The Lakes are closed, but we are open for Yoga! We will be having our regularly scheduled classes on Wednesday. Flow at 9 am and Yoga Level 1 & 2 at 6 pm. See you then!

Now is the time to sign up for the Kids Yoga Summer Workshop!
See below for more details.

Join us in welcoming our newest addition to our team of yoga teachers. Lindsay Plante will begin teaching the Monday night classes on July 23. You may already know Lindsay. She grew up in Marble Falls and regularly attends the Tue/Thur night class. She is also the daughter of John and Belinda Kemper of Bluebonnet Cafe. Lindsay is a talented yoga teacher and we know you will agree!

We now officially have clean water in Marble Falls! The toilets are working and the showers are running. So come on back to Sana Vida, we missed you last week!

What does organizing have to do with spirituality? A lot, it turns out. Creating order on the outside supports creating order on the inside. Organizing helps clear the mind and makes space for spiritual growth and anything else you'd like to focus on.

In fact, if you take a spiritual view, getting organized itself becomes part of a life practice. Just as yoga centers your mind and aligns your focus, so does the practice of organizing, which can bring new levels of clarity, purpose, and effectiveness to your whole life - not just the piles on your desk.

Organizing is also about finding space in your mind so that you can calmly get a grip on your to-do lists, stay present in your tasks, and treat your precious time and home with greater respect. In this spiritual approach to creating order, the focus isn't simply on overcoming external chaos but also on discovering how you contribute to it and what it's costing you. The idea is that when you observe your feelings, change your thinking, and build new habits, your environment will change too.

Really, you say? Perhaps you've already set out to get your house, office, or even a small closet in order, spending a long afternoon putting things away, only to see your organization come undone days Later. While it may take only a few hours to mindlessly clear an area, it can take weeks and even months to learn new habits from the inside out so that your space stays clutter free.

Use the exercises that follow as a path of inquiry that will help you get things in order. While these tips mostly focus on organizing a room, they can also be applied to other areas in your life that feel cluttered, such as personal schedules, to-do lists, and financial paperwork. You'll discover how to pinpoint the sources of your current disorder, break down a large project into manageable tasks, use simple, even calming, ways to wade through a mess, and find the motivation you need to keep going toward your organizational goals.

Panic often accompanies that start of any project, so begin with a single, manageable task that will move you in the direction of your vision. Remember, you are not going to organize your entire home this weekend, but you could clear up one area and learn to keep it clear until you are ready to move to another area.

In Zen Buddhist teachings, there is a story of a student who asks his master how he, too, can reach enlightenment. The master replies, "Did you eat your rice?" "Yes," says the students. "Well, then," the master says, "clean your bowl."

Indeed, any activity, such as doing yoga, enjoying a home-cooked meal, meditating - even paying the bills - is not complete until you've tidied up afterward. The space doesn't need to look perfect, as long as it supports your peace of mind. So instead of aiming for a sweeping sense of accomplishment, slowly work yourself toward simple organizing practices. Then all you'll have to remember is to clean your bowl after you're done with it, and you'll be ready for whatever comes next.

1. Self-Study: Imagine that you are a visitor from another planet, witnessing what a human (you) does in a particular room or area that you wish were in better order. You have no preconceptions about how things are supposed to look. Therefore, you have no critical judgments, just curiosity and interest. What do you see? What patterns do you notice? As you observe yourself in this way, do you see anything that is clearly not working? Are there any obvious changes that could be made?

2. Set a Timer: Mindfulness can be practiced anytime, anywhere. A wonderful spiritual practice is taking on a task that you have resistance to - say, loading the dishwasher - and doing it for five minutes. Believe it: You can do almost anything for five minutes. Set a timer, and for those few minutes, give all your attention to what you're trying to accomplish. Notice the colors and textures of the dishes and the sound of the water running over them. Keep your breath steady and calm. If your mind begins to wander, return to your breath and the task at hand.

3. Love What You Own: For the room that needs de-cluttering, label three boxes "keep," "toss," and "donate." Turn on music for motivation, and resolve to hold on only to things that you use regularly or that have deep meaning for you. When you're done, evaluate how many containers or shelves are needed for your kept items, and donate the things others can use.

4. Helpful Hands: Pick an area that needs attention - somewhere that can be organized in an hour. Give yourself a day to complete the task. Ask a friend for help if you need it, or call someone when you're done to chare in your success. When you're working alone, it's easy to make excuses and save your organizing for later. But with a friend cheering you on, you'll have support when facing resistance. Just make sure that your friend understands how to respect your progress, not shame you. Professional organizers are trained to be supportive and nonjudgmental. www.napo.net

5. Ready to Go: After you've cleared the clutter, create a set of steps for maintaining order and "getting to ready" for day-to-day activities. A good starting point is setting aside 15 minutes in the evening to put things away. You can also gather what you'll need for the next day (keys, cell phone, water bottle, files), make a to-do list, and review tomorrow's schedule. Ask yourself: Have I listed the key tasks? Am I prepared for my appointments? Is there anything I'm avoiding? Do I need to enlist support to meet my goals for tomorrow?

