Where's Kelly Haas? Donde Esta Kelly Haas?

I am so honored and excited to call New Orleans my new home!
After a few weeks of settling in, I love waking up to the water and the ducks, the morning light on city park, and the anticipation of all the festivals, music, and fun to come. The energy of the city is palpable as locals prepare to welcome the droves of visitors for French Qtr Fest this weekend, and Jazz Fest in two weeks.

Come Immerse Yourself in Anusara Immersion 1 from April 21-25th at the Swan River Yoga Midcity Mandir (www.swanriveryoga.com) – pre-Jazz Fest!

“The top down order of the Tattvas is the order of creation, while the bottom up is the order of the return to the Source.”

-John Friend, Montclair, New Jersey, October 2011

The Universe is ever revealing itself. We can move from the Absolute, the Essence, the Universal, into every breath and interaction of our lives. We can also start with the most dense forms of the Earth and find Spirit. Life is an endless cycle of recreation – birth, death, light, dark, day, night. All in an endless, pulsing dance of relationship.

To watch the sunrise over New York City last Saturday morning, while waiting for our 600+ Anusara friends to arrive, I was again reminded how Nature holds us sweetly on her steady Earth, and how the Sky and Sun envelope us.

Check out how our sun dwarfs Manhattan Island.

Wow, the month of August was filled with nature and connection… from Lake Tahoe to Eugene to driving the Oregon Coast to the high peaks surrounding Park City, Utah to the plains and sacred Black Hills of South Dakota! Now you can see why I haven’t written since the full moon of July?!?
Pure magic, and lots more on my experiences to come…

Full moon of July was a beautiful celebration of Spirit at the Anusara-Inspired Gathering and Wanderlust Festival in Squaw Valley with John Friend and numerous friends. A full fiesta!!

Ah, then August arrived…

I taught a workshop in Eugene, OR at Freedom Yoga, hosted by the ever gracious devi, Sandy Adler. The OR community is as sweet and connected as their summer landscape. I enjoyed a visit to the Saturday market in Eugene, where you are always bound to find wonderful, hand-crafted goods.

From Eugene, I drove up the majestic Oregon coastline, through small beach towns, around small fishing villages tucked into bays, through coastal forest. It is easy to get lost in the beauty and abundance of the land. The vibration of green of the forest undergrowth and ferns on the waterside are other worldly.

Summer Beauty & Fullness At Her Highest ~

Guru Purnima
Full Moon of July 2011

An unexpectedly cool and cloudy July day breaks the full swing of Summer, and I sit with the windows open, enjoying the sound and smell of a sweet, light North Carolina rain.

Reflecting in the light of this full moon on my last week in New Orleans – the energy, community, teachings, and friends.

The Deep South has an intense heat and slowness this time of year, like moving through a liquid medium of molasses, and tonight I reflect under the canopy of trees at my house at how focused our studies were despite the heat. It’s so wonderful that we are all always evolving and advancing together.

Many auspicious signs in the past few days to remind me of the Guru Principle in all living things… and all the many gifts around us when we pause to experience them.

My last night in NOLA…

Sunset over the Bayou, where the sky split between dark and light and a rainbow appeared. (my last sighting of a double rainbow on July 4^th!)

Spotting Allen Toussaint, a NOLA original, and that man can bring the music!!

Encounter with my favorite, large neighborhood owl at dusk when I returned.

Pause and look around. Drink in the Day!

Arrived to New Orleans, sitting by the Bayou and getting into the slow vibration of Summer below sea level.

If you are here or close by, come join us for fun classes and therapeutics over the next 4 days.

A magickal holiday in Charlotte, NC!

Swimming, picnicking, and playing with my family in the morning, and laughing with friends in the afternoon.

In the span of 5 hours, we experienced a furious Southern lightning storm from inside a metal building. The storm led to an impromptu acoustic jam session with The New Familiars… to standing under the brilliance of a double rainbow, and driving through stellar fireworks.

Sensitivity Leads to Appreciation. Appreciation Leads to Gratitude.
What and who are you grateful for today?

I am grateful for my Japanese friends who teach me refined sensitivity every day, in every moment. Arigato Gozaimasu!

Hong Kong
April  20-24, 2011

Dear Friends and Family! Love from Sydney, Australia, our next stop on the world tour.
Below is a blog I wrote on our time, and John’s teachings in Hong Kong last week.

Enjoy & Take Care of Each Other,
Kelly

—

“A Drop of the Ocean is still the Ocean. “
– John Friend

On his fourth teaching visit to Hong Kong in the past five years, John offered an unforgettable 3-day Master Immersion and Weekend Workshop where students were guided to align with the matrix of Nature to more clearly feel our connection to all of life and aspire for the highest.

We explored key teachings from East and West, the study of ancient and modern religions, philosophies, and sciences, and the laws of Nature. All inform and define our vision, darshana, of Shiva-Shakti Tantra, a skillful way of living in the 21st Century.

A bright group of receptive, humble, intelligent, passionate, and steady students from Hong Kong, mainland China, Taiwan, Singapore, Thailand and beyond gathered. The students were attentive and bubbling with positive energy, laughing often, applauding, and supporting each other’s path to awakening. It was the highest level of studentship of any Anusara training John has taught in China, and gives much hope for the dissemination of Anusara yoga in this region. It is evident that where China goes in the years to come, the world will follow, so what a crucial time in world history to share the teachings in this part of the world.

Our event culminated with an inclusive Easter Sunday celebration of the triumph of life; the ascension of Light from Dark. We studied the roots of the Christian holiday of Easter in a way that glorified the human spirit, regardless of religious background.

The modern English term Easter developed from the Old English word, Eostre, after the pagan, lunar Goddess by the same name (from whence we also get the name of the female hormone, estrogen). Her chief symbols were the bunny (both for fertility and because her worshipers saw a hare in the full moon) and the egg (symbolic of the cosmic egg of creation). She is the Goddess of life who was celebrated for “Easter month”, the month of April.

If you’ve ever wondered why Easter moves all around on the calendar, John pointed out that Easter is actually a Pagan, lunar holiday. It is always celebrated the first Sunday, after the first Full Moon preceding the Vernal Equinox. If the Sunday falls on the full moon after the Vernal Equinox, it is celebrated the following Sunday.

We practiced with vast views of Victoria Harbour and Hong Kong island, in a room of electric and positive energy. We had students devoted to Christian, Jewish, and Buddhist religions, and all received the teachings in a beautiful and expansive way. On this day, we celebrated a Universal brotherhood of humanity, regardless of race, creed, sex, or color, so we may always remember the goodness in life and the triumphant spirit of the heart.

It gives us optimism and hope to see how the sophistication and advancement of the Asian students’ yoga practice.

In Peace & Love for Universal understanding, enlightenment, and peace!
***

Amigos,

It’s been a long while since I’ve posted. I officially hibernated from the blogging world to enjoy watching the unfolding of Spring.
North Carolina is so nurturing and easy to find Shri at this time of year.

“People, even more than things, have to be restore, renewed, revived, reclaimed, and redeemed…” – Audrey Hepburn

So remember to have time for things to restore and renew yourself!