Anyone feeling like a vacation right about now? 

I know for me, every February I get to this same point. Winter is “go time” around here with camps, plus yoga, plus family time, plus (endless list of things) … and I know there’s always an end to the madness. But yet, when I’m in it, it’s hard to stay IN IT without thinking about when the madness is going to end. And once I’m thinking about “the end” then I’m no longer in the present.
 
And this is what the media and popular culture supports, right? Work hard, play hard. Work 80 hours a week so you can bank enough vacation time to spend 10 days on the beach somewhere finally “relaxing.”
 
But you and I both know what happens on day 6 of vacation. What are you most worried about?
 ​

​Join Lynn for a 2 hour event where we mirror the wisdom of the planet. During the spring equinox, day and night are equal in length. As we leave the cooling, restful, lunar qualities of winter, we will begin class with a restful restorative sequence. Just like spring, as we leave winter behind, we will make our way into an active, warming, solar flow to welcome the return of the sun.

We will end class with an active intention setting meditation. Where we will be planting seeds to manifest our intentions for the upcoming seasons.

Cost: $25, or monthly unlimited members get $5 off. If you're a member, email Brittany@YogaHiveMontana.com and she'll register you using your card on file for $20!

Well, we made it through another holiday season — not to mention another DECADE of life on this planet.

High fives, all around!

As I was scrolling yesterday, everyone's "year in review" posts on social media got me thinking... before we close the door on 2019, lets cherry pick a snag from this past year and dig in. Because... why not?

Specifically: What's the one piece of feedback someone gave you in 2019 that really upset you... not because they're a jerk, or because they don't understand you. I'm talking about the feedback that you heard, reacted to harshly, and yet you know deep down... is right. This could have been at a holiday party, or it could have been 8 months ago. Really give it some thought.

You don't have to say it out loud. You don't have to tell anyone else or — gasp — admit it to the person that they were right. (Phew!) Just hold it in your mind, and bear with me...

There's nothing like a good holiday party.

Getting together with people who create conversation by asking you the questions you hate being asked... over, and over, and over. Like the universe is beating you over the head with the topic that you LEAST want to talk about...

• "What's your plan for a job after college?"
• "When are you having kids?"
• "So do you have a 'special someone' in the picture yet?"
• "What's your timeline for retirement these days?"

Ugh. If I we had a dollar for every time, right?

It doesn't matter what stage you're at in life, there's always those trigger questions that drive you crazy. On the outside? You're forcing a smile, nodding and giving superficial answers, meanwhile wishing you could go home, crawl under your covers and sleep for 12 hours. Holiday time is PRIME TIME for small talk like this. 

Recently, a friend asked me how I deal with getting the "When are you having kids?" question constantly at holiday parties. I started to answer him, and then paused... I sat and really thought for a minute. I landed on this answer:

There's this amazing quote from Martha Graham that I love... 

"There is a vitality, a life-force, an energy, a quickening that is translated through you into action and because there is only one you in all time, this expression is unique. And if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium.  The world will not have it. It is not your business to determine how good it is, nor how valuable, nor how it compares with other expressions.  It is your business to keep it yours clearly and directly to keep the channels open."

So if the entire world is depending on us to shine our unique light, why is it so hard to put ourselves first?

We can't answer that for you, but we're ready to help you answer that question for yourself this January. There are so many influences on our choices, both conscious and unconscious. Some influences include the people you surround yourself with, the marketing you expose yourself to (conscious and unconscious), your intellectual decision making, and your habits.

There is also your intuition... how much do you trust yours?

Yes, today I'm announcing a new year (new decade!) challenge, but at its core, this program is about learning to connect with and trust your intuition. I've spent the last month co-creating this with Yoga Hive Colorado owner, Blaine Wilkes. Yoga Hive Montana's Shelle Kuntz will also be along for the ride, as part of our teaching team!

Here's the deal: We are bombarded by things that confuse our nervous system and block our intuition. Sugar, processed food, alcohol, drugs, and even sneakily addictive food can send chemicals coursing through our body that create reactions and dependencies and separate us from intuition. Social media and advertising do the same thing. Your spiritual evolution, the path that’s unique and special to YOU, depends on you trusting your intuition and taking evolutionary steps. And only way to take evolutionary action is to listen to your intuition. If you choose not to do this, then no one will get your gifts. No one will experience what you have to offer. 

The world will not have it.

In this BRAND NEW 40-day Challenge starting in January, you will learn how to meditate, have all your meditation questions answered, and be completely supported until meditation becomes a habit... which is important because we learn to trust our intuition by sitting alone, with no stimulation, and being in silence. You will also try out, and learn how to eat a plant-based diet, get the answers to your nutrition questions, get TONS of resources, and receive all you need to know to shop and cook delicious plant-based meals at home. And you get support all the way. (Don’t worry, there's yoga too!)  

In the past, we had a program called BeYou (yoga+meditation). It was fabulous. Blaine also hosted a program in Colorado called BeNourished (plant-based diet challenge). Also fabulous. The world has since changed, and so has the Yoga Hive tribe! With the planet in peril, we need to change our habits NOW. We need radical accountability for our choices and behaviors. And radical support. 

