Meditation for Beginners with Neida Ratzlaff

Tuesdays
September 20 through October 11, 2016
9:00 - 10:00 am

At Radiance, 9 W Grant St., in the heart of downtown Lancaster, PA

Curious about meditation but intimidated by all of the mystery and options?  Metta, Transcendental, Mantra, Mindfulness, Chakra… in these classes you will experience each of these, and find the style that’s right for you.  We’ll go over the benefits of adding meditation to your yoga practice as we explore different types of meditation each week.  Each class will include time for questions and discussion. 

Week 1:  Mindfulness
Learn to appreciate being in the present moment as we practice two kinds of mindfulness meditation: breath awareness and chocolate meditation.  Yes, chocolate meditation!

Week 2:  Guided
Allow yourself to embrace a loving, compassionate state of mind as we practice a Metta (loving kindness) meditation.  Then relax into a place of peace and calm with a guided visualization.

Week 3:  Mudra and Chakra Mantra
We’ll explore ways to focus the intention of our meditation by learning various hasta mudras (hand seals) and work on energizing and balancing our chakras by chanting the bija mantra (seed sound) of each chakra.

Week 4:  Sight and Sound
In this class we’ll continue to explore mantra (sacred sound) to deepen our meditation.  We’ll also color mandalas (sacred circles) to visually ground us and promote healing and inner peace.

These classes will be held at Radiance, 9 W Grant St, just across the cobblestones from Central Market in downtown Lancaster. Cost for the series is $50.00.  To register, call Radiance at 717-290-1517, or stop in. 

Neida started her Yoga path with the goal of “taking 40 by the throat”. She pushed herself through heated Hatha styles of yoga growing stronger and more flexible as her practice grew. Her focus was attaining and holding the perfect posture, maintaining balance and alignment. She began taking tougher and tougher classes at a variety of local and distant studios. With eyes towards becoming stronger and better, Neida studied to become a Certified Yoga Teacher at Gateway Bodyworks and Wellness Center. It was there that she found a match to the Yang of her practice; the gentle Yin of her teaching. Neida has developed a beautiful style at the boundaries of a traditional Western class. She includes the rituals of mudra, breath, and motion in synchronicity – adapting props to encourage the body into releasing. But don’t be fooled, she still moonlights as the tough one.

Ogham Readings with Adam Davis all next week!

Tuesday thru Friday, August 23 thru 26, 2016, 10am-4:30pm
Tuesday, August 30, 2016, 10am-4:30pm

Radiance, 9 W Grant St, in the heart of downtown Lancaster, across the NEW beautiful brick alley from market.  Call 717-290-1517 to schedule an appointment.

Many people are familiar with the Tarot, the I Ching, and the Runes as divination tools. Fewer read the Ogham, an ancient Celtic system of symbols used for divination. Adam has been working with this system for many years, and is a gifted reader.

Top of Form

Bottom of Form

The Tree Ogham set that he will be using was collected over a two year period. Each stave of the set was a gift from a North American relative of the symbol's corresponding European tree. Adam enjoyed the lessons that he received about Ogham through conversations with these trees.

As part of the evolution of Adam’s ogham reading practice, messages from the ogham may be enhanced by or integrated with information from rocks and power animals.

Adam says, "If you are interested in messages from the Tree Ogham, I will be reading with them (sometimes in combination with rocks) at Radiance.  Feel free to stop by or call Radiance for more information. Cheers, Adam."

Cost is $30 for a half hour, or $60 for an hour.

Let's Make... an Herbal Corn Dollie!

With magical crafter, Phyllis Soliday
and herbalist, Sarah Preston

Saturday afternoon, August 20, 2016 from 1 until 4pm
at Radiance, in the heart of downtown Lancaster, PA

RESCHEDULED TO SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 25!

A corn dollie is a small figure made of corn husks or straw. Corn dollies are part of the folk customs surrounding the grain harvest in Great Britain and much of Europe. In that part of the world, "corn" originally referred to any grain, especially wheat, and it is grain straw, that goes into making corn dollies. When European colonists came to North America, they brought the tradition with them and began using corn husks, the sacred grain of this land.  In this context, the word "dolly" is probably a variation of the word "idol."
In Europe, it was believed that the spirit of the corn lived in the growing crop, and the dolly gave the corn spirit shelter after the crop was harvested. The dolly was usually burned or ripped apart in the fields before planting time the next spring. Destroying the dolly released the spirit and allowed it to aid another successful harvest.
Phyllis has been making corn dollies for several years (the photograph above is one of her dolls), and includes an intention in the making of each doll.  She suggests possibilities like a house-warming doll, a healing doll, a marriage-blessing doll, a doll for a specific season or celebration.  Herbs and materials would be dependent on the purpose of the doll.
Join us on Saturday, August 20 at 1pm, at Radiance, and make your own corn dollie!  To register, call Radiance at 717-290-1517, or stop in whenever the shop is open, 9 W Grant St, in downtown Lancaster, across the cobblestones from historic Central Market.

Cost of the class is $35.  Materials will be provided, but feel free to bring any bits of ribbon or other decorations you would like to use.  To register, call Radiance at 717-290-1517, or stop in whenever the shop is open, 9 W Grant St, in downtown Lancaster, across the cobblestones from historic Central Market.