March (2025) schedule: bring a friend, brain longevity workshop, yoga social

Posted on March 3, 2025 by 4yoga

We are excited to launch March by sharing our pose of the month and several highlights from our schedule, including this month’s special “bring a friend for free” program!

March’s pose of the month:  low lunge!

Anjaneyasana  (Low Lunge Pose or Crescent Lunge Pose)

named after Anjani, the mother of a Hindu god

Anjaneyasana is a foundational pose that offers a combination of strength, flexibility, and mindfulness.  It eases lower back pain, improves balance and coordination, and supports joint health in the legs. 

Anjaneyasana is a pose in which the front knee is bent at 90 degrees and the back leg is extended behind.  In this pose, the back knee rests on the mat, back toes pointing to the back of the mat, and the arms are raised overhead with a slight back bend. Pressing down through the front foot and energetically (i.e., without moving) pulling the front foot and the back heel (both on the mat) towards each other provide the stability to raise the arms.  

The pose engages the muscles of the legs, core, and back; helps to build strength, balance, and stability; and opens the chest.  Anjaneyasana lengthens the hip flexors, quadriceps, and groin muscles and helps improve flexibility in the hips and thighs.

—Uta

March’s special program:  bring a friend for free!

We have heard your comments about having a friend who could benefit from yoga but is hesitant to join a class, and we have created a solution!  In March, we invite each ongoing 4yoga student to bring one friend who has not practiced at 4yoga in the last 12 months to one class for free! 

For more information about the program, see this post—we look forward to seeing you and to meeting or becoming reacquainted with your friends this month!

March’s evening classes: begin at 6 p.m.

To allow more transition time for folks who work until 5 p.m., we have shifted the beginning time of our evening classes to 6 p.m.  Now you can Flow on Monday nights, enjoy a Restorative practice on Wednesday nights, and experience a Yin practice on Friday nights.

Monday evening class style:  now Flow.

Looking for a more vigorous evening practice?  Shigeko, Uta, and Maria welcome you to the new Flow class on Monday evenings!  (For descriptions of all of our classes, please see our website.)

March’s announcements and special events:

We are excited to share these announcements about opportunities to gather and practice together in March!

  1. Welcome new teacher: Liz Heller.  We are happy to have four opportunities to take classes with Liz in March:  come see her for a weekend Basics class or a Wednesday-night Restorative one!  (For more information about Liz, please see this post.)
  2. Brain Longevity Workshop with Shigeko.  Curious about the role of diet, yoga, and meditation on brain health?  Join Shigeko for a 90-minute workshop on Sat., March 8, at 11 a.m.  To find out more, please see this post or the Facebook event; if you’re ready to register, complete the brief form here.  (Because space is limited for this special event, pre-registration and pre-payment are required.)
  3. Yoga nidra with Angie.  Does the time change interfere with your sleep schedule?  Join Angie on Sun., Feb. 9, at 5:30 p.m. for this month’s 45-minute yoga nidra session.  We selected the day of the time change for nidra because one of its common benefits is improved sleep.  Want to experience both the invigorating and the relaxing aspects of yoga?  Then join Uta at 4 p.m. for the Basics class and stay for yoga nidra.
  4. Donation class with Uta.  Join Uta on Fri., March 14, at 9 a.m., for this month’s donation class!  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 March, Uta has selected HOTEL INC. as the recipient of her donations.
  5. Yoga social.  Looking for a chance to hang out, enjoy bluegrass music, and chat with fellow yoga friends?  Come to the White Squirrel’s Bluegrass Brunch with Mt. Victor Revue on Sun., March 23, at 11:30 a.m.  To practice before socializing, come to Heather’s one-time 10 a.m. Flow class at the studio.

We look forward to seeing you this month:  for a full copy of the March schedule and class descriptions, please check the calendar page or pick up a hard copy at the studio.

The Pots Place and view up Main Avenue
March 3, 2025
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Have a friend who would benefit from yoga?  Bring them for free in March!

Posted on March 1, 2025 by 4yoga

Don’t we all have one friend who, with some encouragement, could benefit from starting or re-starting a yoga practice?  In March, we encourage you to introduce that friend to 4yoga for free!

