Mountains.

"Do small things with great love." Small is the new big. You don't have to move mountains, or always do big and wondrous things that the whole world can see. Let your heart be grand and your actions be tiny and of a thousand. Dare to live in the circle of life~ Rise and truly shine!! 

yoga gives

My heart is running over with love from this mornings picnic with the Mental Health Association Tulsa. We all came together to

celebrate all that serve this organization and honoring the amazing clients. We shared the offerings collected during my recent yogaGives fundraiser, joined together for a very special practice under a big tree, we enjoyed BBQ, and fresh fruit! ❤ 

The yoga community raised $1,550 during yogaGives and a truck bed full of in-kind donation for the Denver House clients! They were filled with many thanks and love for your efforts. Thank YOU TulsaYogaTribe for showing up!  DontStopNowKeepServing. 

New Hope Oklahoma

One of my newest projects is helping to create a yoga program for New Hope Oklahoma. I will begin attending the camps in late July, starting the kids off in the morning with the gift of yoga. Providing activities that create community, awareness, helping to teach healthy boundaries, compassion, and self love! Here is a little bit about this program, much LOVE Tulsa!

WhoWho We Are

New Hope serves children of prisoners ages 5 through 17 by providing school-based and community-based after school programs; weekend retreats; holiday gatherings, monthly family social events and residential summer camps.

These programs are possible through individual and corporate donations, foundational grants, trained volunteers and a highly qualified staff.

 Our Purpose

New Hope is changing the lives of children of prisoners everyday. When a child’s parent goes to prison, many important developmental milestones are put in jeopardy and children suffer, but New Hope is working to break the cycle of generational incarceration in the state of Oklahoma. Through our life affirming programs, children are lifted from isolation and fear into possibility and hope. New Hope addresses the issues these children face through our main service areas: community and school-based after school programs, weekend retreats, summer camps, holiday assistance, and social service coordination.

About

Camp New Hope began in 1992 when Oklahoma Episcopalians visiting prisons realized the number one concern of those in prison was the children they had left behind. A small group of volunteers created a camp for children ages 8-12 who had a parent in prison. The three day camp served six children. Evidence of the need of such a program became clear as the number of children served by the camp increased each year.

In 2000, a second camp was added for children ages 13-15 and children who had participated in the camp were now counselors–in–training and served as camp staff to the younger campers in 2002. In 2003 New Hope Oklahoma expands to provide service throughout the year for children with a parent in prison. In 2006 two additional camps were added, retreats and holiday parties were also included in the yearlong programming.

In 2007 New Hope becomes a non-profit corporation with 501c3 status. In 2009, four days of after-school programs were implemented and the number of campers had increased to 134. Today we serve more than 400 children through the year in various programs. We serve approximately 150 children each week in our after-school and community based programs and provide camps, retreats and holiday parties to more than 400 children across Oklahoma.

http://www.newhopeoklahoma.org/

Yoga Gives to Moore, OK

Yoga Gives privately collected offering from all over beginning the day the storm landed in Moore. The generosity poured in from all over the US and several other countries. We were able to collect over $10,00o.. We spent some time with a family we selected that was highly effected during the Spring of 2013 storm. His eyes were so generous and his heart was so grateful for the love that poured into this offering. We sat across from him and listened to how he met his wife, (which he lost in the storm) the birth of both of his children, (one of which he lost in the storm) and how he is coping. The last thing he said as we walked away was, "Hug your wife and kids everyday man." It is about connectivity, not just writing a check, but looking pain in the eyes and loving it away. GIVE LOVE and let the money be an energy from that place. Namaste

Yoga for the people by the people  Two FREE community yoga classes over the next two days! Join me tonight in Centennial Park at 7pm for I AMcommunity yoga and tomorrow, Friday the 28th, at 10am in Veterans Park for the MHAT Picnic and FREE YOGA!. We will be donating the items we collected through the yogaGIVES process, there will be give-a-ways from My Fit Foods, The Yoga Room, and Salt Yoga Utica Square. Yummy fresh fruit provided by Whole Foods Market Tulsa!!

LOVE!

MHAT

yogaGIVES and the MHAT come together again Friday the 28th at 10am in Veterans Park, Tulsa. Free community yoga and our generous offerings we have collected will be donated at this time. Come play in the park and swim in gratitude!  

