Olive oil and Yoga….hmmmm, did that get your attention?

August 30, 2009

For me, Anusara is to yoga what olive oil is to a good Mediterranean diet – a perfect foundation from which to work.

Anusara yoga teachers are fun and inspiring, yet also steeped in knowledge of biomechanics, therapeutics, philosophy, and how to make it all relevant to life.

It’s this level of skillful teaching that creates the “base” recipe for any type of Anusara Yoga class from the gentle variety to power vinyasa. The principles are the same – the connection to each student is honored – the teachers are truly creative and empowering – and we all progress on our own unique paths!

Anusara means, literally, “to flow with grace.” It is a powerful hatha yoga system that weaves together a Tantric philosophy of intrinsic goodness with the Universal Principles of Alignment. Please take a few minutes to visit the Anusara website and learn more about this life-affirming practice. (www.anusara.com) My teacher is John Friend, the founder of Anusara. He is the greatest example of dedication, enthusiasm, and excellent standards that I know.

Since its beginning twelve years ago, Anusara Yoga has grown in stature and popularity worldwide. I can attest to its unique value. The practice of Anusara Yoga changed my life dramatically – physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually. The people I’ve met through Anusara Yoga are life-time friends.

Whether you are a casual student or a dedicated yogi, at The Bindu you will find an Anusara Yoga class that is right for you. And you’ll find yourself in a loving, supportive community that is more diverse than you might expect! I am proud to be launching a dedicated Anusara Yoga center where we can all dive deeper into this exhilarating dance with Grace.

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** GIVEAWAYS are GREAT! Congratulations to Rachel from Davidson, NC. She is the winner of our second giveaway, a $30 gift certificate to Summit Coffee (www.summitcoffee.com) in Davidson. Thanks to everyone who registered for this popular offering! **

Bindu Giveaway #3!

Please remember to register for our 3rd giveaway: Reiki healing session with Meredith DeSopo. For more information about Reiki or Meredith, click here www.Reiki4life.net. This will be a great way to understand how Reiki works to promote healing within the body.

To register, simply click here to send an email to info@kelleygardner.com with the subject line “Bindu Giveaway #3 Entry.” Include your: Full Name, Email Address, Phone #

That’s it! We’ll pick a name on Friday, September 4th, and announce our winner on Tuesday, September 8th! Keep checking back for more winners and more giveaways!

Anusara Yoga – What’s the Big Deal?

August 28, 2009

** View updated photos of the Bindu’s progress in the ‘photos‘ tab in the menu! Stay tuned for our #2 giveaway winner on Monday. **

There are many “styles” of yoga out there. What’s so special about Anusara Yoga? And why create a center dedicated to this one style?

I know some really good teachers in our community who teach other styles of yoga. Bottom line: there’s no one style of yoga that is perfect for everyone.

So let me explain the Bindu’s dedication to Anusara with some background. My first certification was in Kripalu yoga and then I studied further with Erich Schiffmann, blending those methodologies into an eclectic style of teaching asana. Then in 1998 I had an inspiration.

I had taken several workshops from Suzie Hurley (www.willowstreetyoga.com), but in one particular workshop her teaching, her explanations as to the whys and hows of asana practice, even the vibrancy in her own body were markedly different from years past. When I learned she had embraced Anusara yoga I was impressed, but (being a Taurus) it took me another few years to commit myself to the long and rigorous Anusara teacher certification path.

That’s my background and here’s the answer: In Anusara I found solid foundational principles as well as great wings of creativity through its connection to a philosophy of intrinsic goodness, a great community of like-minded, intelligent teachers, friends and students, and a set of universal alignment principles that guide us both on or off the mat.

And Anusara keeps evolving in technique and philoosophy. Next blog, I’ll tell you more about Anusara yoga and more about why the Bindu is dedicated to this one style of yoga.

Second drumroll…it is my pleasure to announce the wellness practitioners

August 24, 2009

** Don’t miss giveaway #2 and our previous winner at the bottom of this post! **

Click here, to meet the wellness practitioners who are joining the Bindu. They are all very knowledgeable and successful in their practices. Together they form a diverse and effective team that is enthusiastic about serving our community.

