Suzie Hurley header image

Dear Friends,

Happy New Year to you all.

“And now let us welcome the new year, full of things that never were.” ~Rainer Maria Rilke

As we transition into a new year, Rainer Maria Rilke’s words in the quote above hit close to the heart. A fresh, new calendar looms on the horizon, full of exciting new possibilities.

The sun sets on 2023

This can be a time to think about what we want for ourselves in the new year. It could be about accomplishing something, it could be about learning something new, it could be finding ways to feel more content and peaceful, of honoring our bodies. It could be asking ourselves how we can serve. It doesn’t have to be earth-shattering. What is it that resonates for you? What wants to deepen perhaps? What are the possibilities you are drawn to doing? What’s the first baby step? Will you commit to taking it?

We all have an innate creative instinct, just as we all have an innate spiritual instinct. In fact, they are not separate. When we rest deeply in the silence of our own True Nature, when that deep rest reveals to us we are far more than this body/mind, the creative impulse naturally arises. This is the state where Edison came up with the light bulb, where Einstein found E=mc2, where the great artists, composers, song writers, etc. manifest the possibilities that never were. At the deepest level, this is why we are drawn to Yoga and meditation, to know ourselves as Truth, as Spirit and then create beauty in all its myriad forms.

Below are some possibilities that you may find both meaningful and fun for 2024.

Willow Street 30th Anniversary Celebration

January 12-14!

It was 30 years ago, January of 1994 that I opened a small single studio on Willow Street in Takoma Park, DC. We started with 160 students and grew to more than 2000 students a week, changed locations, added another location, and went on to become the largest Anusara Yoga Center in the U.S. A lot has changed since then but Willow Street Yoga is still alive and well, under the direction of my son, Joe Miller. We are celebrating this 30th anniversary the weekend of Jan. 12-14.

Suzie & Joe in Lolasana Arm Balance many moons ago!

There will be wonderful offerings the entire weekend so do check them all out and all are FREE, save for my 3 hour workshop which is $30. My workshop is on Sunday Jan. 14 from 1:00-4:00 with some of our earliest and most popular teachers, including Maria Hamburger, Jenny Otto, Kelly Fisher, Marion Griffin, Diana Tokaji, Heather Schwartz, Kathy Carroll and Joe. This promises to be a fun walk down memory lane, seeing old friends and teachers, and doing a great practice. All workshops are in person only.

Here’s the link to register!

Back row: Diana Tokaji, Kathy Hart, Jenny Otto
Front row: Rachel Greene (sadly passed), me, Heather Schwartz
Sometime in 1997 when we moved to 6930 Carroll Ave, Takoma Park, MD

 

Scotland in the Spring! 

We have had a few cancellations in Week 1 and Week 2 for Scotland. The first week is with me teaching alone, and the second week with Maria Hamburger and I teaching together.  We will be on the bonnie bonnie banks of Loch Lomond. British Airways airfare has actually come down a bit, and travel is quite easy from BWI to London, and then a hop to Glasgow. This promises to be an amazing trip. Find out more here.

A new year is all about possibilities. It’s a blank slate waiting for you to dream, to serve, to create, to know. We are at a critical juncture, not only in our country, but in our very world and our planet. I urge you to dream big, serve well, and be the highest force for good you can be. Wishing each of you the very best in 2024, and hope to see you on the mat!

Namaste with Love,

Dear Ones,

It has been a lovely Spring here on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. The transition from the end of the Winter season to Spring speaks of the fullness of life and beauty. From the earliest buds of daffodils, forsythia, and magnolia blossoms, to the now rich blossoms of peonies, hydrangeas and roses, our incredible earth gives us this time of wonder.

Sidled by a severe hamstring injury in Pickle Ball, I’ve taken to walking and bike riding and have loved just witnessing Nature as one thing dies with another taking its place. Transitions are a beautiful part of life and not to be taken for granted, but to be savored and studied. We are all transitioning in one way or another as the evolutionary impulse spurs us onward and upward, despite our resistance and denial.

Our yoga practice helps to keep us centered, grounded and present to the more challenging transitions we encounter, and to navigate them with more awareness and patience. Maria Hamburger and I are looking forward to our annual Yoga & Meditation Weekend at Shepherds Spring November 15-17th. Registration just opened and you can read more about it here.

