Fall Term begins September 26th
Some classes still have openings. If you'd like to join us, call 503.223.8157 to register. |
| Want To Be Our Neighbor? | |
Do you know anyone who might be interested in renting our downstairs office space?? It is 1,500 square feet, configured with 6 offices plus a waiting room and reception area, for $1,800 a month.
Contact our broker, Chris Ingraham, if interested @ 503 249-1706 (office) or 503 784-1969 (cell).
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A Sad Note from Stuart
 We recently lost a loyal member of our yoga community. Carolyn Holzman passed away August 5, 2011.
She was a long time student in my Tuesday morning L3-4 class. As her close friend and fellow yoga student, Laurene Mullen reflected: "She was a truly fine, fun and whimsical woman."
She will be missed.
If you would care to donate to a yoga scholarship fund set up in her memory, please contact our office.
- Stuart Stark | |
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Where in the World Were You This Summer?
Near or far, did you remember to practice yoga? Did you take some fun photos? We hope you'll bring your photos to post on our stairwell bulletin board. | |
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Testimonial
"I used to look at my body like I did my car! - I just wanted them to GO and didn't understand how they work and how to properly "maintain" them. Thanks to Betsy's excellent visual examples and teaching, I'm learning the finer points of exercising my physical and mental self. Her humor helps a lot, too! At 66, I've exercised for many years; but now I'm learning how to "customize" my efforts for maximum results. I'm committed to yoga, based on how good I feel and the progress I'm making after only a year. Thank you Betsy and Gudmestad Yoga!" Jean | |
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Stuart's Italy Trip
 We returned from our 5th annual Tuscany yoga retreat in June. It was a great trip. There were equal amounts of yoga, taking in the sights of Tuscany, relaxing at the resort and enjoying the local food and wine. I especially love hearing from students how surprised they were that 21 hours of yoga in one week felt much more comfortable than they had expected. We look forward to returning next year June 4 - 12, 2012. Click here to see some pictures of our time in Tuscany this year.
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Anatomy Awareness in Asana
Portland, Oregon
August 6 - 10, 2012with Julie Gudmestad
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For more information and to download a registration form click here
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Gudmestad Yoga
Fall Quarterly Newsletter
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Greetings!
I'm seeing signs that summer is drawing to a close: days are getting shorter, sunsets are moving south, and spiderwebs are tangling in my hair as I walk through my garden. Soon kids will be back in school and summer vacations over, and everyone is preparing to resume their "normal" work and play schedules. These transition times are good opportunities to pause and reflect on how you're spending your life and precious time. If your yoga practice took a bit of hiatus as you enjoyed summer's many activities, now is a great time to give some thought as to how you'd like to re-integrate your practice into your lifestyle. Most of us yoga teachers agree that it's best to practice a little yoga most days than to do a longer, challenging practice once or twice a week. More frequent practices help to keep muscles strong and pliable, so you're less likely to experience the strains and injuries that can occur with less frequent practices. And, a short daily practice--especially in the morning--can really help put a positive spin on your day and interactions with other people. So as the school year gets underway, perhaps you'd like to make a small commitment to yourself to start each day with a short practice: even five minutes counts! It's lovely to do something different every few days, alternating a couple of standing poses with some abdominal work or leg and hip stretches. Or, you could try the short routine described in this newletter's Yoga Tip, as it works a little bit of everything in just a few minutes. To help get you started, repeat after me: "Five minutes of doing yoga is worth more than thirty minutes of thinking about it"! As always, if you have any questions, comments or suggestions, feel free to contact us. Namaste, Julie Gudmestad |
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Yoga Tip: Salute to the Departing Sun
Over the years, I've often been asked, "How can I fit yoga into my life? I have a very busy schedule, and can only carve out a few minutes a day to practice. How can I make the best use of that time?" So here is a short routine that works and stretches most of the major muscle groups in the body in just a few minutes. It's actually a modified version of the Sun Salutation, the traditional yogic way to greet the new day. And, like any yoga sequence, it will leave a memory of lightness and space in your being, which is a great way to start your day.
If you're a beginner, or very stiff, you can try this sequence with your hands on the wall. Otherwise, work from your mat on the floor. Start in Downward Facing Dog (or wall dog), which opens your shoulders and stretches the backs of your legs. After 30-60 seconds, go back and forth to plank pose (hands on wall requires much less upper body strength and puts less strain on wrists, elbows and shoulders, if you have injuries there) a few times, which strengthens your shoulders, chest and abdominals.
Back to Down Dog, and then step one foot forward to a lunge, and take a few breaths in both the knee up- and knee down versions. If your hands are on the wall, this lunge looks like a Warrior One variation, with the front knee bent and back knee straight, heel off the floor. All of the lunge variations give a good stretch across the front of the back-leg hip.
