Cheryl Thomas, RYT
www.cherylthomas.com yoga@cherylthomas.com 415-308-3377 |
 Coloring Books for Adults
I bought a coloring book and a set of Faber-Castell coloring pencils (the starter set). It was not an early Christmas present for my niece nor was the purchase for my neighbor's step-son. It was for me.
Coloring books first caught my eye at Book Passages in San Francisco on the Lucy/Wendy day. Book Passages is one of the few independent booksellers, along with Cooperfields, that is not just surviving but kicking butt. The coloring books did did not look like children's books with dolls or clowns or fire trucks. They had titles like "Color Therapy: Coloring Books for Adult Relaxation" or "Stress Relieving Patterns" or "Zen Patterns and Designs: Coloring for Everyone". They weren't in the back, hidden between Bridge for Singles and Doll Making for Beginners. Right up front, next to the cash register on their own rack, was "Color Me Happy" and the "Calm Coloring Book".
What? Had I missed this trend. Evidently, yes. Adult coloring is the new, well, stress relief vehicle. Excellent, I thought. Thank goodness it's not singing. I can color. Can't everyone? I bought "Secret Garden: An Inky Treasure Hunt and Coloring Book" (recently No. 3 on Amazon), at my local, independent, art supply store in Sebastopol. I queried the dog- loving owner of Art & Soul about the adult color trend as her pooch licked my ankle. She seemed unimpressed by the new surge in adult coloring. She told me she's been offering an annual adult coloring party each New Year Eve for years.
I opened my new sharp, starter set pencils and began. It was quite easy and the design I was coloring was very forgiving. I stayed within the lines, sort of. Here's where it got interesting. As with meditation or other practices where you're quiet and not doing 10 things at once, thoughts come up. With just the simple act of taking colored pencil to paper, I noticed some judgments surfacing in my mind. Was I doing a good job? Someone else could certainly do a better job or be more creative or make better color combinations, I thought.
I was pleased, however, with my ability to look at these arising judgments with a kind of wonder and levity. Maybe I was told when I was young that I sucked at art or lacked creativity. Or, maybe I wasn't. Who knows? It was just fascinating and entertaining to watch my mind and where it went, especially when I toned down the noisy input. For now, I'm taking a bit of time each day, usually while eating(1), to do a bit of coloring.
(1) I have a bad habit of standing or eating at the sink. Coloring has encouraged me to sit down.
Want to read some of my past articles?. They're archived right here. Enjoy.
|
Hey, Graton Yogis!! By the way, I love you guys......showing up, breathing, moving, creating community and bringing your playful attitude. We will move our Thursday class on Thanksgiving to Wednesday, Nov 25, same time, same place.
Note some stellar changes: Tony Briggs will lengthen his Sunday class to 2(!!!) hours and add a Thursday class at Post Wellness at 9:00.
Mark your Calendars for Saturday, Dec 12 for the Third Annual Yoga Clothing Swap. Grab your yoga and casual wear "outfits" and bring them over to Alive Yoga in Sebastopol to "swap" with your friends. Time and invite is coming.
Thanksgiving Weekend brings more yoga: Tony Briggs will offer a Turkey Day class at Post Wellness. Anne O'Brien will resurrect the Turkey Day +1 on Friday at Post Wellness, Barbara Fitzgerald will teach at Yoga on Center on T-Day. 108 Sun Salutation will happen at YogaOne Petaluma under the awesome direction of Melissa McCarthy.
Thanks, Jenn and Katina!!! Yoga on Center brings Girish back for live music on Saturday, December 19, 5:30 - 7:00. There will be candles, live music, appetizers and wine to celebrate the holiday season.
Another important opportunity to teachers and serious students. Study anatomy with Judith Lasater at Mt. Madonna. Not just any anatomy, but Experiential Anatomy, billed as the The Most Fun Anatomy Course Ever. I'll be there. More info here.
Know about Yoga in Graton? It's hopping! Find 5 classes a week ranging from Gentle to Slow Flow to All Levels, featuring me, Corina Stoicescu and Denise Hammond. Time and places at YogaInGraton.com. My weekly schedule is below (scroll down or click here!). Or, you can always go to my website and click on the always up-to-date calendar to find where I might be.
|
Yoga Clothing Swap and Potluck
Liz Levy and Alive Yoga are hosting the 3rd Annual Yoga Clothing Swap and Holiday Potluck on Saturday, Dec 12 from 12-4 at Alive Yoga in Sebastopol.