I’d been toying with the idea of doing a yoga vacation in Scotland for some time, and when one of my yoga students found us an incredible venue on the bonny bonny banks of Loch Lomond, I booked it immediately for May 25-June 1 of 2024. No sooner than I announced it to my Oxford and Willow Street students, and even before I could get it up on my website, it filled.

I am now taking names for cancellations (it is a year away and things happen!) but also for interest in a possible second week from Monday June 10 – 17, 2024. If you’re interested, please email me to be put on either list. You can find more information about the venue called Ardoch here.

In the meantime, I know I will see some of you in my Oxford and Easton classes or perhaps online on Tuesday at 1:00 in the class I teach for Willow Street Yoga in Takoma Park.

Enjoy these last magnificent days of Springtime beauty before the scorchy days of Summer are upon us, but enjoy that transition too.

Namaste with Love,

Dear Ones,

Spring is on the way with daffodils, cherry blossoms, and tulip trees already in full bloom. Our Yoga practice encourages us to bloom as well. We begin with a strong foundation, add the right amount of mobility and strength, cultivate a present and centered mind, and open our hearts to new possibilities. Joy, acceptance, and resilience are just a few of the blooms from our practice. And when we come to practice together, whether in person or online, we contribute to making a beautiful bouquet for our world.

A wonderful time was had by all on the Cliffs of Negril in Jamaica last month, after having to cancel for two years in a row due to covid. Next year’s dates will be January 27 to February 3, 2024. Please click here for all information.

I am looking forward to returning to my old stomping grounds of Willow Street Yoga to give both an in-person and online workshop; ie hybrid.

In Getting to the Heart of the Matter we will travel from the external body to the innermost regions of the heart using two of the most important philosophical aspects of Yoga. Included will be Pranayama, Meditation and a yummy Savasana. All Levels are welcome.

Save the date Sunday, April 16, from 1:00-3:30. To read more and register, click here.

 

Maria Hamburger and I will be giving our annual Fall Retreat at Shepherd’s Spring Retreat Center in Sharpsburg, Md., November 17-19.

Please click here to learn more. This fills up quickly so don’t wait too long!

Wishing you all a beautiful Spring. Bloom where you are planted, enjoy your spiritual practice, and hope to see you on the mat somewhere soon!

Namaste with Love,

Dear Ones,

I’ve heard that the older we get, the faster time flies!!  I never really bought into that but here it is midway thru the Fall season, and I have no idea where the time went!!  The spIendor of the huge maple tree in the Oxford Town Park, brought me back to the present moment however in an instant!  I hope you are all taking some time to enjoy the rich beauty of Mother Nature as she adorns a new and elegant sari of oranges, reds, yellows, rusts and browns. Here on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, we have had some phenomenally beautiful days.

Maria’s and my retreat in Vieques, Puerto Rico, in early September was wonderful and our hosts, Todd and Amanda, couldn’t have been more gracious and helpful.  As always, it was an incredible group that bonded early and easily!  We took many wonderful memories home with us.

Our November Yoga and Meditation Retreat at Shepherds Spring is now full, and now we look forward to JAMAICA!!

The dates are Saturday January 28 to Saturday February 4 and we hope you will join us. Please click here for pictures, more information and to register.

You’ll find more great options here for you to come play with us in the months ahead!

Namaste with Love,

Dear Ones,

We are about midway into the Summer season!  Summer is traditionally a time for play, for travel, for adventure, for rest, and, well, just not so much work!!  Va-cation, we vacate from work to play!!

In Tantric philosophy, the purpose of the entire universe is for the play of it, for the play and display of all creation.  Lila is a Sanskrit word for divine play, game, or sport. We are here to have an experience, to savor life. (tandeva)

Play is entering a state of mind without worry or anxiety. It’s a state of joy and creativity. It’s the pure state of being that happens for no reason at all. Work, on the other hand, is for a reason. We work to accomplish something, to get something in return for our efforts. It’s external by nature. But play is for its own sake. It’s self-fulfilling.

It is the upsurge of creative energy reminding us that much of life does in fact happen spontaneously. We do need certainty and order in life and its balance is Lila.

Lila shows us the playful nature of life events, no matter how well planned they are, they may very well change. We are never stuck or captive in one situation. Keeping an attitude of lightness, of joy, of play helps us to shift more easily when necessary.

