	[May 2014]

Table of Contents:

Growing Your Yoga

Coming Home (Finally!) from Noemi Rossler

Do You Know?

...what yoga has to offer you outside your weekly classes?

Community Corner

Student Snapshot: Theresa B.

Resource Center

Buckhorn Springs Retreat Center

Workshops & More

Support your practice with these late spring & summer workshops!

It has been a bit of a whirlwind around here at HeartSong! With my recent travels, our retreat this last weekend, heading into the last month of my 9 month Sangha Program, Mary Paffard coming later this month and prepping for this year's Summer Intensive I am feeling a little overwhelmed but mostly incredibly grateful!

Retreats, workshops and dedicated programs are some of my favorite ways to share yoga and the depth the practice has to offer. Over the next few months you will be hearing about some exciting new offerings and I hope you will consider joining me AND inviting people you know to see what HeartSong has to give.

Next week, I will be sending out more information about this year's Summer Intensive. This has become an annual event that many of our students look forward to all year. We meet 3 early mornings each week for 8 weeks to explore yoga, a creative theme and the benefits of consistent practice and community. Watch for our email next week.... it is going to be a lot of fun!!

We are also planning a special week of classes the first week of June and want to ask you to start thinking now of all your friends who should know about us or who do know but just have not shown up to class yet. Referral and word of mouth are so important for us and we need you to let others know if you really appreciate what we offer so we can keep doing it! So, that week in June, we will be encouraging you to bring (or send) as many friends as you can to check us out. They will get a free class - you will get our deep gratitude, a hug if you want one and the knowledge that you are helping your yoga studio to thrive!! We'll also enter your name into a drawing for a fun prize for each of your friends who purchases one of our introductory memberships.

See you (and your friends!) on the mat soon.

Namaste',

Leslie

Growing Your Yoga
Coming Home (Finally!) by Noemi Rossler

I spent the first 4 + decades of my life pretty much disconnected. Perhaps you can relate?

Disconnected from my body, ruminating and stuck in my mind, most of the time completely detached from the present moment.

Hatha Yoga was as far from my natural inclination as anything could be. I was never athletic and never a dancer, but once I found my first stumbling steps onto the mat, it was a feeling of "coming home" that intrigued me the most. To my surprise the practice invited me to a conversation with myself, and I kept returning again and again to find out more.

Visit the blog to finish reading...

Do You Know...

what yoga has to offer you outside your weekly classes?

The answer is: A LOT. And to that end, we're busy developing dedicated study programs for practitioners who want to go deeper. This type of focused study allows you to more time to explore in class and notice ways that the themes might crop up in your life off your mat, creating a richer, often times longer lasting experience.

On this note... The Summer Intensive is coming!

Here's the basic rundown: the intensive is a program we do each year. Classes meet on MWF at 6:15 am for 8 weeks. This year's focus will again be on the chakra system with a little bit of a twist on last year's approach. More details to come next week, so stay tuned and get excited!

Community Corner

Student Snapshot: Theresa B.

As someone who has taken part in a number of our dedicated programs, we asked Theresa if she'd share with us a little bit about what it was that brought her to yoga, what keeps her inspired and how such programs as our yearly Summer Intensive have really helped to bolster her practice. Here's what she had to say:

I started coming to Heartsong about three years ago on the advice of my chiropractor. I had chronic pain issues and was in an emotionally challenging part of my life. The pain rapidly diminished, but more than that, I discovered a gentle way to deal with the curveballs in life. Yoga has become an integral part of my life.

I have taken several workshops over the last few years, including the Summer Intensive and the Sunrise Sangha. Practicing yoga in the cool morning is a beautiful way to begin the day. I wanted to explore the concepts of yoga more fully, and enrolled in the Teacher Training program. While the curriculum can be challenging, it has been extremely rewarding. I have gained a new appreciation of the philosophical and technical aspects of yoga.

The teachers and staff at HeartSong are very knowledgeable and welcoming. There is a true sense of community at this studio, and I am thrilled to be a part of this program.

Resource Center
A Big Thank You to
Buckhorn Springs Retreat Center

This past weekend, Buckhorn Springs hosted a group of 18 yogis from HeartSong and other parts of the state. Much yoga was practiced, yes, but what was almost equally as important was the space that was provided for us at this retreat center. One you could tell was built with great love and care over many, many years. You can learn more about Buckhorn and its history at buckhornsprings.org.

If you are looking to get out of town and have some quiet time they are a great resource for you, whether you're planning a family reunion, retreat or other group getaway.

Share in the experience.

Visit our Facebook page to see some of the pictures.

(And if you haven't already, be sure to "like" us to stay up on all the future news!)

Workshops & Events

Stressful week? Come relax with us this Friday...

Restorative Yoga: A Special Class

for Mother's Day

with Lani Jelen

Friday, May 9th | 6 - 8 pm

Are you feeling the intensity of the emergence of spring? Do you feel irritable, sluggish or heavy for no apparent reason? Would you like a span of quiet time just for you so you can go deeply into your own inner space? Join Lani for a nurturing, quieting, peaceful restorative class where you can relax your body, let your mind rest, and be present with any emotion that may be with you during this transition into the season of growth and change.

Bring your mother, your daughter, your friend, your own inner mother and especially yourself -- everyone needs nurturing!

Explore the roots of aches and pains...

Therapeutic Focus: Headaches & Sleep

with Leslie Ellis

Sunday, May 18th | 12:30 - 2:30 pm

Join Leslie for this workshop, where you'll explore common triggers for your headaches and effective ways to prevent and treat them. Physical postures, breathing techniques, visualization and self massage will be covered.

This class will also cover basic head and shoulder alignment to help ease stress in the neck and shoulders. Restorative poses and other yoga practices will be explored to help relieve sleeplessness and improve the quality of your sleep.

Everyone needs a teacher...

Quiet Eyes, Strong Neck, Soft Heart:

A Weekend with Mary Paffard

Friday, May 30th - Sunday, June 1st

Teacher's Session: Friday, 12-4 pm
Workshop: Fri. 6-8 pm, Sat. 12-6 pm, Sun. 7-10 am

This May, internationally-renowned teacher Mary Paffard returns to HeartSong for the 3rd year running. She'll begin her time here with a class just for teachers on Friday afternoon, followed by a weekend rich with opportunities for self-discovery and yoga sessions deeply informed by themes of the natural world -- appropriate for a wide range of practitioners.

Learn more about Mary at maryyoga.com

And don't forget: summer fun for the little ones...

Yoga for Kids (Ages 5 - 11)

with Karen Trumbo

Six Wednesdays, June 18th - July 23rd | 3:30 - 5 pm

This series will teach foundational yoga poses in a structured, supportive environment. Yoga helps children cultivate greater awareness and confidence while practicing traditional yoga poses, playing with partner work and learning useful relaxation exercises. They'll work on coordination and self-control while stretching out imagination with theatre games and storytelling to explore and
expand the creative mind. Kids will emerge feeling better about themselves and their connection to the world around them.