From Spirits to Spirituality: Atma Center Celebrates 10th Anniversary August 15
Atma Center Calendar of Coming Events
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THE YOGA CONNECTION
From Spirits to Spirituality:
Atma Center Celebrates 10th Anniversary August 15
By Mantram (Mary Baird)
Atma Center, Early Days
Believe it or not, the space occupied by the Atma Center previously housed a state liquor store! We hope our students and Cleveland Heights neighbors share our satisfaction with the transformation.
Last issue’s interview with Atmarupa recounted the early days of Cleveland’s premier yoga studio. Atma shared her motivation for transitioning from 25 years in anesthesiology to teaching yoga and opening a health and wellness center in 1997. The early Atma Center housed a yoga studio, retail store, and space for holistic health practitioners like massage therapists, chiropractors and acupuncturists.
Atma started with 5 classes per week. These became so popular it soon increased to 15 per week resulting in the need to train more teachers. As the yoga boom began in the early 2000’s, the Atma Center created a second studio in the retail area and offered up to forty classes every week!
Fast forward to the present era. After purchasing the building in 2004, a long overdue renovation took place - a major milestone for Atma Center, which now hosts a full fledged multi-media library, 250 students per week, and more than a dozen teachers. Our growing “yoga community” is our most valued treasure.
In 2007, the Atmas (Atmadarshan and Atmarupa) purchased a nearby house where students can experience a traditional yoga environment while attending workshops, overnight getaways, or Yogic Studies courses.
Atma Center's programs and services have grown to include weekend retreats, special guest presentations, yoga therapy workshops, group trips to India, Kirtan and free chanting sessions, as well as community outreach - bringing yoga to special events like Senior Safari Days at the zoo this summer. Our professional Yog@Work program provides on site yoga classes for area businesses, nonprofits, schools, and other community agencies.
Introducing Yoga Academy North America (YANA). Perhaps the most significant milestone in recent years has been Atma Center’s official designation as North America’s only location for SATYANANDA YOGA® Teacher Training and Yogic Studies programs. With the support and approval of SATYANANDA YOGA ACADEMY® in Australia, we offered the first Yogic Studies course in August 2002. Over 80 students have graduated from these renowned courses. Some come from as far away as Spain and the Netherlands to receive the training. Presently, Atma Center is one of only two centers internationally which is authorized to offer the teacher training segment.
Atma Center as a business has evolved and grown from a staff of one in the early days to a staff of seven today. Still a small operation, Atma Center's yoga and retail business requires staffers to be willing and able to wear several hats, often working as a team. Covering the store and student registration counter during business hours is a collaborative effort shared and enjoyed by all.
The next 10 years? Stay tuned – it’s sure to be exciting!
Atma Center today
Calling All Students
As part of our 10th anniversary celebration we would like our past and current students to write about any experience at the center they wish to share. We will have a journal available at the center or email us at info@atmacenter.com.
Good Things Come in 10’s on Wednesday August 15th !
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Join us for Atma Center’s
10th Anniversary Celebration!
10 Hours of Fun from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
10% Off Everything in the Store
10% Off Atma Center Memberships (week of August 13 - 19)
10 Hourly Special Events Include Free Classes
And Other Unique Offerings: Chair Massage, Live Music, Food
Raffle Drawings Hourly for Many Exciting Prizes
8pm Grand Prize Drawing: One Year Atma Center Membership
Be Among the First to Witness the Unveiling of Our New Atma Center Retail Area
Raffle proceeds will be donated to the childrens’ programs in India.
Regular Atma Center Classes will also be held that day.
Click here for more details
Yog@Work Update
By Mantram, Yog@Work Coordinator
Since 2004, Atma Center has sent instructors to area workplaces for on site Yoga classes. Students learn techniques for enhancing overall wellness and managing work-related stress. Nearly forty organizations have utilized this service to date. Although the program is called Yog@Work, it is notable that several of our most enthusiastic participants have been agencies who want yoga for their own clients. In addition to Chair Yoga for assisted living residents at The McGregor Home, we provide a weekly "Yoga for Relaxation" class at the United Cerebral Palsy Association where the students enjoy relaxed breathing, Kirtan rhythms, and story yoga.
A recent new offering of Yog@Work was an on site training workshop “Practical Yoga for Office Staff” offered to employees at the U.S. Bankruptcy Court at five different Northern Ohio locations. This training spanned two sessions and was designed to focus on office ergonomics and easy stretching and breathing techniques for staffers “chained” to computers for long hours. Students were provided with an illustrated handbook and a CD with simple practices to use on the job for mini-breaks from computer work.
Atma Center Calendar of Coming Events
| August 6 | Six-Week Class Session begins |
| September 7-9 | Yoga Getaway: Yogic Lifestyle Retreat - a weekend retreat into a yogic environment |
| Sep 29 - Oct 6 | Yogic Studies 1a intensive. Deepen your knowledge of yoga, develop a home practice, or take the first step toward Teacher Training. For details on this or other upcoming Yogic Studies Courses, click here |
| October 6 - 13 | Yogic Studies 1b intensive. Builds on the material from Yogic Studies 1a and focuses on Yogic Physiology and Ayurveda. For details on this or other upcoming Yogic Studies Courses, click here |
| October 13 - 20 | Yogic Studies 1c intensive. Builds on the material from Yogic Studies 1a & 1b and focuses on Yogic Psychology. For details on this or other upcoming Yogic Studies Courses, click here |
| Dec 3-18 or 27 | Journey to Mystic India. Join Atmarupa for the trip of a lifetime! See the Taj Mahal at sunrise and take a boat ride on the Ganges in the magical city of Varanasi. Participate in the last year of a unique 12 year program conducted at the remote ashram of Parmahansa Satyananda. Join like-minded yoga students from around the world. Deadline for deposit is Sep. 1, 2007. Details here |
| More events are always being added - please check our Upcoming Events page often! |
This newsletter is provided to you by the Atma Center, 2319 Lee Road, Cleveland Heights, Ohio. 216-371-9760. The Atma Center is one of three places authorized worldwide to offer advanced training in SATYANANDA YOGA® through Yogic Studies and Teacher Training courses.