Celebrate with us in September: 13th anniversary open house, end-of-month giveaway!

Posted on September 14, 2024 by 4yoga

In our journey through the yamas and niyamas this year, it is appropriate that September lands us on svadhyaya or self study.  After all, September is the month when, back in 2011, 4yoga offered its first class.  The journey to launching the studio began with our four founders studying themselves to determine if they had the commitment necessary to create a new, community space for the ongoing practice and study of yoga.  

On behalf of everyone who has participated in the creation and maintenance of the studio through the last thirteen years, I thank each of you reading this email!  And I invite you to join us to celebrate this milestone at our 13th Anniversary Open House on Sun., Sept. 15, from noon to 3 p.m.  Bring a friend and come see the studio, take a free mini-class, enjoy refreshments, and put your name in the drawing for door prizes!  

At this year’s event, we are excited to be joined by our partners from different areas of The Pots Place:  Philip Woodard and Leah Shapiro representing the potters, and Pam Somers, the massage therapist!  Philip and Leah will have the shop open, be demonstrating pottery-making techniques, and donating door prizes.  Pam will be offering mini-massages and donating a door prize for a free massage.  We welcome everyone—potential, returning, and ongoing students—to join us for this lively and fun afternoon at The Pots Place!

To keep up with the open house and let us know you’re coming, please RSVP to its Facebook event page.

But, wait…there is more exciting news for this month!

A friend of 4yoga has generously donated an end-of-the-month giveaway!  Everyone who attends a class between Sun., Sept. 15, and Mon., Sept. 30, will receive a raffle ticket.  That ticket enters you into our anniversary drawing for a $100 gift card to the restaurant of the winner’s choice—and we have two of these prizes to give away!  Increase your chances of winning by attending regularly in the second half of September; you’ll receive one ticket per class.

Finally, we are pleased to offer three other special classes and events in September!

  1. Yoga nidra on Sun., Sept. 8. For an opportunity to rest and relax deeply, join Angie on Sun., Sept. 8, at 5:30 p.m. for this month’s 45-minute yoga nidra session.  To appreciate both the invigorating and the relaxing aspects of yoga, you could join Uta for the Basics class at 4 p.m. and stay around for yoga nidra.
  2. Donation class on Wed., Sept. 11. Join Frances on Wed., Sept. 11, at 9 a.m. for this month’s donation class!  Our monthly donation classes help us 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.  Frances has selected the Simpson County Animal Shelter as the recipient of her class’ donations.
  3. Yoga Social at White Squirrel on Sun., Sept. 29.  Looking for a fun Sunday activity?  What about a brunch bluegrass concert with Mt. Victor Revue at White Squirrel?  Join Heather at 10:30 a.m. at the studio for the Sunday-morning “slow flow” Basics class and then travel to White Squirrel—or just meet yoga folks at the brewery around noon.

Whew!  That’s a lot of activity—we hope one or more of our offerings has caught your attention and we have a chance to see you this month!

For a full copy of the September, please check the calendar page or pick up a hard copy at the studio.

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Discover August (2024) schedule: 53 yoga classes, yoga nidra, and book club!

Posted on August 2, 2024 by 4yoga

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!

Fountain Square Park at sunset
Aug. 1, 2024
photo credit: Heather Kessler
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Props upgrade: new, 8′ straps!

Posted on July 27, 2024 by 4yoga

Have you heard the good news? We’ve added 8′ straps to our props collection! To make it easy to choose the length of strap that you need, just pick by color: the olive green ones are 8′, and the purple ones are 6′.

One of our generous students recently heard another student suggest that longer straps would benefit taller yogis, and she promptly ordered some for the studio! We appreciate this donation for our props closet—and, as always, folks are always welcome to borrow mats and props at no charge.

If you’ve been looking for a longer strap to use in class, please select a green one when you next visit… after all, they are Bigfoot-approved!

P.S. Don’t forget our August Yoga Social on Thurs., Aug. 1, where we will visit this Bigfoot sculpture in the alley next to the Capitol and meet its artist, Andee Rudloff. Join Heather for the 4 p.m. Basics class at the studio, or just stop in the alley at 5:30 p.m.

