omm events , workshops , 5:20 AM

Thanks to Shoshana Rosenbaum for sharing this honest and personal perspective. A great reminder that trying new things can bring the best surprises! Join Shoshana this weekend to explore Kundalini and invigorate your practice.

Kundalini yoga found me right when I needed it, although I came to it somewhat late, in terms of my yoga life. I started doing yoga as a child with my mom, who caught the wave of yoga that came to the U.S. in the 1960s. She faithfully did her sun salutations every morning, and with the advent of VCRs, she and I wore out a 1980s Raquel Welch yoga video.

I tried various hatha yoga styles as I moved around in the years after college, checking out studios that taught iyengar, ashtanga, vinyasa, anusara, Bikram, hot yoga, power yoga, you name it, but no one style particularly stuck with me.

Early in my pregnancy with my first child, I felt awful. Starving but nauseous, exhausted, crampy. Yoga and physical activity of any kind fell by the wayside as I wallowed in how miserable I felt. I only cracked a smile when I came across a book called “Pregnancy Sucks.”

Then one day, a different book arrived in the mail. A friend who had recently had her first child sent me “Bountiful, Beautiful, Blissful” by Gurmukh, a Kundalini yoga teacher. As soon as I read the first few pages my attitude began to transform.

I had never heard of Kundalini yoga and the book contained only a few postures and meditations, but I knew with all my heart that I need to find Gurmukh and study with her. My heart sank when I discovered she lived and taught in L.A. Perhaps I could find a teacher in D.C. who had studied with her, I reasoned. A little research led me to a prenatal Kundalini yoga class in Georgetown.

I didn’t love the physical part of Kundalini at first. Although some postures were familiar from hatha yoga, others seemed at first awkward and strange. Some didn’t necessarily feel good as I did them. It helped when my teacher reminded me to connect to my breathing and to a silent mantra. It also helped when she shared a quip from Yogi Bhajan, who brought the Kundalini tradition to the West: “The best part of Kundalini yoga is when it’s over.”

The “tuning-in” mantra that we did at the beginning of class seemed at first like a tongue-twister in an ancient language, but I liked that it meant “I honor the divine wisdom within me.” The idea that my body contained divine wisdom resonated with me, and I began to count on that divine wisdom to get me through childbirth.

In other yoga classes, my mind would often wander while my body ran through the poses. I would wonder about the other people in the room, or think about what I needed to buy at the store. In Kundalini class, because we kept our eyes closed and were continually reminded to reconnect to the breath and a mantra, I began to learn to stay internal and notice what my mind was doing.

Kundalini class always ended with a meditation, unlike other yoga classes I had attended. I had tried zen meditation years before, and while I liked the idea, I had trouble connecting to the practice. Kundalini meditation was different. There was more to do – a mudra (hand position), a drishti (eye focus), a breathing pattern, sometimes a mantra – which helped focus my mind. Some of the meditations were physically and mentally challenging, often because they involved holding my arms up for what seemed like endless minutes. I began to notice how I felt and what
thoughts ran through my mind when my body was uncomfortable. My teacher reminded me
that surrendering to uncomfortable physical sensations would be excellent practice for natural
childbirth.

She was right. I went into childbirth feeling relaxed and prepared for the unknown, confident that my body could open up to whatever experience lay ahead. While I liked the Bradley childbirth class my husband and I took, for me the best childbirth preparation was the mental training of Kundalini yoga. I took the advice in Gurmukh’s book to heart and trusted that I was more powerful than I might realize, and that staying present for this miracle I was lucky enough to experience would guide me through any difficulty. Gratitude was my touchstone whenever I lost
my way.

I credit that that first prenatal class with helping me have two natural births (the second at home.) In addition, a door opened for me into a new world of yoga. While I had always enjoyed and been attracted to the physical practice of hatha yoga, Kundalini yoga allowed me to experience my consciousness and my spirit in a way that I had never done before.

Almost four years after that first prenatal class, I entered a Kundalini teacher training program. The training helped me uncover levels of strength, self-discipline and peace of mind that I didn’t know were deep inside me. I use the tools I learned every day, not only in my yoga practice, but in my work and my home life. The training gave me the foundation to continue to study this rich and ancient tradition and to continue to develop myself as a yogi and a person. It also gave me the sincere desire to share Kundalini yoga with others, in the hopes that they will find it just as
valuable.

Kundalini Yoga in Practice...

By lil omm , 6:43 AM

My Journey into Kundalini Yoga
Kundalini yoga found me right when I needed it, although I came to it somewhat late, in terms of my yoga life. I started doing yoga as a child with my mom, who caught the wave of yoga that came to the U.S. in the 1960s. She faithfully did her sun salutations every morning, and with the advent of VCRs, she and I wore out a 1980s Raquel Welch yoga video.

