Like many men my age, who are still breathing, I'm not nearly so flexible as I used to be.

The shoulders pop, the knees grind, and the back aches.

Like many men my age, who are still breathing, my sense of balance has left me a bit wobbly.

I used to romp like a young mountain goat across the rocky peaks of Grandfather Mountain. Now, I grip the rail going down the basement steps.

Like many men my age, who are still breathing, I'm about as flexible as a steel pipe.

Touch my toes without bending my knees? Sure, and then I'll leap the Bank of America building in downtown Charlotte with a single bound.

And, like many men my age, I spend too much time fretting about the past and worrying about the future and not nearly enough time fully experiencing the moment.

A few weeks ago, when we were chatting about upcoming yoga events at the Warlick Family YMCA, including the Sept. 28 Yoga Fest, Y Associate Executive Director Susan Blanton suggested I give yoga a try and even volunteered to set up a session for me with a local yoga instructor.

The instructor kind enough to work with me was Rene Henderson. In trading e-mails as we set up a time to get together, I wrote, "I'm 64. In moderately good shape. But, with no flexibility and with declining balance skills. In other words, a tough project."

Her response was wonderful:

"I do not believe you are a tough project. Yoga should fit your body, not the other way around. I would be honored to teach you the foundational aspects of yoga."

My response:

"Forgot to mention, I also have lower back issues. A project."

Undeterred, Rene agreed to meet me at the Y for an hour's session. Thatshort time of instructionproved eye-opening, invigorating, and relaxing all at the same time.

First, Rene made sure that nothing hurt. The yoga pad, a folded blanket, and foam blocks were used to provide support for my balky back.

Second, she emphasized the importance of breathing, of focus, of mental clarity.

Then, she slowly and carefully walked me through a series of positions, taking time to explain the kinetics of each of them and the benefit they provided.

And, when the end of the hour came all too quickly, my constantly-complaining lower back was oddly silent.

An hour, of course,is just a beginning. A tiny baby step down a road that it is now up to me to navigate if I so choose.

But I think I'll take that road. Sign up for some classes. Work with my bride at home. See where things lead.

After all, I may be old, but I'm still kicking. And maybe with yoga, I can kick a little higher.

Bill Poteat may be reached at 704-869-1855.

See the original post:
First try at yoga a rewarding experience - Gaston Gazette

As the sun set on the Allerton Meadows in Monticello, Josie Heck gathered her students in a large circle. She had a wagon with purple yoga mats for those who did not bring their own, and she attached glow stick bracelets to everyones wrists. Then, at 7:30 p.m., she began her full moon flow.

Heck has been a yoga instructor in the Champaign-Urbana area for several years now, teaching classes to students from all over.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

The Daily Illini: Can you tell me a little bit about the work you do?

Josie Heck: I teach yoga. I went full time with it over the course of 2019, but Ive been teaching for the past five years. I had always been in talks with Allerton, because it always settles me and reminds me to breathe. They were very supportive of me becoming a yoga teacher and bringing yoga to Allerton. I believe it was 2015 (when) we started (classes) once a month through the summer.

It took some time the first community classes I would get two people, or sometimes nobody would show. Throughout the last four years, the students have been amazing. They come from everywhere, and theyre the ones who have given us suggestions.

DI: Can you tell me about the kind of people who are attracted to these classes?

JH: Its interesting because the different classes are pulling people from different areas. (For) the full moon yoga, we get a lot of college students from all around, as well as people coming in from Springfield, Decatur, Champaign-Urbana, Tuscola people will drive a good 45 minutes to come and experience that sort of class.

Our monthly community yoga is usually (for) my regular students, but also (for) people who are not available to get into a class during the week. The summer series is again free community yoga.

We did Wednesdays this week at 9 a.m. through June and July, and that group is the teachers who are off for the summer. I love it. I usually have a really good group anywhere from like six-12 9 (people) will hit that series in the summer.

Its a different vibe for the different types of classes that we bring in, which I really like. I dont want people to get lost in this idea that yoga is for one type of person, or you have to have a certain amount of privilege to be able to bring yoga in.

I make it more available to people who are not able to afford a monthly pass or even occasionally make it available to kids I volunteer for the first-grade class at Lincoln, and thats another one where they really respond well to it. Then they will bring their parents to the free family community classes, which is nice, because that brings in a group that would not (come) if their kids didnt demand it.

DI: Why do you do yoga?

JH: I started yoga really as an accident. We were on vacation, and I found a little studio and went to a class every day. I had done one class ages ago, and it just didnt stimulate (me) enough it didnt fit at that time but this time, I really felt a connection.

When I got on my yoga mat, it really brought me back to myself in a way that I never experienced. I grew up with a lot of chaos in my home. Oftentimes it was a volatile place. I hadnt realized how much I had closed myself physically to protect myself over the years and how that transferred to my mental well-being. I was very reactive, quick to anger, quick to judge, quick to blame.

Those five days of yoga really brought a massive shift in how I viewed myself and how I operated. We were driving home, and my husband looked at me and said, You look different, and I said, I feel different, and I think maybe this is what Im supposed to do: Teach yoga.

I found Amara Studio in Champaign-Urbana, and when I walked in, it was like I was coming to a safe place, something that I hadnt previously experienced in my life.

The teacher tells me that I should take the teacher training, and after completing my 200 hours, I was trying to figure out how not only to be a student but to be a teacher.

