Mary Johnston-Coursey

The summer solstice is coming right up, and we (Shakta Yoga Collective) are excited once again to offer a beautiful way to honor the shifting of the light. Join us next Friday as we chant the Gayatri Mantra 108 times and absorb each other's love and heartfelt connection through the ether. 12:30 Mountain Time. Free.

Join us tomorrow online as we celebrate the return of the light!

Winter Solstice Gayatri Gathering!
The SUN 🌞 makes its turnaround this Thursday with a free community offering with the Shakta Yoga Collective community including YOU!

SYC GAYATRI GATHERING - Winter Solstice 2023
❄ Winter Blessings to Keep your Light Bright ❄
Thursday, December 21, 2023
11-11:30am Eastern US
10-10:30am Central US
9-9:30am Mountain US
8-8:30am Pacific

LIVESTREAM ON ZOOM
FREE!
ANYONE is welcome. Feel free to share with others.

Get the Zoom link here:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZAlfumppzwjGtbt-2AzbdrnyOybDSeJ8edv

After you register, you’ll receive an email about how to join the event as well as a calendar reminder.

#108 .toolin

Here are two sweet faces from my garden, one now gracing my kitchen counter, both of them in honor of my Maura. I hold her in my heart as I step into a new season.

We are in a time of huge transition into a new space of being. Fall. The dying off of the garden, the falling of the leaves. The fall of empires and the dying off of old systems and social structures. The winds of change are moving and bringing us into new space. Hang onto your hats!

The craziness of the world is growing to a fever pitch - can you hear it? Natural disasters, human conflict, nationalism and authoritarianism, chaos at every turn. And yet here we are, enjoying the most beautiful fall colors ever in Salt Lake, coveting the last tomatoes of the season, planning the last batch of pesto with friends, and relishing in the warm days and cool nights. Heart-wrenching chaos amid exquisite beauty!

I hold both realities in the space of my heart, grateful every day to be alive and surrounded by love.

I am especially grateful for my daily practice. My practice holds me even as the ground is been pulled out from underneath me. It lifts me up from drowning in an ocean of grief, and moves me beyond my personal story of suffering towards a more purposeful life.

When I step back and think about the anger and fear surrounding us today, screaming at us through our news feeds and social media, I am reminded of the teaching of macrocosm / microcosm - that whatever is manifesting in the outer world is also hidden somewhere within us, on a subtle level. Think about it. This means the earthquakes and droughts, the wars and floods, the distortion of truth and carelessness regarding nature and human suffering - our own consciousness has somehow absorbed all this cacophony. And yet amazingly, since it is what we grew up with, we just don’t see it. It all feels normal to us. Admit it - it is easy to look outside of ourselves and point fingers, calling out the anger and fear all around us and blaming others’ bad behaviors, but it is much more difficult to recognize those gripping tendencies within our own hearts and minds.

Our job as spiritual beings, therefore, is to dig down and unearth the subtle inner agitations - let them rise to the surface so we can name them, understand them, and ultimately be freed from their hold over us. This is the spiritual journey.

Our spiritual practice - sadhana - rewards us with so much inner wealth. As we shed unconscious mental patterning, we discover a deep well of joy and peace that infuses our being and accompanies us throughout the day. Our practice enables us to see with crystal clarity the world all around us, leading us to be more kind and compassionate as we take right action. It brings us determination, willpower, even courage to be who we must be.

But right now, what is most palpable for me to share is that spiritual practice also teaches us to drop into a ceaseless stream of inner calm, to be held lovingly and steadily, even as the destructive storms of the external world descend upon us. Pay attention! You’ll want this last gift sooner or later...I encourage you to take this time of transition to reassess your own personal practice. Know that if you are ever in need of guidance to design or refine your practice, I would love to be of assistance. And if you are ready now to discover a new and potent tool to draw upon, consider joining me starting this November for an exciting 3-part series on Yoga Nidra.

Our deep dive into this incredibly potent practice begins in November, live and online at Lila Yoga Studio. Yoga Nidra is profound yet accessible. It affects multiple layers of our being at once. This training offers rich benefits to individuals as well as yoga teachers and therapists of all kinds. Treat yourself and join me! Each weekend will address a different intention of practice:
November 11-12 Healing
December 2-3 Transformation
January 6-7 2024 Spiritual Awakening
Saturdays 8:00-5:30, Sundays 1:30-5:30 MT
For more info: https://www.innermountaininstitute.com/yoga-nidra-1

Here I am 24 years ago, singing with my beautiful daughter Maura. Her voice only got more beautiful as she grew, and would transport us all to some other reality. We will miss her voice this coming weekend, as we make music together for her Celebration of Life. Maurita, we miss you and love you so! For information on the service and to RSVP, go here: https://everloved.com/life-of/maura-coursey/ For more information on Maura, go here: https://www.mauracoursey.com

Visit Maura Foy Coursey's Memorial Website Take part in remembering Maura Foy Coursey. Read her obituary, share your own memories, and learn about any funeral details on Ever Loved.

Join us for a New Years' Intention Setting Workshop and Practice!

Are you signed up yet???

SHAKTA SANKALPA WORKSHOP FOR 2023
Sunday, Jan 1
10-1pm CST
LIVESTREAM on Zoom

Time to write a new Sankalpa! Leave 2022 in the dust. 2023 is going to be AWESOME! Empower yourself in the New Year with this timely and productive workshop to move past the the old stories, lessons and losses of the past year. Join some of the founders from the Shakta Yoga Collective in this timely workshop that will help you to create a Sankalpa to support you in the New Year. Workshop includes lecture, discussion, meditation, Sankalpa creation, group work, feedback and a Yoga Nidra practice to activate your Sankalpa. Wear comfortable clothes, have a journal and pen ready, and plan to create your life the way your heart desires!

Spots are limited.

SIGN UP NOW AT:
https://devanadiyoga.com/workshops-class-series/

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.toolin

Winter is here, but now here comes the light!!! Help us usher in the Solstice with a powerhouse mantra - the Gayatri - a chance for community and shared intention through sacred ritual. Short, sweet, and free.

The LIGHT ✨is about to dawn!

Be a part of an ancient annual ritual to welcome the light back into our lives... literally! Join the SYC community and founders this Wednesday for our seasonal ✨GAYATRI GATHERING✨ welcoming in the Winter Solstice.

GAYATRI GATHERING for the Winter Solstice
Wed, Dec 21
9am Eastern US / 6am Pacific US
LIVESTREAM
FREE!

Register NOW to get the ZOOM LINK: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZctcu6hqTMtHdPSO5hDiyb1XTjiCqszGFXw

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Rene Quenell Tanya Boigenzahn Jill Minneman Lauren Toolin Mary Johnston-Coursey Shakta Yoga Collective

Hey Friends, I just have to brag a little, and point out that, as much as women are being put down in the world today, they are also rising up. My niece Sophie shown below is part of a 4 person team of women who just beat the world record, rowing across the open ocean from San Francisco to Hawaii. Imagine this: 34 days, rowing 24 hours a day (2 hours on, 2 hours off), sleeping in 90 minute shifts, singing karaoke, dancing, and telling jokes to stay awake and undeterred. None of these gals had rowed on the open ocean before this - and they beat the record by over a day!! They insist they are nothing special, and wanted to show that whatever it is we put our mind to, we can do. Inspiring?

I'd say that's a group of women who are CLAIMING THEIR POWER!!