Come back to Down Dog. If you're on the floor, and have one more minute to spend, come back out to plank and let down to the floor (either a full length or knees on the floor let down). From there you can do a couple of cobras or locusts to strengthen your back. Then push back up (you could do a few mini-push-ups or full push-ups here if you want to work on upper body strength) to plank, back to Down Dog, and then finish with several breaths in child's pose. All done, and in just a few minutes!
If you found this yoga tip informative and yearn for more in depth articles about anatomy and yoga written by Julie, click here
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Meet Mike Walsh
Mike's been a devoted yoga student of Michael Sylvester's since 2000. He thinks he has been in Michael's Yoga for Athletes class longer than any of his other students. He watches students "graduate" at Michael's urging, but figures he continues to be challenged where he is (Athlete's 2), humbly admitting he still can't do a proper Downward Dog. He especially appreciates Michael's connection to athletes - his knowledge of cyclists' and runners' injuries and his teaching to help prevent them.
 Mike laughingly recalls how he prepared for yoga class in the beginning - showing up decked out in a sweat band and carrying his water bottle because he was sure yoga was all about a hard workout. He's happy to say that he's evolved, and shed the sweat band and water bottle and feels way more relaxed and focused in class these days. And he appreciates the stability he's noticed around Gudmestad Yoga throughout the years - he likes seeing all the same teachers and staff who've been here since he started.
At the end of his first yoga class, Mike echoed along as Michael closed with "Namaste". A few months later, trekking through Nepal he heard and exchanged the now familiar "Namaste" greeting, over and over again - a world away from his Monday night yoga class - where he heard it first. And he thought that was pretty cool.
But there's a whole lot more to Mike than just faithfully attending his weekly yoga class...
 For Mike Walsh - attorney, family man (wife Carleen, daughters Katie-married to Eugene and Erin-married to Ron, son Patrick, and grandfather to Ella and Owen), runner, cyclist, hiker, trekker, swimmer, sailor, sky diver, rapeller, and, oh yeah, a cancer survivor - it's all about taking each day as it comes - and well, to "just keep moving". (Mike and Carleen recently ran the "Fueled by Fine Wine" half marathon in Dundee.)
But, WOW, the way Mike keeps moving just may blow away most of us. He's always been athletic, but in the past decade, since he was first diagnosed with cancer in 2000, Mike seems to have stepped up his pace a bit.
He keeps active by hiking mountains - Mt. Hood - several times, most recently summiting with his 16-year-old son, Patrick,  Mt. Ranier, Mt. Adams, Mt. St. Helens, Mt. Jefferson, Mt. Washington, Mt. Shasta, Mt. Whitney, Long's Peak, Mt. Elbert, Mt. Aconcagua, Mt. Kilimanjaro and Mt. Sopris with daughter Erin (pictured here at the summit with her dad) this summer.
You might also find him trekking/climbing in far off lands - Nepal, Bhutan, Patagonia, Switzerland, Easter Islands and New Zealand.
Also, he competes in Ironman triathlons and marathons. 2009 was a particularly busy year  for Mike - in the course of a few months, he ran the Eugene and Portland marathons with the Ironman Canada (Penticton, BC) sandwiched in between. About that Ironman, Mike said it was: "one of the best days in my life since completing the Boston Marathon in 2002 - to participate and finish and to feel good was just such a delight - I enjoyed the whole thing!"
An attorney since 1973, Mike's not interested in retiring - he likes getting up and going to work each day at Hutchison and Walsh where he's been a partner since January 1980. He spent much of his career as a litigator, but these days he's involved mostly with arbitration.
He's also very passionate about his volunteer involvement with Portland Mountain Rescue, where he serves on the board.
Mike professes to always be ready for the next adventure. While he doesn't have a "bucket list", he just keeps thinking up adventures and is always happy when a friend asks him to join them on theirs.
We think his yoga teacher sums it up best: "Other people talk about it, Mike Walsh does it."
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The studio is a'buzz with fall term anticipation! We always enjoy the drop in casualness of summer, but miss seeing all of our students and teachers on a weekly basis. So, on behalf of all the staff, let me extend a hearty WELCOME BACK to all of you returning to us.
We still have openings in many of our classes for the fall term. We hope you'll consider "spreading the word" and invite your friends and/or family members to sign up for a term.
Or consider treating yourself to a second class this term? Space is limited, but if we can find you a second class, we discount that class fee by 10%. If interested, give the office a call to check on availability.
Sincerely, Nari Maidl
Yoga Coordinator
Gudmestad Yoga |
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