Welcome to September. Heart Tree Yoga has some terrific workshops coming up this month and this Fall! Also, see below for information about an important local community resource for people living with Parkinson's and their caregivers. Sunday, September 17th - Save the Date! Yoga Nidra and the Art of Conscious Relaxation I am very excited to be offering a classical Yoga Nidra class this month at Body Grace studio in Vienna, VA on Sunday, September 17th from 4:30-5:30 pm. Yoga Nidra is an ancient practice that takes people into a state of deep relaxation through a guided meditative process and conscious visualization. Also known as yogic sleep, the practice gives rest to the mind, body and senses by drawing the practitioner into a state of conscious awareness—a brain state between full wakefulness and full sleep. This practice has been linked with reducing stress, tension and pain; improving circulation and immune functioning; lowering blood pressure and inflammation; and stabilizing mood. Yoga Nidra is generally practiced while lying down or in a seated position. For your comfort, please bring a pillow and wear comfortable clothing and arrive 15 minutes before class start. Mats and blankets are available at the studio or feel free to bring your own. Please RSVP to Jan at bodygrace@verizon.net by Saturday, September 16 to reserve a spot. $20 preregistered/$25 drop in fee. Local Resources for Parkinson's I need to share with you an important local resource I've discovered for people living with Parkinson's and their caregivers. The Parkinson's Social Network offers a relaxed and informal café setting where people with Parkinson's and their families and caregivers can come together monthly to meet in shared community. On Monday, October 9th I will be visiting and speaking at the Café Fairfax location, offering tips for reviving and restoring daily through small bits of self-care that add up to greater wellbeing. For more information about these community events and other resources available to people living with Parkinson's, please visit www.ParkinsonSocialNetwork.org. I look forward to staying connected this Fall and sharing more about upcoming classes and events. Wishing you ease and wellbeing as we approach the new season.
With light, Carolyn
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Hello to August! This last month of summer has come quickly! Hopefully each of you has already taken (or you are planning to take!) some time for restoration this summer, whether through a trip away or a few days of staycation. That bit of time to give the mind-body-spirit a chance to reflect and renew. Fall often brings a shift in our lives, whether we are returning to old routines or embracing new ones. I hope you have given yourself some time to recharge so you can enjoy this coming Fall to the fullest.
Recharging can be done in big chunks--and for some it is the only way recharging is experienced. Yet there is another way--one where you can reset your batteries more frequently, in smaller bits that make sense for where you are at with your body and your current schedule, allowing you to extend ease and wellbeing longer and avoid getting so depleted or drained. I love helping people experience freedom from stress, pain or tension as they transform their self-care and their lives. If you are ready to embrace new ways of being and feeling, I hope to hear from you. As for me, I am thankful to be moving on to the 2nd year of the Functional Synergy Yoga Therapy IAYT accredited certification program. It is an exciting time to learn, grow and bring tools to help you embrace greater joy and fulfillment in life! Stay tuned here for announcements about classes and workshops coming up this Fall! With light, Carolyn NEWS:
Wishing everyone a bright and beautiful July. I've just returned from a very special family vacation in California--where I also completed a 4-day Yoga Nidra certification course. Yoga Nidra is an ancient yoga practice that brings practitioners to a state of relaxed awareness--and provides a vehicle for the conscious creation and manifestation of restoration and self-healing. (For more information on this amazing practice, click on Read more below!) Summer classes I'm excited to be returning for a 3rd summer to sub the Slow Flow Yoga class on Thursday mornings at Body Grace in Vienna starting July 13th. Class is from 11:00-12:15 pm. Looking forward to seeing familiar and new faces there. LIMITED TIME ONLY - Heart Tree Yoga's Summer Self-Care Special There is still time to take advantage of Heart Tree Yoga's summer special - this private 3-session package offers a chance for you to address the unique needs of your body with a plan tailored for you. Just $150 for all 3 one-hour private sessions held in your home or HTY's private home studio--take advantage of this great self-care investment and get set for Fall! All sessions must be completed by August 15th - so don't wait to take advantage of this offer - Book now! NEWS:
