Sunday, April 11^th 2010            6: 00 pm-7: 30PM

4 attendees

Meeting opened with Ellen reviewing the invitation responses that she received from non-attending members about RYTC meetings and event participation.  The interest in future meeting participation is reported as minimal.  The interest in participating in future events/event planning is reported as moderate.

Ellen will report back to the group following a meeting with an accountant to determine how RYTC funds will be handled.

The attending members decided to limit all collaborative efforts to a single group advertising and event idea.  A subsequent push for membership drive will follow the completion of the group-advertising endeavor.

Kathleen is drafting a letter to be sent to the RYTC email list of yoga teachers/studios proposing the idea of a group advertisement of a collaborative promotional series of classes.  The group-ad will be run in the free, local circulars of all the communities in the RYTC catchment area (Foster Home Journal, Bargain Buyer, Coventry Reminder, Turnpike Buyer, Sunrise).  Interested teachers/studios would offer a limited class series at a reduced rate to spark interest in potential new students.  The aim is to promote recognition and attendance at participating studios/teachers as well as of RYTC itself.

The first email would determine interested participants and a follow-up letter would include details to those in agreement.  The project completion date is set for August 19^th for the launch of the advertisement.

Other membership motivators mentioned include:

• Featuring an RYTC member of the month on the website.
• Wholesale purchasing of equipment and props with group affiliation.

Members agreed that there continues to be a need for existing members to post info/copy to the website regarding upcoming events, or articles.

The attending members will be communicating via email to execute the initial steps of this endeavor before the next RYTC meeting that will be on Sunday, June 13^th, 6pm at One Center for Yoga in Foster, RI.

This workshop is for Yoga teachers and Yoga students looking to develop an understanding of safe and effective ways to work with the structural challenges of scoliosis

Join ellen, E-RYT 500, as we will explore the epidemiology and the therapeutic application of Yoga asana (postures) for those with scoliosis.

Saturday June 12, 2010 1:00 – 5:00  $50
CEU’s are available for certified Yoga teachers.

Talked about creating a group advertisement where we run a special, for beginner students, attending class at a participating members studio.  If we have enough interest we could run a full page ad. in the Foster Home  Journal & ads. in the Bargain Buyer.

Discussed the need for another membership drive.  Thinking of offering members a discount to all other members studios.  Discount on classes and possibly workshops. This will be discussed in greater detail at our next meeting.

There is interest in doing another event.  Possibly a 90 minute class with each teacher teaching one or a set of poses. We will look at dates during the next meeting.

Mentioned that our next meeting is scheduled on the weekend of the Boston Yoga Conference.  No one felt that would impact their attendance so we did not change the date of the next meeting which is April 11th.

It was agreed that we would eliminate the Yoga Sequence of the month column on the web site until we have enough participation to keep it updated.  For now I will change the name instead of deleting it from the site

Present: Kathleen Swanson, Lora LoPicollo, Stacia LaCroix, Anita Bevans, Beth Tippet

1. Stacia LaCroix presented information on Judith Lasaters Yoga Works book.

2. Old Business:
A. Voting Board will consist of Ellen Schaeffer, Lora LoPiccolo, Anita Bevens, Stacia LaCroix and Kathleen Swanson. (Kathleen will step down if anyone else indicates interest) We agreed to vote on this at the next meeting.

B. Updates to Website:
Monthly Sequence Column. Group discussed monthly column and how teachers can rotate through in providing sequences. Lora LoPicollo will provide February, Anita Bevans will provide March.

Website will launch 1/4/2010

Workshop flyer submission deadline will be December 22nd.

Stacia will have Ellen email revised letter for studios so that we can review.

C. 108 Salutations Event:
Group reviewed 108 salutations flyer provided by Lora LoPicollo. All thought the flyer looked great. Lora needs the Logo from Ellen. A discussion followed on the layout of the flyer and wording of copy. Members also discussed the idea of providing a sample video on the website along with a FAQ section in case people have questions.

