September 2014 class schedule and focus

It is hard to imagine that, while still enduring the sweltering days of August, we are heading for the Autumn Equinox in September.  On this day there is perfect balance between lightness and darkness of days before we tip into the dark phase of the year.  In some ancient traditions such as Judaism, the holiday of Rosh Hashanah, which is in September, signifies the New Year and provides a time to reflect on the past year, to take actions that compensate for what we regret, and to set intentions so as not to repeat or stay trapped in habits that are not helpful to us.

From the broad view of the Vedic texts (origin of the yoga sutras), our whole lives exist to move out of our Karma (any action, usually associated with the past, that results in further bondage or freedom) and into our Dharma (one’s duty or destiny).  By approaching your asana practice on the mat with presence and awareness of body, mind, and emotions, you are able to know yourself more fully and embrace the opportunity for change, rather than resist it out of fear.  Moving into our dharma takes courage and support.  Receive the feeling of gratitude for your practice and for being a part of this yoga community!      

For September, we are delighted to announce three special events and one ongoing addition to the 4yoga schedule:
  • Labor Day class:  Join us on Monday, Sept. 1, at 9 a.m. for a mixed-level holiday class with Kim.  All levels of students are welcome, and options will be provided to allow everyone to practice at his or her own level.
  • Chair class:  Tuesdays at noon.  Join Kathie for traditional yoga postures adapted for sitting on or supported by a chair.  This class is ideal for employees who do not have an opportunity to change clothes but want a lunchtime relaxation break and people who prefer not to move to the floor for traditional yoga.  It will focus on flexibility, strength, and relaxation using movement and breathing exercises.  All levels welcome.  Please note:  although the yoga studio is upstairs, the staircase does have hand rails on both sides.  
  • Talk/meditation session:  For the monthly discussion and meditation, join Juanita on Friday, Sept. 19 immediately after the Yin class.  There is no charge for this session, and everyone is welcome.
  • Props workshop:  By student request, on Sunday, Sept. 21, at 3 p.m., we will offer our first props workshop.  If you have ever wondered how you could use props like blankets, blocks, bolsters, and straps more effectively in class or in your home practice, please join us for this 70-minute workshop.  Taught by a team of teachers, the session will introduce, demonstrate, and allow you to experiment with the use of props in seated, standing, and reclining poses.
For a full list of September classes, please see the attached schedule, the calendar section of our website, or a hard copy available at The Pots Place.  
 
Remember that even if you are running late when the gallery downstairs is closed, you can still join us for class.  If the front door is locked, come to the back door of The Pots Place (look for the blue building) and ring the buzzer.  The teacher will then unlock the door remotely for you to enter through the pottery studio.
 
Special note:  since sending this message in its email form, we have received several compliments on its introduction.  Therefore, we want to be sure to credit Erica (or, as we call her, 4yoga West!) for her ongoing contributions to our community yoga adventure.  She contributes these pieces for each month’s email.  To keep up with Erica’s Colorado activities, see her website.
 
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Labor Day weekend class schedule

If your Labor Day weekend plans include yoga, we invite you to come to any or all of our 4yoga classes!

  • Friday @ 1:30 p.m.–Mommy & Me with Eri
  • Friday @ 5:30 p.m.–Yin with Alice
  • Saturday @ 9 a.m.–Basics with Kim
  • Sunday @ 4:30 p.m.–Basics with Eri
  • Monday (Labor Day) @ 9 a.m.–Mixed with Kim
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Schedule preview: Chair class starts in Sept. (noon on Tuesdays)

Beginning on Tuesday, Sept. 2, join Kathie Downs at noon for a Chair Yoga class.  This class features traditional yoga postures adapted for sitting on or supported by a chair.  It is ideal for employees who do not have an opportunity to change clothes but still want a lunchtime exercise and relaxation break and people who do not want to go down to the floor for traditional yoga.

The Chair class will focus on flexibility, strength, and relaxation using movement and breathing exercises.  All levels of students–including beginners–are welcome.

Please note:  although the yoga studio is upstairs, the staircase does have hand rails on both sides.

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Talk & meditation returns: Fri., 8/15 @ 6:45 p.m.

After a brief hiatus, the monthly talk and meditation session with Juanita will return on Friday, August 15, at 6:45 p.m. (immediately after the conclusion of the Laughing Yoga class).