To help serve more community members, each current 4yoga student is invited to identify one friend who could find yoga helpful and to bring that friend along to one yoga class that you are attending! *

This program has benefits for

  • you (a chance to practice with a friend)
  • your friend (a chance to check out the studio at no cost)
  • the 4yoga community (a chance to share yoga with more folks)

All of our regular yoga classes are eligible for this program, so you can help your friend try out

  • a more meditative practice (restorative yoga, yin yoga, or yoga nidra);
  • a practice with ample variations, including ones with chairs (gentle yoga);
  • a foundational class (basics); or
  • a more vigorous class (flow).

Only the March 8 workshop (Improving Brain Longevity) is excluded.

Because this is our first time providing this program, you may have questions about it. If so, please email Angie at 4yoga.me <at> gmail.com, message her through our Facebook page, or ask her before or after class.

We look forward to practicing with you and your friend in March!

Feline friends are not eligible for this program, much to Cleo’s dismay!
March 1, 2025

* This special offer is intended to welcome friends who have not practiced at 4yoga in the last 12 months. We appreciate your help honoring the program’s intentions.

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Registration open for Brain Longevity Workshop on Sat., March 8

Posted on February 26, 2025 by 4yoga

Have you heard Angie, Frances, and Shigeko talk about completing the Brain Longevity Therapy Training? If you’ve ever wondered how you can learn more and apply these evidence-based practices in your own or a loved one’s life, join us for Shigeko Sleeper’s upcoming workshop!

Improving Brain Longevity with Diet, Meditation, and Yoga will take place on Sat., March 8, from 11 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. and is open to everyone with an interest in brain health.

In this 90-minute workshop, Shigeko will share the results of research conducted by the Alzheimer’s Research and Prevention Foundation. Specifically, she will highlight two of the foundation’s four Pillars of Alzheimer’s Prevention: Diet and Supplements (with a focus on diet) and Stress Management (with a focus on meditation and yoga). 

The workshop introduces participants to interventions that may help them strengthen their own brain health. It can also assist them in making decisions and recommendations as they care for a loved one or friend who has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s.

Participants who are yoga teachers can also earn 1.5 hours of continuing education contact hours for Yoga Alliance.

Workshop leader: Shigeko Sleeper has been teaching yoga for nearly 10 years and is an E-RYT 200 and a Yoga Alliance Continuing Education Provider. She has recently completed the Brain Longevity Teacher Training offered by the Alzheimer’s Research and Prevention Foundation (ARPF) and become certified as a Brain Longevity Specialist. 

Shigeko became interested in the Brain Longevity Teacher Training after her husband’s intestinal surgery and recovery; during his recovery, she witnessed the truth of the phrase, ” the gut is connected to the brain.” She wanted to learn about ways to help him recover, including strengthening his memory. The ARPF training shared very promising results that are backed up by clinical research. Shigeko is excited to share what she learned and to help people who have loved ones and friends who may also be experiencing memory challenges.

Modality: this workshop is offered in person at the 4yoga studio, at 428 East Main Ave. in Bowling Green, Kentucky, above The Pots Place.

Registration: the investment for this workshop is $35. To reserve your space, register here: https://tinyurl.com/4yoga-brain-longevity

Photo credit: Shigeko Sleeper.
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Training Thursday:  Trudy and Frances provide training in teaching chair yoga!

Posted on February 6, 2025 by 4yoga

This week, we bring you something a little different for our Training Thursday series:  a report on how two 4yoga teachers prepared and delivered a training for other potential and current yoga teachers!

On Sat., Feb. 1, 2025, Trudy Burkeen and Frances Strickler provided this training to nine participants at Be Happy Yoga & Salt Cave.  In their two-hour workshop, they covered three main points:  how to design a chair yoga class, how to sequence the poses for a chair yoga class, and how to provide modifications for students taking a yoga class in a chair. 

Between them, Trudy and Frances have accumulated 13 years of experience teaching chair yoga, making them the ideal leaders for this training.  They also advocate for chair yoga for people in many different situations and settings.  

As Frances noted, “chair classes are not only for seniors.  They are great for people on vacation and office workers.”  Trudy commented, “chair classes are great for people just starting to practice yoga. A gentle class will help in the movement with stretching, strengthening, and in using the breath to give ease to the body.”