Happy June! I hope everyone had a relaxing Memorial Day weekend and that you are as excited about summer as I am! This afternoon I'm sitting in my backyard with my dog Gracie, soaking up the sun, feeling the gentle breeze, listening to the birds and reflecting on a fantastic trip. I just returned from 10 days of intensive training with my teacher Susi Hately in Calgary, Canada that focused on neurodevelopment movement patterns and primitive and postural reflexes which impact motor, cognitive and sensory processes in the body. Reflexes are automatic and instinctual movements that provide a foundation of the nervous system and begin to emerge before, during and after birth into infancy--and that can become unintegrated in the body due to illness, injury, trauma, and chronic stress. Unintegrated reflexes can wreak havoc with the nervous system and impact motor, cognitive and sensory function, contributing to a host of imbalances, including chronic tension and tightness in the body; poor balance and stamina; weak muscle tone and strength; memory and learning difficulties with reading, writing, and speaking; fatigue; anxiety and depression; sensory sensitivity (light, motion, sound, smells, touch); impulse control, lack of focus, and inability to be still, among many other things. Unintegrated reflexes can put the body into a state of constant "fight or flight"---essentially a state of constant stress, and can also lead to an inability for our body parts to easily move independently from one another. The beauty is that yoga and small movement therapeutics--using breath, movement and stillness --provide a pathway to help reintegrate these reflexes--for a healing journey that can relieve stress and tension; improve motor function, balance, muscle strength and stability; as well as help us learn more easily, manage emotions, and control impulses. A healing path to feel more ease in both body and mind - moving better and feeling better with less effort. I couldn't be more grateful to be on this journey and to share it with you. Heart Tree Yoga's Summer Self-Care Special For a limited time we are offering a special private 3-session package and a chance for you to address the unique needs of your body with a plan tailored for you. This self-care investment is just $150 for all 3 one-hour private sessions held in your home or HTY's private home studio. All sessions must be completed by August 10th - so don't wait to take advantage of this offer - Book now! NEWS:
Great things are coming up this summer! First off, Heart Tree Yoga is offering a super Summer Self-Care Special! This is your opportunity to launch greater self-care this summer with a private 3-session package. A great deal and way to improve your body awareness while reducing stress and tension and gaining strength and stability in a way that fits the unique needs of YOUR body! I hope you will reach out to take advantage of this offering. Self-care investment only $150 for all 3 one-hour private sessions held in your home or HTY's private home studio. Begin to take better care of you now - book here! Canada Here I Come! I'm so happy to share that I am returning to Canada this May for my 4th intensive with my fabulous teacher Susi Hately. I can't wait to share my experiences with you when I return! Full-Time Yoga Therapy Coming! I have decided to embrace my passion for yoga therapy full-time--beginning this June! I have loved the 12 years that I've taught preschool at Appletree--and I plan to stay connected to this wonderful school. I'm excited though to move onto this next chapter in my life with full-time yoga therapy. This means that beginning in July I will be able to offer morning yoga therapy appointments! Please check out my online scheduler to book your session and start your own growth and healing journey! Fairfax County Workshop in June I'm also happy to share that on I will be collaborating again on a workshop with my good friend Martha Brettscheider in June. We have been invited by Fairfax County's Adult and Aging Division to participate in their Wellness@Work program for division staff this June! Our workshop is "Mind and Body Awareness Techniques to Reduce Stress, Work Better, and Enhance Well-Being." We are so excited to be part of Fairfax County's programs to bring greater well-being to employees! Yoga Nidra Certification! In other news, in late June I will be attending Yoga Nidra certification course with Dr. Marc Halpern in CA. If you haven't experienced Yoga Nidra before, it is a deeply relaxing, restorative and healing guided meditation practice. I'm excited to study with Dr. Halpern, who is also a renown Ayurvedic practitioner and personally experienced great healing from Yoga Nidra practices along his own journey. I hope to be able to offer full Yoga Nidra classes this Fall! So for now, wishing you a fantastic May! I look forward to sharing with you upon my return from Canada! With light, Carolyn Hello all! I’m excited about everything coming up this Spring. Here’s the news!
