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Monday 5:25am - 6:40am Tuesday 6pm - 7:30pm 7:45pm - 9:15pm Wednesday 8:30am - 10am Thursday 6pm - 7:30pm Friday 5:25am - 6:40am

Serenity Circle Yoga

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United States
Cabin John, MD
Serenity Circle Yoga

A spa for the soul..................

Morning and Evening Yoga Classes. Workshops. Reiki sessions. Meditation. All in a light filled home studio!

All yoga classes are mixed level. Morning classes are for men and women. Women's evening classes are held Tuesday and Thursday at 6:00 pm. A men's only class is held Tuesday's at 7:45 pm. Classes are Vinyasa flow and include aromatherapy, a wide range of music, breath work, meditation and a long savasansa - with Sarah's signature head massage! Morning Classes are $15 and Evening Classes are $20.

01/19/2026

….joy

Yogis,
I’m sitting here late Sunday afternoon watching the world turn pink as the sun sinks below the horizon. Low clouds make the blush in the air linger and mix with the smell of smoke from a fire burning in our family room. The closing curtain of a joy filled weekend.

The world is difficult right now. Yet if we are open to receiving it, joy can unexpectedly slide in. Often in the simplest of ways.

Saturday night I went to a friend’s dance party. After some mingling and yummy food, the music was turned up. Couches and dining table were pushed to the end of the room so the the old wood floors could act as a dance floor. Colored strobes lit the space as one by one people joined in. For the next hour and a half we stood in a circle and danced. No agenda. Not self-conscious. Twirling with flowy scarves in hand, swiveling hips with arms thrown in the air. Letting go.

Joy arrived.

Sunday I threw out an invitation to my sons and their families for brunch here at the house for whoever could make it. My sons showed up with three of my grandkids. Two of my son’s friends heard they were here and came by with their own children.

Watching the little ones dive into my toy closet for the same match box cars and figurines that their fathers had played with warmed my heart. Hearing ‘Nana’ yelled from another room when they wanted to show me something. Realizing how comfortable they have become in my home.

I hike through the woods with my oldest son and granddaughter to visit the hill he grew up sledding down. My granddaughter, with our shared love for nature, not wanting the hike to end.

Beams of joy turned on.

It is said that happiness and joy are different. Happiness measures how good we feel over time. Joy though is a bright light in this very moment.

Since it is only this moment that exists, let’s find simple ways to invite joy. I believe the more of these moments, the happier we are.

The simple things.

Glowing with joy,
SARAH

01/11/2026

….tribe

Yogis,
“Will you still need me, will you still feed me, when I’m 64’…….I am about to find out.

It was my birthday Friday. Driving to the beach I got a call from my parents who sang a slightly out of tune Happy Birthday (a family tradition).

My sister and husband were coming to host a birthday dinner for me on Saturday night. My sisters-in-law now live there and over the years we have become close with their two friends, and more recently with another who migrated east. The group of us often get together when we are down so Saturday was no exception.

Some time ago we realized we needed a text group to make it easier to keep in touch, share news and arrange details. My sister created it and named it ‘tribe.’ The label has stuck. Now it not only pertains to the way we communicate but also names a deeper level of connection we have developed.

I looked up the definition of tribe. I took snippets from some to create one that fits the sense we have of each other. ‘A human social group that shares common language and core values, has a common sense of identity and feels a sense of belonging.’

Last night as we gathered around the table for the incredible feast my sister cooked with love, I realized how much we have all shared. The laughter. The caring. There for each other during some difficult times. Celebrating each other’s accomplishments. Knowing we can count on each other. No matter what.

We are always told how important community is to our wellbeing. At times I wonder exactly what that looks like. Then I think of the tribe.

Tribes come in a variety of forms, and often we have several. They can be family or friend groups. Women’s circles. Others who share a passion. A running group. Yoga class.

I was given a birthday badge and headband to wear. Thoughtful gifts. A delicious cake. Plenty of hugs. Yet it is the warmth and sense of connection we feel at the end of the evening that I realize is the gift of community we seek.

I belong,
SARAH

01/04/2026

……word

Yogis,
How would I describe the energy of 2025?

What comes to mind is a carnival ride. Like a roller coaster where you never know what sharp turn is ahead. A steep climb and just as things level out a hurtling freefall. Or maybe the ride which spins so fast you become stuck to the wall with a frozen smile while the floor drops out from under your feet. Far from center…..

I don’t think we were designed for a life so fast paced and unpredictable.