So I hope much of your summer days can be not only playful, but sometimes just a little lazy, enjoying a good book in a hammock some place, swimming in a clear lake, or just lying on the beach wave gazing or vaporizing clouds. Whatever your play is, do it fully and experience all the Lightness of Being that you deserve.

 

You’ll find a couple of great options here for you to come play with us in the months ahead!  (Vieques, however, is full and if all goes well, we will repeat next year at a different time)  I’m also exploring Ireland for a future retreat!

Namaste with Love,

Dear Ones,

Below is an un-doctored picture taken by one of our Oxford residents from the head of the Town Creek when this rainbow graced our little Village not long ago. It is a stone’s throw from where we live and I’m taking it as a good omen for 2022!!

We are almost four months into a new year and the only constant is change! Change can bring us to the edge of fear and anxiety due to its uncertainty. Can you imagine being a Ukranian resident suddenly invaded by an army determined to take over your country?  Uncertainty can be terrifying, threatening our very security.  Yet, if we are grounded in a strong practice of Yoga and Meditation, we can more easily deal with the unforeseen changes that will certainly come our way.

And change can also be for the better. For example, Maria and I had to cancel our popular Jamaica Yoga Vacation for the second year in a row which was not an easy decision, but covid once again, won out.  Yet, because of that, John and I did a 12 day spontaneous getaway to the little known island of Vieques, part of and off the coast of Puerto Rico. We recently returned and I was so enthralled by this best kept secret of beauty, accessibility, affordability and friendliness of people everywhere, I decided to do a Yoga Retreat there this coming Sept. (see more below!)  So without that disappointing initial change of plans, I might never have found Vieques!

We still plan to do our Jamaica Yoga Vacation however, and the dates for that are January 28 to February 4 of 2023 at the same location, Coral Seas on the Cliffs of Negril

The way in which we view change has important ramifications for our lives.  The more we resist change, the more stuck we will stay. The more we can embrace and accept change, the more our lives will flow.  Because that’s what change is, each moment in time flows into the next moment, making that moment the present and only moment.  Change is fluid, yet it is constant. In fact, one definition of Enlightenment or Self-Realization is just that:  It’s a change in perception. Rather than seeing from the limited small self of conditioned thinking, one sees from a more Universal point of view, a more spacious and open Oneness with all things. There is an intimacy that happens between the observer and the object being observed.

So my invitation to you is to surrender into the flow of your own life, into the changeless current of the Absolute, trusting that you will be guided by the Greater Energy to the most benevolent outcomes. And enjoy the ride always!

Please browse my website for a full look at my upcoming offerings. You’ll find for more information and links to register.

Namaste with Love,

Dear Ones,

Autumn has arrived! The transition from the hot humid days of Summer to turning off the AC and allowing cool breezes to blow through our open windows is the best. I love the scent of the crisp morning air, seeing the leaves begin to turn, and the chrysanthemums in their array of yellows, rusts and purples. Later this month there will be the pumpkins, the trick & treaters, and soon Thanksgiving. Autumn is a transformational act of Nature, each day bringing a new delight.

Each season has important lessons to impart to us. For me, the lesson of Autumn is about letting go. The trees let go of their leaves without resistance, without protest. They just gracefully fall to the earth, often being lifted by the wind in swirls of beauty. I may find myself resisting losing a precious hour of afternoon daylight, but the ease of the falling leaves reminds me to accept what is.

As the trees release their leaves and seeds to the earth, it is also a reminder that something in the dying never dies. but is reborn in another form, another energy. Come Spring, we will see new shoots burst forth from the seeds that have been nurtured in the dark winter earth. The outer shells of those seeds have died, as the inner essence of the seed goes on. I believe this is one of the greatest gifts of Autumn. As we awaken to the essence of who we are, Spirit, Awareness, Consciousness, (many names for the One Energy within each of us), we know too, that there is no death.

Life in all its glory, sorrow, joy and pain is to be celebrated and lived fully. The Universe wants us to be happy, and we are called to co-create with this Greater Energy to make every day count. Yoga helps us do just that – to celebrate, to make our way through the hard and difficult days, to help us simply connect, to each other, and to Spirit. I invite you to join me on the mat, on Zoom or in person on the Eastern Shore of MD. Looking ahead to Winter, Maria Hamburger and I will lead the Yoga and Meditation Retreat in December. In February, Maria and I will again be teaching our Jamaica Yoga Vacation. All details are below.

