Hello yogis and friends,

Isn't it hard to believe that year 2013 is already drawing to a close?
Looking back at the days passed, I can't feel but overwhelmed with gratitude for gifts this year has brought forth - new friendships, incredible adventures, fresh learnings, challenges to overcome and abundant opportunities for growth. All of these have provided a fertile soil for my writing explorations, and I want to thank you, my readers, from the top, bottom and the middle of my heart, for your continuous willingness to read what I have to say.

Thank you for your kind words; for your openness to new ideas, no matter how crazy and unconventional they seem at first.  Thank you for making it to your weekly class despite rain, sleet, snow or life's shenanigans.   Thank you for stretching your body and mind. Thank you for your patience with my "mental" moments. Thank you for asking questions and staying after class to hear the answers. Thank you for being my friends and my teachers. And most of all, thank you for reminding me - every single day - why I chose to become a yoga teacher. Well, to be completely honest, I kinda fell into the yoga groove and teacher's path have found me... I feel blessed beyond what words can express for the opportunity to do what I love and work with people I treasure. Yup, that means YOU!

I know I've promised you practical tips for surviving December stress...  It would've been about keeping your home - baked yoga practice alive over the holidays, maybe a few helpful tips on healthy eating, and possibly some encouraging words to persuade you to meditate. At first this seemed like a brilliant idea, but at closer inspection I realized that I was waaaay off base here... Putting it all into practice is a whole different animal altogether, and December is simply not a time to venture into that zoo.  I mean, honestly, who has the time right before Christmas to read a treatise on home yoga practice or the will power required to push through the inevitable resistance of acquiring a new habit or even maintaining a healthy old one?
Holidays are all about throwing the rules to the wind and playing with wild abandon. I fullheartedly invite you to do so - I hope you get a chance to be all wrapped up into the warmth of your family, bake cookies, make mulled wine, and maybe even take a sleigh ride or two down the memory lane. That's why I'm keeping this newsletter short and sweet! 
Unless, of course... you are a yoga keener and want something to do at home while your yoga instructor is spending her days playing in fresh powder - in that case scroll down to the very bottom of this newsletter - have I got a treat for you!

Whether you are a yoga keener or not, we all know that January is coming, and once it's here, you'll want shake off that turkey weight, clean your liver, and fall back into your regular yoga routine so you can finally return to your usual sparkly good looking self.

Satori's focus for the year 2014 is PURGE, DETOX, and DECLUTTER, and I am taking it beyond house cleaning.

It is about clean diet for the best health possible.
It is about efficient movement that feeds muscles and joints, and correct alignment that doesn't sap our energy during the day.
It is about keeping our inner organs fit and healthy, so they can do their job well.
It is about meditation practices that sharpen our mind and help to unload emotional junk.
It is about bringing healthful practices to our work places.
It is about cleaning up our communication so that we can relate to the most important people in our lives with kindness and compassion.
Oh, and, of course about purging our living quarters of anything that no longer fits.