I have been getting lots of good feedback and ideas and will be working on setting up a system for my students to receive an email when I post something new on the blog. If you are checking 'interesting' or 'funny' after a post....I have no info about who you are....so if you want to be in the contest for the $50 off the next session, post a comment, or email me indicating you visited the blog along with some comments. As I have told many of you....I am a pretty clueless when it comes to technology, so I appreciate all ideas and tips. I will do what I can to make this a user friendly space!
Namaste!
Tuesday, April 14, 2015
Sunday, April 12, 2015
a quote about fear
I read this quote this week about fear. Maybe it will resonate with some of you. I don't think of myself as a 'fearful' person, but anxiety and self doubt can be forms of fear....I got that going on!
Here's the quote from Hafiz:
"Fear is the cheapest room in the house. I would like to see you living in better conditions."
Here's the quote from Hafiz:
"Fear is the cheapest room in the house. I would like to see you living in better conditions."
Tuesday, April 7, 2015
A new contest!!
Thanks for checking out the blog! As I have been announcing this week in class, I will plan to do a drawing sometime this month for a chance at $50 toward the next yoga session that starts in May! To be in the drawing, just leave a comment here on the blog or send me an email with your feedback about what you like or would change about the blog. I originally started the blog to share information and ideas with students....so let me know what you find most useful.
Thanks for reading and thank you yoga students. I love the energy and enthusiasm that each of you bring to class.
Peace
Thanks for reading and thank you yoga students. I love the energy and enthusiasm that each of you bring to class.
Peace
Saturday, April 4, 2015
Trauma, Transformation, and Yoga
Some of you may be aware of my story about "how I decided to become a yoga teacher." Usually if I get asked this question, it is just a minute or 2 before the start of class, so my answers are brief and don't really tell the full story. I want to share my story here, as I think that many of you will be able to relate to the changes that happened in my life after a difficult and painful experience.
In July of 2004, I had a motorcycle accident that resulted in a crush injury to my left foot. After 2 orthopedic surgeries, I knew I wanted to return to the active person that I had been before the accident. I had started a one time a week yoga practice about a year prior to my accident and absolutely fell in love with the serenity and calm that yoga brought to my overactive mind. As a mental health therapist, I had now found a whole new set of tools that were helpful with not just physical flexibility, but mental clarity and flexibility as well! I was personally starting to see some great physical changes too. I began eating less junk and was in touch with how my body was feeling. I lost 10 pounds and felt calmer and stronger in every aspect of my life.
So, what a great blessing it was to have a yoga practice to return to as I was recovering from my accident and injury!! My first few classes had me coming in on crutches and wearing an orthopedic boot. I literally did maybe 3 or 4 of the postures, and would rest or find savasana during the rest of the class. During final relaxation, I would feel this amazing sense of compassion and care sweep over me. I imagined that I was being held in God's hands and I began to trust that I would come through my pain and eventually recover.
As time went on, and I felt stronger and my body healed, I began to feel that maybe I had something to offer to others through yoga. I had come through a traumatic accident, and yoga had been a huge part of my recovery both mentally and physically. Maybe there were other people out there that needed yoga's power. Maybe because of my experience, I could help others find healing emotionally and physically. These thoughts would not let me go, so I decided to step way out of my comfort zone and take my first yoga teacher training class. Here I was, a 42 year old woman, with no background in fitness. I was never a jock. I liked playing golf, walking, and doing yoga....but I wasn't particularly strong, fit or bendy! I was scared that the others in the training would laugh me out of the room!! Luckily for me, in my first training what was emphasized was the notion that there is a "place in the yoga community for everyone" and the idea that yoga wasn't a competition or a place for comparisons and judgment.
So here I am, nearly 11 years after my accident, and more than 6 years have passed since I completed my yoga training! What a blessing and a gift to share the power of yoga with others! Out of my accident, out of trauma, recovery, and feeling transformed by my yoga practice, I am now in a place in life where I get to share the healing and spirit-filled aspects of yoga practice with other people. It is my deepest hope and life's dream to be a conduit for healing, to help others to step out of their own comfort zone, so that they may discover the deep truth that yoga lays plain: We are all full of goodness and light and have gifts we need to bring to the world. When we say "Namaste" we are acknowledging our divine nature, and our connection to one another and the larger world.
Maybe as you read this, you're recalling your own challenge with an illness, a trauma, or an injury. Maybe like the old me, you have a deeply held idea that yoga is "for flexible and fit people" or maybe you worry as I did that others will judge you and laugh you out of the room. If you are ready to step out of your comfort zone, and want to be open to the opportunity for greater health, better body awareness, and a calmer mind and spirit, get it touch with me !! If my classes and teaching style are a good fit for you, fantastic! If not, let me help you find your space in the yoga world....there is a place in the yoga community for EVERYONE.
karenyogam@gmail.com
In July of 2004, I had a motorcycle accident that resulted in a crush injury to my left foot. After 2 orthopedic surgeries, I knew I wanted to return to the active person that I had been before the accident. I had started a one time a week yoga practice about a year prior to my accident and absolutely fell in love with the serenity and calm that yoga brought to my overactive mind. As a mental health therapist, I had now found a whole new set of tools that were helpful with not just physical flexibility, but mental clarity and flexibility as well! I was personally starting to see some great physical changes too. I began eating less junk and was in touch with how my body was feeling. I lost 10 pounds and felt calmer and stronger in every aspect of my life.