Global Day

So much Love! Thank You for the warm welcoming Fayetteville. We raised $1,300 for Room to Read, providing gender equality education for children across the world. Much Love!

"The Healing Power of yogaGIVES"

"The Healing Power of yogaGIVES" By Matt Gleason from the Mental Health Association

                                      http://mhat.org/the-healing-power-of-yogagives/

MHAT!

The Mental Health Association sharing the yogaGIVES LOVE!

http://mhat.org/yogagives-and-the-association-receives/#sthash.eqhdJmqI.dpbs

Tie Dye. yogaGIVES.

CraftTime with Momma! I chose tie dye for my yogaGIVES shirts because the process of tie dying reminds me of us humanoids :) and our yoga/life journey..

There is NO perfect way to tie dye..
There is NO tie dye (unless done by a machine) that will turn out the same..
Each shirt bleeds differently during the cleansing process.. (probably my favorite comparison!)
EVERY shirt holds different beauty to each individual!!

Transparency~My cost for the shirts and print was $8 and I will sell them at yogaGIVES for $15. Every shirt sold will create a $7 offering back to the MHAT AND get Tulsa looking GrOoVy :)

Community.

Tonight is Community Night at SALT Yoga, 7pm! ($5 Yoga)

Do you like supporting those TRYING so very hard to rebuild their lives?? WE DO! ALL proceeds collected in tonights community yoga will be going to the Women in Recovery Tulsa Program. It's graduation time!

http://www.gkff.org/areas-of-focus/female-incarceration/women-in-recovery.html

These women are working SO hard to rebuild their lives and YOU can help by joining in the circle of giving and receiving. YOUR presence and LOVE reaches further than you can imagine. Meet you on the mat TulsaYogaTribe!

Everyone.

There is NO perfect Yoga. There is no perfect posture. The yoga that is right for me may not be right for you. Yoga is LOVE, Breath, Giving, Living, Learning, Growing, ACCEPTING, and Community. "There is no proper payment. There are no right answers. There are NO glorified teachers. No ego, No script, No pedestals. This YOGA is for everyone. This sweating, breathing, and becoming. This knowing glowing feeling. This yoga is for the small, weak, strong, able, and crazy, the mighty and meek and those that seek. This YOGA power is for EVERYONE."

 

Detach and Flow

How do you internalize the word "detachment"? I think BEing connected to self IS the practice of detachment. When we are plugged into our own flow and energy, we don't need to fill our life's with unhealthy attachments that block personal growth and freedom. The love we need to heal the world starts within us. BeYourOwnBestFriend~

Giving Matters!

I want to share with you just how MUCH your presence at yogaGIVES will really impact!!

ALL of your personal/household toiletries, books, clothes, yoga mats, etc. will be donated to The Denver House, a branch of the Mental Health Association in Tulsa.

*The Denver House offers a warm, friendly, family atmosphere for adults experiencing the challenges of living with a mental illness or co-occurring disorder. It is a place where they can socialize, relax and participate in their own growth and development. Denver House is a peer-run agency where all staff members have experienced the difficulties of living with a mental illness in their own lives, giving them the ability to truly empathize with our participants. All Denver House services are non-clinical and completely voluntary.

ALL cash collected will be utilized for basic needs to run the MHAT such as..

Education & Communication
Youth Outreach Services
Recovery Services
Mental Health Assistance Center
Advocacy & Public Policy
Housing Development & Services
Legal Outreach & Coordination
Administrative & Support Services

ALL cash collected will go DIRECTLY to the MHAT as my OMAzing volunteers and myself will be donating our time 100%! Thank you to Morgan Dickerson, James Drake, Georgina Walker, Terrie Shipley, and Megan Atlatl. Your presence is serving SO many!!

Yoga Around Town!

