September's Theme: " LEARN"

The month of September brings teachers back to teaching and children back to learning as schools reopen for a new school year. So our theme for September is "LEARN."

We should never stop learning. The only way we continue to grow as human beings is to learn new things. Whether you read a new book, take a course on a subject, immerse yourself into a lifestyle or learn from making mistakes, it's all a part of this process.

Since September is also National Yoga Month, maybe you can immerse yourself into a fresh yoga practice with a new perspective. When on the mat, we encourage you to try new things. Perhaps you engage different muscles while in a posture, and learn how that feels. Maybe you'll go back to a beginner mindset and take gentler classes and learn to let go and relax. In fact, one of the biggest and most important things to try and accomplish on the mat is that beginner's mindset - to let go of all that you think you know and be open to learning. The more "stuff" you hold on to, the less room you have for anything new to come in anyway.

So, for those returning to the school system for a new year of education, we say, "have a wonderful school year!" And to those who are not, seek another way to learn something new. And on our part, we will continue to teach you new aspects of yoga throughout the classes at One Yoga Center.

In Love & Light.

OYC Founder, Tracey L. Ulshafer & your OYC Teaching Staff

When I sit down to write the monthly newsletter I pull an "OM" card which has one word on it for our theme. I made the cards myself, which gives them more energy and intuition. So, when I sat down to write for September and "Learn" came up, it was another continued validation of these energies.

Of course it makes sense that September is about learning - it's when schools reopen. In my mind, September begins a new year. It feels more appropriate to me than January ever did, but that's probably because most of us grew up going back to school then and everything changes in a big way. This year marks my 30th High School reunion, if you can believe it! Wow, the time flown by!

I never really enjoyed learning in high school or college. I was an average student who didn't try really hard either. I just did what I had to to get by. Now as an adult, I crave learning new things. I am currently enrolled in an online program by Sanskrit scholar Christopher Tompkins on the Tantric Origins of Hatha Yoga, and finding some new and exciting information that I will soon be able to share with my students. Once I found something I was truly interested and excited about, then learning became less of a chore and more of a wonderful gift to give myself. I admit, I do not always have an open amount of time to dedicate to learning something, but I try to do something for my education once a year - whether it is taking other yoga classes or workshops, traveling somewhere new or learning something online.  

When we stop learning - we stop growing as human beings. I, for one, do not want to let that happen to me. So, cheers to continued learning - even for old folks like me.

In Love, Service & Wisdom.

Tracey L. Ulshafer,

Founder/Director, One Yoga Center