We are swimming with gratitude and blessings to be able to offer you a fun and interactive way to give this season with our Giving Tree Project.

Because so many of you donated your services, time, goods and more, we have an amazing tree filled with 31 abundant and generous prizes (most of them packages, there were so many…) Simply purchase a raffle ticket at the Shop (as many as you want, and you can buy for friends too) in either Pink for $10 or Orange for $20, depending on the level of prize you want to win. Each day in December we will draw a name from the entries and give stuff away!

Click here for a complete list of gifts from the tree…

All the proceeds from our December giving extravaganza will go straight to Impact NW (www.impactnw.com), a Portland-based direct services organization that helps lift folks out of poverty with immediate-needs assistance, parenting programs, and school supplies for children. Please give generously to the Giving Tree this season by buying lots of tickets, and go home with some spectacular booty for yourself or as a great gift for a loved one.

Join us on Friday, December 4th from 8-10pm for some Cosmic Caroling Kirtan with Lolo Woods. Joined by Cameron Flint, Lolo will sing your heart into the right position (open!) in a sweet evening of devotional chanting. All are welcome, and kids are free. Yummies always shared afterwards…

Digging the Deepest Well: A Hip and Heart Opening Workshop with Lisa Mae on Saturday, December 5th from 3-6pm. Each year at this time we dive in deep to the soul of the sacred in our practice, and unearth some hidden treasures from heart and hips.  Join us on the mat in gratitude and joy as we excavate further… There are only a few spots left in this workshop, so sign up now if you are coming!

Hi Five! Saturday, December 5th, all classes all day are $5. Come early, friends, its Saturday and you don’t want to be left on the sidewalk…

Interested in 2010 Yoga School? We still have some spaces available, and would love for you to join us for an informational meeting on Friday December 11th from 7:30-8:30. Have your questions answered and consider really deepening your practice!

Moving With Intention with Monicka, an amazing journey into your more graceful self, is coming up on Saturday, December 12th from 3-5pm. Sliding scale and so full of ease and flow, your yoga practice might change forever!

New Moon Radiance with Diana, maybe your last chance for a long time, is Thursday, December 17th from 6-7:30am. Join Diana as she gets you ready for the renewal of your own totally human cycle in the dark-to-light of the early A.M.

Family Kirtan with Mala (that’s us, the newly named Bhaktishop kirtan band…) is Sunday, December 13th from 6-8pm! This month we will sing and celebrate the recording of our first live kirtan album, All For One, and raise some money to actually get the thing made. So come on down with all your loved ones and sing your hearts out with us, we are so excited to share this process with you all!

Celebrate the darkness of your mystical life at our annual Winter Solstice Celebration. Saturday, December 19th from 5-7pm with Lisa Mae, we will go inside, into the depths of our spirit, and worship what unfolds. Wear dark clothes and bring a small candle with you. Please pre-register, this will be a full evening.

Speaking of all the fullness, announcing The Bhaktishop’s First New Year’s Eve Party! Nothing to do? Wanting to celebrate in a totally new way this year? Join us on the mat in celebration from 9-10:30pm for a tag-team asana class with Lisa Mae and Diana, a little good company afterwards, and a midnight kirtan with Mala and friends (that’s all of you!) from 11-12:01am to usher in 2010 with sweetness and harmony. Sign up in advance for the asana portion if you plan to join us, we hope to ring it in right with all of you!

Also, we are sharing two New Year’s Day classes this year, one with Matt at 10am for you level 3 people, and the usual all-levels 12 nooner with Diana. Sign up early!

Breitenbush is sneaking up on us, with only 8 more spots left (that’s January 8-10) so come with us and soak away the winter rust in the wilds of your spirit surrounded by friends and yoga. Costa Rica is hot on the heels (or should we say sloshing in the puddles behind) on February 19th-26th… The cheapest tropical retreat around, we slashed like crazy to make this one more affordable, and now we want YOU to come to the jungle with us. You will NOT be sorry you did…

We LOVE you!

From our soggy (but Overflowingly Grateful) hearts to you and yours,
Lisa Mae, Diana and The loving bunch at The Bhaktishop

Watching it all go down, literally, is a blessing and a gift in this totally amazing place we live. We are grateful every day to be here, sharing what we love with you.

Family kirtan with Mala, our newly-named (and we feel, aptly titled) house kirtan band, on Sunday November 8th from 6-8pm! Join us as we sing our hearts out together in love and celebration for this beautiful life, and give all the money away to the amazing Mary Bauer, a friend and student that has been chronically ill for more than a year. Treats of course are offered and your little kids are welcome and encouraged.

Join us for some cheap yoga on Thursday, November 5th. All classes that day, from morning ‘til night, are a thin 5 bucks. Hi-five!

We are excited to be hosting for the first time in Portland a yoga class for the deaf on Sunday November 1st from 3:15-5:00pm, with a sliding scale donation of $5-$8. This class will be taught in ASL by Jeannie Songer, a graduate of our very own yoga school. If you have anyone in your life that might benefit from such a class, please pass it on! Questions? Send us an email at weloveyou@thebhaktishop.com.

Moving with Intention is on Saturday November 14th from 3-5pm with Monicka. If you ever wanted to feel more graceful, more free, and less inhibited in your movement practice, this workshop is for you. Sliding scale $15.

Running on Empty? Come to the Vata Balancing Ayurveda and Yoga workshop on Sunday, November 15th from 3-5:30pm with Lisa Mae and Nancy and learn some healthy diet and life changes you can implement now to stay sane during the season of dry, windy stress.  We will also practice asana and pranayama in the vata-calming spirit, to smooth the rough edges and nurture the soul.