LivePresentYoga presents yogaGIVES~ Community Yoga benefiting the MHA
May 4th

May 11th

May 18th

May 25th

10am 

Woodward Park

http://livepresentyoga.com/

The I AM family presents Yoga De Mayo 

May 4th

2pm 

Chapman Centennial Green, 600 S. Main St 

http://www.YogaDeMayo.com/

SALTY Basics by Jennifer Skaggs 

May 4th

3pm-5pm 

SALT Yoga Utica Square 

http://livepresentyoga.com/

SALT Yoga presents Community Yoga ($5) benefiting John 3:16 

with Jennifer Skaggs

May 6th

7pm

Tulsa’s first DOGA (human and dog yoga unite!) class led by Kris Allison 

May 11th

8am

Centennial Park 

https://www.facebook.com/events/359986210788307/

yogaGives and Yoga Daze unite in Fayetteville benefiting Room to Read

June 1st

2pm to 4pm 

https://www.facebook.com/roomtoread 

kids GLOW tulsa presented by Dana Morris 

May 17th

6:30pm-8:30pm

306 Phoenix House

https://www.facebook.com/events/623981760948708/

Breath IN Help OUT presented by Keri Edwardes and the American Lung Association 

June 13th,14th,15th

Email Keri at kedwards@aol.com for more information 

Live Music and Yoga presented by Keri Edwardes (wine and food from Raw Intentions)

June 14th

7pm-9:30pm

Said Music

Shake Your Asana presented by Ayngel Mcnall 

June 22nd 

Drillers Stadium

Email Ayngel at ayngelaelmore@gmail.com for more information  

Lululemon presents Community Yoga (free) EVERY Wednesday night ALL summer

6pm

Guthrie Greens

*Check out the studios around town Tulsa Tribe and get on yours mats!

SALT Yoga Utica Square  

http://www.saltyogatulsa.com/index.php

Tulsa Yoga Therapy 

http://www.tulsayogatherapy.com/

306 Phoenix House

http://306phoenixhouse.com/

Yoga Quest 

http://www.tulsayogaquest.com/

Inner Peace Yoga

http://www.innerpeaceyogatulsa.com/

Yoga Room

http://theyogaroomtulsa.com/

yogaGIVES

Join me in the circle of giving and receiving every Saturday morning in May at Woodward Park for community yoga benefiting the clients of the Mental Health Association.

The azaleas will be in full bloom and so will our hearts after coming together to practice in such a beautiful place all while GIVING BACK to the Tulsa community!

Please bring an offering of $5, personal or household toiletry, books, gently used yoga mat or clothing. (toothpaste, deodorant, shampoos, detergents, toilet paper, water, etc.)

*All items will be donated at the MHA picnic on June 28th at Veterans Park where I will lead a FREE community yoga class open to both the public and the clients of the MHA! More details coming soon :)

Saturday May 4th~ 10am
Saturday May 11th~10am
Saturday May 18th~10am
Saturday May 25th~10am

We will meet near the swings to collect your generous offerings and practice in a new part of the park each week :)

We are all responsible for our little piece of the world~
Namaste Tulsa Yoga Tribe! 

Choose Love.

We have a choice. To be pulled into the hate and fear~ OR to use the SAME energy to move in LOVE. It is very much MY truth that our lives move in the direction of our thoughts. The world changes withIN us. Studies show those that have struggled onto the path of hate, enjoy setting back and watching the chaos unfold.. Will we give them what they want? Or will we choose LOVE instead? I don't believe this is easy, but nothing worth having ever is. WillYouChooseLoveWithMe?

Salty Basics!

Join me for a light hearted breakdown of the commonly used yoga postures, anatomy principles, and the benefits of our time on our mats! Come learn in a judgment free, FUN, and safe environment!

Email liz@saltyogatulsa.com to register

May 4th
3pm-5pm
$25

Give Back.

BeTheChange~ The FIRST MONDAY of every month will be community night at SALT Yoga~ My 7pm class will be offered for ONLY $5~ Aprils proceeds will go to John 3:16 serving the hungry, homeless, and at-risk, women, men, and children. Come to your mat and give back to your beautiful self AND our community! SEE you tonight for our FIRST community yoga night!

Be FREE.

Do what you do not for others to see but because it sets you free~ JS

High Road.

Take the high road. Not just with your words and actions, but most importantly, with your heart. Whether we realize it not, someone is watching and learning from us, right now~ WhatWillYouTeach?

Devine.