For more information about the Bigfoot Mini-Con and all its associated events, check out the Warren County Public Library’s website.

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Training Thursday:  Maria completes trauma-sensitive workshop in Goodlettsville!

Posted on July 18, 2024 by 4yoga

In this installment of Training Thursday, we highlight a trauma-sensitive workshop that Maria French completed on June 2, 2024.  This 3-hour, in-person event was hosted by Yoga Society Nashville.  Cortni Sanders led the workshop, which was held at Mindful Motion Yoga Studio in Goodlettsville.

For readers who have not yet encountered the terms “trauma-sensitive” or “trauma-informed” in a yoga context, check out this post from the Cleveland Clinic to learn more.

Maria notes that the workshop “focused on how to tailor your teaching to be more trauma informed, [including] how to change the way you speak to students and offer more options to make a class a more inclusive, safe and trauma sensitive.”  She expects to use the lessons from the workshop “to create a safer space for all students in our yoga community.”

Maria has also recently completed advocacy training at Hope Harbor.  In addition to the benefits this workshop provides to her in-studio teaching of yoga, Maria expects to apply its lessons to her future advocacy work with survivors of sexual assault.

Workshop Flyer
(source: YSN Facebook page)

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July (2024) schedule: 48 classes + yoga social!

Posted on July 3, 2024 by 4yoga

In July, we are highlighting the second niyama, santosha or contentment.  Our yoga practices—including physical poses, breathing exercises, and meditation—can all help us remain present and, as a result, be more content.  Another powerful tool to help develop santosha is to remind ourselves of things for which we are grateful, perhaps as a way to begin or end each day.  Recognizing and being grateful for what we have helps keep us from being as easily distracted by disturbances that interfere with our contentment.

We are excited to share these highlights for the month and hope you can join us for them:

  • Independence Day class.  On Thurs., July 4, we will offer our traditional holiday class—please join Uta at 9 a.m. for that day’s practice!
  • Donation class.  Join Beshka on Sat., July 6, 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.  Beshka has chosen the Barren River Animal Welfare Association (BRAWA) as the recipient of her class’ donations.
  • Two Sunday 10:30 a.m. classes.  In a new edition of a Basics class, Heather and Maria will provide a “slow flow.”  This class will include breathwork and sequences, including variations of sun salutations, that move from one yoga pose to another while still allowing for a focus on healthy alignment. Heather and Maria will also provide and demonstrate variations to help students to practice at their own level.  Join Heather on Sun., July 7, and Maria on Sun., July 21.
  • Yoga nidra.  Do you find yourself looking for strategies to relax deeply?  If so, please join Angie for a yoga nidra session on Sun., July 7, at 5:30 p.m.  For yoga nidra, participants arrange themselves in a comfortable—often reclining—position and listen as the teacher guides them through a series of meditation practices to relax both body and mind. (For more information about Angie’s yoga nidra training and what motivated her to learn more about this style of conscious relaxation, see this 2021 post on our website.)
  • Two Tuesday noon Chair classes.  If practicing from and with a chair suits you this month, join Angie at noon on Tues., July 9, or Tues., July 23.  This 60-minute class may especially benefit you if you are new to yoga or if you would prefer to focus on poses that are seated (in a chair) and standing.
  • Yoga social to see Mt. Victor Revue at Mellow Mushroom. To spend time with other yoga folks, head to Mellow Mushroom on Thurs., July 11, at 6 p.m. to see Mt. Victor Revue, a local band that plays a variety of music “with a bluegrass frame of mind.”  Join Heather for her 4 p.m. Basics class that afternoon and then travel with fellow yogis to Mellow Mushroom, or just meet up at the restaurant.

For a complete copy of the July schedule, please check our online calendar or pick up a printed copy at the studio.  

August book club preview:  please remember to pick up a copy of The War for Kindness:  Building Empathy in a Fractured World, our next book club selection.  Then plan to join us for our summer meeting:  Sun., Aug. 4, 1:30 p.m.  (See this post or RSVP to the Facebook event page for more details.)

