Yoga at the Nasher Sculpture Center - this Saturday

Join us this Saturday for our monthly Yoga in the Garden.  The Dallas Morning News will be covering our class so help us spread the word about this all-levels family event!  Enjoy free admission from 10am-noon for their monthly event "Target First Saturday." No yoga mats are allowed in the center but you can bring a towel and a plastic water bottle. If it rains, we will practice inside.

Saturday, March 1st · 11:30am-12:30pm
Nasher Sculpture Center - 2001 Flora St. · FREE

MORE INFORMATION
 

	Beginner Series starts March 18

Have you wanted to learn more about power yoga but are scared to try a regular class?  Join us starting March 18th for a 4 week, 8 class beginner series and learn the fundamentals of our Power Flow practice.  Learn with other beginners and gain a solid foundation that will help you feel comfortable in any of our regular classes.  The series meets Tuesdays and Thursdays at 8pm.   This series is popular and will sell out so sign up today!
 

March 18- April 10
Tuesdays & Thursdays · 8pm · $115

MORE INFO & REGISTRATION
 

	Inversion/Arm Balance Workshop - April 5

Join Dallas' only certified Baptiste instructor in an all-levels workshop as she guides you through some of yoga's most exhilarating poses! Learn how to safely navigate your way into, through, and out of a variety of arm balances and inversion postures, including headstand, handstand, crow, and forearm balance. This fun and playful workshop serves as a great refresher or a comprehensive introduction, and is highly recommended. This is our most popular workshop and always sells out, so sign up today. YogaSport members, please sign up in the studio to get your $10 discount.
 

Saturday, April 5 · noon-2pm
$40, $30 YS Members

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	Meditation CD

A dear friend of mine, Gemma Hobbs, recently released a meditation CD entitled, My Happy Place.  The theme of the CD is directly related to what I wrote about in my column this month (and no that was not planned).  The be happy theme is everywhere!!  Let's help support local business owners and purchase a CD for you and a friend today!
 

My Happy Place CD takes the listener on a journey of guided meditations and affirmations based on the strengths of five key animals: the llama, the monkey, the tiger, the manta and the owl. It is therapy for the heart and an excellent avenue for peace of mind, no matter your meditation experience.

PURCHASE TODAY

	Anthony Barrese conducts Tosca in Dallas

Being a small business owner, I am fortunate enough to have this medium to brag about my only brother, Tony.  Following the encouraging words from our amazing parents (read Live to Dream), Tony also followed his dream and became a music composer and opera conductor.  At 32, he is one of the youngest conductor's in the world and we are lucky enough to have him conduct an opera here in Dallas this March! Tony will be the lead conductor for The Dallas Opera's production of Tosca.  He also recently won the Solti Foundation Award.  Tony, I am proud of you my brother. You are truly an inspiration to me. 

March 7 -15, various dates/times

MORE INFO ON TOSCA

TONY'S WEBSITE
 

	Angela's Column · Be Happy

My roommate and his girlfriend ate Chinese takeout for dinner and kindly left me a fortune cookie. I smiled as I opened my tasty treat and read, "Don't pursue happiness, create it."

Last month I went on a cruise called The Rockboat, a floating live music festival. I am a live music junkie and love the sun and water so this combination was a slice of heaven. My friend Ashley and I were dancing on the Lido Deck by the pool, getting sun, drinking the fancy beer on special (Miller Lite in a can) and singing along to Sister Hazel’s song, "Happy." I kept screaming the words to a song I had never heard before, "If you aren't happy, change your mind.”

As the week progressed, I continued my journey discovering the music of a fantastic Yankee band, Stephen Kellogg and the Sixers. As we learned their music, we found ourselves repeating the line, "Did you ever think that maybe you aren't happy because of you?" from their song “4th of July.”

Typically, I am not one to think that the Universe or God sends me profound messages. Whether it was some greater being deciding I needed to hear these messages or it was something I was seeking within myself, it really doesn't matter. What I do know is that I kept hearing it. From Sister Hazel to Mr. Kellogg to the surprise treat on my counter, it kept speaking to me.

I often hear people say, “If I just lost 20 pounds, I would be happy.” “If I could just make more money, I would be happy.” “If I could just find the right person to be with, I would be happy.” Or, the seemingly optimistic yet just as detrimental “When I's." “When I lose this weight, when I make 100K, when I find my person, I WILL be happy.” On the surface, it seems logical. However, life doesn’t work that way. If we haven’t found happiness without these external forces, we become dependent and sometimes even addicted to them because we need them to feel good.

I have struggled with many of these issues myself. People are often very surprised that I teach yoga because I physically do not look like the stereotypical yoga instructor. I used to be 10-15 pounds lighter but I finally accepted that my body is not supposed to be that thin. When I was that thin, I was tired, weak and not very much fun to be around. I definitely was not happy. I enjoyed the comments from everyone about how great I looked but I didn’t feel good inside. I have been in relationships that make me miserable and stayed because I thought I needed someone in my life. Being a 30 year old single gal in Texas, I am often asked "Why are you single?” I smile and say, because I love my life and haven’t found the right person. And after many years of doing a lot of personal work, I truly love the person I have become and am happy with or without someone.

So next time you look in the mirror and think that a nose job, BMW or promotion will make you happy, think again. We can search everywhere but if we don’t love who we are and what we stand for, our security and happiness will wane. Sure, a beautiful body, car and partner are fantastic things (and I am not implying you should live without them!) but they can not create happiness at our core. So listen to the fortune cookie and create your own happiness in your life. Listen to Sister Hazel and if you aren't happy, CHANGE YOUR MIND. In yoga, we constantly work on controlling our thoughts. How great it is to be able to wake up and decide to be happy today.

 

Much love and light,

Angela