The tears that roll down our face hold the same divinity as the smiles that show our soul. Lets embrace every beautiful part of our divinity.
You don't have to be Devine. You ARE Devine~JS

The next right thing..

What we choose to do with the mind and spirit will directly influence the health and well being of the body. JS

Today's Goals.

TodaysGoal~ As each minute unfolds in front of me I will look to truly see THIS moment with new eyes.

The eyes from "yesterday" are possibly distorted, foggy, and lack clarity. Today I will choose to not be scared of what's behind me, I will not worry about what's to come, and I will LOVE where I AM NOW!!

I realize and honor that this will take effort, practice, and awareness... ThreeOfMyFavoriteThings!!!

Flip and Fly.

Keep your hands on the ground and your feet in the sky! Flip your world~ See things with new eyes and FLY~ JS

Check out my teaching schedule for the rest of the week, meet you on the mat TulsaYogaTribe! 

http://livepresentyoga.com/page8/index.html

Expand.

Lets not be so quick to think our way and our thought process is THE way. In every situation we enter there will ALWAYS be multiple perceptions. Each soul sees, and therefor experiences, the same situation in many different forms. Intelligence strikes when we are able to see ALL sides to ANY given situation which in return will allow our current reality to expand. When our reality expands so does our ability to love more fully and hold TRUE compassion for those around us.

There is much going on outside our current reality. Expand your mind. Expand your heart. Expand your world. LOVE. JS

24 Hours.

"It is easy to make an idol of routine, finding security within the boundaries you build around your life. Although each day contains twenty-four hours, every single one presents a unique set of circumstances. Don’t try to force-fit today into yesterday’s mold. Instead, ask For opened eyes, so you can find all is prepared for you in this precious day of Life."

Loving my fears.

"Perfect doesn't always mean easy." If we are always where we truly need to be, then there is no such thing as bad timing. How we choose to frame and view what is handed to us and how we view the fears that arise will dictate how fast we climb and/or evolve on the path of LOVE we are ALL cruising down. I will love my fears until they no longer exist!!!

Salty News!

Grand Opening!

We like it HOT!

We are proud to announce that SALT Yoga is the only studio in Oklahoma equipped with a state-of-the-art radiant heating system. "Why use infrared heat when practicing yoga?" you may ask. Infrared heat penetrates several inches below the skin, deep into the muscle tissue and organs. Warming the body enables muscles to stretch further and more deeply with a lower risk of injury.

Radiant heat is sun-like warmth: natural, silent, draft-less, odorless....perfect for people who suffer from seasonal allergies and arthritis.

Practicing hot yoga also:
Detoxifies the body
Increases circulation
Strengthens cardiovascular system
Improves skin appearance
Strengthens immune system
Reduces pain and cellulite

The temperature in most classes will range from 80-90 degrees. So, come get hot and sweaty with us at SALT!

Like our page on Facebook~ 

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Salt-Yoga-Utica-Square/423398284388990?ref=hl

Our Salty Journey.

So many of you have been asking, so here it is!

How did this salty journey begin? Every story has a beginning. This one started one Monday evening at a local yoga studio. I was sitting on the counter chatting, laughing, and checking clients/friends in as they arrived for class. In walks Michelle Fail, she glided in, almost floating. Her face radiated kindness, and her smile immediately drew me in. Throughout her practice, her angelic flow was inspiring.  After class, she approached me and expressed similar sentiments of love and energy. We were connected from that moment on. She began attending all of my classes and it wasn't long before I was sharing my love of yoga and breath with her and her family inside the Fail home.

I arrived one morning for our routine private yoga session, I am still uncertain who loved those yoga sessions more, her or I. Michelle has poured her love over me from the very moment I met her and has continued to do so. I am so humbled by her grace and humility. Teachers... They show up in all forms if we are willing to keep our hearts, ears and eyes OPEN.

Ok, ok back to the story :)

Michelle asks me, "Have you ever thought of opening your own studio?" My eyes get big, my heart begins to throb.. "Of course! I have the entire studio planned out and decorated already in my head!" (I think every teachers envisions this at one point or another.)

A few weeks after talking and texting late night about our visions for the space, playing with studio names but no real commitment, I receive a call from Michelle, "Are you sure you want to do this?!" she says. 