I let myself go really slow until the last two years. I would teach community classes at the elementary school, at Kirby (Medical Center) and then of course my Allerton classes were always going around.

In April, a space popped open off the square, and I thought it would be really fun to open a full-time studio, so Yoga Off The Square now has a full-time studio where I dont have to take my mats everywhere. I still travel around, but now I can bring different groups into one space.

DI: How did full moon yoga start?

JH: It started with a student suggestion. I started to think about how to do a full moon class, looking into how we move in a yoga.

It shifts, so if were doing the practice in the morning, its very different from a practice we would do in the evening, and its the same as when the moon is high or low. Instead of going from the top of your mat to the back, we move from side to side. Were shifting the balance, how we move our bodies, just like the Earth is kind of being pulled slightly different with the full width of the moon.

Its designed to have you breathe and move in a way to discharge some of that excess energy, that tightness, that anxiety People trust themselves to move more instinctually. Theyre not fully focused on me; theyre not trying to set themselves up or to be exactly like the person next to them. Youre allowed to be completely in your own space on Earth and connect with the sky.

[emailprotected]

Here is the original post:
Local instructor teaches full-moon yoga class - Daily Illini

Yoga

Find Zen for your little ones.

Kids yoga class at Sol Yoga in Conshohocken. Photograph by Courtney Apple

Phillys kids and teens have more anxiety than ever. But getting them into yoga may help them better navigate the stresses of school now and adulthood later. Here, five local sanctuaries that offer Zen for little ones.

Storytelling and music will trick the three-to-five-year-olds in this seasonal yoga series (the next one starts September 8th) into thinking its playtime when theyre really dipping their toes into impulse control and teamwork. $60 for all four classes or $17 for drop-in. 1100 Pine Street, Midtown Village.

Weekends are for young yogis at this luxe chain of studios, which offers classes at Jersey outposts in Hamilton, Pennington, Princeton and more. Kids four to 10 attend meditation-focused sessions; more advanced tweens learn arm balances, and the most intrepid can opt for aerial lessons. $15 to $20 drop-in. Multiple locations.

Owner Angela Travaglini Wilson turns to creative games like yoga limbo and toega (she tosses colorful cotton balls on the ground and has kids pick them up with their toes) to make asanas as engaging as iPads. $12 drop-in. 117 West Ridge Pike, number 4, Conshohocken.

Just in time for back-to-school, local yoga teacher Ashley Tryba will lead elementary-schoolers in regular Tuesday and Thursday classes from September through December that include postures, breathing exercises, and aromatherapy elements. $295 to enroll. 410 Monroe Street, Queen Village.

Working with the Free Library, yogi Wesley Blades offers gratis flow classes incorporating reading, journaling and games. (She teaches paid childrens classes elsewhere.) So far, shes planned sessions at the South Philly branch and the Parkway Central Library on dates through November check @littleyogacollective on Insta for updates. Free. Locations vary.

Published as Childs Pose in the September 2019 issue of Philadelphia magazine.

Go here to see the original:
5 Great Places for Kids Yoga Classes Around Philly - phillymag.com

Sun Yoga Hawaii | Photo: Hunter L./Yelp

Want to know where to go when it comes to yoga in Honolulu?

Luckily, there's no shortage of popular yoga options to choose from in and around Honolulu.

To find the top yoga studios in the area, Hoodline analyzed data from Yelp, Facebook and ClassPass to identify which studios are the most popular. Read on for the results.

(Bonus: You can try them all out if you're a member of ClassPass, a monthly fitness membership that provides access to thousands of different studios, gyms and wellness offerings.)

Hoodline offers data-driven analysis of local happenings and trends across cities. Links included in this article may earn Hoodline a commission on clicks and transactions.

820 W. Hind Drive, Kuliouou-Kalani Iki

Sun Yoga Hawaii is Honolulu's favorite yoga studio by the numbers, with 4.9 stars out of 1,321 reviews on ClassPass, 4.5 stars out of 77 reviews on Yelp and 4,784 fans on Facebook. It's the top yoga studio in the entire Honolulu metro area, according to ClassPass' rankings.

"Sun Yoga Hawaii offers 90 and 60-minute Signature Sun Yoga Classes, including Sun Salutations, Hatha Yoga postures and guided deep relaxation," per the business's ClassPass profile.

"Our use of infrared heat helps the body in detoxification through sweat, balancing metabolism, facilitating weight loss, increasing circulation, relieving joint pain, improving cardiovascular health, tissue elasticity, beautification of skin, stress relief and relaxation," Sun Yoga Hawaii notes on its Yelp page. "Sun Yoga Hawaii is a locally owned and operated yoga studio."

See what people are saying about the selection of classes at Sun Yoga Hawaii on ClassPass here.

1019 Waimanu St., Suite 101, Ala Moana-Kakaako

With 4.9 stars out of 1,902 reviews on ClassPassand4.5 stars out of 33 reviews on Yelp,Body Balance holds its own among the competition.

"Body Balance is a boutique fitness and wellness studio dedicated to transforming the mind and body," per the business's ClassPass profile.

"Body Balance is more than a boutique fitness studio, we are a part of the local community and your fitness family," Body Balance explains on its Yelp page. "We have been shaping bodies and hearts since 1998 and providing an extraordinary full-body experience. [We're] a new boutique experience bringing together the best in studio fitness rhythm cycling, Pilates, Barre and more in one luxurious space."