Get your early morning new moon embrace going with Diana on November 17th from 6-7:30am. Shine brighter than the sun (for real, at this hour!) as you radiate your fullness to the whole wide world in celebration of the new moon.

Triple-Decker Thanksgiving Day Yoga Celebration classes! Join us at 8am with Diana, 10am with List Mae, and the newly added 12 noon with Marianne on Thanksgiving Day for the high-voltage gratitude fest of the year! By donation to Sisters of the Road Café, all three classes are already more than half full so please sign up now for the class you want to attend. Don’t be left sniffling on the sidewalk (or practicing in the hall…) Please note there are no other classes than the above on this day…

Gear up for Breitenbush January 8-10! When all the holiday stuff is over and you can exhale BIG in the snowy woods surrounded by yoga, steamy soaking, and great company. We are excited to swarm the place in our bathrobes with you all and do some serious relaxing. Prices range from $292-$358 for 3 days of total bliss. Email us to register!

Can we interest you in the tropics?  Costa Rica is only 3+ months away, square in the middle of the bleakness of February. This is the cheapest possible yoga retreat to the tropical sunshine imaginable, and we want to take YOUR asana out of grey Portland for a grand yoga adventure for only $1100. Interested? Send your interest to me at lisamaema@thebhaktishop.com so I can hook you up.  Or you could just stay here and freeze.

By the way, we are on Facebook, so if you like to follow stuff that way, jump in! And if you want to tell the world about how much you love yoga on Yelp, here is our link: http://www.yelp.com/biz/the-bhaktishop-portland. Thanks!

Gosh what a ride. Go pick some organic apples already,  and get out and see the Technicolor show before it’s gone! And good heavens, thank you for all your loving presence. You all make this joint what it is everyday, which is awesome.

Peace and plenty,
Lisa Mae, Diana and the Bhaktishop Family

Early fall? No way. We call it glorious Indian Summer and love every minute of it. Join us in October for classes, kirtans and workshops to celebrate the changes, colors and wonder of the seasons. Thanks for bringing all your friends for free during September, we knew we would REALLY like your friends…

This Saturday night we are throwing you the mothership of all-ages dance parties with DJ Anjali and The Incredible Kid! Saturday October 3rd from 7-10 come get your Bollywood groove on with us in celebration of our 2 year anniversary… For only 8 bucks, you get the infamous cupcakes, crazy-awesome bhangra music, and kids are FREE.

We are thrilled to welcome David Newman (Durga Das) and Mira for an evening of kirtan and chanting this Monday, October 5th from 7:30-9:30pm. These amazing bhaktas will delight and lull you to joy and peace all in the same night. Lovers of chant, unite! Bring a cushion and kids, of course, are free. Tickets on sale now, and see www.davidnewmanmusic.com for more song clips and details. Please note that there is no 5:30pm and 7pm class on this evening.

Hi-Five! All classes all day on Monday, October 5th are a thin 5 bucks. Enjoy!

Monicka moves you with intention on Saturday, October 10th from 3-5pm with another awesome movement workshop. Merge dance, yoga, intuition and grace all into one amazing afternoon. No experience needed!

Get in here for family kirtan on Sunday October 11th from 6-8pm. This month we serve in helping to re-build The Dougy Center, Portland’s grief counseling center for children, burned to the ground by arson in June. Chant, sway and celebrate your light by giving and praying with your family of soul-singers! By donation, and treats to follow.

Join Heidi on Friday, October 16th at 7:30 for a beautiful candlelight Diwali practice. Diwali is the Indian Festival of Lights, where you can steep in myth and mystery as you stoke your inner fire with asana, pranayama, chanting, and good company. A beautiful transition into the fall season! All levels welcome, drop-in or class cards.

Set your alarm for some New Moon Radiance with Diana on Sunday, October 18th at 6am. Unite in the church of the cosmos with Diana and the delicious first new moon of the autumn season. All levels are invited, and class cards or drop-in welcome.

We are honored to welcome back to The Bhaktishop a great teacher and mystic, Swami B.V. Tripurari. Swami will talk on the subject of bhakti yoga practices and their application to the modern world, as well as share some divine chanting. This evening is by donation, please lean in close for this wonderful opportunity. Please bring a cushion for sitting.

Hey Family, did you happen to be traveling anywhere fun this past spring or summer, and be wearing your favorite Bhaktishop t-shirt? Did anyone take a photo of you? If so, email us the photo for the website and we will give you 10% off your next 10-class card!

Looking for a yoga getaway to plan (or gift someone you love) in winter of 2010? Consider joining us for Breitenbush January 8-10, Costa Rica February 19-26, or Timberline Lodge March 21-23. Details on the web soon!

Looking forward to so much this fall and winter with you all, from Thanksgiving yoga classes to our New Year’s Eve Yoga Party… We are so lucky to share this space, this practice, the LIFE with you all!!

Jai to the Ma and Bountiful Blessings,
Lisa Mae, Diana and The Bhaktishop gang

We are mesmerized by late summer’s beauty, and by yours on the mat every day. Ya’ll are inspiring and we are SO lucky.

In fact, we are so awed by this amazing community that we are bringing back the beloved “Bring a friend for FREE!” yoga party. All month long, bring a friend to The Bhaktishop for their first time and their class is totally free. Please bring one friend at a time, but as many different friends as you like… because we know that your friends are definitely gonna be our friends.

