Summer

It's the middle of summer and Flat Creek Yoga Hostel has been busy with many interesting guest. There are currently two ladies staying here for Asheville Yoga Center's summer 23 day Intensive teacher training. It's always such a delight to meet fellow yogini's and share where we are on our spiritual paths. We've had many wonderful shared dinners together, enjoyed the cool evenings out on the back deck and quiet mornings in meditation. Personally I've gone much deeper in my sadhana these last few months. My work with Scott Marmorstein (http://www.sparklingaura.com/welcome.html) ignited a fire that has taken me much deeper and further in my meditations and practice. I'm looking forward to working with Scott again next month when he'll be here for the Carolina Anusara gathering ( http://carolinagathering.com/ ) at Blue Ridge Assembly in Black Mountain. Scott is the real deal; a truly gifted healer and energy worker. If one is receiptive to the Shakti, great gifts can flow through.

Last weekend I received my first level Reiki attunement and have experienced subtle changes in my energy and meditations. My intent is to not only work with humans but with animals in my care at the veterinary hospital. Last week I met the challenge of having to send one of my cats on to the other side. Maxfield had been diagnosed with brain cancer. The deeper I go into my spiritual practice the more ease I find when faced with such difficult decisions. I miss him a lot but know that releasing him was the most compassionate decision and I really am ok with it. I'm grateful for his love these last 3 years we spent together and feel good about what I gave him in return. Animals continually amaze me in their capacity to love so deeply and unconditionally. We have such opportunity to learn about love from them if we are willing to surrender and open our hearts to what they have to share.

In closing, I look forward to meeting new guest as they pass through the doors of my space and embrace each lesson that they offer.

Namaste',
Donna

Flat Creek Yoga Hostel

Namaste' from Donna of Flat Creek Yoga Hostel. Located in quaint Weaverville, NC, a quick 10 min drive from Asheville. FCYH provides safe, comfortable housing for yogini's (female students) who are studying yoga and healing arts at the local studios/schools, making trainings affordable and your resting space peaceful and rejuvenating. Your stay at FCYH includes a private room, private or shared bath, fully equipped kitchen, deck with an incredible view for praciticing, full line of yoga props for your use, a large yoga library, comfortable living room, sheets and towels provided. There are over 110 acres of hiking trails on private land in close proximity to the hostel as well as Flat Creek which runs just below the house. FCYH is situated in a beautiful natural mountain environment.

The cost is $40/night with a 2 night minimum and a non-refundable deposit of $40 to reserve your space. Please book in advance as space fills up quickly when there are workshops in town. FCYH can accommodate longer stays for the 23 day intensive trainings. Please call for current rates.

FCYH is a drug and smoke free environment. I do have cats/dogs, but provide an exceptionally clean environment.

Parking is limited. If attending a workshop with other guest, carpooling would save on gas and car shuffling.

Quiet time, after 9p on weekdays, 10p on weekends out of courtesy to other guest and host.


FCYH is owned by a Donna Tully, who completed Stephanie Keach's teacher training in 2000. Donna has taught yoga since 2001 at local yoga studios and at AB Tech Community College. She has spent over 300 hours in training with John Friend, founder of Anusara yoga, as well as with Eric Schiffman, Desiree Rumbaugh, Sianna Sherman, Darren Rhodes, Mitchel Bleirer, Shala Worsley, Joe Taft, Barbara Hall and many others.

To reserve your space at FCYH please call 828 230 2517 or email: donnalama65 at gmail dot com

Auspicious Weekend

This past weekend I had the great honor to study with my primary yoga instructor John Friend, founder of Anusara yoga. John was here in Asheville teaching a yoga therapeutics workshop and asana class. I had attended a therapy training with him in NYC in 2003, therefore I only attended the asana class. As always, John's teaching was filled with Shakti and deeply touched the hearts of all who attended. Each moment I spend with John is profound. On Monday, I was blessed with a great gift, a healing session with Scott Marmorstein, a spiritual energy healer who often travels with John. The awakening I experienced was so profound that I'm still in the process of the process, so to speak. Scott is a powerful healer and can awaken incredible divine energy in those who are open to it. I've come to a simple awareness that this life experience for me is to simply be a vessel for Source energy to flow through. I've come to the realization that I was the only thing getting in the way of my Spiritual progress, through worry, negative thinking and resistance. All worries have ceased and the intention for everything I do, whether in thought, action, experience, is to be a conduit for Spirit to flow freely through. My meditation practiced has deeply expanded. I'm certain little progress can be made on the Spiritual path without a strong commitment to your meditation practice. There are few other ways to quiet the mind and hear the inner promptings of Spirit without this practice. I've also come to the realization my choices in company, activity, thought, food etc. all reflect in either a positive or negative way on my Spirit. Therefore, mindful choices are of the utmost import to me now.

