3 Winter Yoga Workshops !
2020 was a year of awakening for me.
Waking up to understanding systemic racism, witnessing police brutality, feeling more than ever the importance of community and connection (surely missing a hugging “Hello”), showing up for the vote, and trying my best to live a yoga-based life following the Yamas and the Niyamas. I have been really focused on putting into action my personal ethics (vs. just splits and headstands) and realizing the depth of my yoga practice lies so much within Self-Awareness. Maybe this is more evident during the Covid life: on the mat, in my kitchen, at the potter’s wheel, in the supermarket..wherever. During these crazy times, many lessons have been learned.
What is the most important lesson you have learned about yourself this past year, and how will you use that in 2021 for growth in everyday living moving with change?
I continue to work on accepting what I need to do, even though I might not want to face certain things -- it is hard. Obstacles are great teaching tools that can allow us to recognize suffering and drive us to look deeper into our avoidances, attachments, and fears. From the place of centering stillness and grounding in my practice, I am able to work on deeper digs into self-care, contemplation, reflection, acceptance and action for change.
Did your yoga practice on the mat change at all in 2020, considering how daily life went thru such a change?
Do you ever say, “ I just can’t meditate now ?” or “I need an attitude adjustment ?” Have you ever wanted to stay longer in a savasana pose or just pull the covers over your head rather than meeting yourself in meditation or an asana? , Or just not want to be in your own practice at times? Understood. Well, restorative yoga is a delicious surrender into quiet, soothing postures that incorporate props, bolsters, and blankets to give us support to surrender to what shows up. With such support we can explore poses with less muscular stress, facilitating release and relaxation that will calm the nervous system, coax away built-up tension, and dig deeper into our awareness of Self to just be present with what arises and goes through us breath by breath, moment by moment, riding the awareness to be ever-present with ourselves.
My first workshop of this New Year journeys deep into supported postures with an ending of Yoga Nidra. Yoga Nidra is a form of guided meditation where you can find deep rest and relaxation (physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually) and also experience your pool of subtle energy. And from my experience, I know that my new found energy spurt of the New Year will burn out quickly if I don't nourish it for the long haul of living a balanced life of wellness and creativity. This is why Yoga Nidra has been a staple in my practice over the last 13 years.
If you feel your energy wavering or declining or distorted from 2020, I strongly urge you to check out these upcoming workshops! Sunday’s Jan 10, 2021, from 3:00- 4:30 pm Rest & Restore workshop!
REST & RESTORE
Jan 10, 3:00-4:30 pm
If you have been missing a quiet, peaceful Restorative class, now it's here for you, to relax, renew and bathe in its bliss with a yoga nidra! you just need to unroll your mat; gather your blocks, belts, cozy blankets and favorite pillows.
BREATHE 1
Jan 31 3:00-4:30 pm
This breath-centered workshop in exploring the mechanics of the respiratory processes and how it links to expanding the asana practice. Learn techniques to find awareness and release into the breath body nourishing the nervous system.
BREATHE 2
Feb 7 3:00-4:30 pm
Explore the breath some more! Now, that you have some tools and physical awareness of the respiratory process and how it affects the nervous system. Let’s dial in deeper into learning about a pranayama practice. (The 4th limb of hatha yoga) You will learn a few techniques to better understand the why of their affects along with their contraindications for times not to use them. Take the time to get intimate with your breath body to explore these tools so you can use them in your yoga practice to help with anxiety, stress, lack of sleep, and sluggishness.
Registration Required for ZOOM Link
$30/per workshop
I hope to see you in 2021 exploring and creating a yoga practice that helps bring you joy, health, peace and understanding of taking care of yourself and others in this world so we live from a place of loving kindness and integrity.
Mindfulness brings concentration
Which brings us insight about how to speakAnd act.
Mindfulness and concentration help us to look deeply
Into the nature of reality and arrive at the insights of nondiscrimination
And inter-being.
The best thing we can offer the world is our insight.
To live our life in mindfulness and with concentration is to continue to produce insight- for our own liberation, healing and nourishment of the world.
– Ticht Nacht Hanh