Story continues

Read reviews of the different classes at Body Balance on ClassPass here.

1055 Kalo Place, Suite 102, McCully-Moiliili

With 4.7 stars out of 10 reviews on ClassPass, four stars out of four reviews on Yelp and 177 fans on Facebook, Quality Health & Fitness is another popular local pick.

"Quality Health & Fitness' mission is to help people live a happier life through/by teaching their clients how to do specific/necessary exercises for you, not against you; providing their clients and community with the best science and service their goals deserve; helping them learn proper body mechanics and effective strength training techniques for continued progression; and assisting them make certain changes in their life to feel better, be stronger, be healthier, eat smarter and to look better," explains the business's ClassPass profile.

"My clientele varies from 11 years old to 84 years old. Therefore, I make very versatile fitness programs specifically for that individual to meet their needs and goals, while progressing their own pace," according to the business's Yelp page.

Check out reviews of the offerings at Quality Health & Fitness on ClassPass here.

This story was created automatically using ClassPass and other local business data, then reviewed by an editor. Click here for more about what we're doing. Got thoughts? Go here to share your feedback.

Here is the original post:
What's Honolulu's top yoga studio? - Yahoo News

Corinne is a few days shy of 40 weeks pregnant and so done, she says, sitting on a mat inside Yoga Tree on Valencia Street in the Mission. Today would be great. Tomorrow would be great.

Lauren (34 weeks) has a fully transverse baby lying sideways across the mothers abdomen whose butt is digging into her ribs. Jamie (37.5 weeks) has all the things. Cecilia (32 weeks) cant sleep.

As the sharing moves around the room, there are varicose veins and back pain. Sore knees and cankles and indigestion even when I havent eaten. Someone else is feeling a lot of pressure in her breasts.

Because theyre growing, says prenatal yoga instructor Jane Austin, to a burst of laughter.

How much more?

So. Much. More.

When one woman has nothing to add, Austin prods gently. Are you sure you dont want to kvetch about anything? The floor is yours.

Every prenatal class here starts with this ritual: 40 to 50 women in all phases of pregnancy propped on blankets, bolsters and dense foam blocks, introducing themselves, how far along they are and how theyre feeling. Some are still in the early weeks, their bodies not yet expanded into new dimensions and shapes. Others are in the homestretch, heaving cautiously from pose to pose, ready to expel the tiny person theyve been cultivating for the past 40 weeks. I am somewhere in the middle, potbellied but not yet waddling, listening to the stories around me as reminders of whats past and previews of whats to come.

Wherever she is in the nineish-month journey, this is the safest of places for a woman going through pregnancy. Its a room where no topic is off limits and the weirdest complaint will be met with a knowing nod and a suggestion for acupuncture, wrist guards, pregnancy tea or that couch trick.

Ive had multiple womens water break in my class, Austin says. Ive had women in labor in class.

Over the last few decades, guidelines around exercise for pregnant women have shifted significantly, from bed rest and eating for two to healthy diet and regular exercise right up until delivery. Today, an array of fitness classes caters to pregnant women and recent mothers who want to keep up with their workouts. The Mindful Body teaches pre- and postnatal yoga in Pacific Heights; the Pad has pre- and postnatal pilates in the Marina; in Cow Hollow, the Dailey Method has Dailey Baby, where moms wear their infants in frontside carriers; and the Lotus Method focuses exclusively on pre- and postnatal strength training at four locations around the Bay Area.

At Yoga Tree Valencia, near the corner of 24th Street in the Mission, prenatal yoga is scheduled six times a week; drop-in classes cost $24. On weekends, they tend to fill up, mats inching closer together and spilling into the center aisle of the room so no one is turned away.

Austin is the center of the prenatal universe at the Mission studio. Legging-clad with long brown hair and tinkling jewelry, four days a week, she inspires pilgrimages of pregnant women from around San Francisco and the larger Bay Area. For about 90 minutes at a time, Austin is yogi, therapist, confidant and comedian, a sympathetic ear and knowledgeable voice who approaches the uncomfortable truths of pregnancy and motherhood with straightforwardness, humor and practical advice.

My hips somehow feel both tight and loose, says a woman who introduces herself as Candace.

It sounds like you might be pregnant, Austin deadpans. Then she explains: The joints get mobile to prepare for childbirth while the muscles stiffen to keep everything stabilized. This class is designed to address just that kind of discomfort. Well try to balance that out.

When Austin began teaching prenatal yoga in San Francisco almost 20 years ago, she wasnt a certified yoga instructor. Vinyasa wasnt part of the vernacular, and the term athleisure was years away from being coined by someone with a strong appreciation for spandex.

Austin is a former doula and midwife who left the field to have her own children. Shed taken a prenatal yoga class during her first pregnancy, and though it wasnt quite what she was looking for, she recognized the potential. There was something there, something powerful.

She went to San Francisco studio Yoga Tree and said, This is my big refrigerator credential. This is what I love about yoga. I want to join the two.

Thats essentially what she did, developing her own prenatal curriculum through trial and error, using her experience as a midwife to inform a practice that takes a holistic view of a womans body.

Pregnancy, for many women in the U.S. is really disempowering, Austin says. CEOs, managers, independent adults in charge of their own lives: They see two lines on a First Response test and suddenly theyre treated like children, told what to eat and how to move. The idea that women are inherently unstable or inherently fragile or that pregnancy is pathology, that's the lens in which women perceive their pregnancies, culturally.

