Read AND click  to help your body stand, sit and move properly for all you want to do with this guide, know which classes are coming and going and more!
My Universal Alignment Edition

Jackie adjusts client in triangle pose
Jackie Kold, PT, RYT, CSST adjusts student in yoga triangle pose.
What is proper posture? It's not that simple of a question. Despite the lack of universal norms,  most healthcare professionals will agree that for each individual there is a technical, mechanical ideal we'd like to see in specific movements. The same can be said for posture. Posture is basically your body's neutral zone. It's the position of alignment where the most skeletal muscles are at a resting, neutral length. This is important for a couple of reasons.

Posture is aided from certain forms of alignment that will keep you from slouching, weight shifting into one hip, knee, foot, etc.; keeping your your head from protracting forward or one shoulder blade from winging due to rounded shoulders, etc.  Lack of proper alignment contributes to a great deal of low back pain.  

Don't miss my article on the Universal Alignment Principles of Yoga, below.  Yoga is well known for improving posture and helping you to find your neutral -- which is likely different than someone else's neutral - but it's all about balance in your body and feeling your best. 

Then see Yoga this Week to meet me on the mat as we will explore it further.   This is my final week for two classes on my schedule so be sure to take advantage of what I'm offering this week, and see next week's edition for the summer yoga schedule that starts May 30.

My Boot Camp at Heritage Prairie Farm still has room available for signups but some camps and getting close to being full. Don't miss out on this chance to be your personal best! When you have a goal like doing a camp, just like an event you want to look great for, those little mental reminders can keep you from reaching for those treats at Memorial Day picnics and graduations parties which really helps you on the scale and looking great on your vacations. Swimsuit season is almost here!

In this week's yoga we will also practice mental reminders for better control.    

Hope you can join me to align yourself for success! ~ Jackie
This Week's Feature
What's Universal Alignment 
Better Posture, Avoiding Pain 
and Finding Your Neutral
The Universal Principals of Alignment are a set of biomechanical principles that can be applied to your life.  These five common steps alternate between energetic expansion and contraction, and are based on Anusara Yoga, the form of yoga upon which my first teacher
training was based. As a personal trainer as well as a yoga instructor, I have found these principals to provide everyone with optimal posture, improvement to pain, better flexibility, and a stronger, more toned body. 

For example, healthy shoulder blades are a rarity in our society. The problem is the amount of time we spend sitting in front of computers and steering wheels. The hunched position we tend to assume in these situations leads to a more or less permanent forward rounding of the upper spine, called kyphosis. This posture inhibits the ability of the scapula to tilt backward and create space for the rotator cuff in the shoulder joint when the arm is lifted overhead. As a result, the rotator cuff gets pinched, causing tissue damage. It doesn't stop there. In the keyboard-typing and steering-wheel-grasping positions our shoulders are internally rotated and protracted (pushed forward) for long periods of time. This leads to laxity and weakness in the muscles that externally rotate and retract (pull back) the shoulders. 
Eventually, these imbalances cause the shoulder blades to float away from the spine toward the shoulder sockets, a phenomenon known as scapular winging. A healthy shoulder blade is sucked up tight against the ribcage. If your shoulder blades are visibly poking out of your upper back when you stand with your arms at your sides, then you have scapular winging.

But this is just one area of concern to posture.  The five steps to better alignment are are as follows:   
YOGA THIS WEEK with JACKIE!
Spiritual Practice:  Setting goals and finding courage is also reflected in how you stand, how you breathe and how you embrace whatever life brings.  Command your decisions with mantras, breathwork and a spiritual practice to be confident and walk tall this week!

  SPECIAL YOGA ANNOUNCEMENTS FOR ALL CLASSES !***************
JKFY's summer schedule goes into effect May 30th.  Tuesday 430 pm and Wednesday 545 pm classes will end for the summer after this week. Don't miss these classes for this season before they are gone!

 ALSO -  friendly reminder to keep talking to a minimum in the yoga class room.  This is your time to be on your mat and let others also invite peace and quiet into their personal practice.  Thank you!
Physical Practice:  Join Jackie for classes that focus on posture and alignment as she teaches from Anusara style Universal Principles of Alignment.  

This is the last Tuesday 430 pm Ladies Class till fall. It is also the last Yoga Sculpt Class at 545 pm.  There is no Friday 915 Yoga Sculpt this week due to the holiday but this class will return on June 3 at an earlier time of 9 am. 

Stretch and Restore students will enjoy use of blocks, bolsters and more connective tissue work as well as meditation and additional hands-on adjustments.  This is a great class for the novice as well as those more advanced that want longer holds for deeper stretching and mental well-being that comes from meditation.

Jackie's new  Summer Yoga Schedule will be posted by Friday May 27 on the Yoga classes section of her website. 

YOUR FIRST CLASS IS JUST $15!
 
Click for Current Class Schedule and What Makes JKFY Yoga Special! 
 
Register for Class Today at 630-584-2254
or by email 

Get Smokin' Hot for Summer with Jackie Kold
June 11, 18, and 25 
Pick One, Two or All Three Saturday Camps
 Great Summer Suimsuit Bods Start Here!

Don't let the words "warrior" or "boot camps" scare you! Jackie's Get Farm Fit Boot Camps are an outdoor fitness training program for women of all levels, ages, and sizes looking to lose weight, and reduce body fat, while increasing strength, stamina, self-esteem, and energy.  Jackie's unique method offers optimal instruction and incorporates yoga with her metabolic supercharging system of total body exercises so participants perform better and go further with the perfect combination of energy, balance and strength! 
JKFY FAR INFRARED SAUNA
There are a multitude of health benefits of a FAR Infrared Sauna from enhancing skin to detoxing the organs. These specialized saunas provide up to 700 calories burned while you are relaxing after workouts or yoga classes.  Personal training clients and yoga students can enjoy a private session for just $20 a 30-minute session and punch cards offer greater savings.  
Trainer Jackie Kold with Client
Personal Training - from injured to athlete
Jackie's personally-designed personal training programs have helped numerous clients lose weight and inches and keep them off when they didn't in the past,  Why? Although the personal training and care Jackie puts into her programs are important, without a personalized program that teaches skills to continue your fitness at-home or in the gym on your own, you will not have the tools to keep your results going for life.  No matter what your ability level, Jackie has the expertise and programming to bring your goals to reality.

 More Info

Ask Jackie about her Fitness Friends' Programs too! 
A great way to buddy up and SAVE!  
Make an Appointment Today at 630-584-2254
Free Diet Consults!
Jackie offers free diet consults to all personal training clients.  You can't get fit without eating properly.  Jackie has given numerous workshops on health and nutrition and can assist you with using the latest technology to stay on track. Dieting without exercise will leave you "skinny-fat" and not protect your joints or keep organs and muscles working effectively.  Learn more about Jackie's nutrition philosophy. 

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Get inspired with Jackie's Wall of Fame Testimonials from her website and see them first hand on her Wall of Fame at her studio.  Clients range in age from 6 to 86!  Some came for weight loss, some for sports performance and competition, some needed a therapeutic approach.  Whatever your needs, Jackie has you covered.  
Are you next?  
FREE PROFESSIONAL ASSESSMENT
Thinking about personal training?  Jackie offers a free half hour assessment of your kinetic chain so you can become more aware of spinal alignment and it's impact to your body, such as where you need to be stretched and strengthened.

By appointment only.  Contact Jackie at 630-584-2254 TODAY.

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Jackie Kold, CPT, RYT, CSST
Jackie Kold Fitness and Yoga, Inc.  | 630-584-2254