What is Raw Shakti?
Raw
refers to pure or unaltered and Shakti is the Sanskrit word for
life-force, power or energy. Sanskrit is an ancient language which many
of the yoga texts were originally written in. We translate this into
English as Raw or Pure Energy. We all have an abundance of pure energy
inside of us. Raw Shakti yoga works through the modality of yoga to
connect us with our inner purity and energy by taking off the layers
that often cover our essence. By revealing our pure energetic nature to
us we will realize our creative potential. The purifying practices of
yoga help to purify the body and mind by getting rid of the junk or
impurity. We are left with the energy and purity to live our life with.
To have energy is to have radiance and vitality. To live from this
place of Raw Shakti is to live from a place where we have an abundance
of energy to help ourselves live healthy and therefore to help the
world in whatever ways we are called to do so. Anything that manifests
does so through Shakti. What we create is from our own pure or Raw
Shakti.
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On the Path
Thank
you to all who have taken a retreat or class with us and made this yoga
adventure travel company top in the world. Enjoy and have fun this
holiday! In the New Year Raw Shakti will be traveling to India, China,
Tibet, Australia, California, and Samoa. This has been a dream come
true. Our trips are truly a place to re-evaluate your life, enjoy an
indigenous culture and make friends with people from around the world.
The trips help us to gain the perspective that, now more than ever,
peace is needed. For more info see upcoming retreats below.
People often say to me "you live in paradise doing yoga all day on the
beach, how lucky!", but the reality is that I teach yoga, work on all
the yoga tasks that it takes to create these wonderful trips, cook
vegetarian cuisine, and clean everyday. Also, living in a third world
county as a minority, I encounter challenges daily. We all have to live
our lives amidst challenges. I try to practice seeing adversity as a
lesson, a gift and a teacher. We have the choice to live fully no
matter what comes our way. I feel so blessed and I say with deep
gratitude a thank you each morning for the many blessings that come
thanks to the pure effort. We came here because of a dream and because
we feel meant to be here to live our yoga and pursue peace and health
for Samoa and for all who take our adventures. I have come to believe
that any accomplishment is related to how well we deal with adversity
and the hard work we put into making the best of life.
This New Year is a time to get out from beneath the grasp of your own
limited inner critic (one of our greatest sources of adversity) and go
for what you really want. Yes, it takes a lot of work but let us be
committed to pursuing our dreams for 2008. Whatever it is that you
truly want, visualize yourself having it! Believe in it to make it
happen. Along the way, pat yourself on the back for what you have done
in the past year. Reflect then move forward with clarity and vision and
knowing that you can accomplish your resolutions this year! Below there
are three stories of people who have pursued and accomplished a dream
over the past year.
All our peace and best to you for this holiday and New Year. For the
wisdom and beauty that comes from being brave enough to live and pursue
your dreams, cheers. Having faith in your personal dharma, the life you
were born to live, is tough, but giving yourself the permission to go
for it is liberating. Practice letting go of limiting thoughts and know
that dreams happen one breath at a time. No one who has had a dream
knew how it would unfold; they just knew that it would! Have fun
imagining your life and the possibilities. Finally, try out the mudra
that we describe below to send and receive love, the fuel for all our
actions.
For New Years resolutions manifesting beautiful results,
Taialofa
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New Year's special!
 Wishing
you were booked on one of our Raw Shakti world tours in 2008? Wishing
for a way to revitalize your new year's resolution? Book any tour for
the upcoming year by the 15th of January and you will receive 10%
off. Full payment is required 90 days before the start date of the
tour. Deposit of USD$350 required. Book today and start the New Year
with a smile.
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| Upcoming Retreats |
Yoga Teacher Training Course in Nicaragua with the SchoolYoga Institute: December 28, 2007 - January 24, 2008
 One Month Intensive Yoga Teacher Training Certification Course (YTTC)
and Advanced Teacher Training Certification Course (ATTC) In Nicaragua
Presented by the SchoolYoga Institute, California, USA
www.schoolyogainstitute.com
learn more.
Yoga Tour in Samoa: March 25 - 31, 2008
 Enjoy this once in a lifetime 7 day tour which includes some of the
best Samoa has to offer. This yoga tour gives you the opportunity to
practice yoga in high prana places of natural beauty and interact with
the Samoan people....learn more.
India Yoga Adventure Retreat: April 12 - 25, 2008
 India is the birthplace of yoga. On this retreat into the heart of
India we explore Kerala, the southern state filled with tropical beauty
and rich culture. Kerala is known for Ayurveda, the holistic medical
system of India, and ....learn more.
