Winter is Coming Playlist

1. Arms & Sleepers:  Runner Misplaced

2. "                    "      : Winter is Coming

3. Leona Naess: Just One

4. Imogen Heap: Canvas

5. "                 "   : Swoon (instr.)

6. Arms & Sleepers: By my Bones

7. Imogen Heap: 2-1

8. Norah Jones: Chasing Pirates

9. Neko Case: Red Tide

10. The Sass Factor: You

11. Arms & Sleepers: Red Light Pipe Dreams

12. Fanfarlo: Finish Line

13. Arms & Sleepers: Lights & Alarms

14. Jonsi & Alex: Stokkseyri

15. "               "   : Atlas Song

16. "              "    : Indian Summer

2nd annual Winter Yoga Utopia Retreat in the West Indies

Most of you know that last January I offered a weeklong getaway from the winter cold to spend yoga holiday with me on the West Indies island of Dominica.  It turned out to be a fascinating, relaxing, adventurous, and yoga-licious time.  So, this year, I've partnered with Trish from Tropical Escapes yet again, to offer my 2nd annual getaway!  

Yep, but this year we'll be heading to Dominica's neighbor of St. Lucia.  It's just as glorious, as well as cheaper and easier to get to with direct flights from Jet Blue!  

So, if anyone has between $1700-2000 and a week off in mid-January to escape the cold and come with me to do vinyasa yoga everyday near the sea and in the sun, with irie Caribbean vibes all around...then keep reading...you know you want to!  

http://www.tropicalescapes.biz/brochures/Jenn_P_2010.jpg

double occ.= $1275 + airfare on your own = around $1775 total single occ.= $1645 + airfare = around $2145 total Not too bad! Retreat Vision: Come renew your spirit and create space in your yoga practice for vibrancy and fun! Join us on our week-long vinyasa flow yoga intensive in a peaceful, natural, loving environment in order to discover balance and gratitude for living. We'll spend time breaking down the flow of vinyasa through different sequences, alignment in your asanas, and finding your own breath & rhythm.  Allow yourself to let go of expectations and dive into this Caribbean utopia, your yoga practice and your soul.

Yoga: Vinyasa Flow & Restorative

Jenn Pici's classes infuse a strong, empowering, loving vinyasa flow that focuses on: breath, safety & awareness in your own body; awakening your emotions & spirit; and most of all inviting in love.  She is inspired by music, nature, art, and her friends to create a unique experience where students can get out of their heads and work on themselves (both inside and out) on their mats...in order to bring love off the mat.

Jenn got her RYT-Yoga Alliance certification in Vinyasa Yoga from the Baptiste-affiliated Power Yoga Works in Philadelphia , PA.  With over 10 years of personal practice, and 4 years of teaching under her belt; she surrounds herself with a variety of different style classes and workshops, and continues to learn from the amazing yogis that are all around Boston and beyond.  She teaches full-time in Cambridge and Somerville, MA.  This will be her 2nd year working with Trish and Tropical Escapes to provide a healing/fun yoga adventure!

*If you're in for this fun ride, then contact me to sign-up and secure your spot asap (I have room for just 4-6 more people) so we can get this ball rollin'!  

Libra New Moon Magic Playlist

The Libra New Moon occurred on Sunday and it was a truly magical day in Boston.  We got our first snow!  I stayed in baking pumpkin bread, making tea, yoga-fying, practicing tunes, watching football, and hopping out to the backyard to take in some of those beautiful white flakes from the sky.  

Today it's an awesome sunshine-filled 70 degree day.  Go figure.  I'm not complaining.  :)  This week so far started with the new moon magic, then the band I'm in (The Sass Factor) played our first open mic successfully, 2 Iceland faves came to town to play a show (Sin Fang Bous & Mum...check them out), and we've been jamming all week so far in my classes to this magical new playlist:

1. Imogen Heap: First Train Home (instrumental) *all songs from "Ellipse"

2. Imogen Heap: First Train Home

3. "                 "    : Wait it Out (instrumental)

4. Olafur Arnalds: Allt Vard Hljott  *all songs from "Found Songs"

5. Imogen Heap: Earth

6. "              "      : Canvas (instrumental)

7. "             "       : Little Bird

8. Olafur Arnalds: Lost Song

9. Imogen Heap:  Tidal

10. Hogni: Soul Company

11. Olafur Arnalds: Erla's Waltz

12. Imogen Heap: Between Sheets

13. Olafur Arnalds: Romance

14. Imogen Heap: Between Sheets (instrumental)

15. "                "     : 2-1 (instrumental)

16."                 "     : Half Life (instrumental)

17. "               "      : Tidal (instrumental)

18. "               "     : Wait it Out

19. Olafur Arnalds: Faun

20. "             "         : Raeinn

21. "              "         : Ljosid

We need challenge sometimes

We're hitting the prime of autumn now.  Already 13 days into October and it's perfect time to stay challenged.  Don't know about many of you, but the change of seasons is always a special time for me.  Time to turn a new leaf, or stick with one that's been working, or reflect on behaviors...  Kicking off the season with a trip to Iceland was no joke.  The starkness of the land combined with its drama allowed for some internal brew to take place.  Then I came back to officiate the marriage of some dear friends.  What an amazing opportunity to get over yourself and simply provide the support and guidance for other people on their journey for love!  Since then, I've settled into October with an open mind to keep doing things that scare me and keep challenging my limits.  