Pick up a NEW orange schedule, good from September 1 to December 31 for your fridge, and please note some of the changes we are offering this fall season. A little bit of teacher/class shuffle, the early bird class time shift to 6:15am, the addition of an early bird Friday class, a new Opening Flow 1 class on the Saturdays, and a roaring schedule of workshops, events, kirtans and dance parties. All info is also on the website… We love you!

Hey if you thought you missed out on Breitenbush this September 13-15, fear not…Due to lots of interest, we have been moved into the main lodge and can now take 10 more of you to the woods… Pricing, info and registration available via email at weloveyou@thebhaktishop.com! Sign up soon…

The next Hi-Five is on Saturday, September 5th! That means all 3 classes that day for only 5 bucks. Rock on.

We are closed on Labor Day, to celebrate all (y)our hard work. But don’t fret—Marianne is going to bring you the one and only yummy Labor Day class at 10am, all levels welcome. Sweet relief!

Yoga School 2010 is coming up in January.  Join us for an informational meeting on Friday, September 11th from 7-8pm where we can chat, meet each other, eat cake and answer all your questions about the program. Applications for the program are available at the front desk, just ask us.

Monicka continues her delicious dance and movement series, Moving With Intention, on Saturday September 12 from 3-5pm. It’s an experiential journey into your own creative movement, combining dance, yoga, composition, and freedom into one amazing afternoon! This is a class for all levels, no experience necessary.

New Moon Radiance with Diana, coming back to you on September 17th from 6-7:30am. Get all moony and honor of September’s harvest moon with Diana on the mat in this very deep (and very early!) awesome monthly practice.

Sean Johnson and The Wild Lotus Band return! A ruckus evening of devotional kirtan and chanting with our spicy southern favorites awaits you on Friday, September 18th from 8-10pm. Bring a cushion (though I doubt you will sit for long!) and come celebrate the release of the band’s second CD, Devaloka, with us and the chant-happy family. Tickets on sale now!

The Autumn Equinox Revival with Lisa Mae is Tuesday, September 22 from 5:30-7:30pm, and please note that there is no 7pm class this day. Step into an evening of yoga church with your hallelujah-lovin’ yoga family in a celebration of balance and grace at the equinox! Set to delicious gospel tunes and filled with the spirit, dive deep into your bountiful life. Please pre-register as this will fill up…

And my goodness, family, by all means save the date for the return of DJ Anjali and The Incredible Kid Saturday October 3rd from 7-10pm. No booze, no shoes—this funky dance party lets you get loose for only 8 bucks to the best DJ’s in town. Kids welcome and FREE!

We will also be welcoming David Newman (Durga Das) to The Bhaktishop for the first time for an evening of kirtan on Monday, October 5th from 7:30-9:30pm. Come one and all and sing your heart open with this magical artist. Info at davidnewmanmusic.com. Tickets on sale now!

Start planning for Costa Rica 2010… We are making it a whole lot cheaper this year for you, so if you have been pining for this trip, this might be the year. Its February 19th thru 26th, and remember that in the dead of winter you could feel (slightly less hot, but still) like you did that hot week in July for a precious, golden week, times 100, and with monkeys… Check the website for details!

A deep bow of gratitude to you all for an amazing season so far (thanks for packing the place to the rafters during the heat waves…), we have had an incredibly inspired journey with you, side-by-side. Many sweet blessings to you all as we head into the final stretch (ha!) of this glorious summer.

Sun-kissed pranams,
Lisa Mae, Diana and the Bhakti gang

We are grateful to celebrate our Divine Mother Earth in all of her manifestations! In embracing yoga and by living simply and compassionately, we can nurture others, ourselves, and our planet. Thank you for taking part in this thriving community of seekers, lovers, and karma yogis!

Join Monicka and Tally outside in Piccolo Park for two more great outdoor yoga classes on Monday, August 3rd and Wednesday August 19th from 7-8pm. Bring a mat or a towel and get your asana outside!

Hi-Five! Join us for any class on Wednesday, August 5th for a thin 5 bucks. Any class, any teacher, all day long. Get your cheap yoga on! Also, for the month of August, take $10 off the price of any 10 class card…

Wanna dance? Monicka is bringing back her amazingly freeing style of getting you moving with the second of three workshops entitled Moving With Intention. Combining dance, yoga, and sacred movement of all kinds, she helps you free yourself and your body, liberating you back to your original rhythm and flow. Saturday August 8th from 3-5pm, get your groove on!

Family kirtan is Sunday August 9th from 6-8pm, and this month we serve The Brain Tumor Society, helping those suffering from various forms of this debilitating disease. Please come and join us in song and prayer, lift your hearts wide and FREE! By donation and kids are welcome…

New Moon Radiance with Diana on Thursday August 20th from 6-7:30am! Roll out of bed with the sun and celebrate your own Om cycle in this nurturing and life-affirming combination of pranayama and asana.

Marianne brings you Yoga For Runners on Saturday August 22nd from 3-5pm, just in time for marathon season.  Get some serious hip opening and grounding practices for keeping the shanti in your running life!

The Bhaktishop is proud to share Street Yoga Teacher Training August 28 and 29th. Please check out the Street Yoga website at www.streetyoga.org for more details on how to serve this amazing hometown hero of an organization.

