Topic: Guidelines for Using The Gardens As A Setting

Riley ORourke

Date: 2011-04-30 16:56 EST
Zen Gardens is unique in Rhy'Din. It combines Japanese, Chinese, and Western magics to create one completely safe and secure building.

Upon entering the building from the street, one is greeted by two fifteen-foot tall, bronze Foo Dogs, which Riley has come to affectionately call Harry and Sally. These Foo Dogs are keyed to the true intentions in the hearts of everyone who passes between them. If one wishes to enter Zen with intentions of doing harm towards anyone living or doing business in the building, they will come alive and bar entrance, forcefully if necessary. They are implacable and exceedingly difficult to destroy.

After the events of October of 2010, Mr Cheung, who is a Daoist sorcerer, has fitted each and every doorway with Lei Ting curse charms, meant to keep evil spirits and ghosts at bay.

Even the roof is proof against danger. Chinese sorcery and Western elemental magics have combined in the forms of Warrior, Priest, and Poet stones, which dot each corner of the gardens, as well as the Dragon Fountain, which is the first thing one sees as one enters the rooftop gardens.

Have fun with the setting, but please respect all of the hard work that has gone into the creation of it. The setting is called Zen Gardens for a reason.

Riley ORourke

Date: 2012-07-12 11:33 EST
The building is three stories tall and features a fully landscaped roof top garden, open to both residents and business owners.

The first floor houses four commercial spaces, the largest of which is the Black Cat Yoga & Dance Studios. Also on this floor are three other commerical spaces, one of which is the Bodhi Tree Cafe.

The second and third floors have four lofts each, each with a single bedroom and a single bathroom.

And the roof-top garden is where Riley and other instructors hold some classes and is often the site of parties during the long, sweltering Rhydin summer nights.


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The main entrance, guarded by Harry and Sally

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Overview of the first floor

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Overview of the second floor
(The third floor is identical)

http://i634.photobucket.com/albums/uu69/Hatsu-Hana/Screenshot-7-1.jpg
Overview of the rooftop gardens

Riley ORourke

Date: 2012-07-12 11:35 EST
A listing of all the classes offered at the Black Cat Studios.

Dance Classes

Ballet - taught by Riley O'Rourke
Petite Filles 3-6 yo - offered twice weekly, in the Dance Studio
A?n? Filles 7-12 - offered thrice weekly, in the Dance Studio
Jeune Femmes 13-up - offered thrice weekly, in the Dance Studio

Hip-Hop - taught by Wade Robinson
Beginners - offered once weekly, in the Dance Studio
Intermediates - offered once weekly, in the Dance Studio
Experts - offered twice weekly, in the Dance Studio

Jazz - taught by Mataya De Luca
Beginners - offered once weekly, in the Dance Studio
Intermediates - offered once weekly, in the Dance Studio
Experts - offered twice weekly, in the Dance Studio


Yoga Classes

Sivananda - taught by Borden Vinyasa, in the Yoga Studio, twice weekly
Slow and gentle; perfect for beginners; best for full integration of physical, mental and spiritual well-being

Ashtanga - taught by Riley O'Rourke, in roof-top garden right after dawn, 6 days a week; taught in the Yoga Studio at 8:00 a.m. during the winter and early spring
Beginning Chikitsa classes; best for those who want to learn poses so they can continue their practise at home

Kundalini - taught by Leslie Dharma, in the Yoga Studio, thrice weekly
Most meditative; focuses on breathing and freeing energy to flow from prana at the base of the spine through all seven chakras; most spiritual of all practises; best for those wanting physical as well as mental challenge


Martial Arts Classes

Baguazhang - taught by David Lo, in the Yoga Studio, thrice weekly
Baguazhang is a style of martial art which emphasizes the use of the open hand over the closed fist. It's a martial art is based on the theory of continuously changing in response to the situation at hand in order to overcome an opponent with skill rather than brute force.

T'ai Chi Ch'uan - taught by Tommy Cheung, in the Yoga Studio, five days a week
T'ai chi training involves response drills, self defence techniques, weapons, and solo forms. Mr Cheung also offers partner exercises known as "pushing hands", and martial applications of the forms' postures.