BURMA BENEFITHELP VICTIMS OF CYCLONE NARGIS IN MYANMAR
Saturday May 31 5-9pm
$10 Yoga Classes 5pm 6pm 7pm and 8pm
1/2 price massage & acupuncture (please make appointment in advance)
Group meditation & chanting Yoga Center of Minneapolis
Contact Brett Reierson 612-968-0143 or burmabenefit@yahoo.com
Metro schools add 'Yoga Calm' to curriculumThere is a new sense of calm at more than 30 schools in
Stretching and breathing is woven between reading and writing at schools like Jefferson Elementary.
Fourth grade teacher Susan Saly leads her students through relaxing exercises every day at 10 a.m., right after the Pledge of Allegiance.
"It really gets them centered and ready to learn, ready to listen to each other and listen to me," Saly said.
She is one of more than 400 educators in the district using Yoga Calm in her classroom. She said her teaching pace has picked up because students are paying closer attention.
"The children have a way to become still. It’s instantaneous and simple and with that breathing and being able to come to stillness, they're able to sit and listen," Saly explained.
Yoga instructors Julie Hurtubise and Katy Flaminio worked for the
"Off-task behavior has decreased greatly, children are more calm and able to listen and handle stress better," said Hurtubise.
Students told 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS they love it.
"It's relaxing and it helps me when I’m mad," said fourth grader, Khadija Mohamed. "Sometimes I’m a little too energized and yoga helps calm me down."
Hurtubise and Flaminio said their goal is to incorporate Yoga Calm into every classroom in
(1) Classic Be Present Mobility Pant (my personal fav!), (2) Be Present Versatility Pant (the side vents snap closed), (3) Stonewear Designs 
I was recently thumbing through a great yoga book, Meditations from the Mat by Rolf Gates, when I came across a quote that really resonated for me. This quote reminded me that so much of what we want in our lives is attainable... we just stop ourselves from claiming it. We put up boundaries, we forget to dream, we operate out of fear and a sense of lack. But as the quote says:
A few announcements about upcoming new/free/fun yoga classes that have graced my email box recently:
Ted Roseen is a local yoga teacher and artist/photographer. But really he is special soul that has a lot to teach us all about the beauty of the human spirit and really following your bliss. This fall Ted traveled to India to continue his annual tradition of visiting the remote corners of the globe (Nicaragua, Guatemala, Mexico, Costa Rica, Spain, Laos, Peru) to capture in his viewfinder the beauty of people and the lives they lead. His trip to India was extra special in that he combined his photography pursuits with an intense two months practicing the Primary Series with the creators of modern Ashtanga yoga, the Jois family. (Apparently a lot of Advil was required to cope with the pain!)
Ted is displaying his India photos this weekend as a part of the St. Paul Art Crawl. I saw the photos last night and they are beautiful and moving. I strongly encourage you to check out Ted’s amazing work, buy one for your wall, and meet this extra-special yogi. Namaste.
City Pages annual BEST OF issue came out yesterday, and the St. Paul Yoga Center was named "best yoga." It isn't technically in Minneapolis or 612, but I have to give props where props are due. I like that City Pages gave the studio kudos for being a welcoming environment for all types to genuinely deepen their yoga practice. The St. Paul Yoga Center offers a variety of class types (Iyengar, pre-natal, Vinyasa, yoga philosophy, pranayama, etc.) and hosts many interesting workshops. I encourage you to check it out... the first class is free.
There is nothing like a great Friday afternoon yoga class to end the work week and ease into your weekend. Mark your calendars - here are a few options around town:
REMINDER: April 25-27- Begin with Intention Yoga / Clouds in According to Ricard, scientific studies have shown that human beings each have a baseline of happiness that they come back to throughout their lives, despite the external circumstances. One example is the fact that for people above the poverty line, studies have shown that more money actually does NOT buy more happiness. In another study, this time of paraplegics, levels of happiness one year after their accidents were actually the same as pre-injury levels even through right after their accidents many had suicidal thoughts. The pursuit of genuine happiness is therefore achieved not by changing external circumstances (bigger house, nicer car, better job, better spouse), but by training the mind to perceive those circumstances differently and ultimately raising the happiness baseline that we all come back to. Ricard shared a number of scientific studies that show that utilization of mindfulness meditation techniques (as practiced by Buddhist monks in
After hearing this powerful message and the seeing all the fancy graphs and MRI scans Ricard brought to prove it, I am recommending that we all read his book Happiness: A Guide to Developing Life's Most Important Skill, and we start a serious meditation practice. There are a wealth of resources in Twin Cities to get you started. I listed a few below but I am not endorsing any, just giving us all a place to start. Let me know where you learned to meditate. I would love to include it here.
