Mindfulness Meditation: registration open for 4-week series with Alice

Posted on January 25, 2019 by 4yoga

Would you like to learn more about mindfulness meditation in a structured format? Then join us for a 4-week Introduction to Mindfulness Meditation series taught by Meditation Facilitator and Yoga Teacher Alice Simpson, RYT 200!

Mindfulness is about being fully awake in our lives. It is about perceiving the exquisite vividness of each moment. We feel more alive. We also gain immediate access to our own powerful inner resources for insight, transformation and healing.

—Jon Kabat-Zinn

Alice’s background is in mindfulness meditation, and she completed the Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) training at Vanderbilt’s Osher Center for Integrative Medicine. She has also studied other meditation practices and facilitates meditation for both individuals and small groups.

Each 90-minute session will include practices in several styles of mindfulness meditation, tools for managing stress and anxiety, group reflection time, and instructions for home practice. Students will also learn about the background and science of mindfulness meditation, acquire skills to cope with challenges of everyday life, and cultivate the nine attitudes of mindfulness.

The 4yoga community yoga studio welcomes all with openheartedness and enthusiasm to this healing, transformative experience. No prior meditation experience is required.

Registration: pre-registration is required, and space is limited. Sign up online at tinyurl.com/4yoga-med

Payment: $40 for the series, payable when you arrive for the first class.

Location: the 4yoga studio at 428 East Main Avenue, above The Pots Place on Fountain Square in downtown Bowling Green, Kentucky.

Dates (all Saturdays, all times 2–3:30 p.m.):
• February 9
• February 16
• March 2
• March 9

Alice Simpson’s Mindfulness Meditation class showed me how to press the pause button in my life. I learned to respond instead of react.

By learning to focus attention on what you experience, when you experience it, you silence internal chatter and allow stillness to blossom.

Alice’s expert caring and open-minded guidance demystifies this process using simple, easy-to-use techniques. This class will give you the tools you need to transform and enrich your life. Enjoy the ride!

— Amy Disparte, Mindfulness Practitioner, Mindfulness Meditation Participant

Alice is looking forward to welcoming you to the studio for this series!
(Photo credit: Julie Small.)
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Join Leslie Weigel for Introduction to Yoga: Sat., 2/2, 1 p.m.

Posted on January 24, 2019 by 4yoga

Have you been thinking that you would like to start doing yoga but are not sure where to begin? Were you unable to attend the January “Introduction to Yoga” session? Then join Leslie Weigel for our next offering on Saturday, February 2, 1–2:30 p.m.

This 90-minute class will introduce beginning yoga students to several topics:

  • 4yoga studio space
  • yoga etiquette
  • basic yoga postures including alignment principles and breathing techniques
  • the structure of a yoga class

Leslie has been practicing and teaching yoga for over 7 years and is enthusiastic about sharing her knowledge and love of yoga with new students in a simple and direct way and at a slow pace that respects students of all levels of fitness.

To provide appropriate attention for each student, this class is limited to 10 participants and registration is required. Complete this online form to hold your space: https://tinyurl.com/4yoga-intro

The investment for this class is $10, payable by check or cash when you arrive. Please wear comfortable clothing, and if you have a yoga mat and want to bring it, you are welcome to do so. However, we have all the required supplies at the studio: you need only to bring yourself!

Photo of studio with mats laid out.
The studio with its view of Fountain Square is waiting for you!
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February @the Museum preview: two yoga options!

Posted on January 20, 2019 by 4yoga

We are delighted to announce that February will provide not one but two opportunities to practice yoga at The Downing Museum!  Yes, that’s right—in addition to our usual, morning Yoga@the Museum class on the second Saturday of the month, in February, we will also offer an afternoon Yin@the Museum class on the third Saturday!  Whether you are already a fan of practicing at the museum or looking for a first class to experience, we hope you can join us; please see details below, and use the links to register.

  • Yoga@the Museum:  join Leslie Weigel for this Basics-level practice on Sat., Feb. 9, at 10:30 a.m. by registering here.  Our basics classes incorporate asanas (poses), breathing exercises, and awareness linking the breath to movement.  They focus on alignment,  offer modifications to help students at varying levels of experience, and are moderately paced.
  • Yin@the Museum:  Chie Tanaka teaches the first meeting of this class on Sat., Feb. 16, at 4:30 p.m. Join Chie by registering here.  Yin yoga works the deeper layers of connective tissue to improve flexibility and hydration of the joints and tissue by using longer, deeper holds of specific, tailored poses. It often targets the lower back and hips, and it can also promote deep release of stress and tension from both body and mind.

