February New
Member Special
30-Days for $30
Unlimited Yoga for 30 days.
(Must be a new member. Offer expires February 28, 2009.)
Not valid with any other offers.
Yoga Challenge is Back – Beginning Sunday January 18th!
Yoga Challenge 2009 is midway through and what fun it is to see all those stickers mounting up week by week. It has also been a joy for me to hand out those well deserved prizes. Week 1 the team of Christina Webster and Mike Mall took home a recycled paper tote bag and eye pillow. Week 2 Sherry Webster and Jackie Jorland earned a Kleen Kantine water bottle and $10 Gift Certificate from It’s Only Natural, an organic clothing store on Gregory Boulevard. Week 3 Lisa Knox and Lauren Thompson received the Bikram Basics book and $5.00 Gift Certificate to White Light Books, a great resource on 39th street for yoga books.
Congratulations to all of you who have committed yourself to a twice a week or more yoga practice. Keep up the good work! And remember the biggest rewards will come from the change in the way you look and feel.
Please join us for Meditation and Kundalini Yoga with Jill Tupper on Sunday March 1st from 6:30 pm – 8pm.
January has come to a close with much hustle and bustle abounding in the studio. What a joy it has been to see such nice full classes and so many dedicated students who have really embraced their yoga practice. Thanks to all of our regulars and our new students, who have come to see what this hot yoga is all about, we have had a very busy January. I certainly hope all of you will stick with your practice well into the spring and summer. Students often ask me if the studio gets quieter in the summer. It does, as we all turn our attention to outdoor activities when warm, sunny days beg us to play outside. Beginning in the spring we all get antsy to get back to our outdoor activities: golfing, biking, walking, hiking, gardening and the many other outdoor activities. I would like to take this time to remind and encourage you to make your yoga a year-long practice. It is important to keep our yoga practice strong through the spring and summer months when we are turning our attention to other sports and activities where we tend to over-stretch and stress our bodies. It is important to make yoga a part of our weekly routine to maintain healthy joints, flexibility and cardiovascular fitness in order to help prevent the sports injuries that plague so many athletes, especially as we age. Plus, what an edge yoga provides when running marathons or participating in other individual and group sports. I think you get the idea. We’re not here to just bask in the warmth of the hot room during those long winter days.
January and February have also been busy with workshops. We are in the middle of the Women’s Self Defense Workshop, which sold out. We will look at having another in the late spring or early fall if we have enough interest, so let me hear from you. The first of the 2 posture clinics was also a sell out and we are looking to fill the one coming up on the 28th of February. These clinics are such great opportunities to deepen your practice; getting the individual attention that is nearly impossible to achieve in a normal class setting where we are trying to keep the rhythm and flow of an entire class. I am hoping to have posture clinics on a regular basis, perhaps one clinic per calendar season. If you haven’t taken the time to explore our Meditation Sundays I encourage you to come and attend. This is a great way to explore meditation without the intimidation factor of a more formal, established group that has been meditating for years. Jill is very welcoming and open, so whether you are new to mediation or just deepening your practice you will find this a great compliment to your goals. I would like to thank all of you who have enthusiastically embraced these workshop opportunities and I welcome your suggestions for future topics. It is my vision that we continue to bring workshops and clinics that help you deepen your yoga practice and expose you to new skills and ideas about how to live a healthier, less stressful life. This studio is your community, and you are helping to build it, so I welcome your feedback.
Meditation and Kundalini Yoga Sundays w/ Jill Tupper
Mark Your Calendar for Sunday March 1st
6:30 pm – 8:00 pm
If you have never practiced meditation or merely want to deepen your practice this is a wonderful space in which to do so. The first Sunday of each month Jill will teach you new tools to help you with your own at-home meditation practice as well as lead you through a group meditation. In a world of fast-paced, results-oriented focus, what a gift this is to build a community of people who want to slow the clock down for a while and really connect to the present. I hope you can come join us for this wonderful gift.
No reservations necessary. Just bring a towel or mat to sit on. Wear comfortable clothing. If you have questions feel free to call us at 913-384-3200 and join us! This is a free class. $20 donation is encouraged.
Posture Clinic with Kate Reece, Certified, Master-Trained Yoga Instructor
This Clinic is like getting a private session taking your practice to a deeper level for a fraction of the cost!