Participants who are in training to be yoga teachers completed this workshop as part of their 200-hour teacher training program; those who were already yoga teachers earned two hours’ worth of continuing education toward their ongoing professional development.  To remain registered with Yoga Alliance, our field’s largest professional organization, yoga teachers must complete and report 30 hours of continuing education every three years.

To benefit from the experience that Trudy and Frances have acquired, join them for a Gentle class at 4yoga, where participants are always welcome to use a chair for comfort or support.  Trudy teaches each Tuesday afternoon at 1:30 p.m. and some Thursdays at 9 a.m.  Frances typically teaches the first Thursday of the month at 9 a.m.

Trudy Burkeen (left) and Frances Strickler (second from left) lead teacher training workshop at Be Happy Yoga & Salt Cave
Feb. 1, 2025
photo credit: Susan Polk
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February (2025) schedule: sound bath, book club, yoga social

Posted on February 2, 2025 by 4yoga

We are excited to share our pose of the month and several highlights from February’s schedule—whether you are looking for a physical asana practice, a meditative sound bath or yoga nidra session, or a chance to socialize with other yogis, we have something for you!

(Please note that The Pots Place has closed for its traditional February break; however, all yoga classes will continue as scheduled.)

February’s pose of the month:  bird dog!

Dandayamana Bharmanasana (Bird Dog Pose)

  • dandayamana = balancing
  • bharmana = table
  • asana = pose

Bird dog pose strengthens core muscles while elongating the spine. This pose may also provide some relief for low back pain by strengthening the muscles of the low back. In addition to the development of strong core muscles, bird dog pose also challenges—and therefore increases—the ability to balance. It may also promote balance between the right and left lobes of the brain through the contralateral relationships between the arms and legs.

—Heather

February’s special events:

We have so many events occurring in February that we’ve organized them in chronological order to help you keep track of them!

  1. Guest teacher: Liz Heller.  On Sun., Feb. 2, we are excited to welcome Liz Heller as a guest teacher for the 4 p.m. Basics class!  For more information about Liz and her experiences, please see this website post.  We hope you can come out and practice with Liz!
  2. Yoga social.  Looking for a chance to hang out and chat with fellow yoga friends?  Stop by 308 East Main on Thurs., Feb. 13, at 5:30 p.m.  Either come to Heather’s 4 p.m. Basics class and walk down Main together afterward, or just meet us there! 
  3. Book club meeting.  Join other curious folks on Sun., Feb. 16, at 1:30 p.m. to discuss Scott Shigeoka’s Seek: How Curiosity Can Transform Your Life and Change the World.  Book club meetings take place quarterly; they are open to everyone and provide a chance not only to discuss the current book but help select the next one.  (To receive a reminder or share any early thoughts about the book, please RSVP to our Facebook event.) 
  4. Yoga nidra with Shigeko. For an extended guided relaxation, join Shigeko on Sun., Feb. 16 at 5:30 p.m. for this month’s 45-minute yoga nidra session.  Want to experience both the invigorating and the relaxing aspects of yoga?  Then join Shigeko at 4 p.m. for the Basics class and stay for yoga nidra.  Or you could come for book club and stick around for yoga and yoga nidra!
  5. Sound bath with Beshka.  We are excited to host Beshka for a winter sound bath on Sat., Feb. 22, at 11 a.m.!  If you would benefit from a restful and soothing experience, we hope you can join her.  To find out more, please see this post; if you’re ready to register, complete the brief form here.  (Because space is limited, pre-registration and pre-payment are required for this special event.)
  6. Donation class:  Basics.  Join Heather on Thurs., Feb. 27, at 4 p.m., for this month’s donation class!  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.  Heather has selected Arts for All Kentucky as the recipient of her class’ donations.

We look forward to seeing you this month!  For a full copy of the February schedule and class descriptions, please check those pages of our site—or pick up a hard copy at the studio.

The Pots Place
Jan. 19, 2025

P.S.  You may have heard that Angie has leased a downtown space, at 308 East Main, to start her own yoga studio.  She is thrilled for an opportunity to expand her yoga offerings, which she expects to include series of classes for students and professional development workshops for teachers.  At the same time, she is grateful to be able to continue to teach at and manage 4yoga, which will remain in its current location and continue operating under its signature collaborative, community model.

