January Book of the Month

I wanted to start the year out with a book that is not just one of my favorites, but one that you can return to all year long. Meditations from the Mat offers short, one to two pages, reading delving into yogic philosophy and application for every day of the year. Basically, you get 365 nuggets of wisdom to enrich your practice and your life. One of the many things I love about this book is that you can read it cover to cover or randomly select readings, focusing on what is of particular importance to you and your practice at any given time. I strongly believe this is a must have for any yogi’s library.

Women’s Yoga Workshop

It that time again, one year is coming to a close and a new year looms bright and full of possibility on the horizon. In other words, resolution making time. Who has made resolutions in the past, or even for the upcoming year? Who has failed at following through with their resolutions for twelve whole months? I know I sure have. Last year, my friend and I made a resolution to find what we deemed to be the best chocolate molten lava cake in New York City by going to one restaurant a month to eat cake. And guess what? Yup…we failed. We failed at eating chocolate cake! Point proven, resolutions do not work. You know what does work, consistency paired with support.

I am choosing to run my online workshop for women at the start of the year.

8-Week Online Yoga Workshop for Women

January 8^th – March 4^th

Move, Reflect, Connect

I know, you’re probably thinking, “Eight weeks?!? That’s a huge commitment!” Well, yes, it is. Some research says it takes two or more months to fully build a new habit. And, life get busy at times. The beauty of eight whole weeks is that if you have a busy day, two days, or whole week, you can still come back to the workshop and pick right back up. You can also choose how much time you dedicate to your practice each day. Our practice is not all or nothing. One thing I, and the previous participants, are working on is recognizing that five or ten minutes on a busy day is far better than no minutes. So what if you could find a half hour or full hour to spend on your practice? Eight weeks allows for time to truly build the habit of coming to your practice consistently, not just when it is convenient or you have an easy day.

At the end of this 8 weeks you will have:

• 8 audio yoga classes to use anytime, anyplace
• Quotes to return to again and again
• Articles and videos exploring different aspects of your spiritual journey and practice
• A group of powerful women to reach out to for support and inspiration
• A greater understanding of how your practice affects your everyday life
• Insight into your personal narrative and how that helps or hinders you on your path
• 8 exercises that help you connect more deeply with yourself and your authentic voice

I would love for you to join me on this transformative journey. I know money can be tight after the holidays, so I am offering a special discount of 40% off the full price, which comes out to just $60 a week. Click here to sign up for the discounted rate of $480. Start 2018 feeling physically strong and grounded, mentally focused and clear, and spiritually connected to yourself and others.

For more info visit: DjunaPassman.com

 

December Book of the Month

Confession, I wasn’t going to do a December book of the month. I have the line up of books for next year, but I was just going to skip over the last month of 2017. Then, today, I found myself home sick. There was an explosion in a subway tunnel here in New York City this morning, the wildfires are raging across California, it’s the holiday season, and I am feeling unfocused, ungrounded, and exhausted. As I was drawing a hot bath for myself, I started perusing my bookshelves looking for something to read while taking my bath. I pulled Kahlil Gibran’s, The Prophet off the shelf. As I began rereading it, I realized what a perfect book for the end of the year, or the end of any journey, while we stand on the precipice of what is to come.

My parents gave me this book when I graduated high school.

I did not get it, or fully appreciate it then. Now I realize what truly cool parents I have and what an amazing graduation gift this book was. I have reread it many times throughout the years, but it has been at least eight years since I read it cover to cover. So, as 2017 begins to wrap up and the world seems to be falling apart in every possible way, I turn to the words of wisdom found in, The Prophet. I’d love for you to join me in reading this timeless book that has the power to speak to all of us, regardless of where we stand on our paths in life.

Cyber Monday Sale

 

Give the gift of yoga to yourself and others this holiday season!

(Let’s face it, we all have enough stuff already. Give a gift that will last a lifetime.)

8-Week Online Yoga Workshop for Women

January 5th – March 2nd, 2018

Start 2018 feeling physically strong and grounded, mentally focused and clear, and spiritually connected to yourself and others. 

Move, Reflect, Connect

Gain clarity and intention within your yoga and meditation practices. 

Uncover and truly listen to your authentic voice. 

Develop a deeper understanding of how your thought patterns and habits affect your everyday life.

 

$400
50% off the full price!
Only $50/week!

$700 for 2 people
 $350 per person!
Share the journey with a friend or family member and save even more!

 

For more information visit: DjunaPassman.com

November Book of the Month

I’m returning to Pema Chödrön this month. Recently, I’ve been coming face to face with old thought patterns and habits that just don’t serve me any longer. Plus, with a new year right around the corner, it seems like perfect timing to pick up this book once again. I hope you will join me in reading this small book filled with so much wisdom.

Online Workshop for Women

A reminder, there is still time to sign up for my latest offering – an online workshop for women, incorporating a physical (asana) yoga practice and the tools to either build or strengthen a daily meditation, journaling, and/or writing practice. A truly fantastic group of women has signed up already, and there are still scholarships available!

One of the most important things we can do, especially in tumultuous times, is to ground ourselves and connect with our authentic voices so we have the courage and clarity to connect with others and engage in our lives with honesty, integrity, and heart. This workshop will utilize a physical (asana) yoga practice to create grounding and opening as well as daily quotes/questions/prompts to allow us to view ourselves, our relationships, our thought patterns, and habitual ways of being from new vantage points creating the awareness to allow for shifts and growth. There will be an online group to turn to throughout the 8 weeks, and a weekly check-in allowing us to come together virtually.

