http://scienceblogs.com/cortex/2009/11/arts_education_2.php

Sorry for the inconvenience and hope to see you there!
sue

My fascination with smell has to do with the ways in which it rehydrates long dormant and seemingly forgotten ordinary experiences. Among the senses, it appears that olfaction has the most unique relationship to memory. While I might have strong visual and episodic memories of where I was and who I talked with on September 11, I do not remember a single thing about what I smelled though I might have if I’d noticed something in particular that day. Alternatively, events that are entirely mundane, unmemorable to the most imaginable degree, are summoned back in vivid detail by a smell. I had a most transcendent experience of this phenomenon when I opened an ancient blue-tinted mason jar full of buttons that I’d collected from my grandmother’s sewing room after she died. In that jar was a embodied experience of place.

What I find so intriguing about the power of smell is its ability to rekindle deep experiential memories — the feeling of being there. If you asked me to remember my grandparent’s house, the resulting tableau would certainly include smells I experienced over many years there – percolated coffee, german sausage, oil paint and lake water – but I could not have resurrected the experience of being there brought so vividly to life by smelling all those things, mixed together for years and years, and captured in a jar of buttons.

Ojas wellness in Mount Washington will be hosting an ongoing yoga nidra practice the 3rd Sunday of every month at 2 p.m. See their website to register or for directions. www.ojaswellness.com

Ojas is a lovely studio with yoga classes as well as massage and other wellness treatments.

The studio is fully equipped with props to make for a fabulous yoga nidra experience!

Come experience yoga nidra, the sleep of awakening, and learn a simple and transformative practice that can be applied in all aspects of being – physical, emotional, mental, and social. The practice is conducted lying down so no previous yoga experience or physical ability is necessary.

Since breathe is not a yoga studio there are only a few props so bring along blankets, cushions, or other padding to make yourself comfortable on the floor. Chairs are provided if you prefer to sit for the practice.

We’ll be at breathe the fourth sunday of every month from 4 to 5 p.m.
www.breathebooks.com

Cost: donation

Sue Borchardt is currently in graduate school studying the neuroscience of contemplative practices & human flourishing at Goddard College in Vermont. Though she always assumed she would grow up to be an artist, her Bachelor’s degree was in Electrical Engineering. Following a 15 year career developing software, Borchardt quit in 2003 to travel in Asia, eventually becoming a yoga and meditation teacher. In addition to neuroscience and contemplative practices, Borchardt’s interests include complex systems theory, learning sciences, creative processes, and embodied cognition.

For information on registration see the Kaleidoscope adult education program at Roland Park Country School.

HAPPINESS 101
Are you happy with your life? Are there skills you could learn that would make your life even more satisfying? The field of positive psychology has made substantial progress in understanding not only what it takes to be emotionally and mentally healthy, but more importantly what is takes to flourish. In this course we’ll explore what makes a happy life, delving into the ways in which the wiring of our brains helps & hinders the pursuit of happiness as well as learning skills for maximizing our own personal happiness. We’ll learn about the latest research on how hedonic pleasures (food, sex, & possessions), flow states, and the search for meaning combine to create life satisfaction. In addition to lectures and discussions, the course will incorporate first-person contemplative, creative, and analytical exercises, allowing for the exploration and development of personalized practices & skills to support participants in their ongoing cultivation of a satisfying and meaningful life. During the four week duration of the course, the development of community will be fostered, allowing participants to support each other in discovering their personal strengths, passions, and life purpose.

Sue Borchardt is currently in graduate school studying the neuroscience of contemplative practices & human flourishing at Goddard College in Vermont. Though she always assumed she would grow up to be an artist, her Bachelor’s degree was in Electrical Engineering. Following a 15 year career developing software, Borchardt quit in 2003 to travel in Asia, eventually becoming a yoga and meditation teacher. In addition to neuroscience and contemplative practices, Borchardt’s interests include complex systems theory, learning sciences, creative processes, and embodied cognition.

For information on registration see the Kaleidoscope adult education program at Roland Park Country School.

Baltimore Yoga Village yoga nidra practices held on the first Saturday of the month from 1:30 to 2:30.

NOTE – a couple exceptions to the usual 1st saturday scheduling are coming up in october and november due to conflict at byv.

6080 Falls Rd. Baltimore, 21209
Suggested donation $10 but please don’t let the suggestion keep you from coming.

in a dry skillet, crisp up some dulse and crumble on top. dulse is a purple seaweed and adds salty crunch.

mmmmmmm