So, what a great blessing it was to have a yoga practice to return to as I was recovering from my accident and injury!! My first few classes had me coming in on crutches and wearing an orthopedic boot. I literally did maybe 3 or 4 of the postures, and would rest or find savasana during the rest of the class. During final relaxation, I would feel this amazing sense of compassion and care sweep over me. I imagined that I was being held in God's hands and I began to trust that I would come through my pain and eventually recover.
As time went on, and I felt stronger and my body healed, I began to feel that maybe I had something to offer to others through yoga. I had come through a traumatic accident, and yoga had been a huge part of my recovery both mentally and physically. Maybe there were other people out there that needed yoga's power. Maybe because of my experience, I could help others find healing emotionally and physically. These thoughts would not let me go, so I decided to step way out of my comfort zone and take my first yoga teacher training class. Here I was, a 42 year old woman, with no background in fitness. I was never a jock. I liked playing golf, walking, and doing yoga....but I wasn't particularly strong, fit or bendy! I was scared that the others in the training would laugh me out of the room!! Luckily for me, in my first training what was emphasized was the notion that there is a "place in the yoga community for everyone" and the idea that yoga wasn't a competition or a place for comparisons and judgment.
So here I am, nearly 11 years after my accident, and more than 6 years have passed since I completed my yoga training! What a blessing and a gift to share the power of yoga with others! Out of my accident, out of trauma, recovery, and feeling transformed by my yoga practice, I am now in a place in life where I get to share the healing and spirit-filled aspects of yoga practice with other people. It is my deepest hope and life's dream to be a conduit for healing, to help others to step out of their own comfort zone, so that they may discover the deep truth that yoga lays plain: We are all full of goodness and light and have gifts we need to bring to the world. When we say "Namaste" we are acknowledging our divine nature, and our connection to one another and the larger world.
Maybe as you read this, you're recalling your own challenge with an illness, a trauma, or an injury. Maybe like the old me, you have a deeply held idea that yoga is "for flexible and fit people" or maybe you worry as I did that others will judge you and laugh you out of the room. If you are ready to step out of your comfort zone, and want to be open to the opportunity for greater health, better body awareness, and a calmer mind and spirit, get it touch with me !! If my classes and teaching style are a good fit for you, fantastic! If not, let me help you find your space in the yoga world....there is a place in the yoga community for EVERYONE.
karenyogam@gmail.com
Sunday, March 29, 2015
10,705
A couple of weeks ago I wrote here that I would have to consider doing something to mark the event of getting to 10,000 page views on this blog. Then I went on vacation for a week, got sick when I got home, and ignored my blog completely. Today I see that I have surpassed the 10,000 mark by 705!!
Let's have some fun with this milestone. If you are a current student reading this blog, post a message on the blog about anything related to Yoga Moodra classes (what you enjoy, what you'd like to see more of on the blog or in class, etc). You can also email me if you'd rather not post here....but reference the fact that you are emailing in response to the blog request for feedback. Those that post or email will have their names included in a drawing for $50 toward a May/June yoga session at any of my locations!!!
Hurry....your name will be entered in the drawing if you respond/comment by April 3rd 2015! Good luck!
Monday, March 9, 2015
New class sessions start this week!
New yoga class sessions begin this week at all 3 of my locations. See the sidebar for class dates, times, and fees.
It feels like spring in MN today.....so a great time for a fresh new start "on the mat"!!!
It feels like spring in MN today.....so a great time for a fresh new start "on the mat"!!!
Wednesday, February 25, 2015
Last classes of the "winter" session
Snuggling in here with my laptop and my kitty who loves to join me on my lap and then starts sprawling across the keyboard.....making typing a bit of a challenge! Just thought I would post a reminder that the last classes of the "winter" session are happening this week (February 23-27).
As an optimistic person, I am calling the new session the "spring" session, even though classes start the week of March 9th...which is not exactly spring in MN.....but the next session will run until the end of April....so we should be experiencing springtime by then!!!
See the sidebar for class dates, costs, and other details for the new session! Please remember that you can attend a single class for a $10 drop in fee as well.
I don't always have much to go on about who might be reading or looking at this blog....but I do get an updated total of views. It looks like I am within 100 or so views to get to 10,000. Probably for big-time bloggers, they rack up numbers like that in a week.....but still, it is gratifying to know that people have 'a look' from time to time. I had considered offering some kind of cool prize to the 10,000 viewer.....but I'd have no way of knowing who you are!! So, let's just say this....I will plan on something special....maybe a giveaway, maybe a free class....something to mark the milestone of 10,000 views of the blog.....so stay tuned!
Feeling grateful!
As an optimistic person, I am calling the new session the "spring" session, even though classes start the week of March 9th...which is not exactly spring in MN.....but the next session will run until the end of April....so we should be experiencing springtime by then!!!
See the sidebar for class dates, costs, and other details for the new session! Please remember that you can attend a single class for a $10 drop in fee as well.
I don't always have much to go on about who might be reading or looking at this blog....but I do get an updated total of views. It looks like I am within 100 or so views to get to 10,000. Probably for big-time bloggers, they rack up numbers like that in a week.....but still, it is gratifying to know that people have 'a look' from time to time. I had considered offering some kind of cool prize to the 10,000 viewer.....but I'd have no way of knowing who you are!! So, let's just say this....I will plan on something special....maybe a giveaway, maybe a free class....something to mark the milestone of 10,000 views of the blog.....so stay tuned!
Feeling grateful!
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