Yoga Center of Minnesota (Saint Louis Park and DT Minneapolis): Tara Cindy Sherman and Tanya Boigenzahn each offer meditation classes through the Yoga Center. These classes will touch on the benefits of meditation, a variety of techniques to help calm the mind, instruction on how to breathe properly and help relax the nervous system, and discussion of how to integrate a meditation practice into your life. 
(1) Easy pose / meditation with index and thumb touching (Jnana Mudra) and palms facing down to calm the mind – 5 minutes
(2) Cat / cow pose (Marjaryasana / Bitilasana)
(3) Extended puppy pose (Uttana Shishosana)
(4) Staff pose (Dandasana)
(5) Head to knee forward bend (Janu Sirsasana) - right and left side
(6) Bridge pose (Setu Bandha Sarvangasana)
(7) Happy baby pose (Ananda Balasana)
(8) Camel pose (Ustrasana)
(9) Child’s pose with arms extended forward (Balasana)
(10) Bound angle pose (Baddha Konasana)
(11) Half pigeon pose (Ardha Kapotasana) – right and left side
(12) Supine twists – right and left side
(13) Corpse pose (Savasana) – restorative version with bolster, blankets, and eye pillow – 20 minutes
(14) Easy pose with salutation seal / hands at heart center (Anjali Mudra)
Namaste.
Want to start your weekend off right? Join 40+ other yogi(ni)s this Friday at 6pm at local studio TaraNa in Minneapolis' Kingfield neighborhood for Yoga Happy Hour. This monthly event is the owners' way to create community and give something back to their students. Plus, it sounds like a blast! You hit your mat for a 90 minute vinyasa practice and then wine is opened and you can mingle with your fellow yogi(ni)s. I haven't been yet, but apparently it is "the" place to be. Back in January, the Southwest Journal did an article about this event, so you have to arrive early to secure a mat spot. This is just another reason I think that TaraNa is a really cool place.
Around my workplace cold season is still in full swing. And if this ridiculous April snow ever melts, allergies are about to make an appearance. That means lot of stuffy noses and sinus headaches. The science of Ayurveda has an answer…the neti pot! Old school yogis used a neti pot for daily general hygiene and to balance their kapha dosha. Western medicine has begun to see the wisdom in this practice and now ENT docs and allergists recommend them to their patients. A neti pot even made an appearance on the Oprah show!
Neti pots literally clean out your sinuses. It is a mechanical solution that in many cases is more effective than medication. By pouring water through your nasal passages, you clean out allergens and mucus. Here's how they work:
Once you've filled your pot with slightly salted water, you tip your head to the side, remember to breath through your mouth, and pour the neti pot into your nostril. Repeat on the other side and then blow your nose. At first it feels like you just jumped into a pool without holding your breath, but after a while it is as easy as brushing your teeth. Neti pots are available online, at many yoga studios, and carried by many local co-ops and natural food stores.
A number of studios in town have posted new schedules for Spring on their websites. Here they are in one place. Happy yogaing:
I have wanted to do a headstand for soooo long. I just haven't been able to get up. I've taken private yoga lessons to learn. I've studied the instructions in numerous yoga manuals. I've gone to the chiropractor several times after trying at home. I've listed my desire to stand on my head as my status on Facebook for goodness sake. But is just wasn't happening for me. Until last night!
Sri Tirumala Krishnamacharya (1888-1989) is considered the grandfather of modern yoga. His students include many of today’s most influential teachers: Sri BKS Iyengar, Sri K. Pattabhi Jois, the late Indra Devi and Krishnamacharya’s own sons T.K.V. Desikachar and T.K. Sribhashyam. Krishnamacharya “believed Yoga to be
Judith Hanson Lasater: teaches yoga and trains yoga teachers in kinesiology, yoga therapeutics, and the Yoga Sutra in the San Francisco Bay Area. She holds a doctorate in East-West psychology and is a physical therapist. She was originally trained by B.K.S Iyengar (meaning she has a super technical practice) and is THE source for Restorative Yoga. On April 5 she will be conducting a teacher training focused on the Sacroiliac Joint (bottom of the spine) and on April 6 she will hold a Living Your Yoga Workshop which will include some of her restorative work. This is not to be missed!
