ClemsonYoga

Prenatal Yoga Classes at The Garden!

I took one of Ashley's prenatal classes during the last few weeks of my second pregnancy.  It was absolutely wonderful and helped me relax in ways that I could not on my own.  I highly recommend her classes to anyone looking for a prenatal yoga class.

 

Mindfulness Meditation Group Starting Soon

Darrell Yardley would like to establish a zen-based, mindfulness meditation group in the Clemson area. If you have questions or wish to participate, email him at darrell@mustangmedicineworks.com. He would like to meet weekly. An introductory meeting is planned on September 14 at 6:00PM at Holy Trinity Episcopal Church in Clemson (193 Old Greenville Hwy, across from the Clemson University tennis courts) at the first Trinity Connection event.

More Yoga Being Offered in Clemson

My friend Bonnie has a schedule of classes at Fitness Attic on Sloan Street.  Check it out!

Yoga Classes for All Levels
Bonnie Barrow, RYT
www.bonniebarrow.massagetherapy.com
bonniemassage@gmail.com
919-260-9246

Fitness Attic
107-1 Sloan Street
Downtown Clemson (between Todaro's and Nicks)

First Class is FREE!!!!!

Monday Wednesday Friday
9:00 am to 10:15 am
12:00 pm to 1:15 pm

Tuesday Thursday
11:30 am to 12:45 pm
2:30 pm to 3:45 pm

Tuesday Night
7:30 pm to 8:45 pm

Friday Night
5:00 pm to 6:15 pm

Drop in class $10
Student Drop in Class $7
Unlimited Monthly Pass $100
Other Packages Available

These yoga classes are suitable for ALL levels. Each class
will incorporate some breathing techniques and seated
meditation, and the main physical focus is on holding the
poses. This is a good way to learn basic poses,
relaxation techniques, and become comfortable with yoga. 

Fall 2011 Schedule

Starting next week, I will no longer be teaching a class on Monday evenings.  Instead, I will be teaching on Thursday evenings.  Erin will continue teaching on Tuesday evenings.

Also, on Thursday, I will begin teaching a Basic Yoga course at Clemson as part of their Leisure Skills program. 

Please get in touch if you have any questions!

-Renee

I will be leading a yoga class at AnMed

I will be leading an Introduction to Yoga at AnMed on September 15th from 10:00-11:00.  This is part of their Integrative Medicine Lecture Series.  Below is the flyer with contact information.  Maybe I will see you there!

 

Please Note that There Will Be No Class Monday, July 4th

Summer 2011 Schedule

I am still teaching on Monday evenings at The Haden Conference Center at the SC Botanical Garden.  Erin is still teaching on Tuesday and Thursday evenings.  Y'all come on by!

The Schedule

Mondays      6:00-7:30pm    Renee

Tuesdays     6:00-7:30pm    Erin

Thursdays    6:00-7:30pm    Erin

What is class like?

The people who come to my class on Mondays always determine what we will do.  I have a general outline of what I will do that can be modified for the group that takes shape.  Lately, we have been working on lots of vinyasa with strength builders peppered into the transition of plank-cobra-down dog. The variations in vinyasa have also been preparation for more backbends later in the class session.  We have been practicing half moon pose and refining what we are doing with the raised leg to bring buoyancy, strength, and balance in the pose.  Core work and shoulder strengthening has also been a feature in the class sequence, which also prepares us for backbends (and eventually inversions).  When we get to backbends, camel has been the primary pose where we are exploring how to extend the spine, lift the heart and send the head back.  After backbends we go through a hip opening sequence, shoulderstand, fish, and then final relaxation.

Erin's classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays have been working on vinyasas as well.  Her theme for class has been focusing on the present moment.  Along with vinyasas, Erin has been leading students through lots of hip openers and shoulder openers.

For those of you who have not come to class in some time, we would love to see you!

