Have you been interested in trying yoga but are too intimidated to walk into a class because you feel like you don't know what to do? Would you like to get up to speed to take a class but privates are too expensive? If so, then this five week session is just for you. You will learn the ins and outs of Up Dogs and Down Dogs, what is meant by the term Vinyasa, what Ujjayi breathing is and how to do it properly and the importance of Savasana - or final relaxation. You could drop in and take one class, but I would recommend that you sign up for all five sessions to really feel the transformative effects that yoga can have.

Here are the details:

When:  Saturdays from 10:15 to 11:15 starting January 2013

Dates:  January 26, February 2, 9, 16, 23

Where: The Solebury Club

Cost:  $60 for the entire series $15 to drop in to an individual session

Classes taught by Karin Eisen, RYT-500

The New Year is a wonderful to recommit to your yoga practice or to start one! Check out our new DAYTIME HOT YOGA CLASS being added to the schedule starting January 2nd. Classes will be offered every Wednesday morning from 8:15-9:30am with Cailen. So, if you're needing a bit of detox after the holidays, there's no better time to start than now!

Hot Yoga is a unique practice of 26 poses that are performed in a hot room (110 degrees). The heat enables you to access your muscles in a deep, effective way, offering you a wonderful work out and great stretch - just be sure to drink plenty of water before, during, and after class!

Maureen is embarking upon a pilgrimage, with her teacher, Swami Nirmalananda, to Ganeshpuri, the Indian home of her guru's guru, Bhagavan Nityananda. Their days will start at 4:30am with a ritual bathing of a large statue of, Swamiji's teacher's teacher, in the temple. After breakfast they will chant the Sri Guru Gita (352 verse song to the guru) and meditation, followed by discussion to deepen understanding. Afternoons are free time to visit local treasures. Before dinner there will be Satsang- the ancient Tantric teachings made meaningful to life today- along with chanting and meditation. The end of the day brings even more inner openings with a yoga class before bed.

Maureen says "To place myself in the revered physical home of this yogic tradition is a sacred invitation for more. More experiences, more adventures, more blessings- outside and inside. I feel like I am taking our whole yoga community with me, to dive deeper into the practices, into the teachings, into the grace."

Some of the yoga students have formed a sponsorship committee to help financially support Maureen's journey. Look for the orange sponsor cards in each studio, for those who want to participate. You can also help by purchasing one of the beautiful shawls you see hanging in the studios.

 Assisting Backbends

When:  Sunday, January 27th from 12-4pm

Where: The Solebury Club in the Namaste Studio

Who:    Any teacher who wants to deepen their assisting skills

Cost:    $50 if registered and paid by January 20th, $60 thereafter

You might be a newer teacher looking for more hands on experience or an experienced teacher who is hesitant to assist and adjust while teaching. There is a lot going on in every yoga class, so that sometimes assisting can seem overwhelming. Perhaps you err on the side of not assisting at all rather than giving a not so good assist. This hands-on workshop is designed to give you some basic assisting techniques for backbends that will help your students go deeper in their practices. During this four hour workshop you will have plenty of opportunity to practice on other teachers. This is important because as teachers we can share our expertise and give good solid feedback to help you perfect your technique.

During this workshop we will discuss:   the proper alignment of backbends; how to see this energy; the flow of energy in the body as it relates to backbends; using breath to enhance the flow of energy; your intention as the giver of the assist; how to read the receptivity of the person you are assisting; how over-working or under-working blocks energy and the opening of postures

Because there are so many postures and so many different assists for each pose that are possible, we will narrow the scope of our work to focus only on backbends in this workshop. In the category of backbends, we will further focus our attention on a few basic backbends. The theory is that learning a few basic assists will give you a firm foundation in assisting, build your confidence in knowing how to assist and ultimately give you the tools to figure out how to adapt these basic assists to other backbends and other poses.

This work is best done in partners. It could be fun to sign up with a friend or a colleague to practice on. However, you don't need to sign up with someone, there will be plenty of opportunity to get to know and work with your classmates.