After Christmas I began to open to what my ‘Word of the Year’ would be. Again this year it wasn’t easy for me. One word kept showing up though. Stillness. Yet I wasn’t ready to take that one on.

In the meantime, I had signed up to receive a daily email quote from Sadhguru, an Indian spiritual teacher my father had found to be down to earth, wise and thought provoking. In his free time, Sadhguru rides his motorcycle, long beard blowing in the wind, at times uses salty language and is sure to dance daily. I get the connection…..

On December 30 I open the email to this quote, ‘In stillness, there is no time”. Well, ok then.

As I try on the energy of stillness, I realize what I yearn for is a return to a stiller mind. One that is more present and centered, not pasted to the spinning walls of the world. And only by slowing body and breath will I find it again.

But as you visualize, you must also do. Otherwise the word is merely a passing wish.

I dig out and spread all of my painting supplies on the coffee table where I will sit often. I fill the bird feeder and watch the blue birds return to check out the home rentals. Unloading groceries I stop and peer into my bare oak tree.

I looked back thinking last year’s word was simple. That was actually 2 years ago, but I had kept it and added quiet on top. I am sensing a thread here that clearly must continue to be pulled through the fabric of my day to day life.

The world makes it challenging, but I intend to find stillness.

What’s yours?
SARAH

12/21/2025

…..control

Yogis,
I was confident I had Christmas season under control. I was taking a relaxed approach, spreading out the shopping, cleaning and wrapping. I turn on the oven to preheat. Ten minutes later I go into the kitchen and find the oven temp is still 100. Uh oh.

A service visit and $200 later I smell gas while preparing tea. Three days and $2000 later a new oven is being wheeled in the front door as I am preparing for in person class.

Running errands, I can’t get the car warm. I feel heat blowing from my vent, but when I put my hand on the passenger side the air is frigid. Ugh. Instead of ho, ho, ho-ing, I am sitting in a car dealership.

The coffee pot decides she has done enough.

Isn’t it always when we feel the most in control that the Universe winks and reminds us of the truth? That we have absolutely no control over the outer world. Tough love.

Oh how we wish to control. People, places, careers, events, finances…… This is how we spend most of our time.

On this winter solstice I get quiet and close my eyes. Drawing my attention away from the outer world to go inside. Seeing the inner world.

My breath. The thoughts. How I am feeling. Emotions. Aches or tension. This inner world is the only thing I can control. The only thing.

But here is the best part! At any moment I can choose to change my inner world. And when changes are made inside, the outer world changes. The outer world is a mirror of what is happening inside. What power we hold!

That sounds hard! It’s not, but does require a practice. Discipline.

So many techniques available to create inner change. Yoga practice, meditation, breath work, affirmations, visualizations, switch of diet, change of what you read or watch…. Notice what is happening around you that doesn’t feel right. Then adjust the inner world to match what you want on the outside.

Go within. Spend time on what you can control.,,and watch the magic happen!

Maintaining inner calm,
SARAH

12/14/2025

....look for the good

Yogis,
This morning I awoke to a light snowfall at the beach. Quiet, cold, peaceful. I made my way to the ocean to take a few pictures but soon a gust of wind had me hurrying back to the warmth of the house. Views of white flakes floating from the sky through the big window. Cozy, relaxed, slow moving.

Pictures and videos began arriving. The winter wonderland scene from my sister with geese lifting from the frozen lake behind her house. Like a painting. A photo of my oldest granddaughter heading out the back door in winter gear. A big smile shows her two missing front teeth. Another of my youngest granddaughter on a sled with her dad heading down the street in front of their house. Excited.

The joy of a snowstorm.

I hold a warm cup of coffee in my hands. Phoebe chooses her cousin’s dog bed which is way too small but she curls herself tight. Maybe it is warmer or maybe because it is someone else’s bed. She falls into a deep sleep. I hear her breath. The trees outlined in white.

I am reminded of all the good in the world and decide I will choose to look for even more throughout my day.

I see the way my neighbor helps me by putting a package inside the house without hesitation. The warmth and pleasure of shopping in small local stores. The impromptu friendly conversation with the only other person crazy enough to be at the seawall in icy gale force winds. The dependable return of thousands of snow geese winter, after winter, after winter.

My sister-in-law bakes cookies to bring for dinner.

We live in a time of turmoil, and it is easy to be swept up in its swirl. Bad news served to us daily can change the lens through which we see the world. Our emotions, mood and even physical wellbeing feel an effect.