Move your Body, Empower Your Life in Samoa: June 3 - 17, 2008
 Find
the rest, reunion, and rejuvenation you long for on the beautiful
island of Samoa. Reflect, renew, and rediscover yourself. In order to
fully inhabit your life, and live with less stress and more joy you
need to take time to ....learn more.
Rejuvenation Retreat in Samoa: June 21 - 27, 2008
 Join Taialofa for this luxury retreat in Samoa. You will stay at a
Le Vasa Resort with gorgeous views of Savaii, Apolima and Manono islands. Your
villa is near the water's edge. Enjoy personalized vinyasa yoga with Taialofa...learn more
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Josephine reflects on studying with some great modern day yogis
 Josephine
is a seasoned yogini who is a pioneer for yoga adventures as well as
the mother and inspiration of Taialofa. She studied yoga in India in
the 60's and continues to teach and study yoga. She says the teacher is
always the most involved student. She has had the great privilege of
studying with some great teachers these past few months of 2007.
Amidst
her full time yoga teaching career she made time to study with Angela
Farmer for a weekend of exploring the fluidity in the body. Angela
teaches from a very feminine place for how we explore the postures. She
speaks from her heart and from her own experiences which are rich with
insightful stories from her years of yoga. She teaches to stay well
grounded, to create length in the spine, and to receive the breath
"like your first lover who joined you at birth". Angela teaches how our
yoga becomes a beautiful free expression of life itself. We just need
to wake up our fluid energy body or pure raw shakti. As we practice... read more |
| Welsh twins in Samoa
It was to our great
excitement to be sitting on a plane heading for beautiful Samoa,
next to a lady who out of no surprise, lives and breathes yoga! For us this was
another 'meaningful coincidence', teaching us the truth of synchronicity in
life.
My sister and I were in the
last few days of our teenage years when we met Taialofa on our world trip. In Britain it is very common to take a
'gap year' before attending university. So we bought a world ticket allowing us
to explore India, followed
by Malaysia and then Thailand. Its
funny how yoga and spirituality began in India,
yet it was in Thailand
that I had my first encounter. A
beautiful monastery lay in the cool foothills of north Thailand, where
it seemed the perfect place to find some peace after a motorbike accident with
my sister left me with a limp! Actually I've always been very active, and due
to the injury I wondered what constructive thing I could do with my time that didn't
involve much movement! An American ...read more
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Climbing Samoa's tallest Mountain at 65
 My
name is Andy Lukes and I am a retired forester who served as the first
United States Peace Corps Forester in Samoa 40 years ago. As part of
that service, I spent considerable time over a nine month period
conducting the first forest inventory of the island of Savaii which
involved a great deal of time living and working in the bush.
I have not been back to Samoa since I left, so I took the opportunity
of the Peace Corps' 40th reunion to relive in a small way some those
life changing memories. Even a short stay in Samoa will change a
person's life and soul ... read more
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What's New
Newsline Newspaper column
Over
the past few months, Taialofa has been asked by one of the local
newspapers in Samoa to be their Healthy Lifestyle columnist. She has
been donating her time to support the health mission through this
weekly article.
Organic market now in Samoa!
Congratulations
to Women In Business, Inc. and their monthly organic food market in
Samoa. This is a tremendous step forward for high quality,
pesticide-free foods. The market will be held monthly at the back of
the tourism fale in Apia. Nourish your body and go organic!
United Nations International Volunteer day in Samoa.
This
day was organized to recognize the work of volunteers in Samoa and
"create a healthy Samoa." Raw Shakti was asked to set up a booth at
this day to give information about Yoga and its health benefits.The day
was a great success for all the volunteers living and working for a
healthier Samoa.
Samoan Institute of Directors
Chose the Raw Shakti vision and mission statement as an example of a great one that is working well, for their recent workshop.
Special Needs Yoga Classes
Nuanua
o le Alofa, Inc an organization advocating for the rights of people
with disabilities requested Raw Shakti to facilitate a stress
management and relaxation training from a Yoga perspective as part of
their Life Skills Workshop for people with disabilities in October. We
did yoga with blind, deaf and wheelchair people all at once! This was a
truly inspirational experience. By the end of the workshop everyone
created their own yoga postures brilliantly!
Returned Peace Corps Volunteer group 1 and 2 retreat in Samoa!
 We
were honored to tour this group around especially as most of them had
not come back to Samoa since they worked here as volunteers 40 years
ago! To see their reactions and hear of their time here was a pleasure.
The picture to the left is of the group at Falealupo, the place where
you see the last sunset in the world! We are all wearing our stylish
peach lavalavas!
