We are excited to offer another of our occasional meditation workshops this month as Danny Brewington returns to help us explore the chakras and their role in our lives.
Register now to join us on Sat., Oct. 21, 11 a.m.–12:30 p.m. (central) for this Zoom session!
Topic: The human psyche is packed with unprocessed data and unresolved emotions. It is easy to become weighed down by guilt, shame, anger, and apathy. All this unconscious material is stored in the chakra system.
Our journey here as humans involves us learning how to find this unprocessed data, finally face it, and release it from the individual chakras. This is often referred to as “The Path of Liberation.”
This 90-minute workshop will review all 7 of the chakras, their function, and how they relate to each other, allowing integration of all the material we encountered in each of the individual workshops.
Join us as we revisit the journey through the chakras and the path to enlightenment.
About the workshop leader: Danny is a Tennessee native who discovered meditation in 1987. Now, with over 35 years of study and practice, he enjoys great powers of concentration, breathing control, and expanded awareness. His understanding of meditation comes from a combination of philosophies, technologies, and life experiences. He hopes to inspire others to transform their lives with the power of meditation.
Investment: The investment for this workshop is $25.
Whether you have already had an opportunity to experience a sound bath or are curious about the experience, we invite you to join Beshka on Sat., Oct. 21, for her next sound bath offering! This event will take place 11 a.m.–noon, providing a relaxing respite in a fall weekend.
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 throughout their journey. The leader uses 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. The class fee is is $25.
Although our yoga practice reminds us to remain in the present, we will begin this month’s message by glancing back, for a moment, to the summer of 2011. Several local yoga teachers, many recently graduated from a teacher-training program led by Debbie Marquette and Heidi Crocker, started exploring the possibility of opening their own studio. We could not have foreseen either that those conversations would result in the founding of 4yoga or that the studio would be fortunate to be sustained by our community for 12 years!
Eventually our larger group became Kim Herald, Erica Jacknin, Kelly Reames, and Angie Jones. With a decorated shoebox to collect class fees, we launched our vision of an accessible and affordable yoga studio on Sept. 27, 2011, at Dance Images—thanks to Kathy Wise-Leonard, who welcomed us to her studio. A year later, Kathie Downs generously invited us to move downtown when she purchased The Pots Place, renovating the living room of an upstairs apartment into a yoga space overlooking Fountain Square.
We appreciate all of you who have practiced and taught with us over the years—and we hope to see you in September as we celebrate our 12th birthday with 12 special events! See the attached PDF for the full schedule, and read below for highlights.
Special classes: drop in for either of these special September offerings!
Pink Power Yoga: Wed., 9/13, 5:30 p.m. Feeling inspired by the blockbuster Barbie movie, Heather is offering a new yoga experience this month. Wear your pink and join her where yoga meets cardio: think 80s aerobics class style. It’s sure to be a fun evening! (Edited to add: Heather has created a Facebook event for the class—check it out to let her know you’re interested!)
Mindful Yoga: Sat., 9/16, 10:30 a.m. Join Carmen to focus on mind-body awareness, including an emphasis on breath and breathwork as ways to remain present. Beyond the breath, we’ll learn how to redirect attention back to focus when our mind wanders and how to infuse mindfulness into gentle poses.
Post-class outings: join us as we gather at some of Bowling Green’s wonderful “third places”!
Coffee with Beshka, Carmen, Frances, Trudy, and Angie at Spencer’s and The Harvest Bakery and Café. (See schedule for specific dates/times/locations.)
Happy Hour with Heather on the patio at Micki’s on Thurs., 9/7, at 5:15 p.m.
Lunch with Carmen at Café Kindness on Sat., 9/16, at 11:45 a.m.
Night Y’all at Community Farmer’s Market with Angie on Thurs., 9/28, at 5:15 p.m.
October preview: fall book club meeting. Our book club will next meet on Sun., Oct. 15, at 1 p.m. in the lounge at the studio. We will discuss Daniel J. Levitin’s Successful Aging: A Neuroscientist Explores the Power and Potential of Our Lives, a book that tackles a subject relevant to us all. For more information, please see this previous post or the Facebook event.
We look forward to practicing and celebrating with all of you in September!