Getting swept up in good does the same thing, but in the opposite direction. The more you look for good, the more comes toward you.

Where you look is where you go…….

Choosing to put on a different set of glasses,
SARAH

12/07/2025

…..ho hum

Yogis,
Thanksgiving is in the rear-view mirror and attention is turned to Christmas. Many know I like to put fences around the Christmas season. Two weeks before the big day I am ready to dive in and can stay comfortably until a few days after New Year's.

The only problem is ……I am married to Mr Christmas.

In his ideal world, the boxes come out of the attic before Thanksgiving. The tree is up and the house strewn with decorations for over a month. A difference we navigate each year.

Thursday he was itching to get the tree and start the process. I reminded him it was only December 4th but off we went. I later heard the steps to the attic pulling down. ‘Let’s only put the Santas up on shelf this weekend’, I offer. Me picturing an easing in with a tradition I love.

I drive up to the house Friday to a Santa welcoming me home from the front steps. Hhhhmmm…….

Saturday I am woken by a song of the wind-up snow globe. As the day progresses, each time I enter a room I notice something has quietly arrived. A figurine here and a reindeer there. By evening the doors are adorned with new wreathes of fresh greens. It is now December 6th. I notice my resistance. A tightening. Oh yes, I recognize you well.

It doesn’t feel good. Makes me terse.

That night I’m cooking dinner when I have an epiphany. What if I just let go? What if I allow the boundaries I arbitrarily set years ago to fall? I have a choice. Hold my ground or yield.

I chose yielding. Walked over turned on my speaker, chose a Christmas playlist and turned up the volume. It played through the evening and I found myself singing along. I felt my inner critic quieting.

Today my son came to help with outside lights. The big old fashioned colored bulbs. The tree will come in the house Wednesday, and she is a beauty.

Christmas may not be your trigger, but whenever that recognizable sense of resistance raises her head, know that you have a choice to release the reins. Every time.

Ho, ho, ho,
SARAH

11/30/2025

…..seagull

Yogis,
Every creature has a purpose and deserves a full life. Some though, illicit more emotions from humans than others. A seagull is one such creature. People love them, hate them, are afraid of them, feed them and use derogatory language about them.

I have watched and photographed them often. In the US and beyond.

I have discovered there are many types of seagulls, each with unique habits. I will begin with the ones I grew up with at the Jersey shore. The laughing gull. Smaller with black heads they are notorious scavengers. With each generation we try to train the toddlers to sit under an umbrella with a towel over their head to eat. But it isn’t until they forget and have a piece of sandwich snatched, along with some skin of a finger, that the lesson is cemented. A rite of passage.

At the bottom of the state, they have found the tip of the umbrella top to be a perfect spot. Here they have perfected the fly by under the umbrella, always coming from behind…..leaving no place and no one safe.

I remember sitting on a beach blanket when young and feeling a warm plop on my shoulder. Good luck, they say. We threw bread to them anyway.

Travel down to Delaware and their heads become whiter, with attention shifted from sandwiches to Thrashers french fries. They bicker as to who gets the top of the light poles which offer the best vantage point for unsuspecting families walking by with overflowing vinegar soaked buckets of fries. The swoops and ensuing shrieks are epic.

As winter approaches the mix of gulls evolves as some shift south. Bigger and more colorful, they actually work on catching fish!

I’ve noticed how in the cold early morning they naturally gather in large groups. Backs turned toward the rising sun to absorb her warmth. They lay down when relaxed but hop to attention on skinny legs when threatened. Be kind as they have incredible memories.

I can’t imagine the beach without the sound of their call.

Appreciating seagulls,
SARAH

11/16/2025

…..humming

Yogis,
It has arrived! The season of giving thanks is officially here with its peak on Thanksgiving Day. Then as the last piece of pumpkin pie is eaten, the shift to buying and giving is swift. Let’s not lose any time.

Today I offer an activity to help get what I call the gratitude engine, humming. Gratitude is an energy with a unique vibration and resides within us. It is one of the feel-good energies, closely aligned with joy, awe and love and can be switched on at will with practice.

Here is what I am using this week as the switch.

Find a time when you can take a 20 minute walk, although walking itself is not the goal. This could just as easily be done with 20 minutes standing outside or even meandering through the house. Have your phone with you and camera turned on. Turn off the ringer and no checking emails or texts.

