Important Updates for the New Year

Happy last day of 2011! I am very excited about the new year. I love setting New Year Intentions and taking time to celebrate with friends. Who knows what 2012 will hold for us all…what a mystery! Below are important updates for the New Year!

Anytime Fitness 6pm Yoga class 1/1/12 Cancelled…and the next class will be in the NEW BUILDING!

Fremont Universe has you covered on all the details. The new location is at  837 N. 34th Street, next to Blue Moon Burgers! So,  Burke Gilman bike commuters, your free yoga classes are that much closer to the trail. Learn more about membership here.

Try it for $2 is back January 3-31 @ The Garfield Community Center!

To help inspire and support your New Year’s Resolution the Seattle Parks and Recreation department is bringing back the “Try It for $2 special” when you attend a class for the first time. My yoga class is offered in the special and I would love to see you on the mat…especially if you are new to yoga. We recently purchased new yoga props to bring more modifications into the mix. In January we will go back to basics, while emphasizing core strength.

Tuesday  & Thursday 7:15-8:30 pm

2323 E Cherry Street

Holiday Schedule

Wait…it is mid-December already and I am about to head home for the Holidays? No way!

Well I guess it is true, so some of my classes are canceled…but don’t worry we can all do core together in January to work off all those cookies.

Evening Yoga @ Garfield Community Center
Thursday Dec 22nd- No Class
Tuesday Dec 27th- No Class
Thursday Dec 29th- Class at 7:15 pm

Denali Fitness in Madison Park
Saturday 24rth – No Classes
Saturday 31st- No Class

Anytime Fitness in Fremont
Sunday Dec 25th- No Class
Sunday Jan 1st @6pm- Class is on! So start the New Year off right!

Moving Planet this Saturday!

Favorite Pose for Cyclists: Supta Padangustasana II

Right now the pose I can’t get enough of is Supta Padangustasana II, also known as reclining big toe pose, shown to the left. To begin, lie on you back and use your inhalation to bring your right leg perpendicular to the floor. This pose can performed with or without a strap depending on your flexibility. If using a strap place it around the sole of your foot (or if bike touring, use a belt, rope or bungee cord)  or grab your right big toe and fully extend your leg.  Pause and breathe into the back of your leg. Hamstrings open slowly, so honor the time they need. Keeping your left heel grounded to the mat and your left arm extended out to the left, slowly open your right leg out to the right. Breathe. Keep your right leg straight and fully extended. According to B.K.S. Iyengar in Light on Yoga this pose offers many benefits to your legs:

The legs will develop properly by the practice of this asana. Persons suffering from sciatica and paralysis of the legs will derive great benefit from it. The blood is made to circulate in the legs and hips where the nerves are rejuvenated. The pose removes stiffness in the hip joints and prevents hernia.

When complete with Supta Padangustasana II, use your core strength to bring your right leg perpendicular to the floor. Grab your strap with your left hand, or if you are super bendy your left hand, as you slowly twist your right leg over to the left. Let your gaze fall to the right, finding a detoxifying twist. Move with your breath. Each inhale invite length into your spine and each exhale deepen your twist. Take your time. Work with both shoulders rooted into the ground. This twist not only feels great for you legs and IT band but also in your low back.

Hey Cyclists, don’t forget that you can get more yoga for cyclists this weekend at the YoCycle ride this Sunday Sept 18th. We are meeting at 10am by Richard Serra’s Wake located in the sculpture park to start the day of with some artfully inspired yoga and then ride to Golden Gardens and back.

 

Crafty Kids & Community Art

So, this may not have to do with yoga or bicycles, but it is a class I am teaching this fall. As you may note from my previous posts, that I am an art history nerd and crafty. (I was actually planning a career in museum education before I started teaching yoga.)

Creative kids need a way to express themselves! In this new class offered through the Garfield Community Center at the Madrona Shelterhouse kids will get a chance to try a variety of arts and crafts mediums, including but not limited to collage, watercolor, yarn and found objects. Each student will receive a sketchbook to encourage drawing and sketching both in and out of class. For one class we will be joined by Coyote Central Director Marybeth Satterlee, for a guided art walk around the neighborhood to learn some of the history behind the public art that distinguishes the Central District. All supplies included.

Sept 21- Oct 26, Wednesdays 4-5pm
Ages 6-10
Activity fee $85

Madrona Shelterhouse
3315 E Spring St
Seattle, WA 98122

Space is limited, so register today!
To Register Call (206) 684-4788

Moving Planet: an important step in the right direction

After some seriously devastating news from Kenya about a pipeline leaking oil and exploding killing “at least 75″ people, we really have to think about our dependance on fossil fuels. Not only is this an issue about cars burning fossil fuels, but also an industrialized food system that reeks of petroleum and an ocean full of plastic trash. Seriously. What are we gonna do about this? Sometimes things get pretty overwhelming and all the sun salutations in the world are not going to change things alone. We have to really ask ourselves what we value as people and as a community.

I believe fun and inspiring events like Moving Planet,  a worldwide event on September 24th, can really help us move away from fossil fuels and towards new possibilities.  Moving Planet Seattle has a whole line up of events looks incredible, educational and empowering. The day begins by people getting to South Lake Union park in non-fossil fueled kinda ways, like skateboarding, paddle boarding and of course biking.

