Many of us are currently engrossed in Olympic coverage, watching world-class athletes demonstrate skills they have developed through years of disciplined training.  The yogic concept of discipline (tapas) is the third niyama and our studio focus for August—and, fortunately, we do not have to be internationally acclaimed athletes to benefit from practicing discipline!

While physical discipline is certainly one of the ways that we can practice tapas, we can also apply discipline to other areas of our lives, like our interactions with others.  In fact, Jamil Zaki, the author of this month’s book club selection, argues that we can develop empathy like any other skill: by practicing.  On the book’s website, he provides five “kindness challenges” to give us tools to strengthen our empathy.  If you are looking for a way to practice tapas, perhaps one or more of them will serve you this month.

We are excited to share these August highlights and look forward to seeing you at the studio!

• Book club on Sun., Aug. 4.  To focus on empathy, join us on Sun., Aug. 4, at 1:30 p.m. for our summer book club meeting, where we will discuss Jamil Zaki’s The War for Kindness:  Building Empathy in a Fractured World.  (See this post on our website or RSVP to the Facebook event page for more details.)
• Morning class every day. With the addition of a Wednesday-morning Gentle class and a Sunday-morning Basics class, we are pleased to offer a morning class every day of the week.  Frances will teach Wednesday’s Gentle class, to which folks who prefer using a chair and those who prefer navigating down to and up from the mat are invited. Heather and Maria will share the Sunday Basics class, which is a “slow flow,” including sequences that move from one yoga pose to another at a pace that still allows a focus on healthy alignment.
• Friday night classes. To wind down your week with a slower and more meditative practice, try a Friday class at 5:30 p.m.  In August, we offer one Restorative class (on Fri., Aug. 9, with Iajahnni) and four Yin classes (all other Fridays, with Maria).  Both Restorative and Yin classes share some similarities (they use props like bolsters, blocks, and blankets, and they focus on poses on the mat).  However, they have different intentions:  in Restorative, students rest into the support of their props and relax deeply; in Yin, students use props to hold their bodies in poses that apply controlled stress to the connective tissues.
• Yoga nidra on Sun., Aug. 11. We appreciate everyone who attended July’s yoga nidra session with Angie!  For another opportunity to relax both body and mind, join Shigeko on Sun., Aug. 11, at 5:30 p.m.  Shigeko is trained in iRest, the system of yoga nidra that has been most studied in a clinical setting and shown to provide several important benefits.
• Donation class. Join Trudy on Thurs., Aug. 15, at 9 a.m. for this month’s donation class!  Our monthly donation classes serve our community in two ways:  1) they provide an opportunity for folks to attend a yoga class without paying a class fee—donations are entirely optional; 2) they support a local non-profit with the fees that are donated.  Trudy has chosen the Bowling Green Warren County Humane Society as the recipient of her class’ donations.

For a complete copy of the August schedule, please see the attached PDF, check the online calendar, or pick up a printed copy at the studio.  We look forward to practicing with you this month!