Look for something you like. It can be anything. An object, a color, something in nature……. Once you find one, take a mindful picture of it. Take your time. See it. Capture what it looks like and mentally say to yourself, ‘ I am grateful for_____’. And move on. Keep looking and repeating.

I did this today on my walk to the beach. My first find was a changing oak hydrangea leaf. Beautiful. I am grateful for the changing colors of the leaves. Stepping onto the sand I see a horseshoe crab shell. I am grateful that there are horseshoe crabs in this world. And grateful for sand! Looking up, the sun is beginning to peak from behind the clouds. Sun beams streak the sky. I am so very grateful for the sun!

Geese fly overhead. Grateful for birds. The boardwalk. My shoes. Ice cream cones….my trusty car…..the first sip of coffee on my return.

The more I look the more I find. My body feeling lighter and my heart beginning to hum. Gratitude connects us with the world around us. Finding the good that is already there.

If you decide to join me, I would love to see a picture.

Grateful for a warm shower,
SARAH

11/09/2025

….seeds, seeds, seeds

Yogis,
The garden no longer asks for much of my attention. Watering has ended, pruning is unnecessary and clean up waits for spring. My focus now is on seeds.

We usually think of buying and planting seeds in spring. Yet there are many plants that drop seeds now which sit quietly on the ground through the cold, ice and snow. Patiently waiting for days to lengthen so they can send up their shoots. This is referred to as self-seeding.

The birds and wind are co-participants in this activity treating me to spring surprises, like woodland lettuce which appeared in my medicine wheel. I also love to lend a hand, scattering them in empty spaces where I want to see them grow.

I have been collecting seed heads from echinacea, lobelia, boneset and cardinal flower in the yard, but also sneezeweed and mistflower near the river. Swapping seeds with friends and neighbors is another great way to have more natives in your yard….for free!

Will they all grow? No. It’s like a fun science experiment. All that is required is disturbing the dirt in an area a little and rubbing the seed head to get the seeds to drop and kick a little dirt or leaves back over. I have complete faith that some will grow. Others may wait a couple years, and some just weren’t meant to be.

A seed is tiny but filled with unlimited potential. Think of the acorn. She carries the blueprint of an oak tree that grows over 50 feet and lives hundreds of years.

In life every thought or intention we have is a seed. Filled with unlimited potential because thoughts become things. Fall, like spring, is a time of year to plant your life seeds. What is it that you want to grow in the empty spaces of your life’s garden come spring?

It reminds me of how reading or listening to something right before sleep imprints it in your mind. Winter is our sleep. I have complete faith that the seeds I plant will become things if they are meant to.

My job is to plant them.

Happy seeding!
SARAH

11/02/2025

….seasons

Yogis,
This was the week when fall truly settled in around here. The temperatures, smells, colors and sounds were like ads for the season.

Most of my life I wasn’t a fall fan. Instead of enjoying it for what it offers, I saw her as a harbinger of what lies ahead. Darkness and cold. I would say it has only been in the last ten years that I have begun to draw her in…..or maybe it is she who embraced me.

Like the calendar year, our lives have seasons.

We are born into the springlike energy of childhood and adolescence. Bright, carefree and playful. Years to grow and build a foundation where our biggest needs are to be nurtured and watered. Then summer arrives…….and with it the heat.

Careers, children, schedules and responsibilities pack our days. High energy as we strive and accumulate the cars, houses and lots of stuff. A time of fullness. The peak. Then, if we are fortunate, we get to experience fall.

I intellectually knew I entered fall a while ago, but for some reason it wasn’t until this year that it truly sank in. At 63 autumn has suddenly settled into my bones and I am now ready to honor her and the gifts she brings.

Like the trees I watch out my window, my colors are changing. My skin and the garden becoming dry. And life becomes a bit quieter.

Fall is melancholy….but in a beautiful way. A season in life where we are in the midst once again of big transitions. Retirements, downsizing, moves, grandchildren. A thinning of responsibilities which can feel sad but also exhilarating as new spaces open.

I watch the leaves fall as I fill bags and boxes with things I am ready to let go of. I hear a flock of birds overhead and as they head south, so will many of my friends.

At times I wish for an endless summer. But fall does not try to pretend it is summer. Why would it? I listen and lean in to love this season of life, just as it is.

And if I am fortunate…..I will get to experience winter.

In fall we drop our masks,
SARAH

10/26/2025

….open to awe

Yogis,
I’m at the beach this weekend and set the alarm early to get down to the ocean before sunrise. Our house is STILL filled with the saws and sawdust of construction (that’s another whole story) so we can’t stay there. My routine is to drive into town and park in front of our house so I can take my usual run.