 

What we often forget

When we are born, we begin a process of coming into our own expression of a human being.  This expression is fluid throughout out one life and amongst all lives.  At birth, we naturally begin our lives and a coming into our own.  That's what it's all about, right?  Becoming who we are which is different from our mothers or any other person in our immediate family (or anyone else for that matter) is how life works.  But with this process of expression, we forget that we always have access to the source of life, call it God, Self, or whatever your favorite term may be, capitalized or not.  What happens with most of us is that in our process of living a life, we think we are isolated, separated from our source, and so, separated from an all pervading presence of love and compassion.  Most of us run in an endless loop of craving a connection with love and compassion.  On a personal level, the craving and disconnection manifests as addiction, depression, narcissism, anxiety and probably a host of other afflictions.  In the world it waters the seeds of war, poverty, and inequalities amongst people based on race, gender, sex, abilities, you name it.

We forget more and more as we grow further from birth that we come from this source.  Actually, we are the very source we seek at all times and in any condition.  We are containers for the love and compassion that we crave.  We just need to remember that we have always been this and always will be.  When we forget, that's when the light in our lantern grows dim, and we believe that we are all alone, no one understands, no one cares, no one perceives who we are.  Think of what is generated from the recognition of being that which we seek instead of being separate from it. After all, what we hold in our minds and hearts directs the flow of our lives.  

Our mother will always be our mother.  Whether or not they are an active part of lives, we are and always will be in relationship to our mothers, living or dead.  The same is true about our source of love and compassion.  Whether or not we feel completely loved and understood, we are connected to love and compassion and always will be because we are the very source, the very beings that generate it.  So, the disconnection and all its accompanying craziness can heal through the way we generate and relate to love and compassion. Instead of letting it dim by circumstances, other people, or own struggles with who and how we are, we can clean and repair the lantern and feed the light, which really only goes out when we exhale our last breath. But even then, maybe the light really never goes out.  Who really knows?

 

 

I am coming back!

March 14th will begin Monday evening yoga at The Haden Conference Center at the SC Botanical Garden 6:00-7:30.  I have missed being in class and look forward to getting back in the saddle!

Yoga classes at the SC Botanical Garden in January

By the way, Erin is still leading class on Tuesday and Thursday evenings 6:00-7:30.  Email her with any questions at innerselfyoga@gmail.com

Namaste,

Renee

Max Strom will be in Greenville next month

 

Hello All,

I hope each of you are doing well.  This is just a note to let you know that Max Strom will be at Greenville Yoga in November.  He is an amazing teacher and should not be missed.  On the Greenville Yoga site, click on special events to see a description of the the sessions he will be leading.  Max is recognized as a master yoga teacher on an international level.  The peace and kindness in his presence is like no one I have ever met.  My practice and my approach has changed tremendously for the better since I began going to his workshops and trainings.  Maybe I will see you there!

All the Best,

Renee

 

Introducing Aubrey

Aubrey Ellen Thankful Gahan was born September 12, 2010 at 2am.  All is well.  

Three people in the past week have asked when I am coming back.  In January, for sure.  I will put the word out when I set the where and when.  In the meantime, I hope to visit class at the garden with Aubrey in the next week or so.

Many thanks,

Renee

 

 

The ID Project has a new and improved site

I discovered The Interdependence Project this year and love their podcasts.  The talks are always inspiring, and I love that they are about fostering a sense of community for people who meditate.  With their redesigned website, things are more interactive.  Plus, there are a host of resources for those of us who can only participate online.  I highly recommend anyone  focused on how to bring insights from their yoga and meditation practice into daily life to check them out at idproject.org.

Introducing Ashley and Erin

Ashley and Erin will be continuing the yoga schedule while I am away, and it looks like other classes will be in the offerings.  Ashley will offer a prenatal yoga class on Monday evenings starting August 23rd.  I will keep everyone posted as other classes open up.

 

Ashley Lester  has been practicing yoga for over 7 years. She received her yoga teacher training from Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health (www.kripalu.org) while in residence there in 2005. Kripalu yoga incorporates pranayama (breathwork) and asana (yoga postures) into a heart-centered, grounding practice. She recently received her training in Restorative Yoga and Prenatal Yoga through the Kripalu tradition. Her background also includes over 15 years experience as a clinical social worker. She is passionate about integrating yoga into her clinical practice and provides trainings in Asheville, NC for clinicians. Ashley is interested in making yoga accesible to everyBODY.

