2019 Mindful and Meditative Yoga

Mindful and Meditative Yoga

I hopefully look forward to the year 2019 as a year of mindful living.  So with that I have decided to name this class “Mindful and Meditative Yoga”.  I’ve been practicing yoga for 15 years and leading classes in yoga for the past 10 years.  It is a practice that has changed my view on pain (all kinds), increased my own body’s awareness, granted me perspective on aging and now I add the most important element:  taking mindfulness in my yoga practice to all parts of my day. 

I have taught mostly beginners, but anyone who practices yoga knows that each class invites the participant to experience yoga at any level they are currently at.  I particularly desire that each person come to understand their own body and it’s strengths and weaknesses.  It is not a place for competition but a place to explore how you sit, stand, move and breathe.  I believe each of us, as we practice regularly, come to understand ourselves better.  We loosen the argument we tend to hold with ourselves about our bodies.  We come to understand ourselves in a gracious and grateful way. 

This class will focus on the mind body connection.  We will be slow and careful as to what we, personally, are capable of uncovering.  I’m thrilled you want to dip your toes in as we grow our joy through yoga together. 

I’m enclosing a picture of the 5 things you will need.   Sunshineyoga.com is a great place to get the strap, blocks and Mexican blanket.  The cheap mats on that site won’t give you the experience you will want to have.  You should expect to spend at least $50 on a mat. 

The blanket, blocks and strap will give you help in your body that aren’t as flexible.  We all have those tight places.  It’s fun to see where you are flexible, and where you aren’t.  The blanket is a Mexican blanket and has a fiberous texture to help you not  to slip.  Please don’t get the cork blocks.  The 3” X 6” X 9” ones are the best.  The strap should be around 6 feet, any longer is cumbersome. 

Please wear long shirts.  They can be loose or tight.  I usually wear some type of yoga pants that are flexible.  You will find my classes aren’t fashion shows.  Also I love to practice outside, so you might want to layer in colder weather.  We don’t wear shoes on the mats, so wear a shoe that easily is removed.  You may bring water, preferably in a glass proof container. 

A couple of Yoga practice suggestions:  1  Please be on time.  Try to be 5 minutes early if possible.  2.  It is a contemplative experience,   Part of what we are trying to do is increase our ability to concentrate, so sadly we need to limit conversation and humor.  (I had a really good friend that was always making a joke in our yoga classes.  It’s hard to hold a pose while you are laughing …as well as distracting.  It’s not the temple, but a good place to be able to focus.)    There are no mirrors, so you won’t be able to see how your body looks in poses, I will be your mirror for a while.  I personally hate mirrors in these kinds of classes.  Don’t hesitate to go home and try out the poses in front of a mirror. 

I am not a certified teacher, you can refer to me as a leader of group yoga.  But I am old and know how easy it is for an older body to have an injury.  That gives me an advantage that younger and really flexible teachers don’t have.  I need to know what, if any part of your body has an injury you need to work around.   

First Class:

The first 30 minutes of Monday’s class, I’ll get a feel for what you already know regarding the practice of yoga and I will introduce you to the mind body connection and the importance of understanding pain and using the breath to alleviate and relax the muscles as you stretch.  (Sounds fun right!  Are you still with me?)

The next 15 minutes we will then do some breathing and meditation to clear the mind, open the lungs and relax our muscles. 

So this first Monday we will only get about 25 minutes to actually learn some of the basic poses.  The yoga poses will be taught with Iyengar method   (A Form of Hatha yoga that has emphasis on detail, precision and alignment in the performance of posture and breath control.)   Basically how to hold the pose correctly.    

The last 5 minutes will be a mindful lying down pose we call Shavasana (or Corpse pose).  In Shavasana you will have a chance to learn how to relax every muscle.  Many of us joke it is why we do yoga – to get to Shavasana.   I end with a cross legged seated pose and do a little breathing exercise. 

At the end of the practice you should feel like someone has massaged all your innards, all your blood vessels, all your vital organs, and of course all your muscles.  All it takes is your own commitment to participating with us. 

All the Rest of the Classes:

All the rest of the classes, we will just jump into meditation and breathing, followed by poses using the breath and ending with Shavasana and breathing.  I think you will find that I lead with quite a variety of poses.  I will walk you through each one.  I believe you will find this is a great introduction to the practice of yoga.  I find it’s one of the finest ways to age. 

If you find you are tight in a cross legged position and in fact in any other pose, we can make adjustments.  Don’t panic.  This is a journey we get to share with one another.  Please just be patient with yourself, and just be willing to grow your own personal practice. 

Nameste  Everyone!!  The divine spark in me recognizes (or pays respect to) the divine spark in you.”