Holiday greetings from our friends at The Capitol
July 3, 2024
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June (2024) schedule: 46 classes, open house, workshop

Posted on June 1, 2024 by 4yoga

As we begin June, we hope to welcome you to the studio for a social opportunity, a regular class, an occasional class, or even a workshop—for more details, see the list below!

Having finished our month-by-month study of the five yamas in May, we will be exploring the first niyama—saucha—in June.  Saucha is often translated as “purity,” and practicing saucha asks us to be deliberate about the quality of products and attitudes with which we surround ourselves and that we take in.  Can we nourish ourselves by decluttering our homes? by honoring our word? by eating more fresh food? by reducing distractions to our mind?  Practicing saucha can lead to an increased sense of lightness and enhance our ability to be compassionate with ourselves and others. If you explore saucha during June, please let us know what you discover!

June’s highlights include these classes and special events:

  • Summer open house on Wed., June 12.  Stop in at the studio between 4:30 and 6:30 p.m. on Wed., June 12, to meet teachers, students, and potential students.  We’ll have snacks and beverages—and, of course, a beautiful view of Fountain Square!  Bring yourself, bring friends, or bring questions about the studio or yoga in general.  To help us plan, please RSVP to the event’s Facebook page if you can.
  • Two 7 a.m. weekday classes.  If you would enjoy an early morning practice, join Heather as she experiments with a 7 a.m. class on two days this month!  She’ll offer this option on Thurs., June 13, and Fri., June 21, and looks forward to seeing you.
  • Two Tuesday Chair classes.  If practicing from and with a Chair suits you this month, join Angie at noon on Tues., June 11, or Tues., June 24.  Chair classes may especially benefit folks who are new to yoga or whose balance is challenged, and they last 60 min.
  • Yoga for Seniors workshop on Sun., June 30.  Thank you to everyone who has requested an opportunity to find out more about what Angie learned at her Integrative Yoga for Seniors training at Duke!  Having provided a continuing education workshop for fellow 4yoga teachers, she is excited now to offer a workshop directly for students.  This workshop will occur on Sun., June 30, from noon to 2 p.m. with time afterward for coffee and conversation at Spencer’s.  Pre-registration is required, and the investment is $35.  If you are looking for strategies to adapt your practice as you age, please join Angie:  register here.

Looking a couple of months ahead, we hope you can join us for the next book club meeting, which will discuss The War for Kindness on Sun., Aug. 4 at 1:30 p.m.  Read more about this upcoming gathering on our website; to share your early thoughts on the book and to receive reminders about the meeting, RSVP to its Facebook event.

As you may already know, June brings the return of BG’s Duncan Hines Days (June 3–9), and many of its celebratory events take place downtown.  To check the Duncan Hines Days’ schedule, including traffic impact maps, see the event’s website.

For a complete copy of the June schedule, please check our online calendar or pick up a printed copy at the studio.  

View of The Pots Place from Fountain Square Park.
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Memorial Day Weekend 2024: drop in for a class!

Posted on May 24, 2024 by 4yoga

If your Memorial Day Weekend plans have you spending time in Bowling Green, why not add yoga to your schedule? We would love to see you at the studio—just drop in for any of these three classes:

  • Fri., May 24: 5:30 p.m. Yin with Maria. (Yin classes use props and target the connective tissue, often along the spine and around the hips. Students often appreciate their slower pace and meditative approach.)
  • Sat., May 25: 9 a.m. Basics with Maria.
  • Sun., May 26: 4 p.m. Basics with Shigeko.
  • Mon., May 27: 9 a.m. Holiday with Uta. (Holiday classes are mixed-level classes that welcome students who usually attend different categories of classes.)

If you are visiting our studio for the first time, you may either use the front door of The Pots Place (the one facing Fountain Square) or the back door (ring the buzzer so the teacher can unlock the door remotely). Walk through the store itself and then climb the stairs to our second-floor studio space.

We encourage new students to arrive about 15 minutes early, and everyone is welcome to borrow mats and other props (e.g., blocks, blankets, straps) at no additional charge.

Our classes last 70 minutes, and the class fee is $10/class. If you have any questions, just drop us an email (4yoga.me@gmail.com) or send us a Facebook message.

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August 2024 book club: The War for Kindness, Sun., Aug. 4, 1:30 p.m.