Fans of Meditation@the Museum, we haven’t forgotten you!  Please mark your calendars for Saturday, February 23.  We will open registration for the February meditation class after this month’s session—on January 26—has met.  Also, although the January event is full, please email if you’d like to be added to its wait list.

Ready for Yoga@the Museum
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January book club meeting, The Untethered Soul: Sun., 1/13, 1:30 p.m.

Posted on January 4, 2019 by 4yoga

Looking for ways to take your yoga “off the mat”? Then join us for our quarterly book club! We welcome everyone—regardless of how much or how little of the book you have been able to read—and we discuss over tea and vegetarian snacks!

The book club will kick off 2019 with a discussion of Michael Singer’s The Untethered Soul, and we will gather on Sunday, January 13, at 1:30 p.m. in the lounge at the studio. Tori will facilitate our conversation (and provide a drawing for a door prize!). We will conclude no later than 3:30 p.m. for participants who also want to attend the 4 p.m. Basics class with Debbie.

Singer’s website says this about the book:

By tapping into traditions of meditation and mindfulness, author and spiritual teacher Michael A. Singer shows how the development of consciousness can enable us all to dwell in the present moment and let go of painful thoughts and memories that keep us from achieving happiness and self-realization.

If you prefer borrowing to purchasing, the book is available in both print and digital editions at the Warren County Public Library.

Please bring a vegetarian snack to share if you can: we will provide a selection of hot teas, plates, cups, and utensils. We look forward to seeing you soon!

The Untethered Soul (photo credit: Tori Treangen)
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January 2019 focus and class schedule

Posted on January 1, 2019 by 4yoga

We have just celebrated New Year’s Eve, the point that we have chosen to mark a full cycle of earth’s orbit around the sun. A common tradition—and one you may have experienced—is to pause for a moment on December 31 to look back at the events of our lives and to set intentions for the new year before we begin yet another lap around our life-giving sun. It is often amazing to remember yourself one year ago at this time and compare that version of yourself to where you are now. Sometimes we cannot imagine moving from “there” to “here.”  How did it happen?  From the view that we are co-creators of our lives, being as clear as we can with our intentions is the first step.  

This passage by W.H. Murray, a Scottish mountaineer and writer, is an inspiring affirmation that we have the potential to be powerful co-creators of our lives.

Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth, the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred.  A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one’s favour all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamt would have come his way.  I have learned a deep respect for one of Goethe’s couplets:

Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it.
Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it.

—From Thomas F. Horbein’s Everest: The West Ridge

January updates and special events: 

  • New Year’s Day class with Debbie, followed by potluck brunch.  Start 2019 on your mat!  Join Debbie for a 10 a.m. Mixed-level practice, followed by a casual potluck brunch.  We will provide table service and a selection of beverages.  Bring your favorite brunch item to share and ring in the new year with fellow yogis and yoginis.
  • Welcome Emily Harlan.  Emily was introduced to yoga through her father, a Methodist minister, as a teenager.  She enjoys creating challenging flow classes that focus on the core and the breath.  She lives in Bowling Green with her husband and daughter, a three-year old who does an impressive three-legged downward dog pose. 
  • New Sunday 2 p.m. rotating classes.  We have added a new class on Sundays at 2 p.m.  Each month, this class will rotate through different styles of yoga with different teachers.  In January, we are highlighting styles of classes that are already offered at 4yoga (Restorative, Gentle, and Yin); in future months, we expect to offer new styles as well.  If you’ve ever been curious about a class but not been able to attend it at its usual time, please join us on Sunday afternoons!  
  • Book Club (Michael Singer’s The Untethered Soul).  Our semi-quarterly book club kicks off 2019 with a meeting on Sun., Jan. 13, at 1:30 p.m.  Tori will facilitate our discussion of The Untethered Soul, which is available at the Warren County Public Library as both a digital and a physical book.  Please bring a vegetarian snack to share as we gather in the lounge, and don’t hesitate to join us even if you do not complete the book.
  • Yoga and Meditation opportunities at The Downing Museum.Whether you are a regular for the @the Museum classes or have been curious about practicing yoga or meditation in this special environment, please click on the following links to register to reserve your space for one of January’s classes:  Yoga@the Museum will be taught by Shigeko and take place on Sat., Jan. 12, at 10:30 a.m.; Meditation@the Museum will be led by Alice and will take place on Sat., Jan. 26, at 10:30 a.m.  Because space is limited, registration is required for both of these classes.
  • Introduction to Yoga class with Debbie.  This 90-minute introductory class is already full; however, if you would like to be added to the wait list and to receive advance notice of possible future introductory classes, please send an email to Angie at this account (4yoga.me@gmail.com).  Include your first and last names and the best email address at which to reach you.