The yoga, she says, helps them step away from all the chatter of what everybodys telling them to do, and really kind of tune into their own experience. Its always my great trust and faith that women, given the space and the opportunity, that she will make good choices for her and her baby.

Cassie Sikes (35 weeks) started taking the class in her first trimester, looking for guidance on what to do and not do, how not to squash the baby.

This has made the most difference for me in my pregnancy, she says. Austin is so full of information. She really cares about whats going on. You can ask Jane anything.

Shes also a regular presence in her clients lives. While many women see their doctors once a month during pregnancy, they may go to yoga multiple times each week.

At Yoga Tree, Austin teaches prenatal classes in addition to mom-and-baby yoga (the studio floor full of tiny, wide-eyed infants), workshops where partners learn to support their pregnant companions through labor, and Mama Tree teacher trainings that have produced many of the Bay Areas prenatal yoga instructors.

Jane in particular knows how to communicate to women who are pregnant, says Yoga Tree and Yoga Works San Francisco District Manager Lidia Valdez, who attended the classes religiously during her own pregnancy and has completed the teacher training. Its more than just the yoga practice. Its a time to connect.

That doesnt mean theres any forced spirituality. I dont superimpose how I think women should feel, Austin says. Sometimes I go to (other) prenatal yoga classes, and they'll be like, Breathe love into your belly. What if you don't feel like it? What if you had a fight with your partner or youre feeling a little like, Oh god, this baby is such a parasite? But do I create conditions for women to fall in love with their babies? Yeah.

In the class I attend, after the introductions, some deep breaths and a collective ohm, Austin instructs us to stretch our arms out to the side, palms up and elbows slightly bent, eyes closed. We hold it, 50 pregnant women posed like serene Ws, breathing and listening, as Austin monologues some distraction and the muscles in our shoulders, upper backs and chests start to scream.

For those who havent done this practice before, just know that we do this for a really, really, really long time, Austin says as the burn ratchets from mild sting to a deeper fire. So if you think its already been a long time, its only been a little time.

She tells us that this is not a test, and that we can take breaks whenever we need to. She tells us to use our breath to focus our minds. When its already been an impossibly long time, she tells us that were going to hold our arms out for another two whole minutes, so we build up stamina and strength for pregnancy, for labor, for everything that comes after.

Thats what this class is all about: preparing women for motherhood. Our shoulders, at the very least, will be ready.

Sarah Feldberg is the assistant features editor at The Chronicle. Email: sarah.feldberg@sfchronicle.com.

More here:
Preparing for birth and everything after at prenatal yoga - San Francisco Chronicle

NEW YORK (FOX 5 NY) - One of the world' most popular yogis is out with a second book about overcoming the most channeling time in her life.

Rachel Brathen, better known as Yoga Girl, spent eight hours in excruciating pain with doctors unable to find the cause.

"The same eight hours my best friend hit a truck driving on the wrong side of the road," said Brathen during FOX 5 NY morning program, 'Good Day NY.' "It took her eight hours to pass away."

That moment was life changing for the Aruba resident.

In 'To Love and Let Go,' Brathenwrites about the long road to accepting loss and moving on with life.

"The only way is through. We have togive ourselves space to experience the pain not just take a way around it," said Brathen

Her new book is about ways to move through adversity.

Brathen is a big proponent of practicing yoga.

"It's one of the few forms of movements and life styles that you can take with you through anything," said Brathen.

Another tip, writing down what you're feeling.

"It took me five years to write the book," said Brathen. "So writing it was like reliving the painful things that happened to me."

Read more from the original source:
'Yoga Girl' shares tips on ways to move through adversity - Fox5NY

Kids are fueled by imagination, and yoga can help them grow. Video by Kelly-Jane Cotter

Mary Ansell, owner of Open Heart Yoga in Red Bank(Photo: Courtesy of Open Heart Yoga)

When you're on the mat in yoga class, does your mind wander?

Are you all about Warrior Pose, or are you thinking about meeting a deadline at work, or what to make for dinner, or that time in high school when you really embarrassed yourself, or that impossibly toned person a few mats away? How does she make it look so easy? Why don't my arms look like that? Should we have pasta tonight?

Mary Ansell is not judging you for that.

"Life is never easy," she said, "and yoga is not easy or perfect."

As the owner of Open Heart Yoga, at 93 Shrewsbury Ave. in Red Bank, she knows how challenging it can be to stay in the present. She wants her studio to be a place where stress evaporates, where anxiety and competiveness fall away, and where yogis can focus on everyone's value and dignity. And she created her business model with all that in mind.

With her friend and business partner, Robin L. Klein, as president of the venture, Ansell opened her studio as a non-profit organization. The women reached out to other local non-profits,in hopes of collaborating with them.

Robin L. Klein, president of Open Heart Yoga in Red Bank.(Photo: Kelly-Jane Cotter)

Everyone was on board, from Jon Bon Jovi Soul Foundation, which fights hunger, poverty and homelessness; to 180 Turning Lives Around, which helps those affected by domestic and sexual violence; to the Tigger House Foundation, which helps those affected by the opiod and heroin addiction crisis,to Count Basie Center For The Arts, dedicated to fostering inclusive artistic experiences for the community.

"No one said no," said Klein, who lives in Middletown, "and there are others who want to be involved, and we hope to bring them in at some point."

