June, 2009 Newsletter

I want to express how happy I am to see so many of you sticking to your yoga routine as busy summer schedules ramp up.  Class sizes while down a little have remained steady.  We’ve continued to see a stream of new people joining our studio and I truly appreciate all of you who have become so enthused by your own practice that you keep sending in your friends, family, neighbors and co-workers.  For those of you who are a little apprehensive about attending class in the summer heat – I say come in and try it.  I think you’ll find it doesn’t feel nearly as hot as you think it will.  And what a great stress reliever and energizer your yoga sessions are.  Summer is a great time to change up your routine and explore our non-heated offerings. 

On a different note, by now many of you have been in to the studio and noticed we have a fresh coat of paint on the yoga room.  After 3 years the walls were beginning to show their age and were in need of a fresh new coat.  Most of you should know by now I love color and so our new colors are richer and warmer, a lavender and tan combination (sorry to those who are not thrilled with the new color scheme – thank you to those who think it’s a nice change.)  We can all at least agree it’s clean and fresh.  I hope you all know how important it is to me that you have a clean, inviting space to practice yoga and shower after.  If you ever feel we are not doing a good job in this area please let me know.  The Teaching Assistants and Mid-Day Assistants are busy mopping, cleaning and picking up the studio so you can come in relax and have a great experience.

This is above all your studio.  Having said that, as you are out and about traveling– I would love it if you would take a shot of yourself doing yoga in all the fun places you travel; bring us a copy for our bulletin board.  It would be nice to have some fresh photos plus I like to hear about your trips.  Also, if you do yoga in another studio while on vacation tell me about your experience, especially if you have any cool ideas for us here at Yoga Fix.  Life is a journey and we are always evolving.

In closing, thank you for your continued support over the summer and please be safe and have fun with all those wonderful outdoor activities.

Sincerely,
Mary Horvatin

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Save the Date!
3rd Annual Yoga in the Park at Mill Creek Park
Benefit for Harvesters and The Humane Society of Greater Kansas City
Saturday, August 22nd

For those of you who came out last year – we’re looking at the same set-up.  Registration from 9am – 9:30 am.  Doga (dog yoga) from 9:30 am to 10 am and people Yoga from 10:15 to 11:15 am.  Please bring canned goods or money donations as your entry fee.  Proceeds from Yoga in the Park will go to help out Harvesters Food Bank and the Humane Society of Greater Kansas City.  Be sure to bring your yoga mats, towels and water for both Doga and Yoga.  You’ll be on the ground for both of these sessions and while the grass feels oh so nice; a mat and towel underneath you will feel even better.  Be sure to wear your yoga clothing.  And if you are participating in the Doga – dogs must be leashed at all times – this is state park rule!  Next Month I’ll post a list of suggested items that Harvesters needs.  So, look for more details as the event unfolds and in the meantime remember to mark the date of your calendar.

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Summer Yoga Challenge

Some of you have expressed a need for a little summer-time motivation.  So I will dust off the old yoga challenge board and we will begin a 4-week challenge beginning July 5th and ending August 1st.  I know many of you travel during the summer and take vacations – for those of you who will be in town sign-up and challenge yourself to making a 2 time or more a week commitment for the month of July.  You can have one make-up week August 2nd – 8th for those of you who want to participate but will be gone one of the weeks.  So get ready mentally and make that commitment to 2 or more times a week for 4 weeks.  Look for the board to go up in the next 2 weeks and then get your self signed-up and ready to go!  Nothing is more motivating than watching all those sparkly little stickers lined up across the board by your name as the weeks unfold!

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Hula Hoop Workshop

Hula Hoop Workshop
Saturday June 27th
1:30pm – 3pm

Spaces have been filling up fast, so don’t miss your chance to attend this phenomenal workshop.  What a fun way to spend a hot-humid or rainy Saturday afternoon – seeing if you still have what it takes to get that hula hoop doing its magic.  First we’ll personalize our hoops and then we’ll give them a test run learning tips and tricks from one of Kansas City’s finest Hula Hoop experts.  This is a great workshop for the kid in you as well as your own kids.  We do encourage you to bring the kids to this one – just don’t be embarrassed when they’re swooshing away and you are still picking your hoop up off the floor for another go at it!

Fee:  Adults - $20.00 and Children - $15.00.  (Fee includes hoop and decorative materials.)
Call Today!  You Must RSVP in the studio or by calling 913-384-3200 to save your space.  We must have reservations for this one: there will only be 20 spaces available.

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Posture of the Month

Cobra Pose

(Bhujangasana)

The benefits of this posture are many including: strengthening the spine; Stretching chest and lungs, shoulders, and abdomen; firming the buttocks; stimulating abdominal organs; soothing sciatica; opening the heart and lungs; therapeutic for asthma and helping to relieve stress and fatigue.   When doing this posture it is important to remember to stretch forward and lengthen the spine before beginning to lift up.  Stretching forward helps to open up the space between the vertebra so that we don’t put pressure on the lower spine and compress the vertebra.  Think of cobra much like the backward bending in the Half Moon series – we lift up out of the waist, lengthening the spine before beginning our backward bending again so we don’t compress the space in the spine before creating that nice arch in the lower spine.  Same concept in Cobra.

Step by Step Instructions:

1. Lie prone on the floor. Stretch your legs back, tops of the feet on the floor. Spread your hands on the floor under your shoulders. Hug the elbows back into your body.

For Complete Instructions click here.

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