--Heart Tree Yoga now offers online scheduling for private sessions. Please visit http://www.hearttreeyoga.com/private-therapeutic-yoga.html to check out this new feature and schedule your appointment today. At this time I still have limited availability in May and June – and beginning in July will be offering morning session slots for the first time. I’d love to work with you! --This coming weekend I’m assisting Amy Weintraub again at Yogaville for her LifeForce Yoga® to Manage Your Mood weekend workshop. If you’d like to know more about Amy’s work, please visit her website at http://www.yogafordepression.com. --In May I return to Canada for 2 weeks to continue my studies with my teacher Susi Hately for the 1000-hour yoga therapy certification program. I’m excited about the new learning opportunities there and all the additional material I’ll be able to share upon my return! --In late June I’ll be traveling to CA for a 4-day Yoga Nidra certification with Dr. Marc Halpern, who is a renown Ayurveda expert and has been using and teaching yoga nidra for healing for years. If you are unfamiliar with yoga nidra – it is a deeply restorative meditative practice. So excited about offering yoga nidra classes to students upon my return. Wishing you light and peace, Carolyn Spring 2017
By Carolyn Bagdoyan, RYT 200, LFYP Happy Spring! It’s the time of year when we’re ready to shake off any lingering stagnation from winter and spring forth into new growth. How can we grow optimally? Last month I was privileged to join two colleagues in a presentation about cultivating organizational well-being –essentially how to increase overall workplace wellbeing and performance by utilizing mindfulness, body awareness and self-care practices, as well as “listening for understanding” communication techniques. Together these foster better clarity around unmet workplace needs and better serve individuals and teams moving forward. It begs the question though – how often do we listen for understanding to what our body has to say about its own state of wellbeing? Do you speak and understand the language of your own body? How can you increase awareness around your body-mind connection and be prepared to respond to what your body is telling you? What does that even mean? If you are up for an experiment, try this: Over the next week, pick 3 situational things that you know create some sort of unease for yourself. I’ll name some possibilities here just to get you started. For example, being stuck in traffic; forgetting something you needed; having a difficult exchange with another person; reading a news item that displeases you; or worrying about another person, your job, or your family. Pick something that tends to come up a couple times during your typical week. And, whenever the situation arises in the next week, notice where in your body you store physical tension, tightness, strain or unease in response to that situation. Notice the thoughts and mental discourse in your mind and the physical response in your body. (Know that I’m not asking you to change anything right now. For now, just notice.) What happens? Do your shoulders or neck get tight? Does your stomach become queasy? Does your breath get shallow? Does tension arise in your low back? Do you experience gripping through your chest? It could be anywhere. What specifically happens in your body? At week’s end, compare these 3 typical responses. Do they differ depending upon the situation? For example, does the traffic response differ from the disagreeable reading response? Working in yoga therapeutics, I’ve seen clients draw parallels, see patterns, and gain insight into chronic pain and tension –and we work with breath, movement and stillness to unravel old dysfunctional patterns and create new neuromuscular ones that serve the body better. It is an empowering experience to understand your body’s communication patterning and to be able to respond appropriately! This spring, may you embark on your own journey of gaining awareness around the language nuances of your own body so you can respond to its unmet needs. May you learn to serve your body better so it can serve you better! Hello! Lately it has felt like spring has sprung--it seems the budding trees, bulbs, and birds believe that to be true at least! I'm excited about some great offerings coming up in March and April. Join me in your own spring discovery and renewal!
