As we prepare to welcome 2020, we are excited to share the pose of the month and class schedule and to ask for your feedback to help us in our ongoing planning.  Read on to discover our focus for January, our new offerings to kick off the new year, and a link to our survey.  We are grateful to Sydni for selecting January’s pose and contributing the following information about it.

January Pose of the Month

Setu Bandha Sarvangasana (Bridge Pose)

Setu = bridge

Bandha = lock

Sarva = all

Anga = limb

Asana = pose 

Bridge pose is a wonderful posture and widely accessible backbend that has many benefits. It is strengthening, helping us to move well into the new year; grounding, helping us to be present, stable, strong; heart opening, helping us to welcome with acceptance whatever comes to us. 
In the physical sense, Bridge pose is great for the posterior chain, running from the soles of the feet all the way up the back and neck to its end point at the forehead. As we’ve spent so much time sitting in cars or airplanes to see family, or resting on couches catching up with loved ones, it’s good to open up the front body again for a fresh start to a new year. 

Bridge is also said to stimulate the root chakra, the heart chakra, and the throat chakra, leading to grounding, forgiveness, love, and clear communication. 

And so, we begin a new year. As always it’s important to know where we have come from to fully understand where we are. No matter what your 2019 held for you, it brought you to today. Allow your bridge to lead you to not only feel rooted and secure in your past, but also to move into a new season with an open heart so that you can be present in the moment you are in. 

—Sydni

Holiday classes and potluck:Looking for a class on New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day?  Or a year-welcoming potluck brunch?  Join us at the studio!

• New Year’s Eve 9 a.m. class with Heather.  Join Heather for a mixed-level practice on the morning of New Year’s Eve.  Mixed-level classes are accessible to students at all levels of experience, and this is our only class on the holiday.
• New Year’s Day 10 a.m. class with Cre.  Ring in the new year with a morning New Year’s Day class with Cre, which is also a mixed-level class.  Although it is our only class on this holiday, it is followed by brunch!
• New Year’s Potluck Brunch at 11:30 a.m.  Whether you join Cre for the first class of the new year or opt to have a more leisurely start to your day, please join us for our traditional potluck brunch, beginning at 11:30 a.m.  We will provide a selection of juices, a variety of hot tea, and table service.  Bring your favorite brunch item to share as we celebrate the beginning of 2020 together.

New classes: In addition to continuing to offer our regular full schedule of studio classes, we are delighted to provide these new opportunities to practice together in January!

• Weekly meditation with Beshka on Monday mornings. Join Beshka Moore at 8 a.m. on Mondays to begin your week with this meditation class designed to calm your mind, settle your body, and bring a new and softer focus to the rest of your day. We will start with breath work, which will prepare us for guided mindful meditation. This class is wonderful for all levels of experience:  no prior yoga or meditation experience is necessary.  This class will last 60 minutes, and students are welcome to stay for Beshka’s 9:30 a.m. Basics yoga class after meditation concludes.
• Mat Pilates with Susan begins Jan. 8.  Looking for a class that focuses on core strength?  Look no further!  Susan Stanton will offer weekly, drop-in Mat Pilates classes on Wednesday nights at 7 p.m. The Mat Pilates method is safe and low impact, pairing perfectly with a regular yoga practice to further strengthen the core, improve balance, and increase overall flexibility and coordination. Every exercise is performed with attention to the breath, proper form, and efficient movement to isolate target muscle groups. These classes will last 60 minutes and are offered at the same $5 class fee as our yoga classes.
• Saturday drop-in classes for beginners with Angie.  These special classes will meet at 11 a.m. the first three Saturdays of January (Jan. 4, 11, and 18).  They will introduce beginning yoga students to 4yoga studio space, yoga etiquette, basic yoga postures—including alignment principles and breathing techniques—and the structure of a yoga class.  Each 70-minute class will follow a similar structure, and students are welcome to attend one, two, or three sessions.  We have all the supplies needed, so just bring yourself and your class fee, which is $5.  Please wear clothes that will allow you to move comfortably.
• Meditation@the Studio on Jan. 25 with Alice.  While December concluded our regular monthly yoga and meditation classes at The Downing Museum, we have transplanted the meditation class to the studio!  The date will remain the same—4th Saturday whenever possible—and the time will change only slightly to 11 a.m.  Although the $5 class fee remains, the class will now be all drop-in (no need to pre-register).  We hope you can join Alice Simpson on Sat., Jan. 25, at 11 a.m. to begin this new tradition.

For a full list of January classes, please see the calendar page or pick up a hard copy at The Pots Place.  We also post an image version of the schedule each month and the day’s classes each morning on our Facebook page, where we also create events for special classes, should you find it convenient to keep up with us there.