As always, the talk and meditation session is an opportunity to discuss deeper aspects of yoga with other students in a casual setting and to participate in a guided meditation.  There is no charge for attending, and we hope that all interested community members participate.

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Laughing Yoga returns: Fri., 8/15 @ 5:30 p.m.

For anyone curious about Friday’s Laughing Yoga class with Susan Polk, we are re-sharing this June post:  4 Reasons to Experience Laughing Yoga.

We hope those of you who enjoyed the June class will be able to attend again…and those of you who were unable to join Susan in June are able to participate this Friday.

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August 2014 focus and class schedule

As we melt into August, the shortening of days is accelerating, the harvest of crops is peaking, and first glimmers of autumn are felt, especially at the end of the month when the quality of light changes and dryness in the plants is noticed.

We cannot control the dryness in the environment, but we can influence the hydration and flexibility in the muscular-skeletal structure of our bodies with regular asana practice.  With regular (preferably daily) practice, our bodies can remain pliable as they age.  Stiffness, aches, and pains decrease.

Specifically, such aches and pains of the head, neck, shoulders, and arms can be relieved by such postures as shoulderstand and fish which stretch the ligaments in those areas and thus relieve compression of the nerves and sensitivity of the nerve branches. The bundles of fiber woven to create our connective tissue are designed to withstand enormous strains and stresses and have tremendous strength. The tendency is for them is to shorten and become dry.  Poses mindfully practiced and held for longer periods of time are the best way to create length and hydration in those tissues.  The net effect is to experience our lives in these vehicles of our bodies as if we were wearing them like a glove instead of dragging them around.  This translates to having more energy for experiencing joy and happiness in all that we do.

For a full list of August classes, please see the calendar page or a hard copy available at The Pots Place.  See the list below for two special opportunities the evening of Friday, August 15.

  • Laughing Yoga returns on Friday, August 15, at 5:30 p.m. with Susan Polk.  If you attended the June session and enjoyed it, please return; if you missed that class, here’s your chance to experience a different style of yoga!
  • Talk and Meditation session also returns on Friday, August 15, at 6:45 p.m. with Juanita.  This informal gathering provides an opportunity to talk about meditation and then to practice a short meditation.  No experience is necessary, and there is no charge.

Remember that even if you are running late when the gallery downstairs is closed, you can still join us for class.  If the front door is locked, come to the back door of The Pots Place (look for the blue building) and ring the buzzer.  The teacher will then unlock the door remotely for you to enter through the pottery studio.

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“Just Think: The Challenges of the Disengaged Mind” (research study)

Some of you have heard Angie mention the results of this study in class recently, and we are sharing it for people who would like to learn more about the methodology and results.  Angie initially heard about the study on NPR’s All Tech Considered, and the full study is available via Science

One of the most discussed results of the study is that so many participants, when left alone in a room to entertain themselves with their thoughts, chose instead to administer an electric shock to themselves.

Many participants elected to receive negative stimulation over no stimulation—especially men: 67% of men, compared to 25% of women… Note that these results only include participants who had reported that they would pay to avoid being shocked again….The gender difference is probably due to the tendency for men to be higher in sensation-seeking. But what is striking is that simply being alone with their own thoughts for 15 min was apparently so aversive that it drove many participants to self-administer an electric shock that they had earlier said they would pay to avoid.  

What do you think?  If you were a participant, how would you spend the 6-15 minute period alone in a room without books, writing instruments, or electronic devices?  According to the article, “the only rules [are] that [you] should remain in [your] seats and stay awake.”

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Quotation about freedom from David Foster Wallace

At our 4th of July class, Angie shared a quotation about freedom from the author David Foster Wallace. To allow students who enjoyed the quotation to review it again and folks who were not able to attend to read it, we are posting it here:

“The really important kind of freedom involves attention, and awareness, and discipline, and effort, and being able truly to care about other people and to sacrifice for them, over and over, in myriad petty little unsexy ways, every day.” ~ David Foster Wallace, Kenyon College commencement speech

For anyone interested in the full speech, which focuses on the benefits of a liberal-arts education but is very applicable to yoga, the audio is available on YouTube.