In March: Therapeutic Yoga for Ease of Movement specialty class on Saturday March 25th from 2:30-3:45 pm. If you’d like to learn more about your own unique breath, movement and tension holding patterns and how to make improvements in these to reduce strain in your body and enjoy your practice more fully—this is a workshop for you. It is appropriate for all fitness levels—from the experienced yogi to those with no experience. The class will include an ending restorative guided meditation practice. Space is limited. To register, contact Jan at bodygrace@verizon.net. Fee: $20. April: I’ve excited to share I’ll be assisting Amy Weintraub again at Yogaville this coming April 7th-9th for her LifeForce Yoga® to Manage Your Mood weekend workshop. In this workshop participants become empowered to use a variety of techniques to manage and lift mood and release tension. You can find more details about Amy at http://www.yogafordepression.com and register for the workshop at www.yogaville.org. In addition, look for Heart Tree Yoga's Spring newsletter in just a few weeks! Wishing you light and peace, Carolyn Hello friends!
I’ve got a host of news to share! I’m just returned from Calgary where I continued my yoga therapy training for nearly 2 weeks with Susi Hately. As usual it was a fantastic training that had us delve deeper into body-mind connections and how addressing physical tension and bracing in the body can bring lightness, spaciousness, grounding and strength within. I share more of my experience gaining Clarity in the special addition newsletter. One very time sensitive piece of news: On March 1st and 2nd Susi is hosting an online conference Female Core and Pelvic Floor which is relevant to anyone who wants to understand issues that arise during before and during pregnancy, postnatally, and into menopause. The conference is featuring an array of experts (physiotherapists, yoga teachers, fitness leaders, ayurvedic specialists and more) will be talking all things wellbeing--including some of the less than pleasant changes in the body during these post-baby stages (prolapses, dryness, painful sex, leakage . . . you get it). One of the speakers is someone we trained with for 2 days while I was in Calgary. The reason this is time sensitive is that the early bird deal expires January 31st – so click here for more information and to register: http://bit.ly/2jQoFJp) I’ve got 2 great workshops coming up in February! * Cultivating Organizational Well-Being: Why a Balanced Mind, Body and Soul is Good for Business is a unique team-delivered workshop featuring Friderike Butler of Butler Communication, mindfulness advocate Martha Brettschneider of Damselwings LLC, and myself on Wednesday, February 8th from 8:00-10:00 am. We will be sharing simple yet powerful tools and making a business case for how mindfulness, body awareness, and conscious action in the workplace can lead to organizational outcomes of improved performance, productivity, creativity, and customer service and ultimately translate to a better bottom line. For more details and to register please see this Evitebrite link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/cultivating-organizational-well-being-tickets-28511891836 * Therapeutic Yoga for Shoulders and Hips specialty class on Saturday February 11th from 2:30-3:45 pm. If you’d like to learn more about your own unique breath, movement and tension holding patterns and how to make improvements in these to reduce strain in your body and enjoy your practice more fully—this is a workshop for you. It is appropriate for all fitness levels—from the experienced yogi to those with no experience. The class will include an ending restorative guided meditation practice. Space is limited. To register, contact Jan at bodygrace@verizon.net. Fee: $20. Looking ahead to April: I’ve excited to share I’ll be assisting Amy Weintraub again at Yogaville this coming April 7th-9th for her LifeForce Yoga® to Manage Your Mood weekend workshop. In this workshop participants become empowered to use a variety of techniques to manage and lift mood and release tension. You can find more details about Amy at http://www.yogafordepression.com and register for the workshop at www.yogaville.org. For a special edition of my newsletter about my own learning experience in Canada, click on the READ MORE link (below on the right.) Enjoy! Wishing you light and peace, Carolyn |
Blog Archives including Heart Tree Yoga's Yamas and Niyamas Study from January-December 2016 and seasonal newsletters.
August 2020
HTY FALL Newsletter 2017 by Carolyn Black Bagdoyan on Scribd
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