Dear Friends,

I hope this letter finds you well and inspired for 2014! The Chinese Year of the Horse has begun, and we are being told by those in the know of this ancient astrology, that this is a year of major shifts, full of potential and dynamism:

“The Wood Horse year is a time of fast victories, unexpected adventure, and surprising romance. It is an excellent year for travel, and the more far away and off the beaten path the better. Energy is high and production is rewarded. Decisive action, not procrastination, brings victory. You have to act fast in a Horse year – if you are not 100% secure about a decision, then don’t do it. Events move so quickly in a Horse year that you don’t want to gallop off in the wrong direction.”

and

“The Horse year is about freedom, returning to nature, and enjoying life and life’s adventures. Horse energy inspires powerful intuition and an indomitable surge towards freedom in every aspect of life. This is a year to follow your inner voice like never before, for it will have the universal cosmic chi force behind it.”

My sense is that this is a year that supports us to trust and follow our intuition – and even more, a year to follow what leads us to great adventures and delicious yes’s!

So far the year has been filled with sweet adventures beginning with Partner Yoga for Couples at Kripalu and then VALENTINE’S DAY celebrations – the day the world thinks it okay to try Partner Yoga! I love it, only I think Valentine’s Day needs to come way more than once a year. How about we celebrate V-Day love throughout the whole year?

I love when I receive support to go for adventure in my life – and love offering this support to others. Let’s encourage each other to be as fully alive and open to love as we can be!

And as paradoxically as it seems, what supports us to be most joyfully alive is being willing to contemplate our death, and the death of our loved ones. This has been my experience, that when we directly face the ultimate letting go, the result is joy, and greater freedom to be fully alive and in love with those around us.

This is the practice of Savasana, the practice of relaxing into the essence of our being, that which is beyond form. When we use touch, connection and loving presence, facing into this mysterious realm becomes more accessible. I am honored to once again be guiding this exploration at Shambhala Mountain Center on March 7-9th. Here is a recent conversation on this topic.

There are four Teacher Trainings planned for 2014, two in the US and two in Europe. I am also honored to be part of the Athens Yoga Symposium, a fabulous European event focused on co-creating the change we want to see in the world.

The first Training (that is coming up quickly!) will be a retreat at Ancient Yoga Center in Austin, TX on April 13 – 18. AYC is a beautiful ashram environment and quite immense, the way they do things in Texas! Level I training is a very unique opportunity to immerse in the practice in a way that is both deeply nourishing personally while providing the skills needed to share the practice with others. To register or learn more visit our site. Payment plans are available and we have one scholarship space available. Please fill out the online application to apply for either of these options.

Our international trainings this year take place in Greece and in Vienna, Austria. Greece will be a 50 hr residential retreat on the beautiful island of Paros and then on to Vienna for a 30 hr training followed by a weekend workshop at the Vienna Yoga Shala.

To see the entire 2014 calendar, visit us online.

I wish you a year of grand adventures guided by grace!

With love,

Elysabeth