Ansellstarted practicing yoga 23 years ago, after the birth of her daughter, and stuck with it as she raised her two sons as well. She gained balance and perspective from yoga, and felt grateful that she had the time and resources to devote to it. But she also realized not everyone was as privileged. A one-hour yoga class can cost $15, $20 or more. Child care needs, transportation and work schedules also can present roadblocks.

"I saw versions of me in those classes," saidAnsell, who lives in Shrewsbury,"and I wanted as many people as possible to experience it. So that idea marinated for years."

Ansell's goals wereboth simple and deep: Create opportunity for people of all walks of life to enjoy the benefits of yoga together. Foster the physical and spiritual benefits of yoga for everyone in the class. Build community.

And here's how it works: When you buy an individualclass or package at Open Heart Yoga, the studio donates the same experience to a client or volunteer from one of the local non-profits. You get to choose which one. And you get to take a tax deduction for half the price of your purchase.

Sylvia Hofmann, a licensed professional counselor and yoga instructor leads a yoga class focused on anxiety and stress reduction Wednesday, Jan. 10, 2018 at Mind, Body and Soul Wellness Center in Haddon Heights, N.J. Produced by Joe Lamberti/Courier-Post

In addition to the aforementioned non-profits, Open Heart Yoga also benefits The Beauty Foundation For Cancer Care, which gives financial aid to families with cancer; Bloom Again, which gives emergency funds to economically vulnerable working women; Lunch Break, which provides food, clothing and life skills to people in need; Parker Family Health Center, a free health care clinic for people without medical insurance or sufficient money; Stephy's Place, which offers free support groups for the bereaved; and the Visiting Nurse Association Health Group, which serves vulnerable populations, including at-risk children, the elderly, those with disabling and chronic illness, and people facing the end of life.

Open Heart Yoga is part of a thriving block of businesses on Red Bank's West side.(Photo: Courtesy of Open Heart Yoga)

"We're so happy to be on the West side, with everything going on here," Klein said.

The West side of Red Bank, traditionally less wealthy than the East side near the Navesink River, has seen significant development in recent years. Two River Theater anchors the neighborhood, with Triumph Brewing Co.drawing the craft beer crowd. The newly rehabilitated Anderson Building, at Monmouth Street and Bridge Avenue, offers loft-style office space across from the train station. Sickles Market,a much-loved gourmet and farmers' market in Little Silver, opened a second location to occupy the ground floor of the Anderson Building.

Even better for Open Heart Yoga, many of the studio's community partners also are based on the West Side, enhancing that connection.

"For me," Ansell said, "it's a community-seeking thing."

When you buy a class or package at Open Heart Yoga in Red Bank, the studio will donate the same to a local charity.(Photo: Courtesy of Open Heart Yoga)

Ansell hopes to eventually have fully integrated classes, with equal numbers of paying students and students who've received gift vouchers.

"Once you walk in here, it's not intimidating," said Klein.

The studio was previously a karate center. It has one room, with plenty of daylight pouring in. The Rumson-based artist Kathleen Palmeri created and donated art work for the studio: three painted hearts.

"One for "Open," one for "Heart," and one for "Yoga,"" Ansell said.

Instructors at Open Heart Yoga include Ann Yocum, Mary Ansell, Amy Crowe, Elizabeth Kirk, Linda Vera and Katherine Amoedo. Not pictured are Caroline DeFelice, Katie Leasor and Kelly Annarella.(Photo: Courtesy of Open Heart Yoga)

Open Heart Yoga opened in May, due in part to support received from community sponsors: Shore Point Distributors, Chelsea Senior Living, Care To Give, Ansell Grimm & Aaron, Denholtz Properties, Newport Capital Group and West Side Lofts.

"It's been a community effort on every level," Ansell said.

The pay-off, she hopes, will be better health for all.

"Physically, yoga works every muscle and tendon system in your body," Ansell said. "When you connect to your breath, you get mental and emotional benefits as well. Mindfulness seeps into you."

In time, even that interior monologue of list-making,worrying, and envying might go away, replaced by calm and gratitude.

"We learn how to transition calmly, and not to live from holiday to holiday, like the stores do," Ansell said. "Yoga even helped me after my kids went to college. A lot of people pine for the past, but I don't. Now is a good place to be."

For more info on Open Heart Yoga, call 732-859-6749 or go to openheartyoganj.org

Hi, there! I'm Kelly-Jane Cotter. My favorite styles of yoga areKripalu and Iyengar. Readmore of my stories below, follow me@KellyJaneCotter,reach me at kcotter@gannettnj.com, and please consider supporting local journalism with a subscription.

EAT: Lakewood's kosher food scene is booming. Here are some of the best spots.

AUTUMN: Apple picking 2019: Where to pick your own apples in New Jersey

SHARKS: That time I spent 20 minutes underwater with 10 sharks at Long Island Aquarium

WILD: That time I found a lost bird in NYC, took it by taxi 100 blocks from WTC to safety

Buy Photo

Buy Photo

Buy Photo

Buy Photo

Buy Photo

Buy Photo

Buy Photo

Buy Photo

Buy Photo

Buy Photo

Buy Photo

Buy Photo

Buy Photo

Buy Photo

Buy Photo

Buy Photo

Buy Photo

Buy Photo

Autoplay

Show Thumbnails

Show Captions

Read or Share this story: https://www.app.com/story/life/2019/09/16/yoga-red-banks-open-heart-yoga-lets-you-help-others-yourself/2287161001/

More:
Red Bank's Open Heart Yoga lets you help others while you help yourself - Asbury Park Press

Experiencing loss and grief is a part of life. Everyone copes in their own way, but often times many feel alone and arent sure where or who to turn to. Finding a supportive community is important, and an event this weekend is hoping to provide not only that community, but a means of dealing with the feelings of loss and grief.

