Greetings! Just so all are aware, the Fall flyer did not indicate that classes will NOT happen the week of Thanksgiving, on Tuesday morning, nor Wednesday evening!
Enjoy the beauty of the season. Meditation on a pumpkin anyone? A few words from Henry David Thorea, great lover of the Bhagavad Gita:
Suddenly the seasonal shift feels distinct, as the rains come and the days shorten. I know there is still a little bit of late summer to enjoy, but autumn has clearly announced her presence. I am working on the flyer for this next season’s classes, which will begin the first week in October. We have two weeks left in the Summer session. I will soon publish the new flyer, though stability will reign, with the next schedule offering the same classes, times and tuition as at present. Please note that we have just passed the Early Bird registration time for the study of the Bhagavad Gita with Ravi Ravindra coming this November 10th through 12th. If you missed the deadline, and are still interested in coming, please feel free in the next little while to ask for that discount, and chances are you will receive it! I am excited to have Ravi, just turned 80, return with his vitality and wisdom to teach on a text that is truly legendary, and now available through Ravi’s lens in his own edition of the Gita, just published this past Spring! Stay tuned also for news of the new Turtle Haven Forest Hermitage, opening before too long as a refuge of stillness for seekers, devoted caregivers, activists, writers and artists— when needing deep rest and contemplation in a beautiful setting. May this transition time be full of grace and reflection, even in the midst of so much struggle for so many of earth’s inhabitants, as well as the earth herself.
Tagore #81 From the Volume Gitanjali:
On many an idle day have I greived over lost time. But it is never lost, my lord. Thou hast taken every moment of my life in thine own hands.
Hidden in the heart of things thou art nourishing seeds into sprouts, buds into blossoms, and ripening flowers into fruitfulness.
I was tired and sleeping on my idle bed and imagined all work had ceased. In the morning I woke up and found my garden full with wonders of flowers.
Have you wanted to have more of a sense of like minded community, and yet autonomy and rural beauty as part of your living environment? Jenny Macke of Presence Studio, and her partner David and two children have just moved next door to Turtle Haven, and along with our neighbors Dean and Dudley Evensonof Soundings of the Planet, we have a blossoming sense of neighborliness and community in our beautiful riverside, rural homes. One of our close neighbors is selling a home, and we are happily spreading the word in hopes you or someone you know might be interested! Here is the link: https://www.coldwellbankerbain.com/Home/WA/Deming/6497-Rutsatz-98244/34590625
A wonderful new version of the Bhagavad Gita was born into the world of fine literature this past Spring, as Ravi Ravindra’s new translation and commentary on this remarkable text was published by Shambhala Press. Turtle Haven will have the honor of hosting Ravi in teaching on this major text, and its profound subject matter this November 10th through 12th. Please note that there is a substantial Early Bird discount for those registering by September 5th. Also, for those interested in staying nearby on Rutsatz Road, there will be room for a few participants to have overnight accommodations. Please see the flyer in this post for further details. For those on my mailing list, an email with the flyer and additional information will be forthcoming. I have just received another batch of Ravi’s book for those who wish to purchase the text.
Our neighbors Dean and Dudley are once again bringing a classical Indian musician to Bellingham! A special sound healing workshop will be happening at 7:30 pm at Turtle Haven, and I am really excited for this– my favorite listening to Indian music has happened as I have heard the passionate and deeply gifted Mishras offer their beautiful music in Bellingham over many years. Imagining this sound in an interactive workshop is magical. I am including the flyer for Bellingham. Please visit the Soundings of the Planet website for details of events in our area, July 8th through 11th, including the one at Turtle Haven. PLEASE NOTE: All registration details will be handled by Soundings of the Planet!
Settling back into life at Turtle Haven and beyond, I am posting again the Summer Yoga flyer! I look forward to teaching through this time of such great warmth and blossoming forth, and to seeing many of you in our times of practing together. Please do register if you plan to come. For those who come regularly, but will be on trips for a portion of the summer classes, let me know if you need a partial sign up. Registered students are welcome to come to either class each week, or to both, for making up a class!
Greetings Friends! I have been on a marvelous journey in the South of France and in Ireland for nearly a month, and am on the verge of traveling homeward. As can often be the case, little bits of “the word from home” travel my way in a glimpsed email or two, and I am aware that there may be confusion regarding schedule. The classes for Spring will culminate this coming week, that of the 19th, with restorative classes I will teach, full of gratitude for the continuity of study and practice that has been carried by Constance and Charlotte in my absence. Tuesday June 20th, and Wednesday June 21st will be the last classes of the Spring quarter, and then classes for summer will begin after we have sailed through the 4th of July holiday, beginning the week of July 10th. For this moment I share this portal of light from a megalithic site, one of many we visited in Ireland, as I look forward to reuniting with my Whatcom county life, and all its many blessings. 