I tried various hatha yoga styles as I moved around in the years after college, checking out studios that taught iyengar, ashtanga, vinyasa, anusara, Bikram, hot yoga, power yoga, you name it, but no one style particularly stuck with me.
Early in my pregnancy with my first child, I felt awful. Starving but nauseous, exhausted, crampy. Yoga and physical activity of any kind fell by the wayside as I wallowed in how miserable I felt. I only cracked a smile when I came across a book called “Pregnancy Sucks.”

Then one day, a different book arrived in the mail. A friend who had recently had her first child sent me “Bountiful, Beautiful, Blissful” by Gurmukh, a Kundalini yoga teacher. As soon as I read the first few pages my attitude began to transform.
I had never heard of Kundalini yoga and the book contained only a few postures and meditations, but I knew with all my heart that I need to find Gurmukh and study with her. My heart sank when I discovered she lived and taught in L.A. Perhaps I could find a teacher in D.C. who had studied with her, I reasoned. A little research led me to a prenatal Kundalini yoga class in Georgetown.

I didn’t love the physical part of Kundalini at first. Although some postures were familiar from hatha yoga, others seemed at first awkward and strange. Some didn’t necessarily feel good as I did them. It helped when my teacher reminded me to connect to my breathing and to a silent mantra. It also helped when she shared a quip from Yogi Bhajan, who brought the Kundalini tradition to the West: “The best part of Kundalini yoga is when it’s over.”

The “tuning-in” mantra that we did at the beginning of class seemed at first like a tongue-twister in an ancient language, but I liked that it meant “I honor the divine wisdom within me.” The idea that my body contained divine wisdom resonated with me, and I began to count on that divine wisdom to get me through childbirth.
In other yoga classes, my mind would often wander while my body ran through the poses. I would wonder about the other people in the room, or think about what I needed to buy at the store. In Kundalini class, because we kept our eyes closed and were continually reminded to reconnect to the breath and a mantra, I began to learn to stay internal and notice what my mind was doing.

Kundalini class always ended with a meditation, unlike other yoga classes I had attended. I had tried zen meditation years before, and while I liked the idea, I had trouble connecting to the practice. Kundalini meditation was different. There was more to do – a mudra (hand position), a drishti (eye focus), a breathing pattern, sometimes a mantra – which helped focus my mind. Some of the meditations were physically and mentally challenging, often because they involved holding my arms up for what seemed like endless minutes. I began to notice how I felt and what thoughts ran through my mind when my body was uncomfortable. My teacher reminded me that surrendering to uncomfortable physical sensations would be excellent practice for natural childbirth.
She was right. I went into childbirth feeling relaxed and prepared for the unknown, confident that my body could open up to whatever experience lay ahead. While I liked the Bradley childbirth class my husband and I took, for me the best childbirth preparation was the mental training of Kundalini yoga. I took the advice in Gurmukh’s book to heart and trusted that I was more powerful than I might realize, and that staying present for this miracle I was lucky enough to experience would guide me through any difficulty. Gratitude was my touchstone whenever I lost my way.
I credit that that first prenatal class with helping me have two natural births (the second at home.) In addition, a door opened for me into a new world of yoga. While I had always enjoyed and been attracted to the physical practice of hatha yoga, Kundalini yoga allowed me to experience my consciousness and my spirit in a way that I had never done before.

Almost four years after that first prenatal class, I
entered a Kundalini teacher training program at Yoga House Studio in
DC, with Elizabeth Greathouse. The training helped me uncover levels of strength, self-discipline and peace of mind that I didn’t know were deep inside me. I use the tools I learned every day, not only in my yoga practice, but in my work and my home life. The training gave me the foundation to continue to study this rich and ancient tradition and to continue to develop myself as a yogi and a person. It also gave me the sincere desire to share Kundalini yoga with others, in the hopes that they will find it just as valuable.

Posted by Shoshana, lil omm's Kundalini Teacher

Give a Little, Take a Little...lil omm Swaps

By lil omm , In community events , lil omm events , 12:29 PM

It's almost time for that big fall cleanup. As the days get shorter and school approaches, we all look around, take stock, and think, "where did all this stuff come from?"

lil omm to the rescue! Don't forget about two swaps always happening at the studio...

Playroom Toy Swap
Our playroom room isn't that different from your pile of toys at home. The kids have favorites, only to love something else the next week. To keep everyone happy, all are invited to bring toys/books your kids no longer love, and take toys your kids love now. And then repeat, repeat, repeat for happy campers all around (and fewer trips to the toy store).

Book Swap
In the reception area, you'll find a big basket of books and magazines. Feel free to bring some you'd like to share, and take what you'd like to read. Anything is fair game...share and share alike!

Stay tuned for other one-day swaps this fall: clothes, baby gear, etc...have an idea? Share it with us!

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