Flowers at the base of the arch on Main Ave. Fountain Square Park Aug. 29, 2023
Our studio is excited to participate in a 2023 “reboot” of a community favorite: the Bowling Green Gallery Hop! Beginning at noon on Sat., Aug. 26, come stroll around Fountain Square to see work by 40+ local artists—and to chat with us as we staff a table next door to The Pots Place.
Heather and Angie will set up in front of Cedar + Sage (the hair salon), where they will be happy to chat about yoga, answer folks’ questions about 4yoga, and give tours of the studio for those who would like to see our space. And, let’s be honest…they will probably also be taking turns visiting Spencer’s for coffee and Meltdown for ice cream during the afternoon!
Because we will need to pack up our table before the event officially concludes at 5 p.m., please make us one of your early stops. We look forward to seeing familiar faces and connecting new folks with our yoga community.
Special thanks to Kathie Downs, owner of The Pots Place, for organizing this event and giving us an opportunity to participate!
As we welcome August, we invite you to consider how a yoga studio can be a “third place” to support you, your health, and our community.
Third places, those spaces we occupy beyond home and work or school, play important roles both for individual people and larger communities, as recently discussed on an episode of the radio program On Point. Those of us who spend time in downtown Bowling Green probably frequent some favorite third places there: Spencer’s, Fountain Square Park, Meltdown, the Lisa Rice branch of the Warren County Public Library, and Circus Square Park. We believe that yoga studios can also serve as third places, particularly when classes are followed by opportunities to socialize with fellow yogis!
In addition to our regular schedule of yoga classes for August, then, we invite you to join us for informal post-class gatherings—all are always welcome. We also encourage you to check out one of our new yoga nidra classes, to pick up a copy of our fall book club book, and to help yourself to books and magazines!
Two standalone yoga nidra practices. Thank you to everyone who has joined Shigeko or Angie for our Sunday classes in May, June, and July: we have both enjoyed concluding those classes with an abbreviated yoga nidra practice! We are excited to announce that we will now give yoga nidra its own, standalone, 45-minute class, and we have scheduled two of those classes in August: one on Wed., Aug. 9, at 5:30 p.m., and one on Sun., Aug. 20, at 5:30 p.m.
This change brings several benefits: providing a richer yoga nidra experience, offering both a weeknight and a weekend chance to experience yoga nidra, and allowing additional teachers to rotate into teaching on Sundays. There is no need to pre-register—just drop in. Note: although the yoga nidra class will begin with a few minutes of guided and gentle movement to help prepare folks to settle into a comfortable resting position, it will not provide formal instruction in yoga poses. If you are looking for a physical practice, please join us for a yoga class instead.
If yoga nidra is something you’d like to learn more about, you might find this article from Yoga Journal helpful: “How Yoga Nidra Benefits Mind and Body.”
Fall book club meeting. Although it’s a couple of months away, please mark your calendars for our fall book club gathering: Sun., Oct. 15, at 1 p.m. in the lounge at the studio. We will discuss Daniel J. Levitin’s Successful Aging: A Neuroscientist Explores the Power and Potential of Our Lives. The book club is always open to everyone, whether you are currently taking classes or not, and this book’s topic is certainly one that relates to all of us! For more information, please see this post. (For those who are historically curious, check out the list of books we’ve discussed during the last six years, with special thanks to our dedicated facilitators!)
Free book (and magazine) exchange. If you are on the lookout for new reading material beyond the book club selection, be sure to take a look at the studio bookshelf the next time you visit. Many of its materials are yoga-related, but we welcome donations of all genres and topics, and you are always welcome to take anything that catches your attention.
Customized introduction (or re-introduction) to yoga. Thinking of starting yoga or having been away from your practice for awhile? Our private, customized, 60-minute class may provide a helpful next step! For more information and to indicate your interest, please see this brief form.
We hope to see you visiting many of Bowling Green’s wonderful third places in August!
So far this year, we have enjoyed discussing two books with members of our community: Stolen Focus and Clarity & Connection!
As you plan for fall, be sure to check out our next read: Daniel J. Levitin’s Successful Aging: A Neuroscientist Explores the Power and Potential of Our Lives. We will gather in the lounge at the studio on Sun., Oct. 15, at 1 p.m.
