Happy Holidays!  

It all still seems so surreal, keyboarding this month’s newsletter from a different state and space in our new home in Kailua, making do with borrowed folding chairs and table, inflatable mattresses and cooking ware until our stuff from California arrives next week.  Miki and I are already feeling the loving embrace of the island through family and friends living here, as well as an abundance of love and support coming from those of you back in California and other parts of the world.  Thank you!  I’ve been here for less than a week and we’re once again packing up our bags and bikes for tomorrow’s hop over to Maui for a few days raising awareness and cash while celebrating a birthday.

Preserving Culture – Educating Children – Taking Care of the Elders – Connecting People From All Backgrounds Through Food and Farming – Environmental Education In Schools and Community

This is the week!!  My 60th Birthday Fundraising event which includes a ride up to the top of Haleakala on December 16th, followed by 108 Sun Salutations on the 17th, all in the spirit of raising money for The Tibetan Children’s Education Foundation, Kokua Hawaii Foundation, and Veggielution.   Many thanks to those of you who have already donated.  We still have quite a ways to go to reach our goal of $10,800, so if you haven’t already, please consider contributing what you can by following one or all of the links below:

Tibetan Children’s Education Foundation

Kokua Hawaii Foundation

Veggielution

Some of you have expressed interest in cheering us on along the cycling route to the top of Haleakala on Thursday… please do!!  We’ll be starting in Paia at approximately 7am local time.  My guess is it will take us somewhere between 6-7 hours to reach the top.  Then on Friday please join me at 10am Maui/12pm Pacific Time for 108 Sun Salutations by coming to Breathe Together Yoga for live streaming from Maui (register here) or from your own space via zoom by registering here.  Drop in and say hello, practice as many salutes to the sun you wish and help celebrate our beautiful community and 60 trips around el sol.  For those of you on Maui, message me if you’re interested in practicing with us on location for details.  Again, this is all donation based.  Hope to see you there!!!

New Classes

Dudes, interested in a yoga class which focuses on some of the typical physical challenges male bodies can sometimes have with yoga postures (e.g. tightness and mobility issues with shoulders and hips, tight hamstrings, lower back pain, etc.)?   Or maybe you have a brother who would like to try yoga but might be a bit intimidated by the more experienced practitioners in the studio?  Beginning Thursday, January 6th, I’m thrilled to offer “Yoga For Men” online through Breathe Together Yoga.  Our weekly sessions will bring men of all levels together on the mat to practice breath, meditation and postures to explore strength, flexibility, stability and ease.  We’ll also spend time after practice to just “rap” – a chance for us all to connect and share our latest top of mind topics in a safe environment.  

I’ll also begin streaming a weekly Yin yoga class online through Breathe Together Yoga on Monday January 3rd, open to everyone.  Yin is a meditative, healing practice using passive, long-held floor poses, bypassing the muscles and allowing you to nourish and strengthen the deeper tissues. Connective tissues, fascia, joints, ligaments, and bones receive gentle, low load stress. The poses are held between 2-5 minutes and the muscles stay passive in order to pass the stress on to the deeper tissues. Each Yin posture is an opportunity to go inward and find an appropriate balance of effort and ease. A wonderful complement to an active (Yang) practice and a much needed tool for anyone who needs to unwind a tight body, mind, or heart. 

Both of these offerings are evening classes starting at 6:30pm Pacific Time.  Click here to sign up!

New Space

Super excited about this room, which over the next month will transform to become our yoga studio and sanctuary, where I’ll be able to teach and practice with up to 6 practitioners, as well as stream and record live classes.   Truly blessed.  Stay tuned for more class offerings!

That’s about it for now.  I sincerely hope to see you later this week, and if not, sending you lots of love and tenderness over the holidays.  Be Joyful, Be Healthy, Be Free.

With Love,

Lawrence