I feel amazing relief in this surrender. It's simple, yet I struggled for so long to get here. I feel liberated at every layer of my being and am so ecstatically grateful to those who have guided (and continue to guide) me along this most auspicious path.

You can read more about Scott's work on the Source Energy Healing link in the area of "Websites of interest" section of this blog. I also highly recommend his book, "Sparkling Aura, Sparkling Life."

In Peace and Light-
donna

Extraordinare Day

Today I was blessed with a half day off from work, after a grueling week. The weather is gorgeous; warm, sunny, blue bird sky. The air is crystal clear which allows the mountains to show all of their glory. I spent the day up in the Coleman Boundary, a section of Pisgah National Forest in Barnardsville, a mere 20 minutes away. I took the dogs and O'Reilly up there to trail ride. We had a wonderful, peaceful day. The Ivy River, which flowed right next to us most of the trail, was raging from all the rain. It was amazingly powerful in its movement and provided a comforting background sound to our ride. Filled with Shakti and life giving energy, I couldn’t help but hear OM in the torrent of the water. When listening, one can find the sound of OM, the sound of Universal vibration, in nearly everything, even in the most distracting noises of life. OM, resonates in all things within and without. Try making it a practice to see if you can hear OM in simple things, such as nature, traffic, wind chimes or your breath. When you can make a mindful shift, the cacophony of life transforms into music of the spirit.

Blessings in your journey.

Rain, Rain, Rain

We've certainly seen our share of rain and precipitation, in various forms, in the last month here in Western NC. We've had the most erratic weather I've seen in quite some time. Last week it snowed 2 days in a row after having reached the 70's just days prior. The garden is loving the life giving moisture and should prove bountiful this summer. Finding gratitude for the rain can be challenging some days, as I muck through knee-deep mud to feed the horses. I am reminded that all is good and how parched the earth was just months ago. We were in a serious state of drought that gripped the entire Southeast for the past 2 years. I do love a good thunderstorm. Reminds me of my childhood growing up in NE Florida. We've had thunder and hail today and the energy generated by a storm is exhilarating. It causes me to reflect on the fact that we are all energy. Everything holds an energetic charge and it's what we do with our energy that causes an effect on everything around us. I'm reminded of this on a daily basis as I work with animals at the veterinary hospital where I'm employeed. I try and see things through their eyes as they come in for a procedure. They're usually quite scared and I'm compelled to ease their fears with a grounded and calm demeanor. It's a meditation practice within itself. A practice of mindfulness that I attempt to cultivate daily.

Bears

The nights have turned chilly again but the days are warm and balmy. This is an aspect of spring I love. Cold nights and warm days, similar to weather in the desert. We've gotten loads of rain and my garden and grass seeds are springing up nicely. This week has been exciting in the wild animal department. We've had a visiting black bear perusing the neighborhood. I just put up new bird feeders in the front yard two weeks ago. I've risen the last three mornings to find the feeders torn apart and bear tracks all over the yard and driveway. Looks to be a small bear due to the size of the prints. For the 21 years I've lived in N. Carolina, I've only seen one bear, despite all my time spent in the woods hiking and horseback riding. The only one I've seen was feeding next to the parkway. Quite elusive. I'm thrilled to live in an area that has abundant wildlife. On jaunts to the "enchanted cow pasture" I've seen fox, coyotes, bobcat paw prints and scat, hundreds of blue birds, as well as red-tail and broad-winged hawks, egrets, a great blue heron that has lived there for years and enormous flocks of crows. The spring peepers are back now that the days have warmed. A signature sound of spring. When I'm feeding the horses, early in the mornings and late evenings, the peepers and bird song create a nice symphony to start and end my days. A reminder of the interconnectedness of life. Nature is a natural vibrational lifter for the spirit and soul. See what sounds you hear throughout your day that will help you to pause and remember your spirit. It's a meditation within itself and allows one to pause the mind chatter leaving the "worldly" mind, if only for a moment.
Come enjoy the beauty of nature at Flat Creek yoga hostel.

These last few days..........

These last few days have had a turn back toward winter. The highs have been in the mid-forties and lows in the 30's. A shock to the system after having relished such seductive spring-like weather this last week! It is a nice opportunity to return within, both spiritually and physically with the inclement weather and do "inside" projects. I spent last weekend doing seed starts for my vegetable garden. I have been blessed with a new greenhouse and have several heirloom varieties of tomatoes, peppers, peas, beets, gourds, squash, zucchini and various herbs started. I also started a barrel full of lettuce and greens. The seeds are popping up everywhere and each day is a new surprise. It's such a simple, yet totally amazing and awe inspiring event to plant a seed and watch it sprout and grow. It's also a nice time to roll out the yoga mat and zafu in front of the fireplace and practice self-cultivation .

Flat Creek Yoga hostel is getting quite busy with the new blogspot and all the upcoming yoga events this season. I've had numerous emails and phone calls about bookings. I welcome the opportunity to meet new friends and reconnect with past visitors as well.