Partner Yoga Blog

The experiment in gift-giving at the Austin Training was a grand success - overflowing with love and gratitude. It was truly one of the most amazing experiences of my life and I was so grateful to have my dear friend and inspired Partner Yoga teacher, Christin Staszesky-Harper by my side, supporting me and all those attending.

I truly believe that more than anything, we each want to share the gifts we have been given. Our intention to shift paradigms at this training was realized, and we are each changed as a result. The power of intention (and transfomation) is exponentially magnified when we join hearts, minds and bodies! It is hard to put into words what happens when we simply show up, see each other and offer our unconditional presence.

Creativity flourishes, that's for sure.

Here are words from a few who participated at our recent training:

"This experience is nearly impossible to put into words. It was one of, if not the most powerful weeks of my life. Principle-Based Partner Yoga is incredibly deep (and fun) and I look forward to deepening this practice and sharing it with others."

"Biggest aha moment: Realizing how this art combines most of the things I passionately love in life!"

"I had the greatest week of my life. SO many breakthroughs, my life is changed; I am inspired and newly passionate and ready to give back to my community."

"Elysabeth and Christin were a powerful duo. They were mirrors for us all and held space for transformation so well.’

I was struck by how many people want to take the training but have felt unable due to finances. It is my intention to continue to offer this training to whomever is sincerely interested to experience it, and welcome support in whatever form in return. May we all recognize and celebrate the abundance of our lives and give joyfully with whatever resources we have at any particular moment.

Our next training will be offered on the sacred space of Shambhala Mountain Center on May 29 - June 3. In July, I am thrilled to be going back to Greece to offer two events. In August I will be offering a training in NY state in collaboration with Barefoot Yoga. On June 7 - 9, my daughter Lisa and I will be offering a Mother/Daughter Partner Yoga weekend at Kripalu.

Feel free email me with any questions.

Enjoy the beauty and bliss that summertime offers!

Warmest love,
Elysabeth

April, 2013

Dear Friends-

Spring has fully sprung here in Santa Barbara! It is such a sweet pleasure to breathe in the intoxicating fragrance and visual display of the roses and jasmine growing in the beautiful gardens of my new home. It is an even greater pleasure to share Partner Yoga surrounded by this spring garden gorgeousness!

It’s hard to believe I have been in CA for almost a year - it has been a year of powerful change, deep heart opening and surrender - with lots of travel and sharing of Partner Yoga mixed in!

I recently presented at a particularly serene retreat center near Nashville called ‘GrayBear Lodge’. I hope to offer a training there next year as it is a very magical place, stewarded by people who are deeply committed to peace and harmony on the planet.

And it was a great pleasure to offer ‘The Power of Savasana’ on the sacred land of the Shambhala Mountain Center. The theme that unfolded throughout the weekend was how our feelings about death are quite different than about aging, yet somehow they get mixed together. As our culture places such emphasis and value on youth, it is easy to overlook the grace, wisdom and (quieter) power that comes with age.

At the end of the weekend, we were all blessed to witness the grace and courage of a 76 year old women practice aerial postures for the first time. We actually caught her experience on video which I hope to have on our site shortly.

One of the biggest inspirations that came out of the weekend for me was to realize that I don’t want to miss the experience of being any age that I am through fantasies of past or future. Exploring Savasana is a way I recognize that this human journey is an impermanent experience and to remember to be as fully present to it as possible.

I am looking forward to going back to Shambhala for a training May 29 - June 3 . It is such a supportive environment to learn and grow in. Those who attend leave inspired on many levels - by the practice of Partner Yoga and the sacred land and art including the Great Stupa which stands 108 feet tall.

At the moment Christin, my teaching partner and I are preparing for the Austin Training - our grand experiment in gift giving and receiving! I was so touched and moved to tears by the responses I received to my announcement of a free of charge training. Apparently this theme touched a chord that many of us have been contemplating - how do we shift out of a dollar driven value system to one that places more value on caring for each other and our planet? I know this training will have a special magic and creative energy coming out of this intent. There are still a few spots left if you want to receive this gift.

Here are some more of the travel highlights I am looking forward to this summer:

* Two events co-facilitated with my beautiful daughter, Lisa. The first is the Burlington Yoga Conference on May 5th and then a special Mother/Daughter Partner Yoga event at Kripalu on June 5 -7

* Visiting my friends at Armonia Yoga in Thessaloniki, where I will be offering my second international teacher training July 1 - 6. This year I will be expanding my visit to teach an intensive event at Athens Yoga.

* Collaborating with my friends at Barefoot Yoga for a teacher training at Garrison Institute in upstate New York, August 2 - 8.

Enjoy this beautiful season of rebirth and possibilities - and let yourself dream and follow the thread of where your dreams take you.

I so love hearing when my thoughts resonate with you - and also what is inspiring you in your life right now.

With love and spring blessings,

Elysabeth

PS Coming soon! Streaming downloads of 'Partner Yoga Touch' videos will be available on our site shortly.

March 2013

‘The perfect tools (for connection) are not going to help us if we can’t face each other -and give and receive fearlessly. When we really see each other, we want to help each other.‘ -Amanda Palmer

Dear Partner Yoga friends,

I recently came upon a Ted Talk by Amanda Palmer entitled ‘The Art of Asking’. It stirred something deep in me and inspired me to make a radical shift around giving and receiving Partner Yoga teachings. I have decided to offer the upcoming Austin, TX Teacher Training (April 28 - May 4) free of charge, as a gift to all of you, with the invitation to give what you can in return.