In the three years since teaching at Karma Yoga Studio, I have never not taught a Saturday morning class.  So my decision to take a break from teaching that class was not easy.  But, it's been great to allow myself some time on weekends to explore...other classes, other modes of learning, and also rest when I need it.  October is teaching me that so far.  I received my first shiatsu massage.  I slept in on a Saturday!  I took someone else's vinyasa class.  And, I took my first master yoga class with the brilliantly lovely Natasha Rizopolous.  She had us doing arm balances for 2 hours that I never tend to test my limits in regularly.  Sore the next day, it felt so good to be challenged.  

I also discovered a new yoga studio that opened in my neighborhood.  Why is this challenging?  Because over a year ago, that was the goal I have had.  However, without the funding and means to truly dive into such a venture...it's been challenging to let go and realize that someone else was meant to do it.  Now having been there and experiencing it, it's an awesome place.  And I look forward to possibly teaching there and adding to the community with them on their journey.  

The challenges keep coming.  I'll be singing with my band for the first time at an open mic coming up.  Scary!  And hopefully finding more opportunities in teaching and beyond, on the mat and beyond, that will guide me to a place where the winter will seem like a piece of cake.  

Things to do this week/weekend

As I sometimes like to do on here, I'm letting you all know of some interesting things around these parts this week/month:

Tonight, Oct. 7th at the Middle East Upstairs in Cambridge, one of my fave local bands, 

Arms & Sleepers, are having their CD release and show.  I play them a lot in class.  It's moving stuff with lots of passion and emotion, so check it out.  

If you're in NYC, the BAM festival in Brooklyn begins today through the weekend.  There will be an abundance of art, music, film, dance.  I know a brilliant dancer performing in the dance work, Decreation, by William Forsythe, so if you're around there this week, it will be worth taking in!

Friday, Oct. 9th:  Head to Precinct in Union Sq. to hear the lovely Jennifer Greer (a yogini at Karma) belt out her tunes.  

Oct. 10-11:  Davis Sq. Somerville hosts its crazy "Honk" Fest, full of an array of musicians, wacky art & fashion, and fun.  Be on the lookout...

And, every Tuesday night this month, there's a chance for great local music at the Lizard Lounge in Cambridge.  My friends Avi & Celia are now known with their full band as 

"Hey Mama."  You'll be sure to dance and feel good.  Come to my class Tuesday night, then head there, from 9pm-midnight.  ;)

Just some things to think about on this rainy morning heading into the tail end of the week...

Iceland Reflection

About a week ago, I returned to Massachusetts from my 2nd trip to Iceland.  Many of you know I had planned it to be a yoga retreat for mid-September, but luckily life happened a little differently.  I realized that most of my friends and students who wanted to come had to get back into organization and work-mode.  And many of them already filled up their vacation days over the summer.  So, instead I took the opportunity to travel to the land of magic and light again as an adventure/scouting trip...and I am so happy that I did.  I now feel all the more accustomed to the culture, the land, the spirit of the place.  I connected with new people and yogis, and the places where we'll venture when the retreat does take place in June 2010.  Yep, that's right, it's in the process of being confirmed and scheduled, but it will happen in about 8 months from now...so start saving and planning to come along with me!  ;)  

How do I describe this place that means so much to me?  Many of you who come to my classes regularly already know the story.  And I'm pretty sure I've blogged about my love for Iceland (and the music that comes from there) before.  But for those of you who don't know, in a nutshell...it's that Iceland feels to me like a place I've been to in another life.  It is a place that breathes from the ground up.  The nature, the stillness, the drama of the weather and landscapes, the pride of the people and culture....I could go on and on.   There is an overall wholeness that you feel when graced in the presence of bright moss, deep blue ocean, crisp white clouds, shadows on the mountains, and horses meditating in the fields.  And this happens all in one scene or moment.  It is a place to connect to your emotions and yourself, and to grow from the inside out, just like the earth.  And I was so delighted to realize on my 2nd visit, which was at a different time of year with new colors and weather patterns, that I still felt the same as before.  This is why I must bring any of you who would like to join me, over to this land.  I have some special things for our week of yoga this coming June in the works.  I look forward to sharing it.  

In the meantime, I've given myself this week to reflect on my 10 days there.  To re-adjust to life in the United States fastlane slow and steady.  And I hope to keep the spirit with me as I continue to teach and grow this new autumnal season...

September gotten away from me

I can't believe September has gone by and I haven't posted anything!  Well, I've now been to Iceland and back and will have more to share on that soon.  I promise.  In the meantime, autumn has officially arrived, though we're just gradually starting to feel it hear in New England.  I've been playing lots of my old Icelandic playlists in class as of late (naturally).  But lately I've been playing the new Mum album "Sing Along to Songs You Don't Know" and the new Jonsi & Alex "Riceboy Sleeps."  They are both beautiful and lovely to practice to in their own right.  

Now I'm off for the weekend to officiate my friends' wedding!  Something new and exciting for me to take part in and celebrate love.  Til soon...