Wild and free Bhaktishop family,

Peace and love to everyone!  Hold on, because we are moving soon, friends. We are hoping with all our hearts that our building will be finished by the end of February at SE 26th and Division. Stop by, give the contractors some love and good juju, and stay tuned for details of a big, fat, GRAND Opening Party sometime in March.

We are taking you to Costa Rica in 3 months. Just in time for the blahs of winter and Portland’s infamous mono-cloud to hang over us, the bright sunshine of a delicious tropical retreat is sounding better and better. Email us at weloveyou@thebhaktishop.com with questions. Think fast, friends, it’s coming…

Kirtan is Sunday, December 9th, from 6-8pm. Holiday kirtan is always a tremendous joy, and this month in our Soul Project we serve a friend of our own family, Monicka’s mom-in-law, Lynn Geise, who recently lost her beloved husband Butch. Come down to sing and be merry with your fellow lovers of the light. Rumor has it we might sing Ave Maria…

ART SHOW!!! Our host space, Om Tradition Arts, is throwing an art-show party called “Thirty.”  Friday night, December 7th from 7-11pm, one night only, you will be part of the biggest affordable art extravaganza in Portland!  Thirty amazing local artists will bring thirty amazing paintings to sell for thirty bucks each. That’s 900 pieces of affordable art right in your own yoga studio.  Panels will disappear very quickly, so arrive early with cash in hand, and leave with beauty and creativity, just like in yoga.

Our Winter Soul-stice practice with Lisa Mae is coming up on Thursday, December 20th from 5:30-6:45pm. Celebrate the coming of the light with us in a big yoga pile. Wear dark clothes to really get into the spirit, and bring a little candle you can sit with as you reflect on this amazed life. Sign up early at the front of the shop.

Round 2 of the Bhaktishop College of Yoga’s informational meeting is Sunday December 9th.  Missed the first one?  Come on over and fire away at our info meeting for the March 2008 program.  There may even be cupcakes again.  Meet us at the Shop from 2-3pm. We can’t wait.

The best gifts gather no dust- give someone you really love a Bhaktishop gift certificate in any amount you can dream up. We love it!

PRESS!! Portland’s very own fabulous, eco-chic style maven Cheryl Janis blogged about us on her site, www.cheryljanisstyle.com/pinkngreen.  Click on the link and scroll down a bit to see some lovely photos and a super sweet write-up about our amazing little family of yoga-lovers. Slowly, Portland is finding out about us, and soon you get to say that you found us first…

Our annual Thanksgiving Class was packed to the rafters, with some of you even agreeing to practice in the halls and entryways. Thank you all for your mounds of love and donations to the Sisters of The Road Café. Now that’s true seva in action.

We will close the doors of The Bhaktishop briefly from December 24th thru the 26th for a collective exhale. We will miss you!  Join Diana for a very special and extremely juicy New Year’s Day yoga class at 12 noon on Tuesday, January 1, 2008.  Get a fat slice of Bhaktishop love, and happy everything, ya’ll!

Be a part of the first Bhaktishop Love=Art Exhibition in February of 2008! We are calling for all the mail-art you can dream up on the subject of LOVE. (What else?) Please express your love in any way you see fit (humans, dogs, God, etc!) in any art form, medium, or format, as long as you can stamp it and send it in the mail. Send it to The Bhaktishop Art=Love Exhibition 5721 SE 41st Ave. Portland, OR 97202
We will hang all submissions at our Grand Opening celebration at the righteous new space in March.

Thank you for staying close, family. You all make it a daily pleasure to share our love of yoga with you.

Snuggle down,
Lisa Mae, Diana, and the whole lot of us at The Bhaktishop

Dearest, sweetest lovers of the light,

Happy November to you all— have you seen it out there? Those golden and scarlet leaves tell us the story of time passing if we stop to take them in, one breath at a time. With so much beauty all around us it’s hard to breathe sometimes… This November we will share thoughts and words on the yogic idea of Seva, or selfless service. This form of karma yoga can free us from the bonds of the ego and lead us to liberation!! Let’s go!! We celebrate the heart’s possibility for opening with Ustrasana, camel pose, and have our very first mantra of the month. Twameva, some of you may remember from last November, is what we like to call the “family mantra.”  It celebrates the teacher, brother, mama, guru, and divine friend in all beings. That means YOU.

