Wed, 23 May 2012 16:47:35 -0800WeeblyWed, 23 May 2012 00:50:40 -0800http://www.pinklotusyoga.com/3/post/2012/05/fascia-the-fuzz-speech.htmlThis is one of my favorite short videos relating to yoga. We watched it in Yin Yoga teacher training, and it was a hit.  Here, in "The Fuzz Speech" Gil Hedley talks about fascia.  No better need for yoga than for fighting fuzz. 

Warning:  There is footage in this video showing human cadavers.
http://www.elephantjournal.com/2011/03/the-video-every-yogi-needs-to-see]]>Wed, 16 May 2012 11:48:42 -0800http://www.pinklotusyoga.com/3/post/2012/05/yin-is-in-a-rising-yoga-system.html As founder and director of the first of very few studios in the Cleveland to offer weekly Yin Yoga classes, I was thrilled to learn yesterday from some students that the latest issue of O: The Oprah Magazine features an article on Yin Yoga.  Yin Yoga is an incredibly beneficial system of yoga that is just now coming into popularity in these parts.

What is Yin Yoga?  It is one of two aspects of Taoist or Chinese Yoga, the other being Yang Yoga.  Taoist Yoga is influenced by yoga from India (the Yin aspect) and by the Chinese practices of T’ai Chi and Chi-Gong (the Yang aspect).  Whereas Yang Yoga benefits muscles and nervous system, Yin Yoga works on other aspects of the body.

O:  The Oprah Magazine quotes my Yin Yoga teacher, Paul Grilley, who describes the benefits of this rising system of yoga like this:  “The [Yin] poses work your joints in a way similar to how other types of exercise work your heart.”  In a nutshell, Grilley states, “Yin Yoga is joint rehabilitation.” 

There are two general reasons I welcome and teach Yin Yoga as an important addition to the yoga family tree and why I tout it as a practice that as many people as possible should undertake.  First, our bodies need it.  And second, our minds need it.

There is an anatomical need in all of us to experience what Yin Yoga offers.  Whereas our muscles, the body’s Yang aspects, stay healthy by heat and repetitive motion found in activities such as spinning, walking, dancing, and vigorous yoga (e.g., Ashtanga, Power, and Vinyasa), a rather large part of our physical construction—skeleton and connective tissue—is Yin and does not respond to heat or repetitive movement at all; rather, the Yin body responds to simple, long-held floor yoga postures, which comprise the basis of Yin Yoga.

Yang exercise can’t help or heal the Yin body, which is specifically made up of bones, fascia, bursa, tendons, and ligaments.  What’s more, Yang workouts done to an extreme and without a Yin component can injure the Yin body.

As evidence of this, consider that when we are injured from sports or other physical activity, it is rarely a muscle tear that creates a long healing process but rather an injury to a joint or a tear in the connective tissue that truly sidelines us.  To see this from another perspective, look at the aging human body.  It’s not our muscles atrophying that cause us to feel and act old as we age; usually, it’s our backs and joints that give out first, drying up and shortening, reducing our stride, balance, and confidence.  Yin Yoga treats the body parts that scientists know age more quickly and heal much more slowly than muscle. 

On the physical realm, then, Yin Yoga complements Yang activity, counters the wear and tear of too much Yang, and can provide relief from the natural aging process.

Second, there is an important mental benefit to Yin Yoga.

We live in an ever-accelerating, technology-driven culture that favors constant motion.  Even if we are not athletes, our world is filled with, and we fill our lives with, much more Yang than Yin:  overdoing it at the gym, overbooking ourselves, eating quickly, living with stress, countering stress in unhealthy ways, and engaging in multitasking, Yang activities that can be dangerous, like texting while driving.  Yin Yoga is an antidote for much of this. 

Left to ourselves, Yin Yoga asks nothing more of us than to go inside, to hold poses for several minutes and notice what happens when we do.  What typically happens is a relaxed, more flexible body and a freer mind. Yin is, quite literally, in.

