Picture a room that radiates a calm feeling. Listen to the soothing sound of water trickling down a miniature waterfall. Upon entering, the aroma of mellow incense fills our senses. The area is softly lit by the natural rays of sunlight beaming through the windows and candles on the floors. The room is moderately warm, and the wood floors under our feet are smooth and provide stability and a feeling of strength. The pictures on the walls are a series of peaceful sceneries.
At the beginning of the yoga practice, all are requested to join hands in a circle. Then the session begins. OHHHHHMMMM echoes throughout the room like charming angels singing in a choir. The moment of unity is captured, as all voices become one. For only a moment, we are all connected. I am you, you are I, and we are one. We are the same in the moment. There is no anger, no discrimination, no sadness and no fear. There is only positive power within the openness of our minds. The energy in the room is beautiful and empowering. When the circle breaks, the unity continues and we feel it in our hearts. “To love and be loved, we must know our brothers and our sisters, for knowledge leads to love, and love in action is service.” (Mother Teresa of Calcutta).
The participants then return to their mats, and I begin to teach from my heart. I lead them through sun salutations, Vinyassa flows, asanas and stretches set to soft, enchanting music. Our bodies are strong and flexible. With each pose, we feel joy and liberation. We conclude, deeply relaxed with a sutra read aloud that we can keep with us through the day or week; a thought that we can ponder and possibly utilize in the world. The final relaxation includes moments to focus on breathing with clarity and just be. As Beth Shaw, founder of YogaFit, said, “It is a time to be present in the moment and appreciate it for what it is.” That is power.
At the beginning of the yoga practice, all are requested to join hands in a circle. Then the session begins. OHHHHHMMMM echoes throughout the room like charming angels singing in a choir. The moment of unity is captured, as all voices become one. For only a moment, we are all connected. I am you, you are I, and we are one. We are the same in the moment. There is no anger, no discrimination, no sadness and no fear. There is only positive power within the openness of our minds. The energy in the room is beautiful and empowering. When the circle breaks, the unity continues and we feel it in our hearts. “To love and be loved, we must know our brothers and our sisters, for knowledge leads to love, and love in action is service.” (Mother Teresa of Calcutta).
The participants then return to their mats, and I begin to teach from my heart. I lead them through sun salutations, Vinyassa flows, asanas and stretches set to soft, enchanting music. Our bodies are strong and flexible. With each pose, we feel joy and liberation. We conclude, deeply relaxed with a sutra read aloud that we can keep with us through the day or week; a thought that we can ponder and possibly utilize in the world. The final relaxation includes moments to focus on breathing with clarity and just be. As Beth Shaw, founder of YogaFit, said, “It is a time to be present in the moment and appreciate it for what it is.” That is power.
Envision this class image, and you envision the weekly Sunday afternoon yoga class that I will present at no charge in my yoga studio. This is my gift to offer, and I am truly grateful to be in a position to give it openly, detached and with true appreciation for the participants. The students also teach me. I am guiding, but through each person’s individual practice, I am learning. I touch their lives, and they touch mine.
My partner Josi and I are signing a lease this summer to open a studio where we can bring the benefits of yoga to the community at a price that all can afford – free. As I venture through my long journey of yoga trainings and teachings, I realize that helping others is amazing and precious. Passing on this karma to others should lead them to reach out with their gifts and talents as well. Last year before moving to Portland, Oregon, I offered Yoga to seniors at the Spokane Valley Senior Center. One class participant told me that this was helping her so much that she was confident she now could turn her head enough to look over her shoulder when driving to see what was in her “blind spot”. I have heard from several of my student
s at the YMCA, OZ Fitness, and other studios that my yoga classes are helping with their back pain, hamstring issues, or resolving stress. Helping someone who is suffering is empowering. I think we all deserve to feel healthy without the stressful restraints that can hold us back. Yoga is primarily about giving unexpectedly so that others find relief from suffering. I will have completed my 200-hour RYT Yoga training next month at a weekend convention. I continue to learn so that I can offer others my knowledge through fitness.In a world of multimedia and on-the-go madness, our lifestyles dissolve to unhealthy madness. This one-hour retreat is a focus on the individual. It is free so that I can offer the community a glimpse of what it is to be healthy and strong and to feel good and positive. Employing a regular routine of yoga classes in the workplace can cultivate leadership, teamwork and provide mental clarity. Yoga provides individuals with the following tools:
• Learning to relax – opening up to a peaceful state of mind and body
• Expressing creativity and imagination
• Improving concentration, awareness and focus
• Improving self esteem and confidence
• Emotional balance – tools for coping with pressures
• Increasing endorphins to reduce depression
• Breath work oxygenates the blood to improve nerve function and strengthen the central nervous system – calms and relaxes nerves
Research has proved that a relaxed and focused person is one who can deal with stressful situations in a more meaningful way.
This is definitely a basic concept that gets lost in the crazy, fast-paced technology driven society of today. Just breathe deeply. Can you hear the sound of your breath? Quiet your mind. Let go of judgment, competition and expectation. Are you here in the moment, or is your mind wandering? As it wanders, bring it back to your breathing. Be here and now. We are not in the future nor in the past. We are here right now. Let us embrace the moment.
My objective is to positively impact the health and lives of community members one by one. By and through this process, all the yoga teachers who have educated me are really regurgitating this information through me. I have been trained in Senior Yoga, Prenatal Yoga, and Children’s Yoga, as well as Pilates. I have taught at many different levels of practice. I am grateful for what I have learned and would like to pay it forward. May each of us find peace within the heart, mind, body and soul.
Namaste’
(The light in me honors the light in you.)
This is definitely a basic concept that gets lost in the crazy, fast-paced technology driven society of today. Just breathe deeply. Can you hear the sound of your breath? Quiet your mind. Let go of judgment, competition and expectation. Are you here in the moment, or is your mind wandering? As it wanders, bring it back to your breathing. Be here and now. We are not in the future nor in the past. We are here right now. Let us embrace the moment.
My objective is to positively impact the health and lives of community members one by one. By and through this process, all the yoga teachers who have educated me are really regurgitating this information through me. I have been trained in Senior Yoga, Prenatal Yoga, and Children’s Yoga, as well as Pilates. I have taught at many different levels of practice. I am grateful for what I have learned and would like to pay it forward. May each of us find peace within the heart, mind, body and soul.
Namaste’
(The light in me honors the light in you.)