Gather up your gently used yoga togs and casual wear and bring them to Alive to "share" or "swap" with others. I know I have some loved yoga tops lurking at the bottom of my drawer waiting for a second life.
There will be some munchies, good friends and probably some music. It's a great opportunity to hang out with your yoga buddies. For clothes drop-off info, contact Liz at info@alive-yoga.com or 415-717-1668.
See you there!
|
New Guidelines on Sugar
"Health experts have been nudging Americans to kick the sugar habit for years, and now it's official: The Food and Drug Administration is recommending a daily cap on sugar for the first time. The goal is for Americans to limit added sugar to no more than 10 percent of daily calories, according to the proposed guidelines."
You'd be surprised where sugar lurks, like yogurt, granola and wholegrain beads, catsup, pasta sauce and lots more. The FDA is recommending a cap. Hopefully this will kick start smarter labeling and further the conversation of "hidden" sugar.
New York Times article is here.
|
 The Adult Nap
Thanks to your interest in this important practice, I'm offering a a Restorative Yoga on Wednesdays from 5:15 to 6:45. at Yoga Studio Ganesha on the Square in Sebastopol. Pricing - Buy a 4 class pass for $54 ($13.50/class) or 8 classes for $100 or Drop-In of $16. Yoga in Graton students can use your punch card ($10 per class)!!!
|
 Pushing and Pulling
Yoga International is running a 2-part series entitled "Does Traditional Yoga Lead to Muscle Imbalance?". Part 2 is right here.
"If we make an effort to regularly practice pulling movements to counterbalance all of the pushing that we do on the yoga mat, we will help restore our shoulders back to true functional balance. Here is a selection of some great ways to counterbalance all of the pushing work that we do in yoga."
I'm looking forward to trying Blanket Surfing move.
|
 Side Bending
During the holidays will you spend time in a plane, train or automobile? What about sitting during the 2-hour t-day meal loading turkey, fixins' and pecan pie. The body may yell, "move me!. A satisfying side stretch may be the answer. Here's an excerpt:
"Side-stretching poses lengthen the muscles between the ribs and pelvis, including parts of the low back, and open the sides of the rib cage, improving rib cage mobility and the expansiveness of the lungs, which makes breathing easier in all situations, including aerobic activities and Pranayama. In sidebends where an arm stretches overhead to reach for the foot, the latissimus dorsi muscle, which extends from the back waist to the armpit, will also stretch."
You'll even learn about your QL (quadratus lumborum)! It's here.
|
S
Schedule of Upcoming Classes
|
|
Class Schedule - Week of November 22, 2015
|
Tuesday
5:00 - 6:00
Private, Healdsburg
Wednesday
8:45 - 9:45
Graton Community Club
All Levels
5:15 - 6:45
Yoga Studio Ganesha, Sebastopol
Restorative Yoga
Thursday
8:30 - 9:30 a.m.
Private, Healdsburg
Saturday
All Levels Flow
|
|
|
|
|
Wednesday
8:45 - 9:45
5:15 - 6:45
Yoga Studio Ganesha, Sebastopol
Restorative Yoga
Thursday 8:30 - 9:30 a.m.
Private, Healdsburg
Saturday
9:00 - 10:30
All Levels Flow
|
Graton Yogis Info:
Did you know your class pass (get these from your instructor) are accepted by all yoga teachers at Yoga in Graton?
We Gratonite Yogis have a place to call our own. It's www.
yogaingraton.com. There is information about current and new yoga classes offered in Graton.
Don't live in Graton? No problem. We want you to come anyway.
Quotes I Like
You cannot be lost if you don't care where you are.
Judith Lasater
When people ask me what equipment I use, I tell them my eyes.
Ansel Adams
"Not to have what we want is stressful; to have what we do not want is stressful."
Buddha
"If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion."
Dalai Lama
"Everything will be alright in the end. And if it is not alright, it's not yet the end!" The Magnolia Hotel movie
|
|
|