Erin Leftwich began a yoga practice ten years ago while still in college.  After a significant gap, she found Renee’s classes at SCBG. “It’s difficult to say exactly why I practice yoga,” says Erin.  For her, putting it into words is just as difficult as describing exactly what “yoga” is.  The more she learns and reads about yoga, the more she discovers different definitions.  Her short answer:  “I just like it and it makes me feel good, and I like it even more as I delve deeper into the tradition.  Though I was initially attracted to the physical benefits I am now exploring the spiritual side as well.”

Erin believes that learning is a lifelong continuous process and just finished a 200 hour RYT training at The Asheville Yoga Center.  Erin has had many teachers and considers her two most significant yoga teachers to be Akke Hulburt, an Integral yoga instructor in Blacksburg VA, and Renee.

Erin’s approach in class will be to focus on building strength while at the same time finding stillness in each pose.  For the first six weeks she plans to lead a series spending two weeks each on three important areas:  foundation, core, and upper body.  

Letter to Yoga Journal August 2010 by Judith Lasater

 

 

Posted Yesterday on Facebook

 

 

 

Yoga Journal was born in my living room in Berkeley in 1975, where I was one of
five yoga practitioner-teachers who gathered to create the magazine. I have
loved the magazine ever since. But I'm concerned about ads that have stimulated
both confusion and sadness in me about where the magazine is now and where it is
headed.

I am confused because I do not understand how photos of naked or half-naked
women are connected with the sale of practice products for asana, an important
part of yoga. These pictures do not teach the viewer about yoga practice or
themselves. They aren't even about the celebration of the beauty of the human
body or the beauty of the poses, which I support. These ads are just about
selling a product. This approach is something I though belonged (unfortunately)
to the larger culture, but not in Yoga Journal.

Finally, I feel sad because it seems that Yoga Journal has become just another
voice for the status quo and not for elevating us to the higher values of yoga:
spiritual integration, compassion and selfless service. My request is that Yoga
Journal doesn't run ads with photos that exploit the sexuality of young women in
order to sell products or more magazines. Thank you for your attention and
willingness to hear another point of view.

Judith Hanson Lasater
San Francisco, CA

 

Great Article: Unmasking Mediation Instructions

I just ran across this link to an article about meditation instructions and thought I would share.  Also, today, we will meet for a half hour meditation and discussion afterwards starting at 3:00 in the Haden Conference Center.  I hope you can join us!

From No One Belongs Here More than You Stories by Miranda July

Do you have doubts about life? Are you unsure if it is worth the trouble? Look at the sky: that is for you. Look at each person's face as you pass on the street: those faces are for you. And the street itself, and the ground under the street, and the ball of fire underneath the ground: all these things are for you. They are as much for you as they are for other people. Remember this when you wake up in the morning and think you have nothing. Stand up and face east. Now praise the sky and praise the light within each person under the sky. It's okay to be unsure. But praise, praise, praise.

To me, the stories are about people who are working through their secrets, the unspoken, and sense of alienation to see their innate wisdom, interconnectedness, and wholeness.  All in all, a good read.

Yoga Center Round Table this Saturday

Hello All,

This is a reminder about the round table discussion this Saturday.  Since my first email about this, I have gotten an incredible number of enthusiastic responses and already a good bit of feedback.  It looks like we will have people joining us from Anderson, Greenville as well as Clemson-Oconee!  Just to get an estimated headcount, please let me know whether or not you will be attending.  

For those who cannot attend but still wish to participate, please let me know by Thursday June 10th if you would like to receive via email the questions that will be posed to the group for discussion.

A recap of the day's planned events:

When: Saturday June 12, 2010

Where: Hayden Conference Center in the SC Botanical Garden

Class: 10:00-11:30

Potluck: 11:45-12:30

Discussion: 12:30-2:30

This is open to anyone who would like to see a yoga center in Clemson.  If you know someone who might be interested in attending or participating, please tell them to contact me!

If anyone has any questions, needs directions, etc, don't hesitate to contact me:  clemsonyoga@yahoo.com or 864-723-0827.

All the Best,

Renee

Zen Counting - a meditation technique

I used this technique for quite a few years during the time that my sitting practice was sporadic and lasting 5-10 minutes.  What's great about this meditation is that each round takes about a minute.   So, if you have a set amount of time to meditate, it can help you stay in sync with the passing of time without eyeing your watch.  It's also very simple.