Saturday February 28th
1:30 pm – 4:30 pm
Wow! It was a full-house Saturday February 7th with a sold out class. What a great opportunity it was for those who attended. Kate Reece, with over 10 years teaching experience, went through each posture talking about correct breathing and alignment and answering questions each individual had about the asana. By the end of the three-hour session, each student had a deeper understanding of the proper yoga breathing as well as alignment of each asana.
Remember to sign-up today and reserve your spot for the February 28th posture clinic. This is a chance to ask questions and get individual instruction about each posture that we just cannot get in a classroom setting. So sign-up today, bring your yoga mat, wear your comfortable yoga clothing and bring a notebook for those pearls of wisdom you want to retain. This is a non-heated session where you “do” some of the postures, but not hold the posture or “workout”. Instead we will focus on alignment, breathing and the principles of each asana.
In 3 hours of form correction, discussion and practice, you’ll learn:
Form Correction: get a deeper understanding of the correct form for your postures.
The Yogic Principles: how yoga should be practiced to ensure maximum benefit.
Proper use of Breath: discover how to use breath to go deeper into each of your postures.
The benefits of yoga and how those benefits apply to your daily life.
Deepen your Yoga practice and take your postures to the next level!
Space is Limited – Register Today!
Space is limited in this class so you can get the individual attention that is next to impossible to receive in a regular class-room setting. It is important to enroll early to reserve your space. Cost is only $25.00 per person. Register in person at the front desk or call 913-384-3200 and register, using your credit card, by phone. You must pre-pay to reserve your space.
In the current climate of a slumping economy and increased anxiety over the loss or potential loss of employment, I thought I’d address a posture we do in class that is so wonderful for helping to reduce stress or anxiety. We don’t often get to tell you the many wonderful benefits of each posture in class, so here is a laundry list of therapeutic benefits of the Bow Posture: helps relieve constipation, mild backache, fatigue, anxiety, and menstrual discomfort. In addition the physical benefits include: stretching the entire front side of the body, ankles, thighs, groins, abdomen, chest, throat and deep hip flexors. It also strengthens the back muscles, improves posture and stimulates the organs of the abdomen. So, next time you are holding this asana for 20 seconds and grudging those seconds as they slowly tick by, recall the wonderful benefits you are receiving and try smiling. Smiling signals the body that you are actually enjoying yourself and then you just might be surprised to feel yourself enjoying this asana!
Bow Posture (Dhanurasana)
This pose is aptly named because it looks like an archer's bow, the torso and legs representing the body of the bow, and the arms the string.
Step by Step Instructions:
Lie on your belly with your hands alongside your torso, palms up. (You can lie on a folded blanket to pad the front of your torso and legs.) Exhale and bend your knees, bringing your heels as close as you can to your buttocks. Reach back with your hands and take hold of your ankles (but not the tops of the feet). Make sure your knees aren't wider than the width of your hips, and keep your knees hip width for the duration of the pose.
As the studio has become busier it is important to remind students of some common courtesies we should all be adhering to in order to allow yourself and your fellow students to experience a pleasurable session.
Please show up in plenty of time to get settled into class – it is distracting to have people trickle in during the Deep Breathing and Half Moon Series. Plus, these beginning postures are a vital part of energizing yourself and starting the preparation the body needs for a good practice.
Remember no talking during class. It distracts the students around you disrupting the flow of the class as well as interrupting your own focus.
Be courteous of your fellow students’ space. When classes are full it is harder to get the spot you want, especially if you come in late. If you prefer the back of the room and it is full and the front has space – go to the front. Conversely, if you come into the room with a preference for the front of the room and it is full but the back is open – go to the back. Think of this as challenge to get out of your comfort zone. If you do have to be late to a class, please make the minimum of noise possible settling into your spot.
No cell phones in class. If you absolutely must bring one in – put it on vibrate.
We all have days when we struggle to be on time or to settle our minds and bodies to stay focused, that’s part of the reason we come to yoga. I just ask that you hold these as ideals to achieve in your practice and try your honest best each day. It is such a pleasure as an instructor to see a full class where students are working in harmony, coming in and out of postures in sync and holding such beautiful concentration and effort!
