Greetings!

 It's spring . . . and as the buds awaken,

 so do we.

Join us at the St. Paul Yoga Center as we prepare to enter this season of new life and growth. Inhale into the miracle of your body, and let your spirit expand into the space inside and around you. Exhale into release and relaxation. Ahhh!

We encourage you to try several different classes to find the one that best fits your needs. If you have questions or concerns, please talk to our teachers. They are here to guide you.

Have fun exploring our newsletter. Don't miss "Reflections," a regular column, featuring the impressions and experiences of our students. This issue also includes "A Sigh of Relief" by SPYC teacher Nancy Giguere.

We look forward to working with you in class, and we wish you an invigorating and energizing spring.

Namaste,

Anna Vazquez

St. Paul Yoga Center

Upcoming Event:

Sunday, March 18, 4-6 pm

Photos and Stories from Nepal with Terese Pritschet

Please invite your friends and family to try out the St. Paul

Yoga Center - they can take a class for free if they have never been here before. (This applies to persons residing in the Twin City metro area.) Just click on the free class coupon at the end of this newsletter and come to your first class. Experience authentic yoga at its best! 

• Yoga for Posture on Monday mornings is canceled. Teri Bigelow has relocated to Arizona - we wish her well and will miss her yoga  wisdom and kind heart.
• Drew Prakash will be teaching a beginning yoga class on Monday nights from 7:15-8:45 in the corner studio (first class March 26).  He will also be subbing for his wife, Laura Prakash, covering her Tuesday night classes while she is on maternity leave.
• Maria Tierney is back teaching the next session on Wed. mornings for both the  8 a.m. Beginning, and 9:30 a.m. Beg./Continuing classes.
• Jeanne Barkey's Tuesday 7:30-8:45 p.m. and Thursday 5:30-6:45 p.m. Iyengar classes resume with the next session and are now Beginning and Continuing.

Please check the website and Facebook for more updates. 

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Special Event 

Slide Show

 On Sunday, March 18, 2012 at 4:00 PM in the Selby studio, Terese Pritschet will share photos and stories of her travels to Nepal and Bhutan. This was Terese's second trip to Nepal, where she has volunteered at Sankhu-Palubari Community School, a project of Advocates for Human Rights (a Minneapolis based non-profit). Join us for a cup of chiya and a glimpse into these deeply spiritual cultures, historically rooted in Buddhist and Hindu beliefs.  

New Teacher, Drew Prakash

Beginning Class Monday, 7:15-8:45 p.m.

   

In April 2005, Drew went to the Expanding Light Retreat Center at the Ananda Village in Nevada City, California to become a certified yoga teacher. More importantly, however, while there he met his future wife and fellow St. Paul Yoga Center teacher, Laura Prakash. Drew's favorite teaching style accommodates all levels, and uses traditional poses with variations to fit everyone's needs. Drew takes time to explore postures while increasing body awareness. He believes that yoga not only increases flexibility and strength, but also calms the mind and increases one's well-being.

 

In October 2005, Drew was in a life-threatening car crash that put him in a wheel chair for 5 months. After being told he was extremely lucky to have legs and be able to walk at all, he resumed his yoga practice and began teaching again some time later. This experience gave Drew a unique understanding of the nature of injury and recovery.

 

Drew will be teaching a Beginning class in the Corner Studio on Mondays from 7:15-8:45 p.m., and he will be taking over Laura's Beginning class on Tuesdays from 7:15-8:45 p.m. for at least one session, while she is on maternity leave.

 

Reflections 

SPYC Student Column

by Krista Hoeschen 

   

Earlier this fall I was eager for yoga. A friend mentioned a yoga studio on Selby Avenue that was "right up my alley".  A little nervous & excited I found myself walking into the Saint Paul Yoga Center. Unsure of what to expect, I was immediately welcomed by a delightful woman sitting in the back of the studio. We briefly chatted, and after the rest of the class got settled, so began our hour long beginners session. In short, it was wonderful-- I learned more in one hour than I could have imagined! But that was nothing compared to what happened next...

As the class concluded, my instructor, Terese, closed with a quote from a book. She challenged us to go home, and for thirty days, write down a moment (large or small) that gave us joy each day. It wasn't until day five that I realized what a gift she had given me. I allowed these moments to come naturally; a soft breeze, a kind hearted stranger, new music, making a co-worker laugh-- what ever happened in my day that made me stop and smile. By day twenty I was finding multiple moments in a day and realized that I was more present in my life than I had ever been-- the joy came rushing in!

Thank you, Terese! I am ever thankful for this experience and am still happily finding moments of joy in every day...savoring each time I get to the fabulous Saint Paul Yoga Center!

Gifts of Yoga

 It's Time to Take a Sigh of Relief

By Nancy Giguere

Imagine you're a zebra, and you see a lion ready to pounce. You inhale sharply, and begin running as adrenaline surges through your body. Your heart races. Your digestion shuts down-there's no time to eat. Your hormonal balance shifts as your body secrets less insulin and more glucocorticoids, freeing up energy to get through this crisis. Your immune system goes into overdrive to fight infection if the lion mauls you.

If you're a zebra, this "fight or flight response" is short-lived. Either you escape or the lion eats you. But if you're a human being, you may live in a continual state of stress. If so, your sympathetic nervous system, which is activated during the fight or flight response, is in a constant state of arousal. As a result, you may develop heart disease, digestive problems, or autoimmune disorders like Type II diabetes, fibromyalgia, and arthritis.

That's the bad news. The good news is that you can calm down by moving into the parasympathetic response. If the sympathetic nervous system is about "fight or flight," the parasympathetic nervous system is about "rest and digest." And you can begin to activate the parasympathetic response through the simple act of breathing.

As you breathe, focus on the exhalation. Follow the exhalation to the end, without forcing it. This "full commitment exhale" allows the lungs to evacuate stale air, which, in turn, allows the inhalation to become deeper and more vital. This changes the cycle of shallow breathing associated with tension and stress.

The exhalation is associated with relaxation. When you exhale, you practice letting go. You surrender to stillness and calm. So next time you're feeling stressed, remember not just to breathe, but also to exhale fully and completely. Think of it as a "sigh of relief."

Recommended reading:

Anderson, Scott A. (2010) Alignment yoga: An intelligent approach to ancient wisdom.

Sapolsky, Robert. (2004) Why zebras don't get ulcers.

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Paul is postulating and will be back in the next newsletter!   (An on-going series of topics  will be  explored using principles of yoga and Ayurveda.)