Rumor has it we will begin taking credit cards by December, if not sooner. So maybe you can go to Costa Rica after all…

We leave for Costa Rica in exactly four months. That’s February 25th, people. There is still time to get on the south-of-the-border Cadillac ride, the smoothest ride west of the Mississippi. If you are waffling, just ask for a look through last years’ photo album, or check out the pictures on our website. Really, you could just stay in Portland and freeze, but why? We have some space available for YOU in paradise! Contact us at weloveyou@thebhaktishop.com and we will get you all the details of this life-altering, soul-expanding, yoga-itch-scratching experience. And calling all massage therapists— we need a massage therapist to come with us (it’s sounding better already, right?) If any of you are interested in providing massage services in the tropics by doing a little of your divine work on the beach, as well as partaking of all that Tierra de Milagros magic and delicious yoga for a discounted rate on the trip, please contact me at lisamaema@thebhaktishop.com and we can talk details. Yes, please!

Please join us for our monthly kirtan, held on the second Sunday of each month. Sunday, November 11th from 6-8pm we will get down deep with the joyful sounds of the divine names.  These are great family-style opportunities to enjoy good company, some deep silence, and some raucous singing with all of us delighted and amazed Om Girls. This month we benefit a friend of the infamous Lilly family, Bobby Jo and her little girl Lesley who went through dozens of surgeries alongside Felix The Great this summer at Emmanuel Hospital. As always by donation to the Soul Project, our chance to give love, prayers, and cash to those in need of a little community grace. Sweet!

There are three, count them, three spots left for Breitenbush in January. It’s now or never, family. And we REALLY want to soak in the hot tubs with you and all your fellow yogis. Imagine the takeover— 30 sweating, steaming, chilling bhaktis in bathrobes swarming over Breitenbush. It’s our dream come true.  A quick email to me at weloveyou@thebhaktishop.com gets you in…

The Bhaktishop College of Yoga teacher training informational meeting is Sunday November 11th from 3-4pm at The Bhaktishop. Here we will discuss all the mysteries of the upcoming program in the spring, eat cake, and answer as many questions as we are equipped to. All are warmly welcomed, and you can stay for kirtan afterwards!

Our lovely Thanksgiving Day class is Thursday, November 22nd at 9am. This year we spread the karma love to The Sisters of The Road Café, a great Portland-based organization that gives food and other necessary goods to those with less family out there. We will furnish a list at the Shop of the items they need— please no random canned goods or whatnot. They are specific about what works for them to feed the most possible folks, so go the website, sistersoftheroadcafe.org, to see what is most needed, bring it to us on Thanksgiving, and we will pass it on.  Sharing the love has never been so easy! Our class will last until 10:30am, and we will sing, move, breathe and meditate with great love and gratitude for all that binds us together in this life. Before the football, family, and pie, get in here and celebrate! I, for one, cannot wait. I LOVE this class.  Please register early at the front of the Shop, as we can only hold 33 of you.

Yes in fact we do have beautiful gift certificates for sale at the shop to fulfill all your gifty needs this upcoming season. You can have one in any denomination you can dream up, and make someone’s day!

Lastly, we are thrilled for our beloved Flora, who is leaving us to get married and go to Brazil for a good long time in January. She needs to plan and organize and get herself together!  Thus she is grudgingly turning over her Tuesday and Thursday 10am classes to the delightful Tasha as of November 1st.  We know that you (like us!) all truly love Tasha, and we will dearly miss our lovely Flora. Tuesdays at 10am will remain an Opening Flow 1 class, and Thursdays will jump to a Soul Flow 2 level.  Make sure to pick up a pretty new schedule for your fridge. Please note that the free class on Wednesdays continues with Flora until she disappears…

That’s the news for November, brothers and sisters. Consider the deep, loving practice of compassionate action this season, and don’t forget to start with your own divine self. Stay close dear family, we love you!