Everyone is always welcome to join for our conversations—whether you’re a yoga student or not, whether you’ve ever attended a book club meeting or not. We enjoy seeing both familiar and new faces at these gatherings!
If you prefer to buy the book, it is available for $10-18 online and typically in stock at Bowling Green’s Barnes & Noble. If you prefer to borrow it, Warren County Public Library has two copies in its collection.
We look forward to coming together to discuss how we can all age more successfully, both individually and as members of a community!
To keep up with the October meeting on Facebook, check out its event page.
And special thanks to Heather Kessler for suggesting the book and taking its photo!
Do you like reading books and discussing them? Then join us for the July installment of our (roughly) quarterly book club!
On Sun., July 9, will gather at 1 p.m. in the lounge to discuss Clarity & Connection by Yung Pueblo. The book features 5 sections: self-awareness, unbinding, the love between us, growing, and a new life. The short passages in each section offer ideas and advice to help readers contemplate their place in the world.
If you prefer to purchase a book, paperback, audiobook, and e-book editions are available. If you would rather borrow it, check out an e-book from the Warren County Public Library.
We will provide a few snacks to accompany our discussion—if you are inclined and able, please bring your preferred beverage and a snack to contribute.
Finally, if you were hoping to attend the 4 p.m. yoga class on Sunday afternoon, do not worry: our conversation will conclude in time for participants to move from the lounge to the studio.
We welcome everyone to come join us on Sunday, regardless of how much of the book you read, and we look forward to learning what passages are most relevant and helpful for you!
As July gets underway, you may be making plans for a quiet holiday at home, an Independence Day gathering with family and friends, or a vacation getaway. Whatever your calendar contains, know that your yoga practice can support you and help you remain grounded in the present. We are pleased to offer several opportunities to gather together this month, both for regular yoga classes and for special events.
Here—in chronological order—are several July highlights!
July 3 and July 4 classes: On July 3 and July 4, we offer a 9 a.m. class each day—come practice with Trudy in Monday’s Gentle class or with Beshka in Tuesday’s Holiday/Mixed-level class! All other classes in July meet as usual: please see the attached PDF or the online calendar for details.
Book Club: Sun., July 9, 1 p.m.* All are welcome to join us in the lounge at the studio to discuss Clarity & Connection by Yung Pueblo. The short passages in each of the book’s five sections offer ideas and advice to help us contemplate our places in the world. We look forward to learning which passages are most relevant and helpful for you!
Funky Flow: Wed., July 12, 5:30 p.m. By popular demand, Funky Flow returns for July! Join Heather for this fun class where yoga meets dance. (No dance experience is required—just come ready to move and enjoy yourself.)
Sound Bath: Sat., July 15, 11 a.m. If you are looking for a total body experience that allows you to relax into a meditative state while being “bathed” in sound waves, join Beshka for this month’s sound bath! To allow everyone space to recline and be comfortable, space is limited and pre-registration is required. Save your space by completing the registration form: tinyurl.com/4yoga-sound-bath
Yoga Social: Fri., July 28, 5:30 p.m. Everyone is welcome to stop by the studio for a beverage and snack on the last Friday night in July. After socializing, we’ll head over to Circus Square Park to enjoy Ernie Small Blues Band’s performance at Concerts in the Park.
And we also are happy to accommodate your requests to increase the number of times a new class meets and to continue to offer yoga nidra on Sundays.
Saturday Gentle class: Carmen will offer this class twice in July: on Sat., July 8, and Sat. July 22. If you prefer a more gentle weekend practice, please join her on these Saturday mornings at 11 a.m.!
Yoga nidra with Sunday Basics classes: For the third and final month, Shigeko and Angie will provide yoga nidra at the conclusion of the Sunday 4 p.m. Basics classes. If you are looking for something to help you relax deeply, join them for a yoga practice followed by this guided instruction designed to quiet both body and mind.
We look forward to seeing you for ongoing classes, for special classes, and for special events this month!
* Thank you to Frances for catching the error in the start time for book club! We have corrected this post to match the time on the online and printed schedules—1 p.m.
In the last few weeks, you may have heard warnings from Dr. Vivek Murthy, the U.S. Surgeon General, about the nation’s “loneliness epidemic,” an epidemic caused by a lack of social connection.* In our role as a community yoga studio, we are grateful that we can provide several ways for folks to connect: through in-person classes, through Zoom workshops, and with informal gatherings after class.