  Partner Yoga with Lisa Manheim and Janet Stern

  Sunday, February 17th from 2:00 to 5:00pm

  $85 couple, $45 individual by Feb 13 - $50 per person after

This FUN workshop is for everyone - with or without a partner - with or without prior yoga experience.  Partner Yoga is a playful, creative, exploratory way to experience yoga.  Partner Yoga is based on trust and communication, expressed through breath, movement and yoga postures.  Partner Yoga can be practiced by any two people:  friends; co-workers; siblings and couples.  Its intention is to bring people together through movement, play, breath, touch and trust.  Register at the Front Desk 215-794-3494

Lisa Manheim RYT 500, MFA, CYT & Janet Ries Stern have explored and taught Contact/Partner Yoga together to people of all ages and levels of experience.

Lisa Manheim has taught for 18years at several yoga studios and the Health & Nursing school at Bucks County Community College.  She also has a private Yoga Therapy practice and teaches meditation.

Janet Ries Stern has practiced and taught yoga since 1988.  She studied partner yoga with Nateshvar and thanks Miko Doi-Smith, Gariella Yates, Shari Simon & Lisa for sharing a mat with her.

Tibetan Heart Yoga is a unique and transformative system of asana and meditation that brings powerful wisdom teachings from the Tibetan Buddhist tradition into daily practices that fit with our modern lives. As it unites the old and the new, it also links the inner and outer. It works on the inside with our thoughts and emotions and the outside with our pranayama (breathing), asana (physical yoga practice), and actions in the world. The THY system shows us how to take yoga off the mat and into our daily lives where we can use it for radical transformation of mind and heart.

FEBRUARY-JUNE 2013

Course Hours: Fri 5-9 pm, Sat 8:30 am -12:30 & 2-5 pm, Sun 8:30 am -12:30 & 2-5 pm

Feb 22-24 Series One: Opening The Heart Chakra

March 22-24 Series Two: Mahamudra

April 12-14 Series Three: The Yoga of Inner Fire

May 3-5 Series Four: The Yoga of the Kalachakra Tantra

June 7-9 Series Five: Guru Yoga

Cost: $1600 for full program. ($1525 if registered and paid in full by Feb 6th, 2013.)*

Location: Feb & March: The Solebury Club.  April, May, & June: Sparrow Hawk Farm Retreat, 20 min north of Doylestown, PA

Questions: for more details click here or email with questions

FREE introductory practice followed by Q&A on Sunday, Feb 3rd from 3-5 PM at the Solebury Club

Registration: Call The Solebury Club. 215 794 3494

$500 nonrefundable deposit to hold your space  *Four-week option available by request

 Is your back sore?  Do you feel stiff and achy?

 Want to try yoga and need to take it slow?

NEW BEGINNER YOGA CLASSES

Tuesdays 6:30-7:30pm

Check out the new class starting in January on Thursdays from 11:30-12:30!

This class is designed for people who are new to yoga, struggle with flexibility, or who want to get a good foundation for a yoga practice. This will focus on yoga basics like simple standing postures and modified sun salutes.  Also includes an introduction to breath practice, meditation, and, of course, relaxation.  Join Jessica Presti on the mat Tuesday nights for a early week energizer.  Platinum & Gold members no charge.  Otherwise check at the front desk for drop-in rate or purchase a book of classes at a reduced rate

 All yoga poses are based on Tadasana or Mountain pose. So, Caturanga is basically  Tadasana in a horizontal position. The only difference would be the position of the arms. One of the things that I like to do to test my student's proprioceptive sense is to ask them to stand in Tadasana and hold their arms out in front of them as if they are in Caturanga. How they told their arms tells me a lot about their understanding of the pose. In Caturanga, the upper arms are parallel to the body with the forearms at a ninety degree angle. The finger tips are in line with the nipple line. Most people, when asked to stand as if they are in Caturanga will hold their hands underneath their shoulders with the arms bent at an acute angle. To change this pattern, we need to practice Caturanga on our knees and move through the low push up in proper position establishing muscle memory and building strength and awareness. Once this pattern is established we can look at back/abdominal muscles and the legs. Okay? What do your arms look like in Caturanga? Check them out.   I'll see you in class!   Karin

  This year we will explore the Chakras, or energy centers in the body and the Koshas, or the energetic sheaths of the body. Each month we will study either one of the 7 chakras, or one of the 5 sheaths. Join us as we start off with Annamaya kosha, the first sheath. The first sheath represents the physical body.

We will start off by reading Vanda Scaravelli's book Awakening the Spine. Ms. Scaravelliwas a long time student of B.K.S. Iyengar. Her book is not a how-to book on yoga, but rather an exploration of the spirit of yoga. Join us in reading her book this month.