Like a Lion or a Lamb??

Tomorrow is March 1st...and I have grown up with the saying that if March "comes in like a lamb" (decent weather) then it goes out "like a lion" (storms and cold!). As is typical....tomorrow, March 1st, sounds like a mild, lamb-like, and event-free day in the weather department (so you can figure out what the weather will be like at the end of the month!!)
Tomorrow is also the start of a new 6 week yoga session at Advent United Methodist Church in Eagan. The session begins March 1st and ends April 19th (we do not have class on March 8 or March 22).
Call me, email me, or just show up tomorrow if you want to register!
Peace,
Karen
karenyogam@gmail.com
651-681-1672

Hands-on Adjustments ??

For those of you in my yoga classes, you know that I do not go around and physically put my hands on students to try to deepen a student's pose or to correct misalignments. My training is one that focuses on providing strong verbal and visual cues (so I am a demonstration style teacher) to help students find a safe and effective yoga practice. However, I know that for some students, they really like and appreciate the individual attention and the new way a pose can feel just by making a slight physical adjustment with help from the instructor.

I have had both positive and negative kinds of experiences with hands-on adjustments when I have been a student in a yoga class. I have certainly benefited from a teacher gently touching a shoulder to help me release tension that I did not even know was there, and have been more challenged in poses when encouraged to deepen an asana, again with gentle help from a teacher.
Unfortunately, I have also had teachers "forget" that I have told them about an injury and they have "adjusted" me in ways that have felt painful and rather scary. The last thing that I ever want to do is to make a student uncomfortable in class....and I think for many yogis, the thought of having the teacher focused specifically on them and touching them is intimidating and makes them self conscious.

What do you think? I'd love to hear other perceptions and opinions on this topic! Please add a comment to this blog, as I am always open to feedback and would love to hear about your experiences.

Patience

I have heard from many people that they are frustrated and fed up with winter and I'd include myself in this group. I am eagerly awaiting Spring and often times find myself impatient with the slow pace of winter.
One of the things that I love about yoga practice is the many ways that it teaches me to be a more patient person. When I am on my mat and trying to focus on the here and now, I find that I am more content and willing to allow things to simply be as they are.
In yoga teaching, this idea is called Santosha. Santosha refers to the experience of letting go of expectations and accepting and being content with what is.
In your yoga practice, see if you can find a space of calm and gratitude...being thankful for the moment you are experiencing...accepting things just as they are. When you do....you will be practicing and experiencing santosha.

just a reminder.....

No class this Monday February 15th (Presidents Day) at Advent UMC. Last class of the current session is Monday February 22....a new 6 week session starts March 1st.

New session at Aslan Institute in Eagan begins Tuesday February 16th.

Tuesday February 9th

We will have class this morning at Aslan Institute in Eagan (10-11:15am). Please drive carefully and use your own judgement about whether or not you feel ok with a drive in all this freshly fallen snow!
Today is the last day of the session......a new 6 week session will begin next week Tuesday February 16th. If you are planning on participating, please bring your payment today or put it in the mail to me. ($60 for 6 weeks). As a reminder, you are welcome to make up a class if you miss at my other location (Advent United Methodist, Eagan : 4:30 Monday's).
Karen DeBaun
4081 Foxmoore Court
Eagan MN 55123

Class will be held

Yoga class at Advent United Methodist Church will be held at 4:30pm today. Please use your best judgement about whether or not you feel comfortable driving in today's weather.
Check the blog after 7am tomorrow for an update about the Tuesday morning class at Aslan Institute in Eagan.

Inner Peace

Over the past month or so, I have been writing about some of the Health Benefits of Yoga from a published list from Yoga Alliance. Here's the last on the list....

Inner Peace:
The meditative aspects of yoga help students to reach a deeper, more spiritual and satisfying place in life. For many who began to practice yoga as a form of exercise, over time, the peace that they find becomes an essential part of their daily lives.

I know that this peace is the reason that I keep coming back to yoga. Yes, I have increased my strength and flexibility physically...but it is the way that the practice helps me find strength and flexibility in thought and mood that is the true payoff. Just yesterday I found myself crabby and irritable...for no real reason (other than perhaps a bit of sunlight deprivation). I went to a yoga class hoping for some relief...and found it! The focus of the practice and the time it provides to simply "be" is an absolute gift!!
May you find peace and satisfaction today.
Namaste