Be well and may this Autumn remind you to let go into more ease of being, into more joy, and into deeper connection with All That Is.

Namaste with Love,

Happy 4th of July, 2021

Dear Friends and Students,

I am so happy to be writing knowing that most of us have emerged from our Covid cocoon, and are roaming comparatively freely once again. We decided, as did most of our friends and family, to be vaccinated as soon as we could, and have felt a much greater sense of security since then. That said, I realize there are legitimate reasons for not getting vaccinated, and we all need to be alert and aware of the Covid variants and take appropriate measures to stay safe.

This is old news for many, but one of the silver linings of Covid 19 was when Willow Street in Takoma Park and Silver Spring had to close, we gave up our little apartment and moved full-time to our “retirement” home on the Eastern Shore in Oxford, MD. Retirement is in quotes as I find myself busier than ever between teaching six weekly classes, doing private sessions and playing Pickleball five times a week! (darn good thing I LOVE what I do!)

I have been so lucky to be able to teach in-person classes for the last few months. At first everyone wore masks and kept safe social distancing, but now all are unmasked as long as everyone has been fully vaccinated. Please check out my class schedule here. If you’ve done that, you can see that I have a brand new website that my website designer, Maryna and I worked on for a few months. Despite the time difference between Oxford and South Africa where she lives, she made the process both enjoyable and easeful.

Recently I was asked to write an article for our local newspaper, The Star Democrat which serves the Eastern Shore, on Yoga and Health. I was quite surprised and delighted to see that they published it in its entirety taking mostly a full half-page in last Sunday’s edition. I think it’s a great reminder of the value of our practice, and goes into many lessser known details of how Yoga affects our overall health. If interested, you can read it here.

I am really looking forward to teaching with my dear friend, yoga teacher extraordinaire, Maria Hamburger on two upcoming retreats. Registration is now open for both on my website.

The first is our Meditation & Yoga Weekend Retreat, December 3-5 of this year. Please click here for a full description and to register. We are almost half full already!

The second is our sixth annual Jamaica Yoga Vacation that we had to cancel last February to shelter in place! We are at our same sweet resort, Coral Seas, on the Cliffs of Negril,
outstanding for both its beauty and friendliness. For all information and to register, please click here. We expect a full retreat once again, and encourage double occupancy. So grab you BFF and your props and we’ll see you there!

Locally, I will be returning to my beloved Willow Street for an in-person Summer Workshop on Sunday afternoon July 11, 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm. The theme will be “Coming Back to Wholeness”, which I’m sure many of you can relate to. I can’t wait to actually hug many of my former students, as well as Joe and the GrandGirls again! Please click here for details of the workshop and to register. All levels are welcome.

That’s about it friends. I wish you the very best Summer of Freedom ever. Stay cool, continue to work in your own way for Climate Change, for our Democracy, for your favorite cause, and remember, it all starts within each of our hearts. Yoga gives us a great inroad to the depth of our hearts, so enjoy whatever classes you take as well as your own personal practice.

Namaste & Blessings,

PS. The heading picture is of my daughter Kate, and grandkids Ruby and Otis marching in the Takoma Park Fourth of July Parade in 2018! How time moves on. Ruby just turned 10 and Otis is now 5.

From the midst of a very dark time there is renewed light! It’s a new year, a new day and what a difference a day can make. The day I’m speaking of is January 21, the inauguration of President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris almost two months ago. My first feelings from watching the Inauguration were a combination of hope, pride, and joy, all mixed together with a big exhale as I watched my mind go from worry to quiet.

And although Covid-19 continues to take its toll with far too many deaths, severe illnesses, some of which seem to continue for months, unemployment for so many, isolation and depression, missing hugs and seeing our loved ones, we are here too seeing the proverbial Light at the end of that long dark tunnel. The vaccines are working and more and more of us are lining up to receive our shots. We still don our masks like we put on our socks each day and socially distance, giving virtual hugs to our friends. We have learned to teach and take classes, workshops, celebrate birthdays, and get together on Zoom and other media platforms. We have had to learn different ways of bonding through deeper conversation, writing as well as connecting energetically.

Hope is defined as “a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen.” And Vaclav Havel, Czech dissident writer, and statesman says “Hope is not the conviction that something will turn out well; hope is the certainty that something is worth doing no matter how it turns out.” When our expectations are met for the good of all Beings, joy is present. As the days have passed, I felt like an energetic weight had been lifted from my spirit, I feel lighter and buoyant. I truly pray that we can come together with more honest and meaningful dialogue, let go of our prejudices, and exhibit more tolerance and understanding of each other. (you know, all the stuff Yoga and all religions and spiritual disciplines strive to teach!) I’m afraid it will still take lifetimes but it has to start with each of us.

There have been some silver linings as there always are with difficult challenges. When Willow Street Yoga was forced to shut their doors, and I could no longer teach in-person classes, John and I gave up our Silver Spring apartment and moved to our Oxford home full time. That has been wonderful in that Covid was not as bad on the Eastern Shore of MD, and I was allowed to teach up to 12 students in a big auditorium at the Oxford Community Center right up the street from our home, all masked and socially distanced. Find out more about classes here. I will also be starting two new classes at Trinity Cathedral in Easton beginning Thursday April 8. Another big plus to living in Oxford is we are surrounded by the beauty of Nature. Oxford is a peninsula and it is a short walk in almost any direction to the water. It is a haven for walking, biking and kayaking, birding, and for the best folks anywhere!

Of course Maria Hamburger’s and my annual February Yoga Vacation to Jamaica had to be cancelled, but we are planning for next Feb. of 2022. Maria and I are also planning an annual Yoga and Meditation Retreat December 3-5 of this year at Shepherd’s Spring Retreat Center in Sharpsburg, MD. Click here for more information on both events.

And as you can see, (or if this reaches you through Mailchimp, I have a new website! It’s been great fun working with life coach and website designer Maryna Smuts, who made something I was dreading easeful, fun and comfortable. Please explore my new site a bit and I’d welcome your comments and suggestions.

There are so many challenges ahead of us as a country, as well as our own individual problems and difficult situations. It is easy to be overwhelmed and fall into despondency, frustration and anger. When these and other feelings come, as they will to all of us, I urge you to come to your mat, your meditation cushion, to move from the external world to the internal world of a more spacious view, to the home of your heart. Here the energy can shift, we can become again rooted in our True Nature, which is Love, and then from there, go into the big mat of the world and act. I am including the fabulous Amanda Gorman’s two poems below for inspiration!!

Namaste with Love,

 

Inspiration from Amanda Gorman

The Hill We Climb

Earthrise (on climate change)

Dear Ones,

Summer is here and it’s heating up on a number of levels. When it is 100 degrees in the Arctic, and the permafrost is melting before our very eyes, it is another huge wake up call for serious climate action. In many states, Covid19 is dangerously on the rise due to many not wearing masks, social distancing not being observed, and opening way too soon in many cases. The fight for racial justice is heating up; protesters, including my son and three granddaughters, stood on hot, humid days in front of the White House declaring their support for Black Lives Matter. Now is a crucial time to stand up and speak out for what is important to each of us and for our country.

To stay cool, focused, and clear in the midst of all this, we turn back to our commitment of a consistent yoga practice done with earnestness, (Abhyasa) yet also done with acceptance of what is happening now along with a sense of surrender to a greater energy. (Vairagya)

Meditation has been the mainstay of my yoga practice for over 40 years, helping me to maintain “my cool” but also giving me the strength to stand tall and speak out when necessary. I am glad to keep offering my weekly 40 minute Sunday Zoom Pranayama & Meditation Class. I am also now taking registrations for my December Meditation Retreat, though much remains unknown in the months ahead. Jamaica also remains uncertain in February, but more on that next month.

My Zoom Yoga (asana) Class will be moving to Tuesdays at 1:00. This is because beginning July 4, I’ll be teaching inside the Oxford Community Center where we can easily socially distance. The Intermediate Class will be on Saturdays from 9:30 to 11:00 and the Beginners/Advanced Beginners will be on Mondays from 1:00-2:15. Register here.

I look forward to seeing many of you in some way on the mat or on the cushion during this last hot summer of 2020. Stay cool my friends, be well, and dive deep into the refreshing waters of your practice.

Namaste with Blessings of Love,
Suzie

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