I head through quiet streets and as I start down the sandy path that leads to the beach I see it. The ocean in the distance topped by puffy pink tinged clouds. The emerging light of dawn coloring even the air. My breath catches for a moment. The feeling of awe floods my body.

It happens every single time.

What is the definition of awe? According to Oxford it is ‘the feeling of reverential respect mixed with fear or wonder.’ Other definitions add in terms such as ‘produced by that which is grand, sublime or extremely powerful.’

According to studies, the average person experiences awe 2 to 3 times per week. When was the last time you felt awe?

Although a fleeting sensation, for me it is a whole body high. Thoughts quiet, my body tingles and the chest expands. For that moment, nothing exists except me and the observed.

It happened the other cold clear morning as I stepped out to walk Phoebe and looked up. Stars illuminated the sky with a perfect crescent moon hanging on the western horizon. It happened when I walked into my bathroom in late afternoon to the sight of my suddenly gold colored oak tree framed by the window. And again while cooking dinner when I took my first taste.

A crescendo in classical music. Artwork. The smell of a rose.

I have been thinking about awe. I’m realizing it isn’t something you can go look for. Instead, the more present you are the more often it finds you. It’s as if by moving through life more slowly and being open to awe, she rolls to your feet.

The world we live in is filled with awe. No, I would go a step further. The world we live in is awe. All we have to do is open to let it in.

Feeling tingly,
SARAH

10/19/2025

…..birth

Yogis,
She has arrived! On October 8, at 8:19 am our new granddaughter entered the world. Coming rather quickly, Summer James Cahill arrived at home, underwater in a tub under the guidance of a midwife. With five grandchildren (yikes!!) my third granddaughter has tipped the scale in favor of girls.

Holding her the next day I giggled as she struggled to open her eyes. One would open and the other would shut. A big effort in the bight lights of life. As both finally opened we peered at each other for the first time.

Who will she be? What paths will she choose? What are her unique gifts and how will she change the world? Unlimited possibilities lay ahead.

I followed the female thread that weaves through my family.

When my grandmother was born a wife’s legal identity was considered part of her husband’s. Yet my grandmother gave birth to my mom at home too. With a midwife. At that time women were expected to resign from jobs upon marriage.

By 1962 when I was born, births were ‘handled’ in hospitals by male doctors, with many women put under anesthesia while fathers sat down the hall in a waiting room. Birth control was not a constitutional right and women couldn’t get a credit card.

I birthed my first in 1984. A hospital was still the main option with fluorescent lights and delivery rooms resembling surgical units, while interns looked on. Husbands now there to support, but often heading to the office right after the birth……

I watch my daughter-in-laws. So many more options for women. The ability to choose how they want to bring another human being into the world.

Yet through it all, one thing never changes. Regardless of hospital, bed or tub. No matter who is in the room or what equipment is used. It is a woman who carries and nurtures life for nine months and when it’s time, her body knows what to do if allowed. Mother energy is a powerful force.

The world is slowly taking notice.

Welcome to the world Summer,
SARAH

Address

8201 Caraway Street
Cabin John, MD
20818

Opening Hours

Monday	5:25am - 6:40am
Tuesday	6pm - 7:30pm
	7:45pm - 9:15pm
Wednesday	8:30am - 10am
Thursday	6pm - 7:30pm
Friday	5:25am - 6:40am

Website

http://www.SerenityCircleYoga.com/

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The Journey

Serenity Circle Yoga is much more to me than a yoga studio. Ten years ago I began inviting others in for classes but soon after my newly formed meditation group (KM group) began to meet here. My sun drenched backyard bordered by woods, beckoned me to come out and create and my Medicine Wheel garden became my next labor of love.

Goddess camp outs, aromatherapy workshops and herbal medicine making followed along. It felt inevitable that Serenity Circle would next become a host pick up site for a CSA (community supported agriculture) where others come weekly to pick up biodynamic farm shares. A stone fire pit and circle were my next calling and hold the space for ceremony, sharing and picking of oracle cards. What’s next?

Serenity Circle is a healing center. A place to come, rest, learn, eat, dance, share and reconnect with your inner peace......which is always there.

This has been my journey........and I am glad our paths have crossed. On this page you will find events being hosted, trainings, classes, herbal remedies, meditation guidance and much more.