For June, we are excited to share both ongoing and new connection opportunities. Whether you’re looking for a chance to spend time with yoga folks at Barren River Lake, a chance to connect with an experienced meditation teacher, assistance in relaxing deeply, or the convenience of a drop-in yoga class, we have something to support you!
Retreat at Barren River Lake: Sun., June 11-Mon., June 12
To see all the details about our first retreat, check out this post. We look forward to gathering at Barren River Lake on Sun., June 11!
Return of Meditation Made Easy: Sat., June 24, 11 a.m. central, Zoom.
On Sat., June 24, Danny Brewington returns for our workshop series, Meditation Made Easy! Join Danny for this 90-minute workshop to explore the seventh (crown) chakra. To allow folks from around the country to participate, we host this series on Zoom.
Description for the workshop: Enlightenment is not a “thing”: it is a process of removing our own psychological blocks. As we progress upward through the chakra system, we are required to surrender all our subconscious content. Once this content is cleared, we can enter the seventh chakra where our True Nature is revealed, much like clouds clearing in the sky reveal the radiant rays of sunshine.
The greatest practice for developing the seventh chakra is meditation. Meditation is like defragmenting your hard drive—it cleans up your system, allowing you to experience new information more efficiently. In addition, as we enter the seventh chakra and open the awareness even wider, meditation helps us stay centered without getting overwhelmed or lost in the Infinite Field. We can then open fully to our spirituality and experience inspiration.
Join us as we continue the journey through the chakras and on the path to enlightenment.
For more information about the workshop, see this post. To register, complete this form.
Continuation of yoga nidra in Sunday classes
Thank you for your positive response to the inclusion of guided relaxation at the conclusion of May’s Sunday classes! Based on that response, Angie and Shigeko will continue to offer yoga nidra for the June classes.
(Note that, to allow participation in the retreat, there is no studio class on Sun., June 11.) To learn more about yoga nidra and its benefits, see this post from the Cleveland Clinic.
Welcome back Carmen Herrera
This month we also welcome Carmen Herrera back to teaching at 4yoga. Come practice with Carmen on two different Saturdays: on Sat., June 10, for the regular 9 a.m. Basics class, and on Sat., June 17, for a new, occasional, 11 a.m. Gentle class.
Description for the new class: In this weekend Gentle class, Carmen will help students explore both poses and breath with curiosity and mindfulness, approaching their practice from a place of inquiry. Drawing upon Carmen’s anatomy training with Leslie Kaminoff, this class encourages students not only to pay close attention to feedback from their own bodies but also to adapt their yoga practice to their needs.
* For more information about the loneliness epidemic and what can be done to improve social connections, see the Surgeon General’s press release here or download a copy of the report itself here.
Studio from Fountain Square, May 27, 2023. Photo credit: Heather Kessler.
Have you ever wished that post-yoga conversations over coffee, happy hour, or dinner could last longer?
If so, you’re in luck! With the generous support of a yoga student, we are hosting our first retreat, at her home at Barren River Lake, on Sun., June 11.
We offer two options for participation: Sunday only or overnight.
To help determine which option suits you, please see the below general schedule for each day. Of course, participants are welcome to take part in our scheduled activities or to enjoy relaxing independently—whatever they prefer!
Sunday: yoga class with Angie, happy hour with live music and signature cocktails, dinner, and yoga nidra with Shigeko. The investment for Sunday’s retreat is $30.
Monday: breakfast and a yoga class with Heather. We have six spaces available for overnight guests, and the investment for this option is $50.
To join us for the retreat, sign up at the studio before or after class: see the bulletin board for the sign-up sheet. (The payment options are also listed on the sheet.)
If you are unable to make it to an early-June class and still want to sign up, stop by when The Pots Place is open (Tues.–Sat., 11:30 a.m.–5:30 p.m.) and ask the person staffing the shop if you can go upstairs to add your name to the list.
We will follow up with participants via email to provide more details and times for arrival and departure. We look forward to spending time together in a beautiful lake setting soon!
Disclaimer: photo of Lake Mattoon in Illinois, not of Barren River Lake. June 23, 2022
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