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Guest teacher on Sun., Feb. 2: Liz Heller!

Posted on January 31, 2025 by 4yoga

We are excited to welcome a guest teacher to the 4 p.m. Basics class on Sunday, Feb. 2! Liz Heller will offer this class, and to help everyone get to know her a bit, she has shared this bio:

Liz Heller is a Registered Yoga Teacher and Trauma-Informed Registered Children’s Yoga Teacher with the Bowling Green City school district where she leads yoga to teens at Teranga Academy.

She enjoys teaching a variety of yoga classes to adults, teens, and children and wholeheartedly believes yoga is an inclusive, lifelong wellness practice for every body. Liz hopes to empower students to notice the breath, strengthen the body, and calm the mind.

Liz received her Master of Arts in Higher Education Administration from the University of Louisville and her Bachelor of Science in Communication Arts from Kentucky Wesleyan College.

For more information about Liz’s background and experience, check out her profile on Yoga Alliance’s directory. We hope you can join us to practice with her on Sunday!

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February preview: join Beshka for a sound bath!

Posted on January 28, 2025 by 4yoga

Looking for an opportunity be soothed with sound into a state of relaxation?
Register to join Beshka for a winter sound bath on Sat., Feb. 22!

Whether you have already enjoyed a sound bath or are curious about the experience, we invite you to join Beshka at the studio for this hour-long event, which will take place 11 a.m.–noon.

What is a sound bath? A sound bath is a total body experience that allows the listener to relax into a meditative state while they are “bathed” in sound waves. In response to the ambient and acoustic sounds, participants may feel a range of physical, emotional, and mental sensations. The leader uses a variety of healing instruments such as gongs, singing bowls, percussion, chimes. and tuning forks to create the sounds.

How do I sign up? To provide participants with ample space, this event has limited capacity. Therefore, be sure to pre-register using this brief form, which also lists the ways in which to submit payments. To confirm your place, please submit your payment immediately after you register. The fee for this special experience is $25.

Photo credit: Beshka Moore
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Training Thursday:  Shigeko completes Brain Longevity Therapy Training!

Posted on January 23, 2025 by 4yoga

We are excited to announce that Shigeko Sleeper has completed the Brain Longevity Therapy Training provided by the Alzheimer’s Research and Prevention Foundation (ARPF)!  Shigeko took this 24.5-hour online training in December 2024.  The lead trainer for this asynchronous course is Dr. Chris Walling, who, in addition to his academic training as a psychologist, is a yoga therapist.

Shigeko particularly appreciated the training’s focus on Kirtan Kriya, a specific meditation practice that the ARPF, a nonprofit research organization, has studied in clinical settings.  She noted the results of ARPF’s research that highlight the role of Kirtan Kriya in delaying the onset of dementia.  If you’re curious to learn more, watch for our March calendar:  Shigeko plans to offer our community the opportunity to learn the Kirtan Kriya practice!

Shigeko now joins Frances Strickler and Angie Jones in having studied the ways that the ARPF’s “four pillars” approach can support healthy aging and cognitive health.  In fact, Shigeko, Frances, and Angie are currently the only three folks in the Bowling Green area to hold the credential of Brain Longevity Specialist.

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Training Thursday:  Frances deepens understanding of anatomy!

Posted on January 9, 2025 by 4yoga

In late 2024, Frances Strickler spent a weekend completing a 15-hour teacher training workshop, Anatomy Intensive for Yoga Instructors.  This session, led by Elizabeth McNeil of KARMA School of Yoga and Wellness in Elizabethtown, was hosted by Be Happy Yoga & Salt Cave in Bowling Green.

In this Nov. 1–3 training, Elizabeth reviewed the basics of the musculoskeletal system and highlighted what yoga teachers should know about it—both for their personal practice and for their teaching of others.  Frances noted, “Elizabeth spent time on teaching methodology for alignment cues…as well as practice in applying knowledge on personal asana practice.”