Yoga master Rodney Yee writes that the two most important things we need to bring to our yoga practice are our bodies and our minds.  Training our minds takes as much work as training our bodies, and Yin Yoga is the perfect backdrop for both, for while we are deliberately working in Yin to make our connective tissue healthy from the poses, we are simultaneously working on quieting our fast-paced minds.

In my next post, we’ll meet some students who take Yin Yoga classes at my studio and learn how Yin Yoga’s benefits are transferring positively to various aspects of their lives.

At Pink Lotus Yoga, we offer two Yin Yoga classes a week:  Tuesday from 7:15-8:30 p.m. (held outdoors beginning May 22nd) and Friday from 4:30-5:30 p.m.  Yin-Yang classes explore both quiet and dynamic exercise and take place on Monday evening from 7:15-8:30 p.m. and Wednesday evening from 6:00-7:00 p.m.  Check our studio for rates.  All our outdoor classes are by donation.

]]>Mon, 07 May 2012 10:36:20 -0800http://www.pinklotusyoga.com/3/post/2012/05/family-focused-yoga-arrives-at-pink-lotus.htmlThe concept of family-focused yoga is simple: It takes a village to raise a child, and part of raising a child includes village members of all ages engaging in healthy, happy activities. Finding time for family, fun, exercise, and relaxation in this day and age is challenging. Two new programs starting soon at our studio to help with this challenge by rolling family time, exercise, and relaxation into one: Prenatal Yoga begins May 19th and Village (Family) Yoga begins June 21st.

Professionals in the medical industry are recommending Prenatal Yoga more and more often these days to their pregnant patients as a way to prepare them physically, mentally, and emotionally for the birthing process. The Prenatal Yoga series at Pink Lotus Yoga consists of longer-format, well-rounded classes, offering the following:
--Yoga postures most beneficial to the ever-changing pregnant body. Postures are designed to open the pelvis, ease back pain, and reduce pressure on ligaments. They also promote strength, stamina, energy, and balance and are antidotes to common discomforts during pregnancy.
--Breathing exercises—a vital part of prenatal practice—invigorate, balance, and quiet the body/mind.  Various breathing techniques reduce blood pressure, heart rate, and muscle tension and counteract the harmful effects of stress, anxiety, and uncertainty. Breathing learned in Prenatal Yoga can be utilized in all phases of pregnancy and labor, making it an invaluable tool.
--Deep, guided relaxation involving props (blankets, bolsters, eye pillows), light shoulder/neck/arm massage, soft music, and aromatherapy.
--Prenatal Yoga benefits the notion of the village by promoting community, as pregnant women practicing yoga together bond as they share their stories and feelings. Last, babies benefit, too; studies show unborn babies receive increased amounts of endorphins and oxygen and are gently massaged by their mothers' movements. Prenatal Yoga at Pink Lotus Yoga is for women in all stages of pregnancy.

In Village Yoga, a child-focused series for adults and children, families connect with other families through yoga exercise and fun. Poses, movement, songs, games, challenge, and quiet time are part of every class.  Traditional yoga exercises in Village Yoga become infused with activities such as these:
--Story Yoga: Characters in a story being told take on yoga poses. In addition, in order to foster creative expression, children are encouraged to share their ideas for stories.
--Partner Yoga: Children practice yoga with their parent/caregiver.
--Group Yoga: Adults and children practice poses in a circle.
--Imagination Yoga: Children are encouraged to invent and teach to the group their own yoga poses.

In Village Yoga, families find support for a healthier lifestyle and enjoy a holistic, family-centered activity.  These classes are child-centered and built for fun; there will be enough movement to provide both adults and children with some real exercise. Village Yoga is for adults of all ages and children between five and nine years of age. Children outside this age range may be enrolled with prior instructor approval.

Both programs take place at the our studio (18103 Detroit) and are being run through the Lakewood Community Recreation and Education Department. Contact us to ask questions about the classes and registration process at pinklotusyogastudio@gmail.com or 216-632-0816.
]]>Fri, 04 May 2012 06:03:32 -0800http://www.pinklotusyoga.com/3/post/2012/05/were-headed-outdoors-next-weekend-well-start-with-a-fundraiser.html For most of my seven-year career instructing yoga, I have offered classes outdoors during the summer.  I find that yoga and the great Cleveland area outdoors are a perfect pair. Or, as one of my students says, yoga and the outdoors go together like peas and carrots.

