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Cheryl Thomas, RYT
www.cherylthomas.com yoga@cherylthomas.com 415-308-3377 |
To Challenge or Nurture - That is the Question
When we head out the door and make our way into a class, most of us do so because we want to get something out of it. If we turn up and it seems as though it's not really making a difference, then we stop going. Our compass is pointed toward finding just the right level of challenge. However, having been in the fitness industry for many years and witnessing different yoga styles (power Vinyasa, hot yoga, etc) we most definitely meet up with challenges. But so often, I have experienced or seen that by doing so, the concept of nurturing ourselves at the same time flies out the window.
The harder, the better. If it really challenges us then it must be really good for us. Right?
Throughout my life, I have always pursued challenges. When I see the word, it looks like CHALLENGE...all in bold and luring me into taking it. The idea of looking after myself as I undertook the challenge was often greatly neglected. The word nurture was just that...seemingly small and insignificant. I didn't realize until I started yoga, that the two could co-habitate...if I allowed it. I needed to invite nurturing into my challenges and guess what? When I did, the challenge seemed more robust and kept in balance. The challenge didn't knock me off my feet due to the simple practice of looking after myself as I pursued the next goal.
This is the beauty of advancing along our yoga path - that we can seek to challenge ourselves and at the same time, look after ourselves in the process. We learn to know our edge and how it fluctuates. We begin to give less voice to the concept that how we treat ourselves is in reaction to being good or bad and more to the idea that we deserve to offer ourselves compassion and love as we step into situations that push us.
So the next time you decide to go for the gusto, check in with yourself. Can you push to your limits without bursting through and creating havoc and imbalance. Can you be in a strong pose or one that butts up against what you know to be familiar and take a breath of ease. Can you soften not only excessive muscular tension but your attitude as well.
With practice and a decent dose of awareness, we can both stretch to our full potential from a place of self-love and self-care. Isn't it time that we nurture ourselves more deeply? Try it out and see what happens...you might just soar higher than you ever thought imaginable!
The result is that there are TWO Bare Witness Tours taking place to India to visit the programs and partners we've been supporting. People on Trip #1 are on their way and arriving in New Delhi as I write this. This first trip will be having a camera crew following them around to create a documentary of what the challenge is all about.
*** This article was written by my friend, Jayne Robertson. You may remember her. She raised $20,000 for Off the Mat and Into the World, an organization that raises money for international activism and service. Jayne is currently in India visiting the partners and projects the OTM has been supporting. She's writing a fantastic blog chronicling her trip. Join her at http://www.desertyogatherapy.blogspot.com/. Thank you, Jayne, for sharing your article with us this week!
Want to read some of my previous articles? You can do it here. Enjoy.
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Did You Know?
Exciting hook-up in Petaluma. BodyWork (recently closed due to fire damage) is joining with Yoga by Design. We're glad to see Jean Sutton back on the yoga scene at the beautiful POST Wellness space. Come to the open house on 3/23.
Yoga In Graton is expanding! We now have 2 pilates classes each week at the Stone Creek Zen Center. Go to www.yogaingraton.com for more info.
A new grande studio is coming, Move 2 Change, to open soon in the Barlow in Sebastopol. It's a community based movement studio in the old Sebastopol Center for the Arts building. Look for classes in in dance, yoga, pilates, somatic movement and much more. www.move2changestudio.com.
The lovely Stephanie Lawrence teaches twice a week in Sebastopol at the Downtown Dance/Art Space. Find her on Mondays from 3-4:30 and Thurs 9:30 -11:00.
Yay. A Saturday morning class. Anne O'Brien is starting at 9:00 in March at Yoga By Design in Petaluma: And, don't forget about her once-a-month class at Solage where you can get your yoga on and hang out at the luxurious spa. Yum. See more info at Ann's site: www.anneobrienyoga.com.
Get boat loads of yoga information and lots of free downloads from YogaU online. Really, tons. It's a great resource for teachers and students.
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 Adding Movement to 'Dry Run' Mental Imagery Enhances Performance
Daily into my inbox appears Science Daily's digest, a collection of research from a myriad of sources. Here's one I thought you may find interesting. I wonder if it will help me with my tittibhasna?"When they looked at the rates of 'hit' or 'miss' for high jumpers taught to use either internal visual imagery or external visual imagery (such as mimicking the arm movements during the jump), the researchers found that while mental rehearsal improved performance by 35%, mental rehearsal plus 'dry run' movements increased performance by 45%. Dynamic imagery scored the highest for all measured aspects of the jump including approach, curve, impulsion, and bar clearance. It also shortened the number of jumps required" |
Daily Dharma - Tricycle Magazine
February 16, 2013
Practice is Planting Seeds
When you plant seeds in the garden, you don't dig them up every day to see if they have sprouted yet. You simply water them and clear away the weeds; you know that the seeds will grow in time. Similarly, just do your daily practice and cultivate a kind heart. Abandon impatience and instead be content creating the causes for goodness; the results will come when they're ready.
- Thubten Chodron, "Meditator's Toolbox"
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Be Happy on Friday's
Instead of shots of tequila and fried artichoke hearts, spend your Friday happy hour moving and grooving at an
most-levels vinyasa flow class.
On Friday's from 4:30 - 6:00, we'll end each week with an energetic vinyasa flow class. Through building heat from the inside, we'll strip out the stress hormones from the day. A long rest at the end of class will reset our nervous system and prepare us for our weekend.
You'll be done at 6:00!! That'll leave plenty of time for dinner with friends, a movie or a relaxing evening with your pooch. Or, maybe a Chia filled Kombucha or that 100% agave margarita!
NOTE- This week, 3/1, this class will meet from 5:30 - 7:00 due to scheduled teacher training. Please see either my schedule or Westside's site.
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Restorative Yoga 
I love the response of students to their first or second or hundredth restorative yoga experience. It's the moment when their nervous system shifts from "yikes!" to "ahhhhhh." They leave with relaxed shoulders and brightened attitude.
It's easy to forget that the body knows exactly what to do. The relaxation response is a built in function of our amazing central nervous system. We just have to let relaxation happen. I know, it seems impossible sometimes. Thus, the popularity of restorative yoga where we learn to put the body in positions and let it do it's thing.
Every Monday
7:30 - 8:30 p.m.
Westside Yoga, Sebastopol
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Get Your Girlfriends Together
It's fun to get friends together. Treat your friends to Yoga and Tea rather than Food and Booze. Inviting friends to come together for a Gentle or Restorative Yoga class is a perfect way to enjoy each other's company and do something good for yourselves. Many yoga parties end with tea or champagne and some munchies. Your friends will thank you!
Please call on me if I can help you book a private yoga class or answer any questions. I can be reached at cheryl@cherylthomas.com.
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Schedule of Upcoming Classes
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Week of February 24, 2013
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