For a full list of January classes, please see the attached schedule or the calendar page on our website—or pick up a hard copy at The Pots Place.  We also post the day’s class(es) each morning on our Facebook page, should you find it convenient to keep up with us there.  

Inclement weather policy:  during inclement weather, we decide whether or not to cancel classes independently of area school districts’ decisions.  If we do cancel a class, we publicize that information at least one hour before it begins, and we announce it in these three ways:


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Training Thursday: four teachers reach 1,000-hour teaching milestone!

Posted on December 27, 2018 by 4yoga

One of the best things about being a yoga teacher is that there is always more to learn and more to do to improve our understanding of the practice and how to share it with others! As 2018 draws to a close, then, we’d like to take a moment to recognize our teachers who have enhanced their experiences this year by earning a new Yoga Alliance credential.

In 2018, Angie Jones, Frances Stricker, Chie Tanaka, and Leslie Weigel all added E-RYT 200 to their qualifications. The “E” in this credential stands for “experienced.”  It indicates that the teacher has taught for a minimum of two years and for a minimum of 1,000 hours since earning her Registered Yoga Teacher status by completing a 200-hour training.  

At the E-RYT 200 level, teachers also become eligible to offer continuing education to other teachers. If teachers choose to register for this status, they add YACEP (Yoga Alliance Continuing Education Provider) to their credentials.

In addition, Chie and Frances had both already earned their RYT 500, where the “500” indicates the number of training hours completed—in their cases, an initial 200-hour training and a later 300-hour training.  As a result, their current qualifications now include both E-RYT 200 and RYT 500!

Congratulations to all of our teachers for their dedication to ongoing professional development, regardless of whether that training resulted in a specific new credential. We look forward to continuing to share our love of yoga with our community in 2019.

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Special events in January: Intro to Yoga, @the Museum classes, book club!

Posted on December 24, 2018 by 4yoga

We will be releasing the full January schedule soon, but we want everyone to know now about four special events that will help us kick off 2019!

The list below presents these events in chronological order, and we invite you to join us for one or more of them. The book club meeting is drop-in; however, if you would like to join us for any of the classes, please follow the links below to pre-register because space for each of them is limited.

  • Yoga@the Museum class. On Sat., Jan. 12, join Shigeko Sleeper at 10:30 a.m. at The Downing Museum for our monthly Yoga@the Museum class. This class is a Basics-level class and appropriate for all students, so start your year right by enjoying yoga and art simultaneously. Register here to save your space, and pay the usual $5 fee at the door.
  • Introduction to Yoga class. Also on Sat., Jan. 12, Debbie Marquette offers a 90-minute class designed to introduce new students to yoga. It meets 11 a.m.–12:30 p.m. at the studio, and its fee is $10. Read more about this opportunity here, and, when you are ready to register, complete this online form.
  • Book club meeting. On Sun., Jan. 13, our quarterly-esque book club meets in the lounge at the studio at 1:30 p.m. Our book is Michael Singer’s The Untethered Soul, which is available from the Warren County Public Library as both a physical and a digital book. We welcome participants who have read any portion of the book to join us for snacks and conversation. If you can, please bring a vegetarian snack to share.
  • Meditation@the Museum class. On Sat., Jan. 26, join Alice Simpson at 10:30 a.m. at The Downing Museum for our monthly meditation class. We welcome both experienced and brand-new meditators to join us for accessible and brief guided meditation practices. Space is limited, so register here to reserve yours. As with the Yoga@the Museum class, pay the usual $5 fee when you arrive.

If you have any questions, please drop us an email (4yoga.me@gmail.com) or send us a Facebook message. We look forward to sharing these experiences with you in January!

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Schedule for Christmas Eve 2018–New Year’s Day 2019

Posted on December 23, 2018 by 4yoga

Are you spending time in Bowling Green during the Christmas–New Year’s period, either as a resident or a guest?  Then we invite you to join us for one or more of our 12 yoga classes!