Speaking of training, we are excited to announce that applications for the 2010 Bhaktishop Yoga School are officially available! Come on in and ask for an application, and check here for more details about the program. If you have questions, please email lisamaema@thebhaktihsop.com. And save the date for a Yoga School open house on Friday September 11the from 7-8pm…

Family, there are only a few spots left for the Breitenbush retreat in September—if you are waffling on it, you had better get on the bus! Sunday September 13- Tuesday September 15 we will chant, sit, bend, and share space together as we swarm the wilds of Breitenbush in our bathrobes! What are you waiting for?

Thank you each for your generous presence and all you give to our beautiful yoga center and our lives! We're so blessed to have each other, our beautiful community, to celebrate spirit and make life in Portland so rich and joyful! You are a source of the sacred and the spiritual, and here for proving that love is the strongest medicine!

 

In love and service,
Lisa Mae, Diana and the cosmic Bhaktishop crew

 

"This is the moment to awaken the love and compassion within us. This is the time to pray with our hearts and work with our hands. Let us lend a helping hand to those who are grieving and thus light lamps of kindness and compassion." -Amma

We are excited to bring you lots of events this summer, including outdoor yoga fun, devotional music, retreats to the woods, and real yoga love in the form of timeless practices of celebration. Please check the website often to see what is ahead…

Join Lisa Mae and Diana for our regularly scheduled classes (9am and 11) on Independence Day, Saturday July 4th. A liberation celebration for all! (There is no 1pm class on July 4th.)

Hi-Five!! All classes on Sunday, July 5th are a thin 5 bucks. Get in here and spread the word… Also we have added a new class, by-donation, on Tuesday nights at 7pm due to popular demand for a cheap-o class in the evenings. We aim to serve YOU.

Get outside for Sunset Yoga in the Park on Monday, July 6th and Wednesday July 22nd. Join Monicka and Tally at Piccolo Park for their regularly scheduled 7pm classes, and throw down your practice in the sunset light of summer! The park is directly behind The Bhaktishop on SE 27th Ave. Bring a mat or a towel or throw it down right on mother earth.

Early birds! Our delicious Guru Purnima practice is Tuesday, July 7th. Get up early and practice open-format style from 4am until 6am (come anytime, on the early side for good real estate…) in celebration of all the teachers that have touched our lives. Bring something for the altar and a donation, and raise your arms up to the highest of all teachers—your true Self!

Friday July 10th, please join us for Love, Serve and Remember: A Ram Dass Satsang and Benefit. We will gather and listen to a remarkable set of vinyl recordings of a live radio program from 1969 featuring phone calls, stories of the Ramayana, and Ram Dass at his unscripted best. Meditation and chanting too…Treats will definitely be offered! All donations go to the Love Serve and Remember Foundation.

Family kirtan is Sunday, July 12th from 6-8pm with your Bhaktishop Family. This month we serve and bless one of our nearest and dearest friends and teachers, Bobbie Mims. Come share your hearts and prayers for all those who are suffering, and sing into grace with us. Kids free, homemade treats, great company.

BIKERS!!! Yoga for Cyclists with Tasha is on Saturday July 18th from 3-5pm. Let Tasha share with you and your cycling friends the ways that yoga can enhance your ride, keep your hips fluid, and keep you focused on the road before you. All levels of rider and yogi welcome and encouraged.

The Om Cycle with Diana continues, helping you radiate into the new moon on Tuesday July 21st at 6am. Aimed at all levels, enjoy learning to cultivate appreciation of your own totally human cycle.

Summer Love Kirtan with Lolo Woods! Friday, July 24th from 8-10pm. Sing your hearts out, call on the warrior within, and celebrate community spirit with our dear Lolo Woods. Her stories, amazing voice, and chant-happy soul help remind us all to expand into freedom! Chant and be HAPPY!

Flight School: An Arm Balancing Workshop with Heidi, our resident uddiyana bandha geek. Sunday, July 26th from 4-6pm, get air with Heidi as she de-mystifies your arm balances and helps get you off-the-wall in handstands. Fly free, family!

And finally, please consider joining us (Lisa Mae and Diana, that is) for the remaining 8 spots at Breitenbush this September 13-15 (Sunday-Tuesday). Two early morning meditations, three ecstatic yoga practices, a night of delighted singing to the divine, and a deep dive into your divine nature. Camp out with us! Click here for details—we love you and would love to share this with you…

Boundless gratitude for being here with us. We are stoked to show up, every single day.

Loving you all, loving this life,
Lisa Mae, Diana and The Bhaktishop Family

(oh, and by the way,  if you took home a pair of black Teva flipflops after the solstice class on the 20th that are too big for you, they are mine! And I have yours…)

A giant NW welcome to Sean Johnson and The Wild Lotus Band this Friday, May 29th at 8pm! Join us for some southern style spicy kirtan grooves with this amazing band of gypsies from New Orleans, coming to ROCK the pink palace, just for you! Tickets are still available for $15. Chant and BE HAPPY!! Please note there is no 5:30 class on this Friday night to make way for the fun…

Big congratulations to The Bhaktishop Yoga School Class of 2009, makin’ their way into the wild this May 30th. Check them out teaching the karma and donation classes all year long!

The next Hi-Five is Friday June 5th. All classes, all day, only 5 bucks! Also, look for an online coupon on the homepage of the website good for 20% off your next class card. Click, print, and OM your way into class….

Wondering what is going on in the stars? Join renowned Vedic Astrologer Dennis Flaherty for a weekend dip into the astrological mystery. Friday, June 12 from 7:30-9pm come and learn how the stars and the economy are lined up to play out for the rest of the year, for just $10. Visit vedicsciences.com for more info on Dennis.

