Dear Yogapada Community,

In practice and in Life it is an important and an invaluable reminder that all things come to pass. Anything that we form is subject to transformation. When transformation is greeted with a healthy measure of goodwill and right intention then positive new growth can potentially emerge. New growth that is green, abundant, stable and vital.

This Fall I am relinquishing full directorship and ownership of Yogapada. On September 1st 2007 Yogapada and Yoga Shala of Portland, will join forces in collaborative effort to broaden both schools visions. It is with mixed emotions, yet great excitement that I move into this new transformation, as Yogapada has stood on its own for over 10 years. In July of 2007, Matt Huish and Jody Kurilla, the owners and directors of Portland Yogashala, approached Yogapada, about coming together in a unified project. After a few short interactions it became very clear that we all shared a common vision, even though we don't share the same teachers or form. One core element became very apparent; we do share a common lineage of Yoga, which comes from Krishnamacharya.

There have been times in the past 10 years when both Matt and I practiced together, as well as Jody and myself. As the years went by we all grew to open our own schools. This point in time represents a reuniting that is quite effortless and filled with immense short, mid and long term potential growth for our Yogapada teachers and the student base of both schools. This merger also broadens the opportunities for all of us to study together under one roof with a broader base of guest teachers that we will host from the US and abroad.

I conceived Yogapada in 1997, after years of self practice and in-depth study with Richard Freeman, Ranjani, Tias Little and Ramanand Patel, to name a few of my early influences. Tias actually gave Yogapada its name. Having held the doors of Yogapada open for the last 13 years, the opportunities to travel and teach both nationally and internationally are beginning to manifest themselves. As well, I have been active in assisting Tias in his Prajna Advanced Training program and at various Yoga conferences he is invited to teach at. Tias and I have always had very close kinship and we feel devoted to working together in this capacity. I look forward to integrating this work into the common vision of Yogapada and Yoga Shala.

I have cherished the opportunity to develop so many meaningful relationships with so many of you over the years as Yogapada has ebbed and flowed into its various formats, locations and dynamics of transformation. As I have been partial witness to some of your own transformations, it has been my honor to help, and hopefully inspire, each of you to find your own pathway of Yoga. And, as we move forward into yet another chapter, my hope is that your practice may continue to lengthen, widen and deepen. As I write this it is a bittersweet moment for my soul. Yet as I look around at my current teaching staff; Jack Mason, Heather Beckett, Vince Shreck, Jen Slater, and Mandy Kruger I am filled with inspiration, not only for myself, both student bases, but also for the opportunities that lie ahead for all of us as teachers.

As of lately, as many of you have noticed, my presence at Yogapada has diminished as I have stepped away from the studio to explore my own practice, and some outside of Portland teaching venues. As a result my daily contact with many of you has diminished somewhat. With this merging of Yogapada and Yoga Shala I anticipate a renewed increase in time spent together on the mat.

The current plan is for Yogapada to move into Yoga Shala's southeast space, at S.E. Division St. at 31st. In addition some classes may be offered at Yoga Shala's Williams street space. The Division street space is very sweet. There are two studios there. The two studios will allow us to build a more integrated yoga curriculum based on our foundation of Ashtanga Iyengar integration. We will begin in September with early morning Mysore classes and guided classes both in the morning and the evening. Our yoga training program of Mastering, Continuing and Integrating the Basics will also be offered. About half of the classes at the Division space will be taught by former Yogapada teachers and the other half will be taught by current Yogashala teachers. The address for Yogashala is: www.yogashalapdx.com

I and the teaching staff at Yogapada extend our heartfelt gratitude and grace to each of you for all of the support you have provided over the years. Together we have evolved Yogapada to this most auspicious point and we can now look forward to sharing with all the longtime faces we know, as well as many new faces that we will meet. May your practice continue to sail steady with the winds of change. So it is with a deep bow I close, and hope to see you all soon.

Om Namo Shiva Om

- Timo Jimenez