Here it comes...

“And so with the sunshine and the great bursts of leaves growing on the trees, just as things grow in fast movies, I had that familiar conviction that life was beginning over again with the summer.” 
~ F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby

The calendar says summer doesn't begin until June 20th, but here in our lake town Memorial Day marks the start of the summer season. We welcome back our seasonal residents, who take advantage of the long weekend to open their Adirondack homes, mow their lawns and launch their boats. This year, Schroon Lake is marking the start of summer with a weekend-long celebration, including a non-motorized boat chain across the lake, a motorized boat parade, live music, and, one of my favorites, a rock climbing wall. Plus there is an Expo in the park and on Main Street on Saturday afternoon. I'll be in the park manning True North Yoga's booth, which will host a bellydance demonstration by Natalie, who is returning for another series of workshops this summer, and leading a "welcome summer with sun salutations" mini-class.

The Expo runs from 2:00 - 8:00 pm on Saturday. The studio is also open for all regularly scheduled yoga classes during the long weekend, so you can take a break from lawn-mowing and boat-launching and enjoy some serious relaxation. Be warned, though. Yoga has been known to inspire hammock-hanging and nap-taking, leaving the lawn growing until June.

It always seems like a mad dash to reach the lazy days of summer, and this year was no exception. Determined not to leave anything until the last minute, I've been frantically getting everything ready at not-quite the last minute. It's been lots of work, and I'm short a few hours sleep, but there's some wonderful stuff lined up at the yoga studio for June, July and August.

Now I can give some thought to my family's summer plans, including plays by the Adirondack Shakespeare Company, musicals at Seagle Music Colony and performances at the Boathouse Theater sponsored by the Arts Council, all right here in Schroon Lake. And there are mountains to climb and rivers to paddle.

Do you make plans for summer? Back in the days when vacations needed to be scheduled in advanced and day camps arranged, I usually had my summer calendar filled in by the end of March. Now that we live where we used to vacation, I've let summer unroll on it's own. But I've found that without a plan, or at least a clear intention, the hours and days fly by and I feel like we didn't do much of anything. Last year I started Wednesday adventures with my eight-year-old, to make sure we at least climbed a mountain each week. This year I'm setting more intentions and I'm going to formalize them a bit more with a fun e-course called "My Summer Manifesto," led by Kelly Dahl, personal coach and editor of Sparrow Magazine. (Speaking of Sparrow Magazine, look for an article by yours truly in the summer issue, which goes live on June 1).

There's lots to do in Schroon Lake this summer. I'm looking forward to seeing all my summer yoga students and enjoying the time between classes with my family. Get ready, because here it comes!

New Beginnings

"Spring is a heart full of hope and a shoe full of rain."

~Unknown

The plants in the studio window know it's spring.

It's spring break for the school kids in the Adirondacks and, for those who didn't travel to warmer climates, it's been a week of cool temperatures and a persistent drizzle that can't quite morph into a decent April shower. My kids, as well as many others, have spent the first half of their break in bed with the flu. My plans to drag them into the springtime woods have unraveled into repetitive tea-with-honey making and temperature taking. And I am getting to practice acceptance. As I often tell my yoga students, it is what it is.

As nature begins to paint herself green, I find myself again at a new beginning. Over the course of a few challenging weeks I re-created  the business plan for the yoga studio - a very rewarding experience which helped me focus my energy and rediscover the heart of the business. And I saw opportunities to expand the True North Yoga community and bring more energy into the studio, but I also saw that I couldn't do it all myself. So I yelled "help," because in the Adirondacks that's all you need to do and help will show up.

The seeds of ideas, fed by hours on the phone and endless emails with cohorts new and old, have blossomed into a really fantastic late-spring and summer schedule that has me bursting with excitement. (And I'm not done yet.) Every other month we'll be hosting a Reiki Share Circle for the local Reiki practitioner community. Annie Gregson's monthly Women's Circle will continue. The new Body Shop classes will also continue, as will our other classes, although there will be a few schedule changes beginning in May, which I will be announcing soon.

What really has me jumping for joy are the workshops. In early June, Wayne White will be leading a West African Drumming workshop (my toes tap just thinking about it), wellness coach Wendy Gallup will be presenting "Lower Your Cholesterol for Life," and we'll host Todd Cunningham's "Introduction to Energy Healing."

During the summer, Natalie will be bringing her amazing bellydance workshops back to the studio. I will be teaching two workshops - arm balancing and back bends. And more will be added when I get back on the phone.

I will be expanding the retail selection at the studio, and will have available, among other things, Wayne White's CD and Todd Cunningham's new book. 

On Saturday, May 26th, Schroon Lake will be celebrating "Opening Weekend" with an expo at the town park. True North Yoga will be there with information about all the classes and workshops, a bellydance demonstration and 30 minutes of sun salutations to welcome summer. Mark your calendars and join us!

There may be rain, but spring has me full of hopeful anticipation. What new beginnings has spring brought you?