Then on Saturday, June 13 from 1-5pm, join us for a workshop on the patterns of personal relationships as they pertain to YOUR stars! Dennis does a mini-reading for each person based on what he sees in your  birth chart, all the while illuminating universal information about the celestial fabric of our personal relationships. For $60, get some good astrological medicine for these messy times. Please pre-register with your birth date, time, and location—space is limited!

Look for a new (yellow!) schedule coming out for June, July and August. Highlights include a new Donation Flow class on Tuesdays at 7pm with the Bhaktishop Family, the new Solar Flow yoga alarm clock with Maggie at 6:30am Mondays and Wednesdays, a rotation of the Seva (read: cheap) classes on the menu (marked with a heart), and a slew of workshops and events to keep you lovin’ on yourself all summer long.

Monicka hosts a new dance and movement series this summer called Moving From Within. On Saturdays, June 6, August 8, and September 12 from 3-5pm, come out for an experiential journey into the depths of your creative moving self. This is a class for anyone, and for only $15…

The Great Solstice 108 with Lisa Mae is coming… Get yourself out into the sunshine of Piccolo Park on Saturday June 20th from 9-11am for some solar-powered sadhana. Bring a towel or a mat, throw down a mess of sun salutations to all the directions and all the colors of this amazing summer that FINALLY came! We will meet in the park behind The Bhaktishop on SE 27th Ave. and get down on the grass. Treats afterwards, class cards or by donation. Rain? We will party indoors at The Shop…

Celebrate Your Yoga Bike Ride for Pedalpalooza with Tasha and the gang… Round 2 of our outdoor yoga adventure, as we all get bikey together. Meet at Col. Sumner Park on SE 18th and Taylor at 5:15pm, June 24th. Bring a mat or a towel and explore SE Portland’s best parks for yoga by bike. End up at The Shop for some treats and music and general screaming and yelling. Fun, flat, and family-friendly. All are invited!

Get your new moon on with Diana this summer in her new series, The Om Cycle: Awakening Radiance. Held monthly on the new moon dates of 6/22, 7/23, and 8/20 from 6:00-7:30am, learn to use your practice as a way of creating a ritual around the unending cycle of change and transformation, like the Om cycle itself. All levels welcome, class cards or drop-in.

Join us for Kirtan with Sita on Saturday June 27th from 7:30-9:30pm.

We are honored to welcome this beautiful kirtan wallah from Ireland as she sings sweetly from the heart. Sita has been chanting for many years and brings her delightfully deep voice to the hallowed walls of The Bhaktishop this summer, all for you! Visit www.sitachants.com for more information, and don’t miss the chance to share space with this beautiful spirit.

As for the rest of the summer, stay tuned for family Kirtan Saunday June 14th, some sunset outdoor yoga classes this July and August, workshops on yoga for cyclists and runners, an arm balancing flight school, Guru Purnima 4am practice, kirtan with Lolo, Opal Creek and Breitenbush retreats, and lots more. Further proof that WE LOVE YOU!!!!

Keepin’ YOU deep in the yoga, all summer long,
Lisa Mae, Diana, and the crew at The Bhakti House of Love

…and celebrate its arrival with yet another dance party throwdown with DJ Anjali and The Incredible Kid, ALL FOR YOU!! Saturday May 2nd from 7-10pm you can come over and throw your shoes in a pile and dance your asana off for hours to the BEST music around, in honor of our one year anniversary. Vegan cupcakes? Heck yeah! Right on!!

We know that things are stressful out there. We also recognize the need to rise to what is real in your life right now. We threw a heck of a party on Free Tax Day, and want to keep the cheap yoga going. SO here it is: The Bhaktishop Hi-Five! From now until money starts falling out of the sky, on the 5th of every month every class all day long will be only $5. That’s right! Every class, any teacher, the 5th of every month, 5 thin dollars. Rock your yoga on the cheap. Mark it on your calendars, and let’s start with Cinco de Mayo!!!

This month we share our family kirtan on Mother’s Day, Sunday May 10 from 6-8pm with special guest Kendra Carpenter accompanying us on the cello. What better way to celebrate all things light and lovely than with a shout out to the Divine Mother? Bring your own mother, or your kids, and enjoy singing, chanting, and swaying to the divine rhythms from within that surround us always.  FREE! Jai Ma!

Don’t forget Opal Creek with Sarah at the end of May… check the retreats page for details, these fill up FAST!

We are closed on Memorial Day, Monday May 25th. Boo hoo. We are sad too. So Matt has decided to teach the one and only class on that day! Yeah for yoga! Monday May 25th from 10-11:30am, join Matt for this community class celebration of all things graceful and memorable in this life, and for only 8 bucks. Namaste to YOU!

Sean Johnson and The Wild Lotus Band are coming to rock our kirtan world on Friday May 29th from 8-10pm! All the way from spicy New Orleans, these lovers of sound and light really know how to throw a kirtan party. Please plan ahead for this one, it is not to be missed! Go to www.seanjohnsonkirtan.com for a listen to this multi-flavored approach to shouting out love for the One. Holy holy!!

Join Dennis Flaherty, renowned Vedic Astrologer, Friday June 12th from 7:30-9pm, for a fascinating talk on the Astro-Economic Influenza that the world is suffering from, and how it affects us all. Sure to be illuminating for one and all, Dennis is truly a master of understanding the stars through the ancient system of Vedic Astrology. For $10 bucks, what could be better?

