We are excited to share May’s pose of the month and to highlight several parts of the month’s schedule—we hope to see you at the studio, a social gathering, or both!

May’s pose of the month:  Paschimottanasana (or Seated Forward Fold)

• pascha = behind, after, later, westward
• uttana = intense stretch
• asana = pose

“In this pose, gravity should do the work of deepening the pose; however, as the extensors of the spine lengthen, they are also actively distributing the action of flexion along the length of the spine, so that one part is not flexing excessively. If there is a lot of tightness in the back of the legs and pelvis, hip flexion is restricted and the hip flexors and abdominal muscles need to contract to pull the body forward, which can create a sense of congestion in the hip joints. To offset this, elevate the seat with folded blankets or some other support under the sitz bones. Bending the knees can also allow the spine to come forward more easily. The hamstrings still lengthen, but in a less stressful way.  

“Aim to direct the sensation along the whole length of a muscle rather than its attachment points; any stretching sensations close to the joints or at the points of attachment of a muscle indicate that the tendons and connective tissue are being stressed and easing off is called for. The legs in this position are neither rotated internally nor externally.”  (Source: Yoga Anatomy by Leslie Kaminoff and Amy Matthews.)

— Carmen

May’s special events and updates:

Read on for information about this month’s special events and class updates!

1. Donation class with Carmen: Sun., May 4, at 4 p.m.  Join Carmen on the first Sunday in May for this month’s donation class!  As a reminder, our monthly donation classes serve our community in two ways: 1) provide an opportunity for folks to take a class without paying a fee—donations are entirely optional; 2) support a local non-profit with the fees that are donated.  For May, Carmen has selected Habitat for Humanity of Bowling Green/Warren County as the donation recipient.
2. Yoga nidra with Angie:  Sun., May 4, at 5:30 p.m.  Join Angie to be guided into a relaxed state during this month’s yoga nidra session  To allow more time to settle in at the beginning of class and experience the benefits of yoga nidra itself, Shigeko and Angie have decided to expand our yoga nidra classes from 45 minutes to an hour.  Want to experience both the invigorating and the relaxing aspects of yoga?  Come at 4 p.m. for the Carmen’s Basics class and then stay for yoga nidra.
3. Book club discusses The Extended Mind:  Sun., May 18, at 1:30 p.m.  Have you ever wondered what it would be like to think with entities other than your brain, including your body, your surroundings, and your relationships?  Check out The Extended Mind to learn more, and we’d love to have you join us for this quarter’s book club meeting.  We will gather at the studio for an informal conversation about the current book and to select the next book.  To keep up with this meeting, see its Facebook event.
4. Memorial Day class: Mon., May 26, at 9 a.m.  In town for Memorial Day and interested in yoga? Join Maria at 9 a.m. for a mixed-level, Holiday class at 9 a.m.  (Please note that this will be our only class for the holiday.)
5. Yoga social at Mellow Mushroom:  Thurs., May 29, at 6 p.m.  To enjoy music with a “bluegrass frame of mind,” come to the patio at Mellow Mushroom on May 29 to hear Mt. Victor Revue!  We’ll head over to claim a table right after the conclusion of Heather’s 4 p.m. Basics class at the studio.
6. Wednesday morning Flow class on hiatus until June.  Thank you to everyone who has attended the Wednesday morning 9 a.m. Flow class—and who has let us know you would appreciate even more opportunities to practice at that level and at that time!  To accommodate teachers’ travel plans, we have put the class on hiatus for May, but look for it to return in June.  In the meantime, check out the Monday 6 p.m. Flow class if your schedule permits.

We look forward to practicing with you in the new month:  for a full copy of the May schedule and class descriptions, please check the calendar page or pick up a hard copy at the studio.