Group discussed order of salutations and whether or not people can jump in during a salutation. This will be the order: 1/2 sun salute, Kneeling sun salute, Sun salute B, Modified Chair Salute, Sun salute C, Moon Salute, Cloud Salute, Sivananda Salute, Sun Salute A

We need a greeter who can provide people coming in with information

Lora will ad that a portion of proceeds will go to the R.I. Food Bank.

D. Community Yoga
No news or updates. Allot of unanswered questions. Tabled until next meeting.

E. Natural Awakenings article
Members discussed article and how it will sync up with launch of website and 108 Sun Salutes event.

3. New Business
A. Members discussed whether or not non-yoga events can be listed on the website – consensus is that if it supports Yogic living then yes. This can be handled on a case-by-case basis, going to the board for a vote if required.
B. Members discussed offering affiliate memberships to teachers/studio’s outside of catchment. Members agreed we should, can be reviewed on a case by case basis
C. Lora will submit workshop, “Yoga for Teens”
Kathleen will submit workshop “Oppositional Forces in Asana”
D. Joys and Challenges
Members discussed joys and challenges of teaching.

3. Next Board Meeting: 11/29/2009; 6pm

Meeting adjourned at 8:45 pm

The event was a wonderful success.  We had a full house throughout the morning. The salutations ranged from refreshingly vigorous to a slow and deeply meditative chair salutation.  There truly was something for everyone.

The back office, in the studio, was filled with conversation as participants enjoyed healthy snacks and a chair massage. Many thanks to Lisa Ivans of Massage for Women (http://www.livens.massagetherapy.com/) for the donation of her time.

Speaking of donations, the event raised $260 to be shared with the RI food bank.

The members of RYTC hope that everyone who attended felt inspired by the event and those of you who could not make it will visit us soon.

Be well and happy healthy new year!

I have a vivid imagination, and the day of the session I pictured a room full of “perfect” people eager to sign up for class. In contrast, I felt far from perfect but tried not to let my insecurities rob me of an opportunity to learn more.

The fact was that many of my usual negative thoughts had recently begun to undergo subtle changes over the past year or so. Through the practice of yoga, I was beginning to see myself through less judgmental eyes. I was becoming a little nicer to myself and was starting to cut myself some slack.

I had also been reading books on yoga and yoga philosophy and had been introduced to the idea that the things we tell ourselves are not always true! That was a big one for me – the concept that sometimes our inner thoughts about who we think we are may not always be correct. With this new truth in mind, the possibility of me becoming a Yoga Teacher gained a spark of credibility. The thought “Maybe I Could” was a huge breakthrough for me.

I went to the informational session given by Ellen Schaeffer of One Yoga and was very proud of myself for even walking through the door. I fought against the nagging thoughts that entered my head: You don’t belong here. You can’t do this. You’re not perfect.

Figuring I had nothing to hide, I voiced some of these concerns out loud to the gathering. Of course, as a group of nonjudgmental yoga practitioners, they did their best to allay my concerns, most of which were firmly grounded in decades of social conditioning and negative self-talk.

I appreciated their kind words and even the laughs they had at my misguided fears. They had me thinking that maybe I could do this. Maybe this was something within my reach.

I’ve taken the next step and have made the one-year commitment to start down the path to teaching. I still do daily battle with my thoughts and my body, but I’m incredibly proud of myself for taking this step and facing my fears. I have no doubt that this year will result in life-changing events for me and that my mind, body and spirit will reap the benefits yoga has to offer.

Submitted by Lorraine Letellier

• Review content of new website and made suggestions for changes
• Agreed that we should add a page to the site that will allow people to see the format of our meeting and archived highlights of current meetings
• Created a 3 step outreach strategy to alert more teachers to our services
• Worked on the compositional elements of an out reach letter to be mailed to studios within our catchment area
• Discussed how RYTC is much more then another web directory
• Set up dates for our next 4 meetings

Dates for Upcoming Meetings

• Aug 30, 2009 at 6:00pm
• Sept 27, 2009 at 6:00pm
• Nov 1, 2009 at 6:00pm
• Nov 29, 2009 at 6:00pm