Then, on Saturday June 13th from 1-5pm, we bring you a workshop on The Celestial Fabric of Personal Relationships. A birth chart and mini-reading will be included for each participant in Saturday’s workshop, as Dennis delivers info on the archetypal patterns of the planets in relationship and help us each understand what these ruling planets mean for us. Please pre-register with us via email with your birth date, time and location.

No 1pm class on Saturday June 13th due to our visiting teacher workshop with Dennis Flaherty. We will miss you.

A quick workshop sneak preview this June:
The Great Solstice 108 with Lisa Mae Saturday  June 20th from 9-11 in Piccolo Park
Pedalpalooza Yoga Bike Ride with Tasha Wednesday June 24th at 5:15pm
The Om Cycle: A New Moon Practice with Diana Monday June 22nd, 6-7:30am
Kirtan with Sita Saturday June 27th from 7:30-9:30pm

And more and more, coming your way, every single day. Thank you for sharing your lives. We really love this place, this community, and sharing this practice with you all in every way possible.

Weeping Happy with Gratitude,
Lisa Mae, Diana and the loving crew of The Bhaktishop

Flowers, the Spring Equinox, FREE YOGA ALL DAY LONG ON TAX DAY, daylight savings time, and the promise of an awesome summer to come. What more could a yogi ask for? Did you say free yoga all day April 15th? That’s right.  And how about a monthly unlimited special class card for $108? Anytime in April, grab this special class card deal and share this fabulous season with us as often as possible on your mat!

Please join us Friday, April 3rd from 7:30-9pm for an evening of meditation, chanting, and satsang (good, like-minded company) with our delight of a Sanskrit teacher, Manorama. With her earthy charm and witty grace she will help lead us from the darkness to the light in this special and illuminating evening.

Please note, late afternoon weekenders—there will be no 1pm classes on Saturday, April 4th, Sunday April 5th, Saturday April 25th and Sunday April 26th and no 11am class on Saturday April 25th,  due to visiting teachers and their awesomeness.

Kirtan is Sunday April 12th  from 6-8pm with The Bhaktishop Kirtan Band! This month we celebrate the birthday of Hanuman AND The Bhaktishop  as we serve Kiva.org, a microlender that helps impoverished folks in underserved countries establish themselves in sustainable businesses. Come on over, throw down some love in true service of song with a rowdy evening of chanting, and celebrate the birth of this amazing community of light-seekers. All ages, all cookies, all shouting to the One…

We welcome a delightful kirtan pixie, Gina Sala, to our home for the first time. Yee-haw! Come chant, sing, and sway with Seattle’s favorite as she brings her warm and incredibly diverse chanting style to our kirtan house Saturday night, April 25th, 7:30pm-9:30pm. Bring a cushion for sitting and a heart for soaring. She is amazing.

Shaktibop! Celebrate our true birthday with us on Saturday, May 2nd from 7-10pm with our house favorite, DJ Anjali and The Incredible Kid, just back from India with fresh new beats for you and yours to get DOWN to… This party is no-booze, no-shoes, pure dance-hall fun for all ages. For a thin $8 come get your bhangra on…

Listen up!!! Sean Johnson and the Wild Lotus Band join us all the way from New Orleans for a spicy and festive Louisiana-style kirtan jam right here in our own chanting haven! These guys rock kirtan like you have never heard it rocked, and will delight you with their stories and sweetness long after that last Om has vibrated out of you. Friday, May 29th from 8-10pm. No cushion necessary, since you definitely won’t be sitting down! Do NOT miss this!

Yoga in the wilds of our amazing state?  Come on retreat to Opal Creek with Sarah in May, and with Lisa Mae and Diana in August, and to Breitenbush with Lisa Mae and Diana in September.  What are you waiting for? Click here…these will sell out in a flash…

Lastly, a big fat thank you to every one of you that make this little, sparkly yoga center such a hub of love and sanity in these uncertain times. We LOVE you all appreciate your contribution to this place every single lovin’ day. May all your blossoms bear yummy fruit!

Overflowing,
Lisa Mae, Diana and the Bhakti love-fest

Time to celebrate both Spring and Spring workshop season with us at The Bhaktishop! We have a bevy of fun and illuminating workshops coming your way, all deep and delicious ways to deepen your practice and commitment to yoga. Try something new, stretch your horizons, and alter your way of seeing your practice in the coming months.

First off, we welcome world-renowned author of Shakti Mantras, Chakra Mantras, and Healing Mantras, Thomas-Ashley Farrand, to The Bhaktishop for a workshop on the Myths and Mantras of Hanuman the monkey god,  Rama, Sita and the great story of The Ramayana. Saturday, March 7th from 3-7pm, we will kick off our focus for March, which is Mantra, with a true master of the art, and one of the best storytellers around. Join us and get your mantra on!

Family kirtan is Sunday the 8th of March from 6-8pm. This month we serve the Independent Publishing Resource Center, Portland’s own DIY, self-publishing haven, facilitating creativity and self-expression for artists, writers and young people. Right on! Come sing and enjoy the company of other seekers in this amazing community. Treats and children, too, great combo.

Indian Sounds and Spirits is a 3 part workshop of love with Lolo Woods beginning Saturday the 14th of March with a vocal exploration workshop, a way to find your voice and learn to use it without fear (or at least with a little less!)

Saturday the 21st of March, celebrate springtime with a lively kirtan with Lolo and Cameron as they help us all embrace the coming of the flowers and better weather. Sing and chant and be happy!