For opportunities to practice with Frances and experience how she applies this training in person, join her on the first Thursday of each month at 9 a.m. for our Gentle class!

Anatomy Intensive for Yoga Instructors
Be Happy Yoga & Salt Cave
(photo credit: Susan Polk)
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January schedule: welcome 2025 with yoga!

Posted on January 3, 2025 by 4yoga

Welcome to January and to 2025!  

January’s studio focus:  post of the month

With the new year, we are excited to announce a new monthly studio focus.  During 2024, we enjoyed exploring the yamas and niyamas together; in 2025, we will highlight a “pose of the month” as our unifying theme. 

Each month, a teacher will select and share information about a specific pose, and then all teachers will incorporate that pose—or appropriate variations of it—in their courses.  (Because Yin and Restorative classes have different intentions and poses, those classes may either opt out of the pose of the month or provide a creative variation.)

We look forward to exploring each month’s pose with you, and Angie has selected our first pose:  Tadasana!

Tadasana

  • tada = mountain
  • asana = pose

Tadasana is a foundational standing pose that encourages us to tune in to our alignment and to develop our balance.  Although it may initially seem like a simple pose, if we take the time to explore, we can gain insight into any of our own tendencies toward imbalance and work to correct them.  By pressing firmly down through the feet, we engage and strengthen the legs.  By encouraging the navel in toward the spine, we become aware of our core.  By drawing up through the crown of the head, we extend the spine.  By experimenting with feet wider apart or closer together, we find a place of appropriate challenge to our balance.  

And, as some of you have heard me say in past classes, one of my favorite features of Tadasana is that we can find opportunities to practice it in daily life:  standing in line at a store? waiting for food to cook on the stove? pausing on a walk to talk to a neighbor?  Tadasana is available to us!  If we spend more time sitting than standing, we can practice the seated variation.  In addition, establishing a solid Tadasana base in our physical practice can help us to feel more grounded and anchored in other areas of our lives.

January’s new class:  Flow yoga

We have heard your requests for a more energetic class to be added to the schedule, and Shigeko has decided to grant those requests!  On selected Wednesday mornings each month, at 9 a.m., she will offer a Flow class.  If you are seeking more of a physical challenge in your practice, please join her on these Wednesdays!

Curious about what we mean by the label “Flow”?  Our most vigorous class, Flow moves at a faster pace than Basics and/or includes more challenging poses. Although students are always encouraged to take variations appropriate to their bodies, Flow provides less direct instruction in and demonstration of those variations than Basics classes.

January’s special events:

  1. Donation class:  Restorative yoga. Join Angie on Wed., Jan. 15 at 6 p.m. for this month’s donation class.  If you’ve been looking for a mid-week chance to rest and re-set, this Restorative class may serve you well.  The monthly donation classes serve our community in two ways:  1) provide an opportunity for folks to take a yoga class without paying a class fee—donations are entirely optional; 2) support a local non-profit with the fees that are donated.  This month, Angie has selected the Bowling Green International Festival (BGIF) as the recipient of her class’ donations.  Although many community members think of BGIF in September, when the annual festival occurs, the board members and community planners work year-round to bring this event to our community.  In fact, the board of directors is scheduled to meet the day before this donation class!
  2. Yoga nidra. For a guided relaxation practice, join Angie on Sun., Jan. 26 at 5:30 p.m. for this month’s 45-minute yoga nidra session.  If you would like to experience both the invigorating and the relaxing aspects of yoga back-to-back, join her at 4 p.m. for the 4 p.m. Basics class and then stay for yoga nidra.

February Book Club preview:

In the market for some useful and thought-provoking winter reading?   Check out our next book club selection:  Scott Shigeoka’s Seek: How Curiosity Can Transform Your Life and Change The World.  To find out more about the book, see its publisher’s website or your favorite bookseller.  Our casual book club, open to everyone, will meet on Sun., Feb. 16, at 1`:30 p.m.  (To receive a reminder or share any early thoughts about the book, please RSVP to our Facebook event.) 

We look forward to practicing together in January!  For a the full month’s schedule, please check the calendar page or pick up a hard copy at the studio.

Snow on Fountain Square
Jan. 8, 2022
Posted in book club, new class, pose of the month, schedule | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments