Merry Merry!

Happy Solstice, Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah,
Kwanzaa, and Feast of St. Stephen!

It has been ages since I sent out an email to everyone, and there is so much to say and share! Dragonfly has grown to offer more than 15 retreat events a year, including group trips to India, Central America, and right here close to home on beautiful Squam Lake at Rockywold-Deephaven Camp, as well as Yoga Teacher Training, special classes, and Ayurveda workshops.
The yoga life is good!

Perhaps the last time I sent a detailed note to all of you, it was shortly after our dear silly Mr. Paws and old lady Miss Sweetie Pie left us. My Nana died at the age of 94 shortly after my kitties, and I feel like time just slipped away after that. I don’t remember much about last fall and winter, actually, and was pretty absorbed in our losses. It took a few months, but I began to crawl out of my rabbit hole in India earlier this year and rediscover the joy I thought I had lost. It was there all along, I just couldn’t feel it under the cloak of my sadness. Some of you may remember the blog posts I shared from way up in the Tamil Nadu mountains of Coonoor, but if not, here’s a link to one which speaks most specifically about the loss of pets: https://wordpress.com/read/feeds/417450/posts/1368364769

I came back from India renewed and with a lighter heart, and Declan and I enjoyed a summer full of vegetables, retreats, and projects around home. After a lot of soul searching (and prodding by my Bridie child), the two of us went to the Conway Area Humane Society and adopted Mr. Seamus Og (og means little or young) and Miss Maizy Moon (our little black sprite with a sliver of white moon the length of her belly), who have filled our house with laughter and silliness ever since their paws hit the pine floors here. As much as he grumbles from time to time, we think Puddy Tat appreciates the company and the playtime, hopefully keeping our 14-year old man sprightly in the now latter years of his kitty life.

Our own human babes are grown and flourishing, and I don’t think they’d mind me sharing a teeny tiny bit (they appreciate their privacy with our business being so public and all). Finn is closing in on the last hours of his pilot’s license, and you locals may have even seen him floating over the hills of Sandwich these past few weeks in the single prop Cesna as he takes his required solo flights. It is a thrill to see him up there doing what he has always wanted (to be up in the air like the decade of rockets he fired off from our field), although I admit, I hold my hands over my heart to keep it from thumping right out of my chest when he zips over the treetops above his bedroom! A little farther off down the road is Bridie Rose, now a sophomore at George Washington University in DC and studying journalism, photo, and film studies. Rumor has it she is thinking about junior year abroad, and if that doesn’t make me think back… (ahem, a lot of years) and remember what it was like to be 20!! We are looking forward Christmas when the four of us (plus 3 kitties) are back in the house together for a little while (insert many heart emojis here!)

On a business-y note, Declan and I led a yoga retreat to Lago Atitlan, Guatemala this fall, and it was a most wonderful trip! It had been eleven years since my last visit there, and it really was a coming home, with many of the same staff, owner and family, and the volcanoes… Oh, what a sight to wake up to every morning!! Thank you to the sweetest group of retreat guests, who made this time so much fun and playful!

And, for those of you who are not here year-round, you may not know I am leading my first solo Yoga Teacher Training here at Dragonfly, and I have an incredible faculty, including our own Hannah (Peaslee) Hayes, DPT, Lindsay Mayock, DPT, Dr. Paul Dugliss of New World Ayurveda, and special guest teacher Girish who joins us for our final weekend of training in March! If you are interested in reading more about this journey (and maybe enrolling yourself in 2018!!), see the YTT link below!