6. Reward Yourself: The process of organizing isn't a road to perfection, and it's OK if you backslide a little. When this happens, say these words aloud with intention and compassion: "I forgive myself." When you do have a moment of triumph, remember to reward yourself. Schedule a massage, call a friend, or place a vase of flowers near a window. A little encouragement - even from yourself - goes a long way.

Marilyn Paul, cofounder of Bridgeway Partners, an organizational colsulting firm, is the author of It's Hard to Make a Difference When You Can't Find Your Keys: The Seven-Step Path to Becoming Truly Organized (Penguin Compass).

Reduce your junk mail.
Each year, millions of trees and billions of gallons of water are used to create junk mail that never gets recycled. There are several things you can do to reduce how much junk mail you receive...

You can be removed from national mailing lists by sending your name, address, and signature to: Mail Preference Service, c/o Direct Marketing Association, P.O. Box 643, Carmel, NY 10512 .

When you subscribe to a magazine, make a purchase from a catalog or online store, or donate to a charity, specify that the organization not rent or sell your name or address, or add you to any mailing lists.

Call your credit card companies and banks to make sure your address isn't sold. Call the credit reporting industry's opt-out number: 888.567.8688.

When you receive unwanted mail, take a minute to call the company to remove your address from its list.

After using junk mail-and any other paper you don't need to keep-as scrap paper, recycle it. Contact your local Chamber of Commerce and to find out how you can recycle in your neighborhood.

DID YOU KNOW...
Cabbage is a good source of vitamin C, and is rich in indoles. Research suggests that indoles may help prevent breast cancer.

Tofu is remarkably nutritious, supplying complete protein and important minerals. Asian peoples, who eat soy products daily, have lower cancer rates than other populations. Genistein, a phytochemical found in soybeans (and tofu), is the likely reason. Genistein is currently being studied as a potential anti-cancer drug.

SUMMER SPRING ROLLS with ALMOND CREAM AND MINT SAUCE

Fresh vegetables and filo pastry can be easily transformed into these spectacular appetizers. If you like, try substituting Asian rice paper wrappers for the filo, which you merely soften briefly in cold water before filling.

Ingredients
For the spring rolls:
1 pound organic, frozen filo pastry, thawed, cut into 8- inch squares
Sunflower oil

For the filling:
½ cup thin strips of tofu
(substitutes for the tofu challenged include: turkey, chicken, shrimp, or avacado)
Dosha Seasoning
2 ounces white cabbage, shredded
1 ounce purple cabbage, shredded
½ cup finely shredded carrot
¼ cucumber, sliced very thinly
½ cup bean sprouts or sunflower sprouts
½ cup organic cottage cheese

For the almond cream sauce:
2 tablespoons raw almond butter or 12 blanched almonds
1 tablespoon Bragg's amino acids (available at health food stores, Central Market, Whole Foods)
1 teaspoon maple syrup
2 teaspoons lemon or lime juice
2 tablespoons filtered water

For the mint sauce:
½ cup packed fresh mint leaves
2 teaspoons maple syrup
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons filtered water

1. If using filo dough, preheat the oven to 350° F

2. Sprinkle the tofu strips with the dosha seasoning. In a mixing bowl, toss together all the filling ingredients. Set aside.

3. Place all the almond sauce ingredients in a blender. Blend until they form a smooth, light, creamy sauce. Transfer to a bowl, set aside, and thoroughly rinse out the blender.

4. Place all the mint sauce ingredients in the blender. Blend until smooth. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.

5. On a work surface, stack 3 or 4 filo pastry squares together for each wrap, making 10 separate stacks. Divide the filling equally among the filo stacks, placing it along one edge of each stack. Drizzle the almond sauce over the filling. Starting at the edge with the filling, roll up the filo to enclose it, folding in the sides over the filling as you roll, to enclose the filling in a compact cylinder.

6. Place the rolls on a baking sheet and brush with sunflower oil. Bake until their tops are light golden brown, 5 to 10 minutes. Carefully turn the wraps over and bake until uniformly golden, 5 to 10 minutes more. Serve hot with mint sauce for dipping.

Makes 10 rolls.

KID YOGA SUMMER WORKSHOP
Yoga has proven to help kids with flexibility, strength, positive attitude, concentration, self-esteem, discipline, creativity, imagination, stress, and self awareness.

• Build focus, coordination, and strength in a safe, injury-free environment!
• Kids will learn the basics of yoga postures and movements along with simple relaxation techniques.
• We use fun exercises, game playing and story telling come to life!

July 23rd - August 15th

Mondays & Wednesdays
3:30 pm - 4:30 pm for 4 - 6 year olds
4:30 pm - 5:30 pm for 7 - 11 year olds

Session Price: $80 (2 classes per week)

Body Wellness Program

Who: Persons seeking a holistic lifestyle change.
What: Friendly, non-judgmental guidance and support to alleviate excess weight, eating disorders, stress, anxiety, depression, addiction, pain, and suppressed emotion.
When: The fourth Saturday of each month.
Time: 10:30a - 12:30p
Cost: $35 (vegetarian snacks offered)
Facilitators: Gina Caccavalla & Patti McCormick.