Sunday, March 22nd from 3-6pm, Lolo will be de-mystifying the harmonium for all interested in learning about the classic kirtan accompaniment instrument, beginning Indian scales and rhythms, and how to start to lead your own kirtans or enrich your own chanting practice.  Join us for one of these workshops or all three…

Diana’s Spring Equinox class is Thursday the 19th at 12 noon, class cards and drop-ins welcome. Get down with Diana as she does you right with some juicy asana and chanting and celebration of the rising tides of Spring. Play hooky if you have to, but my God don't miss this.

Get ready to immerse yourself in Sanskrit with our AMAZING Sanskrit teacher this April… We are excited to present Energy and Vibration: Intro to Sanskrit with Manorama, April 3, 4 and 5. Manorama shares the sacred study of Sanskrit in such a way that you will be deeply immersed, time will fly, and you may even contemplate giving away all your worldly goods to dedicate your life to this rich and illuminating topic… Join us for a meditation and satsang on Friday evening the 3rd of April, and Intro to Sanskrit workshop Saturday the 4th, and Sunday  the 5th for the Sanskrit of the Bhagavad Gita. A fascinating weekend of study for all levels of seekers! Click for details...

Kirtan lovers, listen up!! Join us as we welcome for the first time into our kirtan community Seattle’s favorite kirtan pixie, Gina Salá! Saturday night, April 25th from 7:30-9:30pm, come and chant with us. Singing is Gina Salá’s path to praising and celebrating the Oneness that is inherent in all, and her passion is Singing us into remembrance of Who we are.
Also we welcome for the first time our dear and funky friends, NuTone recording artists Sean Johnson and the Wild Lotus Kirtan Band, all the way from festive New Orleans! These folks put on the kirtan get-down of the season at our sweet spot, bringing the feistiness and longing of the bayou to our rainy town. Friday night, May 29th from 8:00-10:00pm, come and see for yourself the way they do kirtan down south.

Save the Date!! Saturday, May 2nd we bring you Shaktibop! DJ Anjali and The Incredible Kid to rock out the first full year of The Bhaktishop with a grand birthday celebration dance party. Cupcakes, saris and all, better get this one on your calendar…

And check out the retreats page for 3 upcoming summer retreats we are sure you will be thrilled by… Join Sarah at Opal Creek this May, Lisa Mae and Diana at Opal Creek this August, and also at Breitenbush this September. We had such a freakin’ ball this past week south of the border that we are already scheduling and planning our adventure to Costa Rica (again!) for February 2010, so start saving your nickels now.

Thanks for being part of the family, all of you. We wouldn’t be here without you all, every day. And loving every minute of it…

Blessed and Grateful and dancing with joy,
Lisa Mae, Diana, and the whole lovin’ gang at The Bhaktishop

As we round the corner of change into a new Administration and new attitude of change, co-operation, and service, we welcome you all to invite those same changes into your own life, especially the focus on service. We may not all be able to lead a movement, win a nobel prize, or write a work of literary greatness, but we can all do something to change the circumstances of suffering that we encounter in life. That’s why we are all SO glad to be doing yoga together and cultivating compassion, the first ingredient required for the divine soup of conscious action. Thank you for being here!

Last chance to get in on Costa Rica until 2010, we have on precious spot left… yes, we will go again next year, but that’s a long way away. Itching for sunshine and bliss? There is still time to join us. Or you can just stay here and freeze. Come on.

Get over to the lively family kirtan on Sunday, February 8th with your ever-lovin’ gang of singers and soul stirrers. We are having a “Name-Our-Kirtan-Band” contest for 2009. We have goofily been named the Om Girls for the past 3 years, kind of by accident, and think its time for a real band name. We want to ask YOU for help! If we choose your suggestion, we will give you a 5-class card at The Bhaktishop for free, and you will have the satisfaction of knowing you named the band. So come to sing the divine name, and come up with a new name for the gang while you’re at it…

Did you (or your friends that are in the “family” way) know that you can now join Heather for pre-natal yoga on Mondays at 4pm, our newest offering to the community? Take a sweet dive into your body and spirit as you prepare for the coming changes. They are big!

Stressing out about work? Economics? Unmentionables? Yoga is the true pathway into self that reveals what is real about this life. Come down to our Happy Hour classes Sunday thru Thursday from 7-8pm for a sweet hour to check yourself in and let out that big exhale. For a thin $10 (or less on Mondays) you get a nice coast into stillness, and you are still home by dinner!

On Saturdays from 1-2:30pm, you can send your stressed out friends to Yoga For Total Rookies (or join them!) Now held as a drop-in class, you can just show up anytime for the slow and low breakdown of all this yoga stuff. Keeping it simple, straightforward, and not the least bit intimidating, our rotating staff of teaching family invite you through the wide-open doors of your own heart and soul.

We are gearing up for Spring workshop season! A sneak preview:

On Saturday March 7th, please join us as we welcome Thomas Ashley-Farrand, renowned author of Healing Mantras  and Shakti Mantras, and the recently published Chakra Mantras. He will bring us a workshop on the Myths and Mantras of Hanuaman, Rama, and Sita, and illuminate the ways in which chanting Mantra can truly help us change our lives. See the website for more details, and please sign up in advance. We imagine that due to his popularity as an author, this class will fill up quickly.

Our own lovely Lolo Woods is taking you on a soul journey through Indian vocal sounds and creative use of your voice. If you ever wanted to tune your voice a little, or just finally get over your fears of singing in public, share this time with Lolo and she will get you right over it. On Saturday, March 14th, Lolo will guide you through the beginnings of vocalizing, Indian-style, and have you chanting full-throttle by the end of class!