10- 12: Take Action Workshops on Transportation for Washington and Power Past Coal @ China Harbor

10am-2pm: Get Active & Learn More @ Lake Union Park
Expect food, demonstrations and lots of fun as we celebrate the joy of moving around. My friends at WASUP Yoga, Bike Works and many more will all be there. I will be offering a sample bike ride warm-up and showing you how to use your bicycle as a prop. There will also be lots of food and community

2pm : RALLY TO MOVE BEYOND FOSSIL FUELS

3:30pm : 350.org PHOTO SHOOT BE THERE

4:30-6pm: Engage in Environmental Justice

One of the things I also really like about this event, is that it is not only a celebration but is presenting politicians a clear set of demands that include a rapid change to zero carbon emissions and lifting the rights of people over polluters. We are beyond our deadline to change our gas guzzling ways…so lets get moving, we have a lot of work to do.

 

Move your body artfully in the sculpture park!

Free Ride Sept 18

This Sunday September 18th at 10am meet me in the lovely Olympic Sculpture Park by the Richard Serra piece, Wake.  We will warm up our bodies for a scenic ride to Golden Gardens where we will go deeper into our Yoga practice with the lapping waves of the Puget Sound as our sound track. Then we will blissfully return to the Sculpture Park. Oh, and if you are down you can always bike with me over to the Madrona Shelter house and take my Rest & Relaxation class from 2-4pm, for slow moving, deep stretching and guided meditation. (a.k.a. Pure bliss after a bike ride). 

Practicing yoga outside really connects you the the true meaning of yoga, which is union, connecting to not only your body to your breath, but also you to the whole outside world. I am an art nerd and so is Jamison, our supportive bike mechanic. We are meeting by this Serra piece because it is designed specifically to connect the viewers with their body and and space. May Serra’s intentions for the work help inspire our own yoga practice!

Richard Serra, Wake 2004

What’s important is you moving between them, through them, and around them as they undulate; it’s your body moving in relation to their surface that moves.

Richard Serra

Olympic Sculpture Park
2901 Western Avenue
Seattle, WA 98121

 

 

Falling Back to Your Mat

Summer in Seattle is a precious time when the city decides to collectively skip work and frolic in the park instead. It is easy to get swept away by the spontaneity of Summer. Who wants to be inside on what could be one of the last really sunny days? I hope after all your adventures you remembered to stretch.

I can’t help but notice the days getting just a little shorter and there are fallen leaves blowing around the streets. Fall is on its way. There is something special about this time of year. Perhaps it is all those years of associating fall with a new school year that invokes this sense that I need to reconnect with my intentions for the year and establish a new routine. Yoga is a great way to do just that. I invite you to fall back to your mat with my Fall Classes.

Rest & Relaxation

Spend your Sunday taking time to deeply unwind. In this slow moving class we will emphasize breath and mediation techniques called yoga nidra, or sleep of the yogi. Give yourself time away from the laundry and email to let your body soak up slow movements, restoring your nervous system.  Please bring a blanket to class and dress in comfortable clothing.  *Two Sundays a month

still eyes, quiet mind

September 18th & 25th, October 9th & 23rd;      2-4pm @ Garfield Community Center

$15/ class or $10 monthly registration discount

Registration Only:                                                             Click Here or Call (206)684-4380

*Thank goddess it is not another weekly commitment to stress out about! Instead it is a once or twice a month treat.

Evening Yoga 

This all levels yoga class at the Garfield Community Center helps you connect your breath your body and both to your mind.  Learn how to maintain healthy alignment for your body. Develop strength and find your flexibility as we move through a variety of poses in harmony with your breath. Drop in rate $9

Garfield Community Center, 2323 E Cherry St

Want to cultivate a yoga routine that works for you? Register for the whole month of Evening Yoga you not only save a little money but develop a more steady yoga practice.

September 6-29th & October 4-27th

Each Session is $48

Tuesdays & Thursdays @ 7:15-8:30pm

Click Here or Call (206)684-4788 

Weekend fun on wheels

Saturday July 23th, Commuter Class 10am-1pm

1200 Sturgus Ave South, Seattle, WA, in Gazebo

Hey y’all there are still a few spots available for the YoCycle Commuter Class this Saturday from 10-1am.  Read more about the workshop here. We even still have a few Swift Industries goodies to give away. Register Now!

Benefit Class  for Yoga Behind Bars

Sunday July 24th 10am-11:15am @ Greenlake Park

7201 E Green Lake Dr N, Seattle, WA 98115

I am teaching this week’s outdoor yoga class. Meet at the arch next to the community center and we’ll head to the grass for yoga. Class by donation (suggested $10) with all proceeds to YBB. All levels welcome – really. Bring a mat if you can! After a full yoga class you have the option to go on a bike ride to Golden Gardens. To learn more about Yoga Behind Bars, click here.

 

 

New Video: Yoga on a Bike

Hope you enjoy my second video combining Yoga and bicycles. (The first video is Stoplight Yoga, which you can see here.) Yoga on a Bike shows you yoga poses on the mat, actually the grass, and then translates them into a pose you can practice while riding your bike or using your bike as a yoga prop. A highlight is playing with pigeon on various parts of the bike, which adds a balancing dimension to an already exciting hip opener.

Want to learn more fun ways to integrate yoga into your cycling lifestyle?

Register Here for YoCycle’s upcoming Commuter Class Saturday July 23rd 10am-1pm. Class begins with yoga at our favorite Gazebo in town by the I-90 trail, then we ride to Luther Burbank park on Mercer Island for a discussion with bike lawyer Mimy Bailey, to answer your commuter questions and roadside repair tips, all for $39. Payment due at class.

Plus, the first five to register for class will get a Swift Industries Mechanic Bag to hold your tire levers, spare tube and other necessary tools.

See you in the bike lane soon!