The Yoga Center of Minneapolis is hosting an open house this Friday at its downtown Minneapolis location. The evening will include free sample classes, consultations to help you find the right class, Thai Yoga Bodywork mini-sessions, and a raffle to win class passes, yoga mats, private lessons, and more. This is a great way to learn about all that the Yoga Center has to offer. It is also a wonderful opportunity to introduce family and friends to the world of yoga.
Spring is a great time to detoxify and start anew. Here are some resources to get you started:
Spring is when you feel like whistling even with a shoe full of slush.
Use these sandbags on your thighs or across your shoulders to deepen Supta Baddha Konasana.
Hugger Mugger bolsters are a really nice shape. They are rounded on the sides, but flat on the top and bottom. And they are perfectly firm. These are great for a variety of restorative poses or under your knees during corpse pose.
These cork blocks are awesome. They are really sturdy, but not too heavy. And the cork texture feels really nice in your hands. You will definitely master half moon with the help of these blocks.
A friend recently turned me on to an awesome new Google application - Google Sky. Just like with Google Earth, you get an aerial view... but this time of the UNIVERSE! You can see all kinds of star formations from the Hubble telescope, check out where people have walked on the moon, look at the surface of Mars, and get a feel for the "bigger scheme of things". It is pretty freakin' amazing. Wow!
As I grow older and more cynical, it gets harder and harder to impress me. Despite this attitude I've developed, I have to say that I was recently blown away by a certain individual: Matthew Sanford. Mr. Sanford was the keynote speaker at the yoga conference I recently attended. I went to his session just to fill some time during a three hour lull in the programming. I left with goose bumps a new appreciation for life, yoga, and the power of the human spirit.
Mr. Sanford, who happens to be from
At some point in his early twenties, Mr. Sanford attended a yoga class. Seems silly right? How can someone do yoga postures (asanas) with just their head, neck, and arms? It doesn't work that way. But his partnership with an open-minded and dedicated yoga teacher allowed him to develop a powerful practice. He is now a yoga teacher himself at the
What do we learn from his story? For one, we learn to challenge the status quo. We learn to recreate what is possible. We learn tenacity. We learn hope.
But even bigger than all of that, we learn about the power of the life force that is in all of us and binds us all together. All of our bodies are limited in some way. We practice yoga postures (and the rest of what yoga means) to open up and align our bodies, minds, and spirits so that the energy can flow and we can be present. Sure, Mr. Sanford got a raw deal when it comes to his earthly body. But his life force is still there and yoga opened up the possibility for it to flow again. That is powerful. Mr. Sanford's story finally brought together for me what this journey I'm on is all about.
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In the Iyengar yoga tradition, props, including wall ropes, are used to enhance and intensify asana practice. It is said that the use of wall ropes opens up the body and helps balance one’s energy. I have not personally tried wall ropes before, but admit to being curious. The Minneapolis Yoga Workshop, an Iyengar studio in southeast 
Matthieu Ricard, a French born Tibetan Buddhist monk, scientist, and author who happens to be the Dali Lama’s French translator is coming to the Mayo Auditorium at the U to talk about happiness. According to the promotional materials, Ricard will draw on fiction and poetry, contemporary western philosophy, Buddhist thought, current psychological and scientific research, as well as personal experience, to weave an inspirational and forward looking account of how we can begin to rethink our realities in a fast-moving modern world. Call now to reserve your spot.
Annual Ruth Stricker Lecture April 18, 3:00 pm
Train Your Mind, Change Your Brain: Cultivating Inner Conditions for Genuine Happiness with Matthieu Ricard
Call 612-624-9459 to register
(1) Mama Om hand-hammered pendant by panicmama
(2) Makamoe - Oxidized Thai Karen silver lotus charm necklace by KahiliCreations
Vernal Equinox is March 20! The days are lengthening! The sun is getting warmer! The snow will finally melt! Here’s some ways to celebrate:
March 15, 6:00 – 8:00 pm, ONE Yoga, $20
Two hours of chanting, drumming and dancing to celebrate the Equinox. All ages and levels of experience welcome. Handouts provided.