If you have questions about our class styles, please first see our Class Descriptions page, and then drop us an email (4yoga.me@gmail.com) if we can help match a class to your needs.

  • Mon., 12/24 (Christmas Eve): no classes/studio closed.
  • Tues., 12/25 (Christmas Day): no classes/studio closed.
  • Wed., 12/26:  9:30 a.m. Basics with Angie; 5:30 p.m. Flow with Sydni.
  • Thurs., 12/27:  9:30 a.m. Gentle with Frances.
  • Fri., 12/28:  9:30 a.m. Gentle with Debbie; 5:30 p.m. Yin (Living Our Yoga) with Angie.
  • Sat., 12/29:  7 a.m. Basics and 9 a.m. Basics, both with Shigeko.
  • Sun., 12/30:  8:30 a.m. Mixed-level with Debbie; 4 p.m. Basics with Angie; 5:40 p.m. Meditation+Movement with Debbie (the final of these special holiday classes).
  • Mon., 12/31 (New Year’s Eve):  9 a.m. Mixed-level with Beshka.
  • Tues., 1/1 (New Year’s Day): 10 a.m. Mixed-level with Debbie, followed by potluck brunch hosted by Angie.

For those of you visiting our studio for the first time, all of these classes are drop-in, although we do encourage new students to arrive about 15 minutes before class begins. Also, you are welcome to borrow mats and other props at no additional charge.

In keeping with our mission as a community studio, our class fee is $5/class, payable by cash or check.

Whether or not we see each other at the studio this holiday season, we hope that you are able to celebrate in all your favorite ways!

Studio in December 2018.
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Join Debbie Marquette for Introduction to Yoga: Sat., 1/12, 11 a.m.

Posted on December 21, 2018 by 4yoga

Update (12/30/18): Thank you for all of the interest in this class! It is now full. If you would like to be added to the waiting list and also to be alerted to future introductory classes, please send Angie an email at 4yoga.me@gmail.com . Please include your first name, your last name, and your preferred email address.

============

Have you been thinking that you would like to start doing yoga but are not sure where to begin? Debbie Marquette has created the perfect class for you! Please join her for a special “Introduction to Yoga” class on Saturday, January 12, 11 a.m.–12:30 p.m.

This 90-minute class will introduce beginning yoga students to several topics:

  • 4yoga studio space
  • yoga etiquette
  • basic yoga postures including alignment principles and breathing techniques
  • the structure of a yoga class

Debbie has been practicing and teaching yoga for over 18 years and is enthusiastic about sharing her knowledge and love of yoga with new students in a simple and direct way and at a slow pace that respects students of all levels of fitness. Learn more about Debbie on her website.

To provide appropriate attention for each student, this class is limited to 10 participants and registration is required. Complete this online form to hold your space: https://tinyurl.com/4yoga-intro

The investment for this class is $10, payable by check or cash when you arrive. Please wear comfortable clothing, and if you have a yoga mat and want to bring it, you are welcome to do so. However, we have all the required supplies at the studio: you need only to bring yourself!

Photo of studio with mats laid out.
The studio with its view of Fountain Square is waiting for you!
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Training Thursday: Chie and Leslie complete Yin weekend

Posted on December 6, 2018 by 4yoga

Welcome to our occasional series, Training Thursdays! This week we share the news of Chie’s and Leslie’s recent completion of a 14-hour Yin Yoga training at the Asheville Yoga Center in Asheville, North Carolina.

This weekend-long training was offered by Shala Worsley, and it covered a wide variety of topics. In addition to physical postures, yin yoga anatomy, and energy anatomy (koshas and meridians), the training addressed the impact of yin yoga on practitioners’ mind and emotions, shared meditations and visualizations for yin, and demonstrated how to blend a flowing asana practice with yin.

Leslie indicates that the weekend was beneficial to “learn the difference between yin and yang poses and how to incorporate both into our practice.” Chie notes that it was “enjoyable to learn some techniques and lovely to be taught by Shala, who has trained with various well-known yin teachers and shared practices that combine lots of delightful components of their styles.”

This month, we can all reap the benefits of Chie’s participation in this advanced training by attending either of her Friday-night Yin classes: Dec. 7 and Dec. 14, both at 5:30 p.m.  We look forward to seeing you at the studio!

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