Throughout Grand Opening weekend (September 25-27), our wellness practitioners will offer samples of their work as well as free educational seminars. If you have never explored the world of holistic therapies, come see for yourself how powerful these modalities can be. Come early and bring your friends. You’re going to love meeting these folks.

Our wellness practitioners will offer a variety of services including naturopathic medicine, therapeutic massage, Reiki energy healing, hypnosis, Thai yoga massage, trigger point release work, holistic pediatric consultations and more. Imagine all this under one roof!!

Click here to meet our 6 new Bindu wellness practitioners.

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** GIVEAWAYS are GREAT! Congratulations to Linda from Maiden, NC. She is the winner of our first giveaway, a 1 hour yoga private with Kelley Gardner. Thanks to everyone who registered for this popular offering! **

Bindu Giveaway #2!

Please remember to register for our 2nd giveaway: $30 gift certificate to SUMMIT COFFEE in Davidson.

To register, simply click here to send an email to info@kelleygardner.com with the subject line “Bindu Giveaway #2 Entry.” Include your: Full Name, Email Address, Phone #

That’s it! We’ll pick a name on Friday, August 28th, and announce our winner on Monday, August 31st! Keep checking back for more winners and more giveaways!

It is our pleasure to partner with Summit Coffee as a sponsor of the Bindu. Tim Helfrich and the Summit gang are true visionaries whose open hearts and broad perspectives build community through education, charity fundraising, and community involvement. In addition, Summit brings together musicians from far and wide to celebrate life through music and relaxed time with friends, old and new. Visit the Summit Coffee website for more information (www.summitcoffee.com) and don’t forget to register for the Summit $30 gift certificate!

Drumroll…It is my pleasure to introduce the Bindu Teachers to you!

August 22, 2009

When you click on the Teachers tab at the top of this page, you’ll meet the 8 exceptional people who will join me as the teaching faculty of the Bindu.

Each of our exceptional yoga instructors is passionate about Anusara Yoga. They are creative and inspiring teachers. Our Tai chi instructor is a seasoned teacher who joins us with a strong following and enthusiasm that is contagious. Our NIA teacher hails from Charlottesville (“where everyone does NIA”) and she is excited about developing a first-rate NIA program in our region.

One of my favorite things about all these teachers is their dedication to practice, study and having fun together. Our community is in for a sweet ride as we step forward, aligned and committed to grace-filled excellence at the Bindu.

I hope you will take classes from each of the Bindu teachers. They are all bright lights in this world. I’m proud they will be an integral part of the many blessings of the Bindu.

Namaste
Kelley Gardner

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* We’ll be announcing our first giveaway winner on Monday! Stay tuned! *

What’s the point?

August 17, 2009

** Don’t miss our first giveaway at the bottom of this page! **

My yogi friends smile when they hear the name of our new center, the Bindu.

In yoga, the word “bindu” refers to the stage in meditation where all one’s experiences converge into a point and expand into pure Awareness.

The bindu is found in many different symbolic and metaphorical forms. But of all these forms, one very familiar to yogis is found in the OM symbol.

The three curves along the lower part of the OM symbol are like 3 streams that represent three different states of our consciousness: the Waking state, the Dreaming state and the Deep Sleep state.

The fourth state is the Bindu state, the experience of the heart of pure Consciousness. This appears as the point, or dot, at the top of the OM. This point represents Absolute Consciousness, the focal point of spiritual practice.

The crescent shape just below the bindu symbolizes the separation we humans tend to feel from the state of pure Consciousness. Since the OM symbol is a reminder that we are the manifestation of Divine Consciousness, the Bindu is the “point” of our journey.

I hope that each person who enters the Bindu will experience his/her heart more open, clear and full through practice, play, and building community.

OM is where the heart is….

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Welcome to the first Bindu Giveaway!!!