"YES!" I said with great excitement! “Well good because I found a space in UTICA SQUARE and pitched them our idea, they loved it and we are doing this!"

Neither of us had ANY idea what this picture looked like but that didn't seem to matter. We just moved off of pure faith. It didn't long before this news was swimming ALL over the yoga community. I made the choose to expand my journey, knowing my personal end result would be a grander opportunity to LOVE. This choice did not come without its heartaches. The hardships this choose brought me has done nothing but broaden my compassion and expand my heart.

The Salt ball begins to roll and in rolls Teresa Gawey! A near and dear yogi friend of Michelle's itching to a part of something so magical. Another Salty girl is on board! I now have TWO graces women loving and supporting me! How lucky can one girl get in this lifetime?! Our communication and mutual love is unmatched. Every "peppery" conversation we have had has only made us saltier. 

Demo, demo, demo! Building our Salt family, picking out flooring and OHHH the surprises and joys of construction! I will give Utica Square props as they have been a joy to work with. It is truly no wonder why the Square has become what it is today.

As the walls were coming down inside our studio space we were defining our vision and making plans on how we were going to love and serve the Tulsa community. This is the one thing that didn't need much planning. Loving and serving comes easy to the Salt family. 

For those of you that know me, you know I have a gypsy soul and LOVE to travel the world. This was the single reason I never moved to open a studio on my own. I have truly loved my path over the last 5 years. I have never committed myself full time to any one studio and have LOVED my path of creating FUN and PLAYFUL ways to fall in love with yoga and our bodies. Come to find out, this was exactly what Michelle loved most about me. Actually, something corny I do is save text, emails, and I often quote what people say to me that touch my heart. My phone and journals are full of inspiration that my friends, students, and family have filled me with. These are Michelle's words she sent to me in. (from October, 2012) "I love you because of your.. Compassion, the way you push people beyond their limits in a dignified way. You explain and TEACH the postures without sounding like a "know-it-all", you have a true servants heart, your classes have good pace, you teach that life is about the journey not the destination- your transitions and flow in class reflect that. Your fun, playful, and you don't take yourself too seriously, oh, and you praise us yogis during class, we love that!" 

Why share this? So you can see how blessed this journey has been for me. Michelle stepped in and reaffirmed my hearts desires. She validated my journey and wanted to bless my journey even more... This is example ONE to the hearts rewards to living open. If I didn't choose to connect with her that ONE night at class last spring.. this story would have never been written. You never know who holds the key to your next journey.. So love everyone! 

Here we are, weeks away from opening our doors at Salt Yoga Utica Square... The excitement and support from the Tulsa Yoga Community has been abundant. Why can’t the most playful yet sophisticated yoga studio be here in Tulsa, Oklahoma?!  We have done our research practicing in studios from New York, Dallas, San Diego, and LA and have yet to find the visions that we have created here at Salt Yoga for our Tulsa family. The intentions of love were set from the beginning of our Salty journey and we have yet to divert from those intentions. This has had a major impact on the energy in our space at 1708 Utica Square, and we KNOW you will feel that the moment you walk in. 

               

                                              We are here to serve you. Namaste~  

Glow Yoga

Do you like Yoga~ Magic~ Music~ Community~ & Dancing?! Then sign up here for GlowYoga! See you this Saturday Tulsa Yoga Tribe!

www.glowyogatulsa.com

The List

So much PLAYFUL fun filming for The List, an entertainment national show that runs Monday-Friday at 6:30pm on Channel 2! Lets Talk Yoga~ Will 2013 be the year you start your HOT yoga practice with us at Salt Yoga Utica Square?! What do you have to loose beside sweat, pounds, and fear?! I will be on tonight, January 4th at 6:30pm :)

Live Open.

Choosing to live open is one of the greatest gifts we can give ourselves. With this choice comes grand experiences. Some so grand there is simply no label to describe them. In living this way, we are bound to experience more than ever we expected. By choosing to live open the need to constantly clean out our closet is more important than ever before. We must constantly set aside the experiences that do not cater to the greater good or our future goals. So today, I will empty out my backpack and I will set aside the experiences that do not serve my greater good moving forward. By doing so, I grant you the permission to do the same. Namaste~