Yoga Instead

Tranquility Yoga, one of the studios where I teach, is now using a new format for class registration.  Check it out by visiting www.westfordyoga.com.

Namaste, Jane

Tuesdays, 9:30-11:00 a.m.     May 8, 15, 22, & 29.   At Be Well and Beyond in Acton.  $76 (non-refundable/no make-ups).  (978) 263-5771 to register.

Namaste, Jane

Creativity, like yoga, comes from steadiness, discipline, practice, and calming the mind.

Since I still can’t knit very much, I decided to explore creativity in a different way.  So, I designed this handbag from a re-cycled scarf.  This link describes how I made it:

Felted Handbag

It’s so relaxing, fun, therapeutic, and even meditative to let your imagination run wild…

Namaste, Jane

Join our new 4-class series.  2 spaces left.  Tuesdays, 9:30-11:00 a.m. at Be Well and Beyond in Acton (on Great Rd. near the Concord rotary).

Dates are:  March 27, April 3 & 24, and May 1st.  (No class April 10 & 17.)

Good for relieving pain/tension in lower back plus neck & shoulders.

No previous yoga experience necessary.

Register:  978-263-5771.  Cost is $76 for series.  (No make-ups/cancellations.)

Namaste, Jane

I’ll be starting a 5-week series, Thursdays 9:30 to 11:00 a.m., beginning March 15.

Visit www.westfordyoga.com for registration/details.

Namaste, Jane

I used to push myself in obsessive and unhealthy ways.  That’s why I turned to yoga years ago.  Yoga has helped me tremendously, but I still return to my old, harmful habits.

Here’s an example I’d like to share.

Recently, I became a grandmother.  This got me back into knitting, and typical of me, I’ve become crazed.  I have been knitting as much as possible during my free time.  As a result, after several months of this repetitive motion, my thumb joints are sore, stiff, and swollen.

When I first noticed the pain, I continued on, pushing through the pain, determined to finish the projects I was working on.  This is the antithesis to what I teach my yoga students.  In class, I stress the importance of students being aware of how they feel in poses and to let me know if they are in pain so I can give them substitute poses or prop them with more support.  I tell them that we aren’t into forcing or proving anything.  We are not into the “no pain/no gain” philosophy.  Yet, here I was, hypocritically ignoring the pain in my own thumb joints.

I often tell students that we hold tension in our bodies that we aren’t even aware of, so I decided to apply this principle to my aching thumb joints.  I noticed when I was knitting, I was pressing too much on the needle with my left thumb.

Well…I have started to pace myself and treat my body with more respect.  Now that I am dealing with my own physical awareness, I have discovered how this awareness applies to my mind.  I am calming down, accepting my physical limitations, becoming patient, and letting go of such obsessive behavior.  Life, like yoga, continues to present me with opportunities to learn and grow.

Namaste, Jane