On Saturday, Sept. 21 at the Williston ARC, Rachel Stewart Yoga is teaming up with Exhale Yoga & Wellness for Finding Refuge in a Community, a yoga class for grief and loss. Stewart lost her young son Jerry in May and said she found some relief through her yoga practice. After the community rallied around her and her husband Ian, a local firefighter, Stewart said she wanted to find a way to give back and help those in pain find relief as well.

It was something that just sort of saved me, mentally. Stewart told the Williston Herald. Through that, I think it really helped bring some clarity to my mind as far as death and grieving and hearing so many other peoples stories who have reached out to me about what theyve been going through.

Stewart said the class she will be teaching Saturday will be a basic class for beginners, and is meant to be accessible to anyone who wishes to participate. She added that even those with physical limitation are welcome to take part, and props can be provided to help make their practice comfortable.

Stewart said there will also be other grief and loss resources on-hand for those who need them. The ultimate goal, she said, is to provide those who have experienced loss or are supporting those who have in finding the tools they need in order to move forward, and to know that there is a community willing to offer a helping hand.

The same thing that has been beneficial for me, I think could be beneficial to most people, she explained. I wanted to share because Ive been able to just find some peace with it. Its not something Ill ever be able to change, Ill never be able to bring my boy back, Ill never be able to see him again in this life, but its important to be able to still come back to the blessings that we have in our life and be able to find gratitude in what we do still have. It about focusing on those aspects of our life versus the ones that wear us down and cause us to struggle, and I just really want to share that with other people so they can have that same experience in life.

Read more here:
Grief and loss yoga class planned at Williston ARC - Williston Daily Herald

Mark Truszkowski, of Game Creek Restaurant, assembles lamb and foie gras sausage sliders during the Fall Wine & Food Classic Grand Tasting during the 2018 event at Gerald R. Ford Amphitheater. Chris Dillmann | Daily file photo

Hikers walk toward a food tent during the Hike Wine & Dine event in Beaver Creek. The annual event offers delicious food and drink along the trail and at the base of the Centennial Lift and is a benefit for the Shaw Cancer Center and Jacks Place, a cancer-caring house in Edwards. Special to the Daily

Sonnenalp proprietor Johannes Faessler, Wendi Kushner and Marc Prisant take part in a past Casual Classic bike ride from Breckenridge to Vail. The event raises funds for the Sonnenalp of Vail Foundation. Betty Ann Woodland | Special to the Daily

Local chef Kelly Liken serves as the food systems director for The Community Market and has been focused on creating a space where anyone needing fresh produce, dairy, bread and healthy recipes feels welcome.Special to the Daily

The change in seasons can also mean a change in your workout routine. Alexander Mils | Special to the Daily

Show CaptionsHide Captions

The Taste of Vail, which is along-standing springtime fete, has added the Fall Wine & Food Classic toits schedule to take advantage of not only the bountiful harvest but also thebeauty that surrounds Vail this time of year.

The Fall Wine & Food Classic blendsthe best of both worlds with great activities like fly-fishing, hiking, yoga andsalsa dancing along with venues that provide the perfect backdrop to enjoyfabulous food and great wine.

After some of the morning excursions,head to brunch at Matsuhisa, Vintage or Remedy at the Four Seasons Vail. Lunchis also an option at Sweet Basil where they will be pairing cheddar cheese withwine.

On Saturday evening, Vail Valley restaurants come together with Southern Hemisphere wines at the Grand Tasting event at the Gerald R. Ford Amphitheater in Vail. Guests will enjoy a picnic-style event with south of the equator music while taking in the gorgeous Vail scenery. The Grand Tasting features more than 50 wineries and 13 restaurants. For more information, tickets and a full schedule go to http://www.tasteofvail.com.

The 11th annual Hike, Wine & Dine fundraiser returns toBeaver Creek this Sunday. Get there early to enjoy a light breakfast consistingof breakfast burritos, coffee, orange juice and mimosas. Registrationbegins at 9:30 a.m. at the base of Beaver Creeks Centennial Lift. This is amoderate five-mile hike and kids and teens are allowed and there are tickets pricedspecifically for that age group.

Leave the energy bar and trail mix at home, along the way there will be several places to stop and enjoy small gourmet bites from the following restaurants:

Hikers will travel through a special section of aspen treeswhere around 40 yellow ribbons adorn the trees in honor of those affected bycancer. Plan to spend a little time there and reflect. Its just magical to seethe forest transformed into a subtle memorial.

This annual autumn excursion benefits the Shaw Cancer Center and Jacks Place, a 12-room cancer caring house for patients of Shaw Cancer Center and their caregivers. Funds go toward the operating costs to allow patients and their caregivers to stay for free during treatment at Shaw.It also supports programs like yoga, nutrition and wellness classes, massages and more. Visit http://www.hikewinedine.com to purchase tickets or make a donation.

If the name is any indication, the Casual Classic bike rideisnt a race, but more of a way to enjoy the views from the bike path fromBreckenridge to Vail. Yes, you heard right, from Breckenridge to Vail, meaningits a 38-mile trip and the last 16 miles are downhill (almost).