1. Sit on your knees or with crossed legs.  If you choose to sit on your knees, sitting on a block can help the knees from getting too stiff from sitting for an extended period of time.  
2. Take your mind's eye to the area below your navel, and with the in breath count 1, with the out breath count 2, next in breath 3 and so on until you reach 10.  Then start over again.  
3. If you get distracted, just take your mind's eye back to below your navel and pick up where you left off with counting - or just start over with the counting.  After some practice, you could count a complete breath instead of inhale and exhale.

Speaking of timers, here is a free downloadable timer that you could use instead of a watch.

Mala Beads and Mantra, a meditation technique

From Wikipedia:  Meditation is a holistic discipline by which the practitioner attempts to get beyond the reflexive, "thinking" mind into a deeper state of relaxation or awareness. Meditation is a component of many religions, and has been practiced since antiquity. It is also practiced outside religious traditions. Different meditative disciplines encompass a wide range of spiritual or psychophysical practices that may emphasize different goals—from achievement of a higher state of consciousness, to greater focus, creativity or self-awareness, or simply a more relaxed and peaceful frame of mind.

From the definition above, meditation is a lot like yoga, but in meditation, you work directly with the mind instead of with the body.  It's true that people can reach a meditative state while doing yoga, running, singing, and even doing the dishes. However, sitting in silence for meditation is like turning on a lamp instead of lighting a candle inside the very shadowy cave of the mind.  Silent meditation is not easy, despite its simplicity.  In the beginning, the mind needs a focal point if not two or three in meditation.  After much practice, who knows how long, we can let go of technique.  Until then, using mala beads and a mantra is a great for people just beginning a mediation practice.

Mala beads and mantra 

 

Mala beads consist of 108 beads, and a mantra is recited with each bead.  This provides both the hands and the mind with a focal point.  It's a great technique for beginners who have practiced yoga because the body and mind are still being yoked in a subtle but familiar way.  Also, a rhythm develops during the meditation from the repetition of the mantra and moving the beads. 

The big question is what mantra should you use?  Some say it should be given to you by a teacher, but I did not get mine from a teacher, and it is working just fine.  When I did some research, I found no mantras in English, only sanskrit, with many of them hailing a hindu or buddhist deity. If you are familair enough with these deities to adopt one of these mantras, that's great.  For me, I am not 100% comfortable invoking Vishnu or any other deity because a) it is not part of my culture and, so, all I know about these deities I learned in books and b) I am not someone who needs to pin God down to a representation, image, or name.  

There are sanskrit mantras that are universal such as Om Shanti or So Hum.  Click here and here to explore sanskrit mantras.

Another option is choosing a passage written by a great spiritual teacher.  Choose something that really speaks to you.  If choosing a poem, find one written by a great mystic.  Love Poems from God: Twelve Sacred Voices from the East and West translated by Daniel Ladinsky is a great resource for poetry.  The passage needs to have some primacy to it, basically.  For some other possible passages, click here.  Once you decide on a passage, memorize it, and then repeat it with the mala beads as you meditate.

Another choice is to just repeat the same word or words.  The eight higher emotions are good ones to choose as a mantra- Love, Compassion, Forgiveness, Kindness, Humility, and Gratitude.  You could choose just one, or some combination of them, or all of them together as a mantra.  

It is said that by repeating a mantra, a person can gain great powers of the mind and some people choose a mantra for the sole purpose to achieve great things in life or to overcome obstacles in life.  Mantras are not prayer requests.  They are meant to be lifelong.  So, whatever mantra you choose, stick to it.  It is enticing to choose a mantra based on what we might want or need according to our present life circumstances, but it is better to take the long view in choosing.  This is something you will live with for a long period of time.  So, choose something that resonates with you and inspires you to meditate.

A few suggestions

• Try to avoid repeating the mantra in rhythm with the breath.
• Once you are comfortable with the mantra, slow down the repetition to allow yourself to be in moments of stillness. Over time, it might be that you only repeat the mantra just once.
• Move the beads in a clockwise direction from the top bead.  If you reach the top bead, do not cross over it, just go in the opposite direction.
• Use your thumb to move the bead from the middle finger to the ring finger.  Do not let the beads touch your index finger.

May this help us uncover and cultivate the peace and equanimity within ourselves.

Renee