So happy to have some special guests in my 4:15 Mindful Alignment class today at Asheville Yoga Center: my twin sister and her husband. This is them blissed out in Viparita Karani at the end of class. I thought it was so precious they were holding hands, I had to snap a picture!
Thank you so much to those of you who came to the Winter Solstice "Return to Light" asana class with me. It was such a wonderful turnout and so comforting on the darkest day of the year to be in that warm, nourishing space. Candles will be playing a much bigger role in all of my classes in the future. They are such a wonderful reminder to be soft, to burn slowly and steadily in our practice, to provide a comforting light to all those within our reach.
"You are like a candle. Imagine you are sending light out all around you. All your words, thoughts and actions are going in many directions. If you say something kind, your kind words go in many directions, and you yourself go with them. We are ...transforming and continuing in a different form at every moment."
A sequence for spinal extension & lengthening the side body: working up to Pavrtta Janu Sirsasana: Friday Dec. 14th 5-6:30 at Lighten Up Yoga Please feel free to comment with any suggestions to the sequence! *=modification
sukhasana, easy sitting pose
extend arms with fingers interlaced, bulliyangasana
bend sideways, one arm extended
gomukhasana arms
balasana with arms extended, walk arms to side, twist
table top: cat/cow
Adho Mukha Svanasana
low lunge to open twist in low lunge
AMS to uttanasana
tadasana
urdhva hastasana
crescent pose
vrksasana
uttanasana to AMS
utkatasana at wall
utkatasana without wall
Gate pose with foot of straight leg at wall
Parsvakonasana, elbow on knee
Parsvakonasana, hand to inside of front foot *with block
Prasarita Padottanasana (*hang dog style with chair)
Sirsasana or *prep
Dandasana
Maricyasana I (open twist)
Janu Sirsasana
Pavrtta Janu Sirsasana
Upavista Konasana
*option to use chair for all forward folds
bridge pose
Salamba Sarvangasana or *Viparita Karani
Savasana
The Solstice class will be a candle-lit experiential flow class, themed around embracing the Darkness within you to transform it into Light.
What's the difference between a resolution and an intention and why this year, you should make it your resolution to set an intention. First half of the class will be vinyasa flow, last half is gentle restorative.
Here's some information about a local yoga fundraising event for a substance abuse recovery program, an issue close to my heart
Yoga for Recovery Fundraiser: Winter Solstice 108 Sun Salutations
Live music and mantra with Chaitanya, Saraswati Markus and Johnny Gi. Enjoy Dobra tea after the event.
Teachers include:
Sierra Hollister
Joe Taft
Dr. Robin Saraswati Markus
Andrea Franchini
Elise Blanton
Heidi Vaught
Amy Kalyn Sims
Mackenzie Guerin
From the MtnXpress press release: This fundraiser event will be held at the Asheville Yoga Center main studio at 211 S. Liberty St. All levels welcome; registration is free. Donations accepted at youryoga.com or at the event. Tea and refreshments will be offered by Dobra Tea. Yoga for Recovery is a therapeutic beginner yoga series designed specifically for individuals in recovery from substance abuse. Run by Addiction, Recovery, & Prevention, this program is based on the belief that yoga is an essential tool for transformation and empowerment. Breath by breath, individuals who have coped with life by using substances learn how to embrace the present moment -- the good and the bad. For practitioners, the breath becomes the lifeline that we hold to guide us through life’s challenging moments both on and off the mat.
Asheville Yoga Donation Studio (239 S. Liberty St.) is proud to offer sliding scale pricing for all budgets to partake in the magical healing practices of yoga. We offer a weekly, all levels Yoga for Recovery class Fridays, 10:30am - 11:45am. No pre-registration necessary for this ongoing class.
I've decided to start posting some of the sequences I teach online, for my students to practice after class and also as inspiration to those who did not make it to class, and as a reminder to me of what we went over.
Please feel free to leave any remarks/comments/suggestions below!
The following sequence is from my Friday Dec 7th class at Lighten Up Yoga from 5-6:30
Learn more about the benefits of salt therapy at Sola's website here now.
Please join us for a relaxing and
restoring Yoga practice; basic asana to open the chest for breathing more
calmly and completely,Pranayama (breath
work), and guided meditation.
Get the most out of your Salt Cave
experience with simple exercises to enhance your breath.
Thanks to Mackenzie Guerin Thomas, flow yoga teacher extraordinaire and cherished friend of mine, for sharing this clip on Facebook this morning. It's a funny clip from the new season of Portlandia the best show ever, mostly because I think it should be called Ashevillandia.
