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AND THE WINNER IS: Marju B. ! Congrats Marju for winning your choice of hot yoga prizes. Tonic hot yoga apparel is now on sale. You may have noticed lots of BENDers wearing new Tonic clothing. They are loving the style, durability, and comfort provided from the great fabrics. We have a small selection available at the desk at prices you can't even beat online. Wednesday intro class at 5:30 gets great reviews: "the intro class provided individualized attention like I have never had before. It's like a private posture workshop." We added an intro classon Wed.  for those unable to attend Saturdays. Designed for those new to yoga or hot yoga it turns out many of our students really like the smaller class size and individual attention they get. It is like a mini posture clinic and will really help your practice with postures that are especially challenging for you. Go Team! We are pleased and privileged to announce the addition of two instructors Kara and Sarah (no, we didn't pick them because their names rhyme, but cool huh?) Kara has been practicing yoga for more than 20 years. She holds an exercise physiology degree, is an associate professor at the college, and has been teaching fitness at the college level for more than a decade. Sarah has been practicing yoga for 17 years and teaching for 12. She holds multiple certifications in various styles and is also ACE group fitness and personal training certified.	Founding Member Super Special Ends This is the final opportunity to take advantage of our super special founding member program. This special pricing ends December 5. Remember founding members get special perks worth about $40 monthly. Email or inquire at class to learn more. Grand Opening Events Founding members will enjoy a special pre-opening invitation only event! There will be groovy free stuff and members only classes! We love all our members but our founding members are especially appreciated for their loyalty and for helping us make this all real. Grand opening special events will follow including daily give aways of hot yoga clothes and accessories, nutrition, massage and far infared services and so much more. We will also have a special comedy and inspirational speaker night. It's gonna be great! Yoga Wisdom: "Yoga is serentiy" ................Bhagavad Gita 400-300 BCE One of the great ironies of American life is how much stress we experience over the holiday season. With this in mind we remind you of the stress management benefits of hot yoga. Few tools are better in part because of the calming effects of our practice but all the actual practice of being stressed (sweating in a difficult asana) followed immediately by relaxation (release of the pose). Janu Sirsasana Head-to-knee pose (JAH-new shear-SHAHS-anna) This seated forward bend is especially calming for the adrenal glands (the body's stress regulators) as is all slow deep breathing. This posture works thirteen joints. This is a stretching and lengthening pose from the sole of the foot to the top of the scalp--talk about whole body stretching! Remember to keep the bent leg flexed (and be gentle if you have knee issues) and to bend forward pushing the chest ahead before allowing the back to curve and finally for the head to fall into a relaxed position. Gratitude: Our construction crew has been working fast and furious to get our studio done. We are thankful for their expertise and drive. We are also so blessed to have such wonderful people coming into our community and wanting to serve (see related article to the left). Please take a moment to help us also thank Kim and Kacey for their support at the desk.	Construction update: Walls are up, electricity and plumbing are nearly complete, first drywall inspection happens monday. Lights, state of the art sound and security system go in monday as well. It's coming along! You asked for it :) BEND hot yoga gift certificates on sale for the holidays. Since giving is always rewarded, you get a present too! Give a 5 class card and get TWO h-bands (one to give in the envelope with the class card and one to give to yourself). Give a 10 class card and get TWO h-bands and a BEND hot yoga prescott (BHYP) tee shirt. Special pricing is $55 for 5 class, $100 10 class. What the H is an h-band? In case you don't know these are the head bands from yogitoes you see so many BENDers wearing. They come in a great variety of colors to perfectly accessorize beautiful YOU! Watch our facebook page (Hot Yoga Prescott) for updates on the Grand Opening and for this week's article from Nicole the Hot Yoga Doc.

© 2011 BEND Hot Yoga Prescott

Attitude of Graditude

With the hustle and bustle of everyday life, it's easy to forget about what and who you're grateful for.