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Classes
Health Attack Gym in Motootua Samoa:
- Tuesdays from 6:15-7:15 pm, 10 tala (US$4), Taialofa
- Thursdays from 6:15-7:15 pm, 10 tala (US$4), Heidi
Coconut's Beach Resort in Siumu, Samoa:
- Thursday from 10:30-11:30am, 35 tala (US$14.00)
If you have a group (in Samoa) and would like to set up a weekly class, please call 7796400.
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Gyan Mudra in Virasana
 A
mudra to open the heart. Come into virasana or any other comfortable
seated pose. Take a few breaths. Let the breaths become longer and more
relaxed. Take your left hand and place it with your palm facing upwards
above your lap. Take your right hand and form the gyan mudra over your
heart by bringing your index finger and thumb together. This finger
arrangement symbolizes the connection between you and the universe.
Take a few moments as you focus your attention to your heart region and
the anahata charka. Receive love with each in breath and send love to
the world with each out breath. Do this for a few minutes and make a
loving connection between yourself and the universe. This picture was
taken at Le Vasa Resort
at a very important cultural site to Samoa. This site signifies the
lasting peace between Samoa and Tonga since the twelfth century. Find a
place that will enhance your ability to send and receive love and
create peace. |
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Grandma's Peanut Butter Holiday Cookies Here's
one of my favorite comfort foods for the holidays. I like to eat them
after coming inside from playing in the snow. They are so good that
you'll like them even if you don't have snow to play in! I hope you
have a peaceful and joyful holiday season full of your favorite comfort
foods. 1 cup of granulated raw sugar
1 cup of brown sugar
1/2 cup of organic butter
1/2 cup of non-hydrogenated shortening
2 free-range eggs
1 cup of natural peanut butter
2 1/2 cups of all purpose unbleached organic flour
1 tsp of baking soda
1 tsp of sea salt
In
a large bowl, combine granulated raw sugar, brown sugar, butter and
non-hydrogenated shortening in a bowl and mix until smooth. Beat in
eggs, then natural peanut butter.Finally, stir in the all purpose
unbleached organic flour, baking soda and sea
salt.
Form into 1 inch balls,
place on ungreased cookie sheet and flatten with a fork.Place in oven (preheated to 350 degrees Fahrenheit) for
15-20 minutes or until lightly browned.Enjoy!
by Hana Massecar
Hana lives beside a picturesque lake in New Hampshire with her partner, Erik (Taialofa's
brother), and their 2 cats. She is an avid cyclist, food lover and overall
outdoor enthusiast. She has been
practicing Iyengar yoga since 2000. She is now taking an Iyengar yoga training course. Her
inspired cooking has been gracing tabletops and satisfying the hunger of many yogis.
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Josephine Russell
Josephine Russell, MA/DMT, RYT 500 Kripalu Yoga Teacher She
took her first yoga class on a slow boat to India back in the 60's.
Since India she has traveled the world studying yoga and meditation
with top teachers. Josephine has been a pioneer for bringing yoga out
into nature; she was one of the first to lead a "yoga and hiking" and a
"yoga and canoeing" retreat. She believes that like the ancient sages
arrived at the knowledge of the asanas while meditating in nature, we
can also learn a great deal from practicing out of doors.
Josephine lives in a passive solar home in the small town of Surry, New
Hampshire with her husband, JC; they have raised 4 children, 2 of which
teach yoga and lead retreats with her. She is unique in that she lives
a retreat-style life in her home. During the summer she is likely to be
off on an exotic adventure, such as canoeing a wilderness river in
Canada or climbing the highest peak in northern Africa.
On a retreat with Josephine expect to be enjoying the smells, sights,
and sounds that nature that lends for an intoxicating natural yoga
experience. She enjoys her quiet retreat home life but also puts her
whole heart into her full-time yoga teaching career, including leading
Yoga Adventure tours for Raw Shakti. The picture is from her
candlelight yoga class in China. Join her and environmental educator, Fritze Till, for an exquisite day of yoga in nature retreat in New Hampshire on January 19th and May 10th of 2008!
Andy Lukes
Andy
and his wife Sharon were fortunate to spend two wonderful years working
in the Peace Corps in Western Samoa during 1968 and 1969. Sharon was a
teacher and Andy worked in training forestry field personnel and
conducting the first complete forest inventory of the island of Savaii
for the Government of Samoa. After leaving Samoa they returned to
Montana where he worked professionally for the U.S. forest Service, the
State of Montana, Champion International and Stimson Lumber Company
until retiring in 2005. They have two children, Chip and Ben, and Andy
looks forward to bringing them to Samoa in the near future. |
Contact Info
Taialofa
Director of Raw Shakti
PO Box 684
Apia, Samoa
Samoa phone: (685) 7796400
USA phone: 1-888-YOGA-123
yoga@rawshakti.com
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