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July 2014 focus and class schedule

With high temperatures typically peaking in the month of July, the image of relaxing in a hammock strung between two trees by the water comes to mind. It is a wonderful idea, but many of us have a hard time fully and deeply relaxing. How often have you achieved this state in savasana and wish you could access this level of relaxation elsewhere?

How about practicing some Brahmari or Bee’s Breath? This practice of “the bee” brings calmness to the body, breath and mind. You may actually have the opportunity to observe these awesome insects at work in your garden or even know someone with a hive and be able to hear their buzzzzzzzzzz. You can follow this link for clear, simple instructions on the Bee Breathing practice.

If you can’t make it to a hammock on the beach this month, we promise to help you bask in the virtual experience on your mat after a practice. Please see the July schedule, which includes a special holiday class, introduces a new guest teacher, and indicates a brief hiatus in the Mommy & Me class.

  • Special holiday class on Friday, July 4, 9 a.m.: Mixed class with Angie. We continue our holiday tradition by offering a single, mixed-level, morning class and invite anyone who would like to begin the 4th of July with a practice to join us.
  • New guest teacher: in July, we are delighted to welcome Alice Simpson to the 4yoga schedule! Alice began her yoga practice over 20 years ago while working in the human services field and looking for stress reduction options and other physical/spiritual ways to heal and maintain health for herself and her colleagues. After several yoga classes, Alice knew she found the answer: yoga offered a non-striving, non-judgmental path to a more peaceful journey in this hectic world. After retiring from LifeSkills Community Mental Health Center, she achieved one of her life goals of completing a 200-hour yoga teacher training; she was trained in the Integral style of yoga by Susan Polk, E-RYT 500, PRYT. Alice plans to continue her education—specifically in Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction, Restorative, and Yin Yoga—and to teach Gentle and Basics classes.
  • Mommy & Me students: please note that the Mommy & Me class will take a brief break for the first two weeks of July (no class on July 4 or July 11). It will return, though, at its usual 1:30 p.m. time on Friday, July 18, and Eri looks forward to seeing you again then.

As always, to review the full month’s class schedule, please see the calendar section of our website or pick up a hard copy at The Pots Place.

Remember that even if you are running late when the gallery downstairs is closed, you can still join us for class. If the front door is locked, come to the back door of The Pots Place (look for the blue building) and ring the buzzer. The teacher will then unlock the door remotely for you to enter through the pottery studio.

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4 Reasons to Experience Laughing Yoga (Fri., 6/20, 5:30 p.m.)

We know many of you are curious to learn more about Laughing Yoga, so we asked Susan Polk to share some additional information about this style.  Remember that Susan’s Laughing Yoga class meets this Friday (6/20) at 5:30 p.m. at 4yoga at The Pots Place, 428 E. Main Street)!

Four Reasons to Experience Laughing Yoga

Bring a friend and experience the joyful benefits of laughter paired with yoga.

1. Laughing Yoga Relaxes Your Mind

Our minds and bodies are all too often overworked and overwhelmed by unexpected circumstances and demanding schedules. By focusing on gentle yoga breathing (pranayama) and laughter, tense muscles loosen and anxiety diminished in exchange for a joyful state of calm and ease.

2. Laughing Yoga Increases Endorphins

You may have heard of “runner’s high” when a runner triggers a euphoric state when endorphins are released by the brain from an extended run. This release of endorphins exists and it’s possible to trigger it in other ways. One way to increase the amount of endorphins your body produces is through controlled-breathing in laughing yoga.

3. Laughing Yoga Strengthens Your Immune System

We all want to feel healthier and get sick less often (or never!) each year. Laughing yoga can help strengthen our immune systems “by releasing neuropeptides that help fight stress and other more serious illness.” What’s more, studies have proven the effectiveness of laughter and comedic relief in our lives when fighting illness. Whether you’re combatting a serious illness or hoping to stave off the common cold this year, laughing yoga can help improve the health of your immune system.

4. Laughing Yoga Helps Us Connect With Each Other

You may recall uncontrollably laughing as a child until your body hurt, maybe even until your laughter brought you in tears. Since its launch in Mumbai in 1995, laughing yoga has drawn people together from all around the world, connecting our everyday lives of today with this same childlike joy found only through laughter and community.

Read more about the history of laughing yoga as well as its benefits in “Laughing for Life” by Paula Felps from February 2014’s Live Happy magazine.

 

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