In making this decision, I was immediately struck by its implications and many questions arose: What would happen if we all stopped playing by the rules we have learned - particularly around money? What would happen if we choose instead to trust each other to show up with whatever resources (internal or external) we have and offer them freely?

How would our lives and our worlds change if we no longer let the idea ‘I don’t have enough money’ keep us from the experience of being fully alive? We might see that what we really want, we actually already have - and perhaps we just need to enjoy it more. Our deeper need, beyond our survival, is for connection - to our soul’s unique purpose and to our human family.

Principle-Based Partner Yoga™ is about the simultaneity of giving and receiving, of knowing that when we are fully grounded in ourselves and trusting of one another - a beautiful exchange of life force occurs, one that brings mutual and equal benefit to all.

Like any artist (which I humbly consider myself), I have struggled to meet my financial needs and yet at the same time, I recognize that I have lived an incredibly abundant and adventurous life because I have listened to my heart, to the part of me that was not willing to sacrifice the deepest calling of my being for something so ultimately unfulfilling and ephemeral as material possessions.

I am not under the illusion that our system of money exchange will shift overnight. All of our systems, financial and otherwise, are in place because we have agreed to them. In this time of radical and necessary change, let’s choose to create more humane systems of exchange, ones that place a high value on authentic caring and connection to all life on the planet.

If you have ever considered taking this training and have let the thought ‘I can’t afford it’ stop you - you now have my total support to receive this gift from my heart to yours. Give yourself this week of complete immersion in Partner Yoga that will inspire and grow you on every level of your being. This training is NOT JUST FOR YOGA TEACHERS, it is for everyone wanting an in-depth exploration of this amazing, healing art.

Although I recognize the need to make money, my deeper desire is to share this practice and to empower others to share it. My commitment is to be part of this wild current of change happening on the planet and make this kind of offering from my heart whenever possible. I know that when we give freely and unconditionally, change happens - in ways that bring benefit to all.

Texas holds a special place in my heart as my experience has been that Texan’s are open hearted, fun-loving people, just a little bit wild, which suits the practice of Partner Yoga perfectly. I look forward to being with you in the wide open state of Texas this April.

In love and joy,

Elysabeth

PS The investment for the week is a highly affordable food/lodging cost at the beautiful

Ancient Yoga Center, whatever travel expense you may have and your presence

and commitment to the 60 hr training. Click here to apply.

20 Feb 2013

Dear Partner Yoga Friends,

A few days ago as I walked along the immense and beautiful california coastline I considered the greatest challenge we face as humans - will we survive and learn to peacefully inhabit this amazing planet? I could see how this challenge is both the good news and the bad news. We all know the bad news part, but I could see how it is also the good news...

Being at the edge of our own potential self-destruction, we have an opportunity to overcome our collective denial - to get down to what is most important - why we are even having this human experience. We are here to learn to share and care for each other - and all living things - to experience directly how we are all literally part of the same energy, a fact that science now confirms.

Can the solution to all of the planet’s problems really be this simple and what does this mean, really? It is easy to complicate our situation rather than simply become willing to take responsibility for our own shadow and no longer blame anyone or anything for our experience. We each impact each other very directly - no matter what role we are playing, from the humblest to the most influential, - we are each important and necessary to the well-being of the whole. And we each have strengths, gifts and inspirations to remind each other of what is real and important.

One of my inspirations this year is to bring more music into my life and practice. Music, like Partner Yoga, is something that supports us to transcend our differences and open our hearts. I am exploring ways to collaborate with musicians to weave sound and rhythm into the Partner Yoga experience, as another powerful tool for opening on every level of our being. Music inspires us to dance, to sing, to open and celebrate our lives!

“And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.” -Anais Nin

2013 is a year for blossoming open! Let us each use what ever means we have to blossom - surprising and inspiring ourselves and each other.

With love from my heart to yours,

Elysabeth

Dear Partner Yoga Friends,

Can you feel it - the changes in the air? We have come to the end of an era, some say a very long era of darkness and confusion - and are awakening to what is possible when we care about each other and the planet we live on.

The change that is happening is quite simple actually - we are realizing we are all connected, all part of the human family - what happens to some, affects us all. Our most basic human need is to love and be loved - and to feel connected to others and to that force of Nature that sustains us.

To align myself with these changes, my intent for 2013 is to love fiercely - to no longer miss opportunities to love and be loved.

I know I may not always succeed in living from love, as love, but intention is a powerful force, one the brings up everything that is in the way of what we desire. My desire is to experience everything, from the most ecstatic to the most tragic, as an opportunity to open my heart wider. It sometimes feel overwhelming to open myself to feel this much, and yet, I know this is why I am here - to realize and be, who and what I really am and to support others to do the same.

As 2012 draws to a close I feel in awe about all the change this year has brought and continues to bring. I just completed the first California training at a magical space in Ojai and was truly touched by the beings that showed up and shared themselves. I look forward to more opportunities to build Partner Yoga community here in my new home in CA.

2013 promises to be full of wonderful opportunities to experience conscious connection beginning with the first Partner Yoga event at the beautiful Raices y Brazos retreat center in Mexico on Jan 11 - 13. A Partner Yoga weekend at the tip of Baja could inspire you for the entire year!

I am looking forward to visiting my friends in Colorado at the beginning of February, presenting a weekend power of touch exploration at Samadhi Yoga Studio in Denver.

I am also thrilled about the Teacher Trainings that will be offered throughout the country and abroad in 2013. Supporting and empowering others to share Yoga the power of touch continues to be my primary passion.

I am so grateful for all of the support I received this year to be the change I want to see. May we all realize the power we have to co-create the life we know is possible.

From my heart,

Elysabeth

Partner Yoga Blog

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