The number of students attending Pink Lotus Yoga outdoor classes has grown steadily over the years.  And it makes sense why:  The scenery is great, the crowd is mixed level and welcoming, and the price is right (by donation). 

This year, even though this studio opened in  December,  we'll be offering 48 outdoor classes this summer. The first two, offered next weekend, will constitute a fundraiser.   

Join us Saturday, May 12th from 9:00-10:00 a.m. and on Mother's Day, Sunday, May 13th from 11:15 a.m.-12:30 p.m.at Rocky River Park to raise funds for the Edna House for Women.  Rocky River is located at Parkside and Beachcliff (north of Lake Avenue). Parking is limited, so consider arriving early or sharing a ride.

Conceived by and for women alcoholics, The Edna House offers long-term, structured sober living and education to women seeking recovery from addiction to drugs and alcohol.  The Edna House receives no government funding, operating completely on donations from individuals and businesses. 

We hope you can make the fundraiser and will spread the word about it.

]]>Mon, 13 Feb 2012 19:01:21 -0800http://www.pinklotusyoga.com/3/post/2012/02/imagine.htmlAs I write this, I'm in the studio, sitting in the lobby working on my laptop doing this and that and in the background listening to and watching Sarah Husher teach her Monday evening Vinyasa class. 

There is so much calm in this class, I note as I listen and periodically peek into the studio, and so much hard work going on, too, that I realize after a minute I have myself become calm, sitting and amazed and touched by these students'--and this teacher's--tenacity in their practice and guidance.

Sarah speaks:  How lucky we all are to have the bodies we do, to be able to engage in the practice as we do.  But really, she says, our bodies are merely on loan.  We have to take care of our bodies.  "So take care of your house," she says, expanding on the analogy of grand impermanence: The idea of how we can't take any of it with us, but that does not mean we are not responsible for it while we are here.  

I think about my yoga house (this new studio!), and how I love to be here, and how I love to take care of it and the people here, for it feels like a place of good people and good yoga.

But then I focus on a downside, my current physical limitations that are prohibiting me from any posture practice of my own, and which are making teaching--and even cleaning my studio--very challenging. 

I sit pouting for awhile.

Sarah is preparing to end her class.  She speaks:  We end where we begin, soft, but more conditioned....Her students have returned to Child Posture, the opening posture.

This phrase--that we end where we began, but more conditioned--strikes me.  I imagine myself healthy and taking class again, back where I began years ago, before this studio, before my pain began, back to Child Pose.  Of simply practicing again.  And of more than that.  Of something taller than that.  Of sweeping my studio with joy rather than pain-fed groans.  And of more than that.  Of finally learning to stand on my own two hands in the middle of the floor, without a wall or a teacher. 

Our bodies are on loan, it is true, but our hearts and spirits are not, and this class in this space in this moment, from my very participating as an outside member, gave me hope again, a surge, a conviction to stand up, and to keep standing up.

I imagine spirit, and yoga, and love. And that even challenges are okay.

And then Sarah plays for her students John Lennon's "Imagine."

Imagine, indeed.
]]>Thu, 19 Jan 2012 07:20:30 -0800http://www.pinklotusyoga.com/3/post/2012/01/overheard-in-the-studio.html_(This is the first in what I intend to be  an occasional posting series containing--to the best of my memory--verbatim quotes spoken in the lobby at Pink Lotus Yoga. Thanks to the speakers.)

"I'm afraid of bears.  So when I go backcountry camping, I practice Alternate Nostril Breathing.  It calms me down so I can sleep."
"I mastered fourth grade math." (to yoga studio owner during a discounted class package transaction)
"Not *this* time, bucko!  There's no TIME for depression!!" (to friend, both arriving for class)
"I want to come here for the socializing.  But then can someone give me a lift home?" (person waiting for bus in front of studio, stepping in to check the studio out)
"Have you seen my pants?"