I've been speaking and writing about gratitude for many years, and I'm still amazed at how challenging it can be to focus on what I'm grateful for at times (especially when I'm feeling sorry for myself, complaining or focused on what I think I should get, instead of all that I already have). I'm also blown away by how powerful and transformative gratitude is when we choose to pay attention to it, experience it and express it, especially during the holiday season.

I recently met a man who had been in prison for almost 30 years. When he was asked what he appreciated most about being out of jail, he said, "Seeing the stars, listening to children laugh and hearing dogs bark." Wow—think of all the simple things we take for granted that we could choose to be grateful for each day, instead of focusing our attention on what we don't have, what we want or what we think we deserve (but haven't been given yet).

What are you grateful for? What do you appreciate about the things you already have in your life? What do you love most about the people around you? How often do you ask yourself and others these powerful questions? Sadly, many of us don't take the time to ask or answer these types of questions on a regular basis, especially in the midst of these difficult times and the stress and expectation of the holidays.

I hope you and your family have been and will be spending time focused on what you're grateful for during this time of year. However, focusing on gratitude is something that we can do all the time, not just on special occasions or during the holiday season.

There are many reasons (i.e., excuses) we have for not focusing on what we're grateful for:

• We're too busy and stressed out
• We're waiting for things to work out perfectly (which they almost never do)
• We don't want to brag (especially now, when lots of people are going through tough times)
• We focus on what needs improvement and the many things we still have to get done
• We focus on all the bad stuff in our lives, about others and in the world
• We pay a lot of attention to what we don't have, what we want and what we think we should get

While all of these reasons make sense and are understandable, they simply and sadly get in our way of tapping into one of the most powerful emotions and states of beings we have access to: the power of gratitude.

According to Jack Canfield, author of The Success Principles and co-author of the Chicken Soup for the Soul series, "Gratitude is the single most important ingredient to living a successful and fulfilled life."

Gratitude not only makes us feel good, it's also one of the greatest attractors of abundance, love, peace, success, health, connection and more. The more we focus on what we already have, the wonderful aspects of our lives and what we appreciate, the more we end up having to be grateful for.

Stop for a moment and think about some of the things that you're grateful for in your own life. Make a list either in your head or on paper. We each have so much to appreciate. When we take the time to acknowledge our many blessings, especially at this time of year, we utilize the power of gratitude in a way that benefits us and those around us in a profound way.

Simple Ways to Practice Gratitude Every Day

We can expand our capacity for gratitude this holiday season (and in general) by creating simple and genuine practices. It doesn't really matter what we do or how we do it, just that we come up with easy and meaningful ways to focus on what we're grateful for during the holidays and beyond. Below is a short list of some different possible gratitude practices. Pick one, use many or make up your own practice:

• Write cards or e-mails expressing your gratitude for others: genuine, specific and personal
• Meditate/pray and focus on what you're grateful for
• Have everyone at the dinner table share something they're grateful before you eat (or while you're in the car or other times you're together with your family)
• Ask people what they're grateful for (and/or ask this question as part of your outgoing voice mail message)
• Use a gratitude journal and write in it regularly

While so many of us understand and know about the power of gratitude, it's the practice and expression of it that really has an impact. During this holiday season—in the midst of the stress and activities this time of year brings—if we can take the time to think about, feel and express our gratitude and appreciation for life, others and ourselves, we can literally transform our experience of the holidays, as well as of our lives and relationships, in a beautiful way.

Mike Robbins is a best-selling author, sought-after motivational keynote speaker and personal growth expert who works with people and groups of all kinds. Robbins is the author of the best-selling books Focus on the Good Stuff and Be Yourself: Everyone Else Is Already Taken. He and his work have been featured on ABC News, in Forbes, Ladies Home Journal, Self and many others.

Read more: http://www.oprah.com/spirit/The-Power-of-Gratitude_2/2#ixzz1fJ4BoML8