The Casual Classic has been a fall tradition for 34 years and benefits the Sonnenalp of Vail Foundation. The Foundation creates family-friendly charitable endeavors and proceeds are directed toward medical, educational and human services. The Casual Classic has donated over $150,000 to ECO Trails, Eagle Countys bike path system, which requires annual improvement, upkeep and maintenance.

On Saturday, riders will take part in a casual ride beginning in Breckenridge and will follow the recreational path to Frisco. Next, they enjoy a gradual climb along Tenmile Creek to Copper Mountain followed by a more challenging climb to the summit of Vail Pass. Finally, riders coast predominantly downhill to the Bully Ranch at theSonnenalp Hotel Vailfor the after-party.

The fee is $145 for adults and $45 forchildren under 15 years of age. The price includes breakfast, transportation,snacks, gift bags, door prizes, Bully Ranch buffet, dessert, drinks and liveentertainment.

If youre feeling the need to ride more, take on the 76-miles from the Sonnenalp to Breckenridge and back again to really earn that fabulous buffet. All details for start times and shuttles, including a shuttle back to Breckenridge in case you are starting from that point and need a ride east are provided at http://www.sonnenalpfoundation.com/casual-classic.

Youre invited to have some great food and fun whilelearning about The Community Market, a program of the Eagle Valley CommunityFoundation. The launch party is set for Saturday at The Community Market warehousein Gypsum from 5 to 8 p.m. and tickets are $35 per person.

This event not only aims to spread awareness about food solutions in Eagle County, but it also wants to welcome Kelly Liken to the team.

Kelly Liken was the chef and owner of the famed RestaurantKelly Liken in Vail for many years. She also appeared as a contestant on suchshows as Top Chef and Iron Chef America. Beyond her vast cooking skills, Likenis striving to find food solutions in Eagle County.

According to Feeding America, 8,700 EagleCounty residents struggle to put food on the table. The Community Market isreaching more than 800 people every week. In June, the Community Foundation andThe Community Market paid off the lunchroom debt across the Eagle County SchoolDistrict for a second school year. This year, the debt was almost double lastyears tab.

The Community Market over the past year hasbeen recovering more than 25,000 pounds of food each month from localgroceries, as well as sourcing produce from local farmers. This assureshealthy, wholesome foods to families in need while reducing food waste, andlowering greenhouse gas emissions.

Enjoy food provided by Anthony Mazza of Chef on the Fly and Village Bagel. Complimentary beer, wine and a special Kelly Liken cocktail for purchase will round out the drinks. The Evolution and the Altitones will provide live music. They will be selling chances to win a private dinner hosted by Liken and The Community Market team. To learn more go to http://www.eaglevalleycf.org or RSVP by calling 970-977-1093.

CrosstrainingFitness of Vail provides a free class for the community on Saturday morningswhere anybody can attend.If you want to commit more time, explore thefacility for free. Starting on Monday and going through Saturday, CrosstrainingFitness of Vail is hosting a free week of classes as a Locals AppreciationEvent. Anyone who signs up after giving it a try will get 50% off thefirst months membership.

If you wantto take your yoga to the next level, Vails first 300-hour Yoga AllianceRegistered Yoga School begins this weekend. Led by Amy Baker, Keri Bergeron andR.R Shakti, this 300-hour advanced yogaeducation workshop seriesguides you to a uniquely rich and powerful dimension of yoga experiencetoamplify the practice fordedicated yogis.

The Living in Alignment 300-hour Advanced Yoga Education programis comprised of a series of weekends and workshops designed for maximum accessibility in Vail.Hosted by Inner Power Yoga and the Lodge at Vail, this flexible program providesa comprehensive certification course foryoga teachers and an empowerment education program foryoga scholars. Enroll now at http://www.livinginalignment.yoga or call 970-331-4493.

Ifyou just like to wear yoga pants, dont miss the 7th annual Yoga Pants Partyhosted by Yoga Off Broadway and Bonfire Brewing in Eagle on Saturday from 6p.m. to midnight. Bring out the stretchy pants and drink beer while enjoyinglive music with the Runaway Grooms from 6 to 9 p.m. followed by DJ One from 9 p.m.until close.

Thereare prizes for the best-dressed men and women in yoga pants. If you dont havea pair of yoga pants, buy a pair and get a beer for just $10. For moreinformation, visit Bonfire Brewing or Yoga Off Broadways Facebook page.

See original here:
Wine, gourmet food and a bike event in Vail | Tricia's Top Weekend Picks - Vail Daily News

When Kerrie Trahan moved back to Detroit in 2011, she had hit "rock bottom" (her words).

Trahan had grown up on Detroit's northwest side, within a short bus ride of her grandparents, aunts and uncles, and schools. She attended the University of Detroit Mercy and planned on becoming a lawyer like her two aunts. After college, she worked as an intern at a law firm and began studying for the LSAT.

But after her father was hit by a bus and killed, she became overwhelmed by stress and grief. She went through a bad period, adopted unhealthy ways of dealing with stress, and was diagnosed pre-hypertensive.

Looking for a way to move forward, she decided to join a friend in South Korea, teaching English as a second language. And that's where she first found yoga.

Trahan had first tried yoga years before at the Downtown YMCA at the encouragement of her father, but it didn't inspire her at the time. The move to South Korea that she tried it again, and found that it helped her move through the grief and find a path forward.