]]>Wed, 04 Jan 2012 10:16:42 -0800http://www.pinklotusyoga.com/3/post/2012/01/the-wheels-on-the-bus.htmlI hang out a lot in the Pink Lotus Yoga studio these days.  It's a home away from home.  With the warmth, the groovy decor, and the welcoming neighbors, I dare say it actually is a home.  A home for yoga. 

But it's more than an indoor place for yoga and its related peacenik nature. Right outside my door is where the 26 line stops, many times per day.  This means that outside my door some times are people waiting to catch the bus.  People hanging, bustling, rushing, and pacing.

I could not be happier for this.  I've seen and talked to many of the bus waiters, and none seem much interested in yoga, which is fine.  That does not stop me from talking to them about it, and talking to them about where they are headed. Usually they're headed shopping, or to work. 

I've gotten to know some of the bus stop regulars in front of the studio.   It makes me more and more certain that I landed in the right place as a yoga business owner.  Yoga is about community, and I am part of an incredibly lovely one right outside my door.  Even if the older, bundled up gentleman who appeared in my doorway a few minutes ago--and who tried several times to light his pipe against the frigid winter breeze while waiting for the bus--never takes a yoga class, I found his presence welcoming.  He looked a little like something that got pulled out of L.L. Bean and planted on Detroit Avenue.  A man with a pipe in the cold of winter waiting to go somewhere else.  The wheels of the bus will take him somewhere warm, I hope.  Inside my studio, I am warm, waiting for my noon class, who I am sure will play a role in taking us all somewhere special on our mats.  We are all riders on the bus, after all. 


]]>Wed, 28 Dec 2011 04:58:44 -0800http://www.pinklotusyoga.com/3/post/2011/12/studio-schedule-the-next-few.htmlReminder that we are closed until the 30th to allow for some studio improvements.  We have a full schedule on the 30th, morning classes on the 31st, and a free yoga class on the 1st.  Regular schedule resumes on the 2nd.  Om Shanti.  Yogayogayoga.
]]>Thu, 22 Dec 2011 14:51:18 -0800http://www.pinklotusyoga.com/3/post/2011/12/welcome.htmlWell, the new Pink Lotus Yoga studio has been open for almost three weeks, and it's been quite a journey already, not only for myself but for the many members of the PLY kula who helped get these doors open.  In particular, Terry Grdina and Lindsey Wilber--who kept showing up day after day to prime, paint, help us tear up a floor and prep it for painting, move and haul things, and many tasks I have undoubtedly forgotten--are to be richly thanked, and are, from the bottom of my heart.  The Camino family; my sister; my brother; friend and window designer Maria Weber Kramer; student, friend, and artist Dave Smith; student and friend Robin Suttell; friend Ben Small; business advisor extraordinaire Aaron Vaughn; and my fellow Grrl Geniuses all deserve a big round of yogic applause for what they have given to me, to the space, and to the spirit of yoga community over the last six months.  But I can't end this list of thanks without thanking a very special person:  Ann Fiorilli. 

It was Ann, a quiet student with pretty great yoga skill, who came up to me one summer day after an outdoor yoga class at Rocky River Park and offered her services to the Pink Lotus Yoga studio-to-be.  Having heard from me that I was planning on opening a studio, Ann let me know that space design was her thing--who knew??--and that she wanted to work with me to create a studio that I would love.  

What a gift that was, and how lucky I am.  Ann went into action before I'd even located a space, creating a lovely concept board of colors, shapes, and textures that she thought best represented what I was all about as a person and yogi.  We ran with her concept, and once we found a space--18103 Detroit Avenue in Lakewood, OH--she really got down to work, offering countless suggestions: from color to carpet.  Every inch of my studio is a testament--thanks to Ann's devotion and vision--of the good things that can arise when community-building is at the helm.  Thank you, Ann.

And to all of you, I thank you for reading and wish you a yoga-filled holiday season and new year.  Come by to our studio.  Did I mention that the yoga here is as cool as the space?  It is.  --Namaste.

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