Snuggly fall kisses,
Lisa Mae and Diana and the whole lot of us at The Bhaktishop

Dearest, kindest, sweetest Bhaktishop Kula,

October is upon us and in case you haven’t heard, we LOVE fall in the Northwest! Crisp blue mornings, clear sunny days, and the feel of change in the air. As if you haven’t had enough change… This is a righteous time to witness the passing of time, to celebrate the huge bounty of this harvest we call our life, and be grateful for all our many blessings! We’re delightfully happy that you’re part of this family of wanderers and wonderers alike, thank you for transitioning with us into the unknown. With your excellent feedback, generous contributions and warm presence, we’re settling right in to our gritty East Burnside gypsy caravan of a home. Thank you for making the first month in our new skin such a bitchin’success.  So, the big news…

We’re officially moving to our permanent home in January of 2008!  I know I know, just when you went and got all cozy in the big orange temple we go and move it on you. It will be a homecoming of sorts for all of us, back to our roots on SE Division and 26th Ave. That’s right bhaktis, a home on SE Division just like you all clamored for. We’re jumping up and down like little girls and are really excited to sit on the next egg together… So for 3 more months (give or take) we will get down and deep on gritty ole’ Burnside in the sweet lilypad, and take the big leap in January to the permanent digs. Which in case we did not yet tell you, consist of 1470 square feet of total and utter sweetness. We’ve got giant windows, high ceilings, and most importantly, the yoga that you love.

We will take up a central space in this brand new building, designed with green and sustainable practices in mind for the good of all beings. Inside the great temple walls, as a member of the Green Yoga Association, we’ll follow our dream of creating a “green” yoga studio, from PVC-free mats to eco floors and finishes. Our aim is a healthy environment for all of us, and a kinder step on the path for all. Jai Ma to our mother earth! We will surely keep you posted on the cosmic unfolding…

In other news, look for new additions to our class menu! The awesome Heidi will be waking you up early Wednesday mornings at 7am, and we have a totally new offering from sweet Sarah in the evening at 7pm on Thursdays (for you latenight types).  Show some Shop spirit and check them out… Notice that Flora’s wildly fun Karma Flow class on Wednesdays moves to 4pm (yeah it’s free – like as in, no cash. Everyone loves free stuff!) So mark these on your calendars, people, it’s no joke.

Kirtan this month is on Sunday October 14th from 6-8pm with the gang (and a special guest for sure), so come in for some Om Girls greatest hits and get your God on!

In October’s pose and theme we will celebrate the Divine Mother, with Durga, flying Durga, and Kali poses as manifestations of the Ma. Giving thanks for the gifts of the earth and all mothers everywhere, we will honor that amazing Divine feminine in all beings. Jai MA!!!

Hey—also a reminder that our Thanksgiving Day Yoga Class Feast is Thursday November 22nd! The beloved tradition continues under a new roof. By donation to sistersoftheroadcafe.org, we will join up on Thanksgiving morning at 9am for the gratitude party of the year! You can donate cash or food (specific non-perishables only— go to their website to see a list of food and hygiene items they desperately need. Please no random canned or boxed goods!) Of course bring your generous spirits to help those with less family out there. Before the football, before the family madness, before the pie, come get down with your yoga family where we will sing and move with ecstatic grace in appreciation for each other and this awesome life. There’s only room for 33 yogis, so sign up early on the sheet at the front of the Shop.

For those of you interested in The Bhaktishop College of Yoga, our exciting new 200-hour teacher training program starting this spring, there is an informational meeting on Sunday November 11th from 3-4pm.  We will meet at The Bhaktishop to answer questions and talk with all of you about the adventure of diving into teaching. All are warmly welcomed to join us!

