Found an awesome article called "10 Tips to Get the Most Out of Your Yoga Class" from Yoga International. It is a very truthful list of ways we can approach our yoga classes and find our classes becoming more valuable.
Here is a brief listing: 1. Come to class free of expectations - expectations for the class and of your body 2. Have an intention - We leave time during centering for setting your intention 3. Free yourself of distractions - do your best 4. Disclose physical limitations to the instructor - I keep a notebook of what people share with me 5. Honor your own inner teacher 6. Listen to your body - Heard this before?!! 7. Leave your phone at the door - please! 8. Bring your own stuff - matt, blanket etc. 9. Breathe - we talk breathing during each class 10. Be grateful - be thankful for what is! Click HERE for the full article. Let me know what you think of these ideas!
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Downward Facing Dog is a great pose except if you have wrist, knee or other similar issues. There are ways to modify Down Dog. During Chair Yoga we stand at the back of the chair and step back into a position similar to a table, feeling an extension from our heads to hips. We can also modify Down Dog by leaning onto our forearms instead of our hands. Check out the following website for some great pics and descriptions. http://yogaforhealthyaging.blogspot.com/2012/10/featured-pose-downward-facing-dog.html The YouTube video below guides us to head placement while practicing Down Dog using a chair. Check it out! ![]() This week we will begin to practice Bow Pose during Monday morning Yoga at Gleason Family YMCA. During the last few weeks, we have been practicing Boat Pose - Navasana to prepare ourselves. Boat Pose encourages us to extend our spine out through our head and our legs. It will be important to remember this extension to protect our lower backs as we bend further back into Bow Pose. Instead of me describing Bow Pose I have include a connection to a great description from Yoga Journal and a video describing some corrections to make our Bows better and safer. http://www.yogajournal.com/poses/875 http://www.yogavibes.com/videos/watch/free-online-yoga-video-dhanurasana-bow-pose-therapeutic Hope this is helpful! ![]() Click on the picture for instruction on how to enjoy a restorative pose. This is a pose to practice when you need a rest from busy-ness, from life or just feeling tired. Mia Park, instructor, gives details on how to position yourself and how to get the most out of your time in this pose. Enjoy! Please let us know how this works for you! ![]() Great Excitement! Tuesday July 22nd there is a special class of Yoga with Grace from 8 to 9:15 AM at Yoga Light Studio! Our time together will include great yoga poses and time for prayer and contemplation. Psalm 29:11 will be our verse for the day. This practice is for all levels of abilities. Yoga Light Studio is located at 2573 Cranberry HWY in Wareham. For more info: www.yogawithgrace.net and www.yogalightstudio.net. Looking forward to a great practice together! Peace, Pam ![]() Wednesday when I finally had my lunch break at work, I was starving. I sat down with my sandwich, chips and drink and began to eat. I was distracted by thoughts and just kept taking bites from my sandwich without much thought or attention. Out of my lower vision something caught my attention...so I looked closer. It was a tiny spider sitting where I was about to bite! The spider was alive and seemed as surprised as I!! This incident reminded me how often we take our eating for granted...eating our food mindlessly. I came very close to eating a spider and not even knowing it! (Not that it would have hurt me!) In our yoga practice we learn to focus on our bodies and our breath. But yoga does not end when we roll up our mats. The same focus we use on our mats, is used in our daily lives...focusing on all that we do. However, focusing on all we do, is a growth process. Each day we work on it, some days better than others. The spider in my sandwich reminded me that I was not very focused and brought me to a place of re- examining my focus in life. Please share your stories of the challenges to focus in life on and off your mat or chair. When we think of meditation, we often think of sitting on the floor in a cross legged or lotus position. Meditation can also be done in a chair. It is important that you are in a comfortable position to compliment your meditation practice.
Yoga Journal has a video that guides us into meditation in a chair. Give it a try! We have been practicing Nadi Shodhanna or Alternate Nostril Breathing in our classes this week. It is a great breath practice to help clear our minds.
I found a video and website with a great descriptions of Nadi Shodhanna. Enjoy! |
AuthorI enjoy yoga as it brings peace to my life. Teaching yoga has brought joy to my life and given me a chance to encourage others in learning yoga. Archives
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