Get ready for the return of the amazing Manorama for a weekend of Sanskrit and mantra immersion. She is charming, wonderful and tremendously knowledgeable, and will have you delighting in this ancient language of vibration easily. For ALL students of yoga, for all kinds of seekers on the path of the soul, this weekend will inform and transform you! Friday night the 3rd of April is a meditation and satsang, Saturday the 4th an Intro to Sanskrit, and Sunday the 5th, a dive into the Sanskrit of the Bhagavad Gita. Join us for one, or immerse in all three. More details on the website…

Finally, a wet, spitty welcome to the newest member of The Bhaktishop family, little Theo Nelson, born to our dear sweet Matt and his wife Alexis on January 10th. Jai Gopala!

Thanks, family, for making this home so great. Thank you for your suggestions and offerings, and most of all, for sharing your growth and your openings with us. We are humbled every day to serve. We love you!

Light and love,
Lisa Mae, Diana, and the Bhaktishop love-train

Happy New Year to all of you, and thank you for making 2008 such a beauty for the yoga community here in Portland. We are honored to share the path with you all, and grateful that you all grace us with your practices. To celebrate yoga all together this year, we are bringing back the very fun “bring a friend for FREE” deal! All month long, anytime you bring a friend for the first time to class, they get to come FREE! The best way to share what you love with those that you love…

As we slide into the New Year, we also slide into a new (pink!) schedule! Please check the website and pick one up at the Shop next time you are in. This schedule is good from January 1 to July 1, and features a few new things:

• A new Pre-Natal class with Heather on Mondays from 4-5:15
• The consolidation of all the 7am classes into one! Wednesdays at 7am with Marianne, for the early birds out there…
• We welcome the addition of Tally Thomas, Bhaktishop Yoga School 2008 graduate, on Wednesdays at 7pm at the Soul Flow 2 level.
• The addition of a 7pm class on Sunday nights from 7-8pm with Marianne. No class on the second Sundays, when we will be singing kirtan instead!
• A new Restorative Flow class on Thursday nights at 7pm with Sarah
• The Saturday Rookie Series is now a drop-in super basics class for total beginners. No commitments, just show up!

 

Introducing some great new pricing for 2009…

• First of all, did we mention that we have a FAT coupon in the Chinook Book for ’09? Right.
• Also, the prices for all 1-hour classes are dropping to $10. Much easier!
• We are adding a 3-month unlimited class card for a thin $350 (that’s a $40 savings!) for you yogis that are clamoring for a “membership.”
• We are also adding a 20-class card, so you don’t have to buy classes as often, and you get a discount on them in bulk, for $180. That’s a savings of $20!
• And remember, family, to best serve the WHOLE community, we offer at least one class every single day that is either FREE, by donation, or a mere $8. Don’t let the economic turkeys get you down!

 

We will also be introducing a new workshop/retreat signup situation, as we have had some troubles with the current free-for-all system. In order to register for any workshop, retreat or special class, it will now be necessary for you to pay in advance.  So, if there is something you are interested in attending, especially the celebration classes, retreats and special events that you KNOW sell out every time, please register and pay at the Shop. Cancellation policy is posted on the website. Very soon, we will be adding a feature that will allow you to sign up and pay online through the website, so stay tuned!

How are we doing? We are interested in your input, feedback, comments and help to make this studio into just what you want and need. Tell us what you think! Also, we are interested in what you want to study here at The Bhaktishop. What do you want to learn more about? What do you wish we offered or talked more about in class? In striving to be the best teachers we can be, tell us your needs. We will listen!!

Please check the new Workshops page on the website for information on the very full first half of the year in workshop land that we have organized for you. We are honored to welcome back Lolo Woods for her vocal and harmonium series, our delightful and amazing Sanskrit teacher, Manorama, for a full weekend of mantra and Sanskrit adventure, DJ Anjali for yet another Bhaktishop dance party funk-fest, my teachers, Dana and Jasmine from the Laughing Lotus (which has been rescheduled fro the weekend of April 25-26, so take note and register now!!), and the amazing Vedic astrologer Dennis Flaherty for a weekend workshop. Wow!

And we are so excited to welcome for the first time to our home Thomas Ashley-Farrand, author of Shakti Mantras and Healing Mantras, for a workshop on the myths and mantras of Hanuman, Ram and Sita. Also a huge welcome into our kirtan community one of our favorite kirtan artists, Gina Sala, to sing with us April 25th.

Lost and Found items will be donated once a month, including yoga mats! Please keep track of your stuff, check the lost and found often if you lose something, so it doesn’t go to the Goodwill…

Two spots showed up this weekend for the rapidly approaching Breitenbush retreat January 9-11 with Lisa Mae and Diana… If you are looking for a sweet and rejuvenating retreat experience, please email us as soon as possible to snap up these openings in this otherwise sold-out retreat!

There are 3 spots left in our Costa Rica adventure… If you have been pining for the sun and some warm weather (um, duh! With all this snow…) and need some serious yoga and relaxation, this amazing trip is calling! Let us take your asana WAY out of town and into the wilds of bliss and sunshine. Contact me at Lisamaema@thebhaktishop.com and I can give you details…

 

Looking forward to peace, love, and plenty in 2009 with all of you at The Bhaktishop!

Kisses,
Lisa Mae, Diana and the lovin’ gang at The Bhaktishop