Each week until our grand opening (September 25-27), we’ll be giving away some very exciting prizes for our loyal readers! In order to enter, you MUST BE a subscriber to this blog. If you are not a subscriber, you will not be eligible to win. To subscribe, simply submit your email address to the box in the sidebar on the right that says, ‘Get Instant Updates!’ Our first giveaway is a big one and we know you’ll love it.

Giveaway #1
A one-hour yoga private session with The Bindu founder, Kelley Gardner.  This is a great way to get started in Yoga or to refine your practice. You’ll come away with a customized sequence of poses created specifically for you. Total Value: $85.

It’s easy to win!
Simply click here to send an email to info@kelleygardner.com with the subject line “Bindu Giveaway #1 Entry.”
Include your: Full Name, Email Address, Phone # and Yoga Experience Level

That’s it! We’ll pick a name on Friday, August 21st, make sure they’re subscribed to the blog and announce our winner on Monday, August 24th! Keep checking back for more winners and more giveaways!

**Note: we will never share your email or personal information with other lists. First and last name only will be announced, unless requested to remain anonymous. By entering, you will be subscribed to The Bindu newsletter. You may unsubscribe at any time.**

Yoga, Wellness and the Perfect Marinade….

August 6, 2009

Welcome to The Bindu blog…I’m Kelley Gardner. I’ve been teaching yoga since 1989 and have been a certified Anusara Yoga teacher since 2005. Becoming an Anusara Yoga teacher gave me both a solid foundation and creative inspiration. It’s a dream come true to share my vision of the Bindu which will be an Anusara Yoga and Wellness Center, full of expert healers and instructors. This Center has a purpose of bringing people together to practice, study, laugh, heal and meditate – to expand our minds and hearts more than we ever thought possible. To know ourselves and one another better. To find balance that supports us in our lives. To feel good.

The Bindu will burst onto the scene with a truly Grand Opening in Lake Norman, NC, September 25-27th and we hope you’ll join us to celebrate this vision-turned-reality.  I’ll be posting news, events and updates here until our Grand Opening, so keep checking back. We’ll also be doing a weekly giveaway that you won’t want to miss! Curious about how all of this came to be?

Looking back, my friend Carol, who is a both a wonderful chef and mentor, has watched me marinating for several years now -  Marinating in a great life filled with rewarding work that I love, a wonderful husband and kids that keep me vibrant, and interesting friends who inspire me. Imagine my surprise when within days of hearing myself say, “I would like to open a new Yoga center,” The Bindu began to show me her potential. She had even grander visions for herself of what was possible. Pulling in different flavors and presentation, she began to take form.

While I was looking for 3500sf, my realtor showed me the perfect 5000sf space.
So, The Bindu wants to be larger to accommodate more people and more growth….

Some friends with great connections in the world of wellness introduced me to area practitioners in fields like naturopathic medicine, specialized massage therapy, thai yoga massage, herbology, and energy work – our perfect mix of professionals eager to create together was born.
So, The Bindu wants to be a multi-focused Yoga and Wellness Center to nurture the total Self…

And I have exciting news – she’s almost ready!
Grand Opening – September 25-27

The Bindu comes to life for a weekend full of free Anusara Yoga classes, Tai Chi, Prenatal Yoga, Vinyasa (flow) yoga, kids yoga, tweens yoga and gentle stretching classes. There will be free partner massage classes, thai yoga massage, and seminars on topics such as: healing with herbs and self-care through understanding trigger points in the body. All the practitioners at The Bindu will offer free workshops and educational seminars, so mark your calendars for a very special weekend of Bindu bliss!

And the name, The Bindu…well, it will be my pleasure to unroll that beauty over the course of several blogs. But to get you marinading in the possibilities, imagine the creative potency of anything where all the energies are completely focused  That’s the bindu point! If you are familiar with the OM symbol, the bindu is the “dot” at the top. Intrigued? We’ll reveal more next time.

Save the Grand Opening Date (September 25-27) and stay in touch as we keep uncovering the many wonderful flavors of this creation! Until then, we would love to hear from you with your thoughts and encouragement.

Namaste,

Kelley Gardner

TheBindu.com is under construction, so stay tuned….
until then, visit www.kelleygardner.com