So we built it:

Challenge You: 40 Days of Yoga Hive Radical Wellness

Over 40 days and 6 meetings (which can be watched remotely) we will learn to meditate, learn some yoga as part of a daily practice (about 30 mins a day) and learn to eat less sugar, alcohol, meat, dairy, eggs and processed food... all with in-person and remote support from me (Mollie), remote support from Blaine (YH Colorado owner, certified in plant-based nutrition), in-person support weekly from Shelle (long-time plant-based enthusiast and Yoga Hive yoga/meditation teacher), and support from the tribe who signs up with you. We will have a social platform to communicate with each other between meetings, post recipes, send love and ask questions. 

Here's how it works:
We start Monday, January 13th and have in-person meetings on Mondays from 7:30-9pm in Columbia Falls. The meeting will start with 30 minutes of meditation and yoga (which will be recorded so you can practice it every day in the week that follows). After, we will have a one hour meeting discussing a new topic each week, building healthy habits for 2020 and beyond.

Can’t make a meeting? Can't make any meetings? No problem. Either join live on Zoom, or we will record everything and you can do this from home at your own pace!

The 40 days officially starts on January 14th (with the first meeting Jan 13th to learn how this works) and ends on February 23rd. Six Monday meetings (Jan 13, Jan 20, Jan 27, Feb 3, Feb 10, Feb 17). You'll also get an amazing manual with a TON of information!

We’re so sure of these transformational practices that if you attend (or watch) all the meetings, practice daily (including meditation every day without missing a day), log your experiences, and complete all of the homework assignments, and STILL don’t see positive changes in your well-being, we’ll give you your money back. Yes. For real.

Money-back guarantee.

Summary:

• 40-day program
• Learn to meditate daily
• Cultivate a daily meditation/yoga practice (~30 mins)
• All the support you need for a plant based diet (homework and lessons included)
• Learn to cook plant based at home, shop in grocery stores, order plant based in restaurants and navigate social gatherings
• Eliminate the other stuff that’s not helping you for 40 days (processed foods, refined sugar, alcohol)

Pricing:
You can buy this as a stand alone or include 40 days of a Yoga Hive Membership for unlimited yoga over this period. We have 4 options:

Options 1 & 2, if you purchase before January 1st:

• Early Bird Stand Alone Program (the entire program without a Yoga Hive Unlimited Membership). $129 if purchased by 12/31/19: BUY NOW
• Early Bird Program with an Unlimited 40 day Membership that activates on 1/13/20, $199: BUY NOW

Options 3 & 4, if you wait and purchase after January 1st: 

• Regular Price Stand Alone Program (the entire program without a Yoga Hive Membership).  $159
• Regular Price Program with an Unlimited 40 day Membership $229

No more waiting. No more excuses. It's time to get on board with your own evolution and trust that intuition deep within! Remember: If you don't cultivate what you have to offer the world, NO ONE WILL HAVE IT. The world needs you... and ChallengeYou is the support you've been waiting for!

“Inhale deep, now totally relax into shuniya, nothingness ... totally relax ... absolutely be thoughtless, no thought .... Whatever thought comes to youi just don’t receive it ... freeze all there is into shuniya. Nothing means nothing ... nothing actually means everything.”     – Yogi Bhajan
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This simple workshop invites participants to an experience of sacred stillness, Shuniya. In Shuniya, there is no judgment, no effort, no expectation, no struggle, no mind, only the experience of pure loving acceptance of the Divine prevails. Kriyas and meditations will be supported by the Maha Mritunjai Mantra, a universal mantra taught and practiced by Yogi Bhajan. This Mantra is common to many spiritual traditions throughout India and the Himalayas. Join us for an experience of pure grace in the simplicity of stillness, Shuniya.

KARTA PURKH KAUR is Co-Founder and Director of Kundalini Yoga Crestone, a center located in the Sangre de Cristo mountains of Southern Colorado. She received her training through Yogi Bhajan’s Master’s Touch Teacher Certification Program in Espanola, New Mexico in 1997 and earned her status as a Level I Lead Trainer in 2012.

DAN RETUTA is Founder, Program Director, and Primary Instructor of Crestone Healing Arts Center’s Massage Intensive Training Program. He designed Kundalini Yoga to be an integral part of the instructional curriculum. He was certified in Espanola, New Mexico 2000 Level I Teacher Training under Yogi Bhajan Master’s Touch Teacher Certification Program. 

Navigate to 1/4 on the schedule, find the workshop, and click "sign up"! $25 per person.
 

Join me (Mollie) on Sunday, September 15th for a Full Moon Mala Making Workshop and Japa Meditation Introduction, from 10:30am-1:30pm. During this three-hour workshop, you’ll get to pick a mala kit of beads with a special meaning behind the stones like jade, amethyst, amazonite and more. We'll research stone meanings, so that you can assure you have the kit most suited to your needs at the moment. Then we’ll hand-tie our own malas (a knot between every bead!), and I’ll go over the basics of Japa, and how to use your mala. Before you leave, you’ll get to choose a Sanskrit Mantra that will help you re-write whatever thoughts are running through your head and then we’ll take on a challenge together, with a Facebook group for accountability. Cost is $65 per person, all materials included.  Click here to register! Monthly Unlimited Autopay members, reply to this email if you want to sign up, and I’ll register you using your card on file for only $45… that’s $20 off!