"In Korea, I gave yoga another try, because it was just down the street from my place," says Trahan. "At first, I was so stiff and inflexible; all the Korean grandmas would ask if I had a bone or muscle condition."

She stuck with it and felt her body become more limber. She also felt something inside of her open up and release stress. But after two years, Trahan still felt the pressure to go to law school. She had saved up enough money for school and returned to the United States to attend a pre-law program at Cornell. Yoga once again dropped out of her life. And the stress returned.

Kerrie Trahan teachers yoga at Detroit's Palmer Park.

"I went back to unhealthy ways of coping with stress," says Trahan. "There was so much pressure, so much going on."

She'd spent two years in a post-graduate pre-law program in New York City, trying to get into law school, but the LSAT tripped her up. On top of that, she was dealing with the fallout from a lawsuit involving the accidental death of her father. Anxious, overwhelmed, and grieving, she returned to metro Detroit and moved in with her mom in Southfield where she began trying to put the pieces of her life back together in 2011.

So she spent six months just focusing on her practice and eventually decided to attend teacher training at LifeTime in Rochester Hills.

But the experience was not easy. Her friends could not relate to her discipline; going to bed early, not drinking, eating a yogic diet. And she found the yoga scene in metro Detroit to be very different from what she had experienced in Korea it was more ego-driven, competitive, and focused on strenuous physical performance.

Kerrie Trahan teachers yoga at Detroit's Palmer Park.

"People would talk about peace and love in yoga but not practice that in real life," she says. "I may never have continued without that other, nonwestern perspective I had from Korea, where it's more about the subtle body and mind."

But she stuck with it, and things started to shift when she began subbing for a friend's class at LifeTime. People began coming up to her after class and telling her about the impact her teachings were having on their lives. She became inspired and motivated to do more.

One thing that bothered Trahan about the way yoga was delivered in metro Detroit centered on access. Classes were mainly accessible to wealthy people who could afford to pay $20-$25 per class. Also, classes emphasized physical rigor and able-bodied people. She began to think about health disparities, and how yoga could benefit those in the community where she came from people of color, most of whom could not afford studio yoga classes, and many of whom suffered from health issues like the high blood pressure that dogged Trahan and her grandparents.

Kerrie Trahan teachers yoga at Detroit's Palmer Park.

It was then she began thinking about the idea for Yoganic Flow. She began working with a children's yoga nonprofit. In her spare time, she started finding ways to offer yoga in nontraditional locations, for free, in the community. She began teaching yoga classes with the Detroit Parks and Recreation Department at local rec centers and took over a class teaching yoga in Palmer Park.

During this time, Trahan traveled to Los Angeles to visit the studio of Brian Kest, brother of famous metro Detroit yogi Johnny Kest. She witnessed Kest's donation-based Santa Monica studio in action and came away inspired by the energy, sense of community, and possibility for applying a similar model to serve the Detroit community.

"I came back to Detroit so renewed," says Trahan."I wasn't sure how I would make money. But Detroit is violent, and we still have a lot of issues like crime. My house has been burglarized; friends and family members have lost people to gun violence. We need some way to deal with the grief and depression that comes from those types of incidences which are pervasive in our community."

Trahan left her nonprofit job to do a 300-hour training class in India, something that she says she felt she needed to do to grow in her practice and as a teacher. When she returned, she began focusing on building up Yoganic Flow as her full-time endeavor.

Kerrie Trahan teachers yoga at Detroit's Palmer Park.

There was no business model at the beginning. It seemed cumbersome to do a nonprofit at the time. So she began operating as an L3C, and began experimenting, doing everything from classes in parks to offering hip-hop yoga classes in a juice store in Pontiac.

She began building relationships and soon created partnerships with Eastern Market Corporation, Sidewalk Detroit, schools, churches, and afterschool programs. She started a collaboration with VanDyke schools to teach elementary and middle school students about meditation and mindfulness. She's also partnered with the Detroit Pistons to teach yoga in communities where the team has invested in refurbished neighborhood basketball courts.

"These partnerships grew in places where they would not have had the opportunity to (while working full time for a nonprofit) because I was focused on building those relationships," she says.

The business model for Yoganic Flow evolved organically; she slowly built a team of dedicated teachers who could offer a wide range of classes designed to serve not only able-bodied practitioners, but those with disabilities, children, and the elderly. Many were former co-workers or class attendees.

"The team is my everything," says Trahan. "Yoganic Flow would not exist without the team."

Kerrie Trahan

The business model has settled on partnering with health-minded local nonprofits to offer yoga classes in a range of settings. The nonprofits pay Yoganic Flow, and classes are free to participants. The only exceptions are the Detroit recreation center classes, where students must register with and pay the city's rec department.

Trahan sees a great need for more accessible yoga in her community, and she'd like more people to know about how yoga makes an impact in the lives fo everyone, from kids dealing with family stress and poverty to older adults building up enough strength to carry groceries.

"A lot of people don't do it because we live in a capitalist society, and you need the money and want money," she says. "I get it, but in having that be your only focus as a yogi, you leave out a lot of people who could benefit."

Photos by Nick Hagen.

The series is supported by theNew Economy Initiative, a project of the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan that's working to create an inclusive, innovative regional culture.

Read this article:
Kerrie Trahan's Yoganic Flow brings yoga to Detroit's underserved communities - Concentrate