Dragonfly is flourishing, and of course you are all invited to share the in the goodness going on here! Whether you are a regular student, an annual retreat guest, a snowbird who only sees Sandwich in the summertime, or someone who travels with Dragonfly to far-off lands, we are grateful for each one of you, your patronage over the years, and your presence in our growing yoga and Ayurveda community. Here is a list of what’s coming up as well as a link to our weekly schedule, so you can check in and maybe hit your re-set button with us over the Holidays and into the New Year. You can always simply visit our website and cruise through all the pull-down bars, but here is a menu you can peruse:

UPCOMING EVENTS & WORKSHOPS

HOLIDAY SHOPPING GALORE!!
Don’t forget to fill your stockings here!
Beautiful 108 stone bead malas (on sale now!), sterling jewelry,
silks from India, yoga props, and more!! Gift certificates and yoga passes too!

Welcome Winter Solstice Yoga: Thurs. Dec. 21 @ 6 am
This is our annual sunrise yoga class to celebrate the first morning of Winter!
We circle ‘round the Solstice spiral of evergreens, practice sun salutations,
and then share a potluck breakfast in the farmhouse kitchen! All are welcome!
To read more and RSVP: https://dragonflyogabarn.wordpress.com/winter-solstice-yoga/

Yoga Nidra, The Art of Conscious Relaxation: Wed. Dec. 27 @ 4:30-6 pm
To read more and register: https://dragonflyogabarn.wordpress.com/yoga-nidra-series/

Mala Making Workshop: Sat. Dec. 30 @ 10 am-12 pm
with Heart Opening Yoga & Intention Setting for the New Year!
To read more and register: https://dragonflyogabarn.wordpress.com/mala-making-workshop/

Restorative Yoga & Reiki: Wed. Jan. 17th @ 5-7 pm
To read more and register: https://dragonflyogabarn.wordpress.com/restorative-yoga-reiki/

Intro to Ayurveda Presentation: Wed. Jan. 24 @ 6:30-8:30 pm
@ Meredith Whole Living
This class is an opportunity to learn the Principles of Ayurveda with Katie O’Connell,
Ayurveda Health Practitioner and Ayurveda Yoga Specialist. Presentation/workshop is held at MWL’s
beautiful location on Main St. in downtown Meredith!
Registration fee is minimal, and info is coming soon!

UPCOMING RETREATS & TRAININGS

HEALING INDIA Retreat: February 16-March 9th, 2018
There is still time to register! Flights are cheap, and the retreat is offered at an amazing rate!!
Just a few spots left!!
To read more and register: https://dragonflyogabarn.wordpress.com/india-2018/
Please email Katie: dragonflyoga@gmail.com for details today!

SQUAM YOGA Retreat: Relax and Renew at Rockywold-Deephaven: May 31-June 3, 2018
This retreat sells out quickly!
To read more and register now to save your spot: https://dragonflyogabarn.wordpress.com/relax-renew-retreat-2018-2/

TO CHEW ON…
Dragonfly is planning retreats to Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Way,
as well as to a beautiful warm getaway in 2018 (next location to be announced soon!),
and a 4th trip to India in 2019!
Details coming soon for all of these and more!

Dragonfly’s 200 Hour Yoga Teacher Training
This year’s class is an amazing group of diverse yogis from all over NH and Maine! We are heading into our last 3 retreat weekends together, and it has been a wonderful journey of self-discovery, awareness, and yoga practice. If you or someone you know has been considering deepening her/his own practice and may want to teach yoga, please share Dragonfly with them! Our program is an 8-month, weekend immersion training registered with Yoga Alliance and exceeds the YA’s minimum 200 hours for a foundations program.
Dragonfly Yoga & Ayurveda is a Registered Yoga School.
Next training begins in August 2018!
Please email for an application! Early bird registration is on now for those who apply before April 15, 2018!!
To read more about our YTT program, visit: https://dragonflyogabarn.wordpress.com/yoga-teacher-training/

CLASS PRACTICE SCHEDULE:
https://dragonflyogabarn.wordpress.com/dragonfly-yoga-barn-class-schedule/
There are no yoga classes on December 24th.
There WILL be a special New Year’s Yoga class, details TBA this week!!

From all of us here at Dragonfly to all of you near and far,
we wish you the sweetest of holidays with family and friends! Enjoy the beauty of the season!