You choose how much or how little you engage each week. This isn’t about putting your life on pause or adding one more thing to the daily to-do-list. All of the tools provided are intended to create greater focus, clarity, and presence, allowing us to more easily manage our hectic lives and more fully engage in meaningful relationships with others and projects and pursuits we are passionate about.

I do hope you can join me and the amazing group of women who have already signed up! Don’t let finances hold you back, there are still scholarships available.

 

To register click here:

http://djunapassman.com/online-workshop.php

 

Move, Reflect, Connect

8-Week Online Yoga Workshop for Women

October 13^th – December 7^th

Women of all ages, with some basic yoga experience are welcomed and encouraged to join.

Receive an hour-long audio vinyasa yoga class every week. Practice any time and any place that is convenient for you. Participate in an online group check-in each week where you can ask specific questions about your practice getting feedback and guidance usually only available through private yoga sessions. Receive daily writing prompts and quotes to journal about or meditate on. Gain clarity and insight into your thought patterns empowering yourself to grow from a grounded place of authenticity. Utilize the support of a strong network of women all journeying along the same path. Receive and provide encouragement, inspiration, motivation, and a sense of accountability throughout the 8 weeks.
​

Each week you receive:

• An hour long audio yoga class
• Daily writing prompts to journal about or meditate on
• Hour-long group check-in – your opportunity to ask any and all questions
• Access to a private Facebookgroup providing a network of support

 

At the end of this 8 weeks you will have:

• 8 audio yoga classes to use anytime, anyplace
• A better understanding of basic poses and alignment
• A network of women to reach out to for support and motivation
• A journal filled with your personal explorations, along with writing prompts and quotes  to revisit and think about

 

To register click here:

http://djunapassman.com/online-workshop.php

October Book of the Month

So, here we are…it is officially fall and a new month is upon us. I am really excited to continue delving into the book for this month, and for you to join me. Brene Brown is a researcher exploring vulnerability, courage, shame, and empathy. She openly shares her own stories alongside her research, empowering all of us to look at ourselves and our relationships, own our stories and step into our power.

Online Yoga Workshop for Women

Move, Reflect, Connect

8-Week Online Yoga Workshop for Women

October 13^th – December 7^th

Women of all ages, with some basic yoga experience are welcomed and encouraged to join.

In these uncertain times it feels more important than ever to connect more deeply with ourselves and with others. This workshop will create space for everyone to deepen their yoga practices while allowing us to explore ourselves how we can connect and move from a place of love with an open heart and open mind off of our yoga mats.

Receive an hour-long audio vinyasa yoga class every week. Practice any time and any place that is convenient for you. Participate in an online group check-in each week where you can ask specific questions about your practice getting feedback and guidance usually only available through private yoga sessions. Receive daily writing prompts and quotes to journal about or meditate on. Gain clarity and insight into your thought patterns empowering yourself to grow from a grounded place of authenticity. Utilize the support of a strong network of women all journeying along the same path. Receive and provide encouragement, inspiration, motivation, and a sense of accountability throughout the 8 weeks.

Each week you receive:

• An hour long audio yoga class
• Daily writing prompts to journal about or meditate on
• Hour-long group check-in – your opportunity to ask any and all questions
• Access to a private Facebook group providing a network of support

 

At the end of this 8 weeks you will have:

• 8 audio yoga classes to use anytime, anyplace (perfect for the holiday season)
• A network of women to reach out to for support and motivation
• A better understanding of basic poses and alignment
• A journal filled with your personal explorations, along with writing prompts and quotes to revisit and think about

Early Bird Discount (full payment before September 22^nd) – $650

Standard (full payment by October 11^th) – $800

* 2 partial scholarships are available – please contact Djuna directly (djunapassman@gmail.com) for more information

To register click here:

http://djunapassman.com/online-workshop.php

September Book of the Month

So, the monthly book club took a little two month break…but it’s back! The selection this month comes courtesy of one of my students in California gifting me this book – Polishing the Mirror by Ram Dass. I read the first chapter last night and it feels like just the right book to dive into as summer begins to wind down, school starts again, and transitions are in the air.

Career Change/Plot Twist

Exactly seven years ago, the hospital where I worked as a dance/movement therapist closed its doors. I found myself unemployed and very, very freaked out. I had a regular yoga practice at that point. I credit my practice for getting me through the intense work I did at that hospital and the upheaval of mass layoffs and then, months later, the announcement of closure due to bankruptcy. Two weeks after that announcement, which I heard on the 10 o’clock news, I found myself saying good-bye to the final patient as he was transferred. It would be a few more years before I officially said good-bye to what I thought would be my career for, well, the rest of my life.

After the hospital closed I went back to working as a dance/movement therapist at the hospital where I had been hired right out of graduate school and done my internships. Early in the film, Mr. Gaga, Ohad Naharin’s father, Eliav, says, “Life is full of tatters. Try to reattach them, it doesn’t work out.” I tried to reattach the tatters of my career as a dance/movement therapist, but it just didn’t work out. I was miserable.

In the summer of 2011, the yoga studio that had become my yoga home when I began graduate school offered its inaugural teacher training program. Teaching yoga was never on the list of careers I wanted to have. I didn’t even like yoga until the age of 25. Sometimes I still don’t like yoga that much. (I know, I’m not supposed to openly admit that.) And yet, I decided to do the teacher training. I started to think that I might actually want to teach yoga, what that would look like I had no clue. Six years later, teaching yoga is my full-time job. It’s challenging, it’s not nearly as glamorous or zen as most people believe it to be, and yet, I can’t envision myself doing anything else. Teaching yoga is one of the most fulfilling things I have done with my life thus far. And, had a small private hospital in Harlem not closed its doors at the start of what I thought was the beginning of my career, I do not think I would have found the path I am on. Plot twist indeed.