Posted on May 15, 2024 by 4yoga

Ready to develop more empathy for yourself and others? Then check out the book for our summer 2024 book club—The War for Kindness: Building Empathy in a Fractured World.

Join us on Sun., Aug. 4, at 1:30 p.m. to discuss Jamil Zaki’s research that encouragingly indicates “empathy is less like a fixed trait and more like a skill—something that we can sharpen over time and adapt to the modern world” (15).

Check out the book’s website to learn more, and RSVP to our Facebook event to receive reminders.

Everyone is welcome to attend book club gatherings—the only requirement is an interest in the book and discussing it!

For each meeting, we provide a couple of snacks and plates/napkins/utensils. If you’re able to bring a snack to share, we would appreciate it, but contributions are not necessary.

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May (2024) schedule: 51 classes and sound bath!

Posted on May 4, 2024 by 4yoga

As May gets underway, we are happy to share our month’s focus and schedule and to invite you to come practice with us.  

This month, we continue our journey through the yamas and niyamas with a focus on the fifth yama, aparigraha, often translated as non-possessiveness, non-covetousness, or non-attachment.  To explore and practice aparigraha this month, then, we might identify something in our lives that we can release.  Specifically, we could select and let go of a physical item, an attitude or belief about ourselves or others, or a role we have held—and then notice how it feels to have one fewer attachment.

May’s special events and classes

See the chronologically ordered list below for several special opportunities to gather together at the studio—we hope one or more of them piques your interest!

  • Back Care Yoga with Heather:  Fri., May 10, 5:30 p.m. Sitting all day? Are you feeling it in your low back?  Join Heather to stretch and strengthen while keeping your low back happy!
  • Donation Class with Uta:  Sat., May 11, 9 a.m. We thank Uta for offering this month’s donation class, which provides an opportunity to practice without a class fee (donations are completely optional).  If you do choose to donate, Uta will forward donations to her selected organization, Feeding America—Kentucky’s Heartland.
  • Sound Bath with Beshka:  Sat., May 18, 11 a.m.  We hope you can join Beshka for this special event that allows participants to relax into a meditative state while they are “bathed” in sound waves. To save your space, register using this brief form.  (Pre-registration is required to ensure that everyone has ample space.)  If you’d like to learn more, check out our post.  And, if you’d like to join Beshka for a yoga practice prior to the sound bath, drop in for her 9 a.m. Basics class.
  • Memorial Day Class with Uta:  Mon., May 27, 9 a.m.  Join Uta for this morning practice, our traditional, single class for the holiday.
  • Move and Meditate with Iajahnni:  Wed., May 29, 5:30 p.m.  Curious about meditation and seeking an accessible introduction?  Or looking for an opportunity to practice meditation with others?  Then join Iajahnni for this monthly session that can be completed comfortably either seated on a chair or resting on the mat.

Gentle class update:  while Frances and Trudy each enjoy a summer hiatus from teaching, Angie will offer all of our Gentle and Chair classes.  What does this mean for you, whether you are an ongoing or potential student?  That these classes will be based upon the specialized, evidence-informed training that Angie has completed at Duke Integrative Medicine.  Specifically, the classes will reflect what she has learned in both her Integrative Yoga for Seniors training in 2023 and her Mindful Yoga for Cancer training in 2019.  To find out more about Angie’s experiences, see these posts:  Integrative Yoga for Seniors, Mindful Yoga for Cancer.

For a full May schedule, please check the online calendar. 

We look forward to seeing you at the studio this month!

Fountain Square is ready for summer!
April 29, 2024
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Wishing for a summer sound bath? Join Beshka on May 18!

Posted on May 1, 2024 by 4yoga

Looking for an opportunity be soothed with sound into a state of relaxation? Register to join Beshka for a summer sound bath on Sat., May 18!

Whether you have already had an opportunity to enjoy 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 where 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 creates the sounds using a variety of healing instruments such as gongs, singing bowls, percussion, chimes. and tuning forks.

How do I sign up? To provide participants with ample space, this event requires pre-registration using this brief form, which also lists the ways in which to submit payments. The fee for this special experience is $25.

Photo credit: Beshka Moore.
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