For now family, that is the word. Still a few spots left for our January Breitenbush retreat (but only about ten) and a few for Costa Rica… Quit waffling! Just come! We are so happy to share all our news with you, and of course to share our dream come true, too. You all make it a reality, and a daily pleasure. You’ve all witnessed this past month how you are the real reason that we created this space, and watching it blossom is a delight that not even we can put words to. And that’s saying a lot.
So thank you family, we really, really love you.

Love is on the way,
Lisa Mae and Diana and the whole Bhaktishop crew

Dearest family,

Hello and welcome to The Bhaktishop! Bhakti means love, devotion, and service, and we are inspired to do just that-- so much so that we needed our own giant space to do it! As promised, we said we would tell you everything. So here's the 411 on the newest happenings of the shop... As of August 31st, Diana and I will have officially parted ways with the Yoga Shala of Portland, myself after an amazing four and a half years, and Diana after an evolutionary two years. We are grateful for all the opportunity that teaching there, with that group of wonderful, kind teachers, has brought us both. Thank you to all the folks at the Shala for their part in this process.

We are also grateful because it has brought us together with you, our community of soul-searchers, to jump into the new and unknown with fearless abandon! It is with great anticipation and humble gratitude that we bring you The Bhaktishop, a home for the yoga practice that you love in a warm and colorful environment, ripe for change!

We are currently in the incubator phase of the project, and are pitching our giant golden tent to house our practice at 14 NE 10th Ave, just steps north of E. Burnside, at a co-operative space called Om Tradition Arts. Look for the chalkboard door and of course the radical anarchist bookstore, Laughing Horse Books, right next door. Near Hippo Hardware, Portland Rock Gym, the Doug Fir, Union Jacks... You get the idea! We offer plenty of free street parking and bike parking, a killer $10 drop in rate (cash and checks only for now, ya'll) and a big, 900sf studio with awesome skylights and high ceilings. Bring a mat, borrow one of our eco mats, or throw down right on the beautiful hardwood floors!

This space is like a lily pad—it’s a place for us to leap into a permanent home. We are scouring the inner southeast for the perfect Garden of Eden for you, and believe me, family; you will be the first to know where the new studio will be located, as soon as the ink is dry... In the meantime, enjoy all the classes you already know and love, along with a few new additions to the menu, with an excited and devoted crew of your favorite teachers, and of course all the peeps you have gotten used to seeing on the mat next you.

We will have our first kirtan in the new space with myself and your ever-lovin' Om Girls on the second Sunday—the 9th of September. We are continuing the lovely tradition of singing for our supper (actually for our Soul Project, where we get to hand fat wads of cash to people in our community that are in need—ask if you know of a worthy recipient!) Come celebrate change with us and get your chant on!

Celebrate the change of the seasons with the always-soulful Autumn Equinox Revival on Saturday September 22nd from 9 to 10:30a! Om on down with your family to the best gospel-hour get down of the year! Sing, move freely, and liberate your souls from sufferin' with a class just itchin' to fill you with the spirit. It's a Soul Flow 2 level class, filled with all your favorite people, an art project of course, and led by the Reverend Lisa Mae. Amen!!!

We are registering you for retreats like Costa Rica and Breitenbush left and right, which means either a) you really want to get out of town with us or b) you all are early birds seeking the worm. I like it. It also means that there are only 15 and 14 spots left, respectively in the above-mentioned awesome getaways. Don't know what's up? Send us an email at weloveyou@thebhaktishop.com and we will get you dialed in. Get on the bus, ya'll—we can’t think of anyone we'd rather get away with than you, in paradise.

For now, this is what we have to share. We hope to bring you the high-quality yoga practice that you have come to love, drenched with love and devotion in every class. Join Diana, Matt, Flora, Heidi, and me for the kickoff month of The Bhaktishop! In this new space we aim to celebrate transformation and the mystical paths that we are all traveling, together on the magic carpet. Visit our in-progress website often, for many things will be appearing in the coming days. Thank you for joining us on the wild ride! Stay close and breathe love, family. We love you!

Warm, toasty, end-of-summer hugs,
Lisa Mae, Diana, and the whole Bhaktishop crew
thebhaktishop.com