March 2018

I hope that all of you have been taking good care of your health and wellbeing--February was a rough month for many people with various flu bugs, colds and such. The good news is that the robins have returned to our skies and it is joyous to hear their song--here's to looking forward to a beautiful Spring season!

Some great news for this month -- including a new class that has begun on Monday nights!  Yoga for "Core" and Connection.   Also, another Yoga Nidra class to enjoy.  Check out details below.

​Our movement and more clip this month is about deepening awareness and mobility through the arms and shoulders.  Nurturing both mobility and ease here is important for poses like Chair pose, Warrior 1, and most particularly--for shoulder self-care and avoiding injury--the popular but load-bearing through the shoulder girdle pose Downward-facing Dog, if that pose is part of your practice.  How are you moving here?  Are you moving in a way that is nurturing what you need to nurture---or are you asking something of your back and shoulders you might not want to?  If you'd like to receive Heart Tree Yoga's short movement and more video clips to deepen your practice, sign up for our mailing list.  

This month also I have some reflections for you about reevaluating your daily self-care regimen as we move into Spring, because just as the weather shifts, so do the needs of our body!   Read on! 

UPCOMING EVENTS

Heart Tree Yoga has some new offerings to share this month!   (Scroll down for more details for how you can attend or sign up for these!)

• Yoga for "Core" and Connection  YES! A New Class on Monday nights! 
• Yoga Nidra and the Art of Conscious Relaxation (need stress relief? this is the class for you!)
• THRIVE - Supporting People with Parkinson's Through Yoga Therapeutics (a unique, customized program)

Also this month I'm starting up starting up a small private class for a women's group. 
 
Does your group need a specially designed class?  
Reach out and let's collaborate! 

MARCH EVENTS

Mark your Calendars! 

NEW CLASS!

MONDAY EVENINGS 6:45pm-8pm, Body Grace Fitness and Yoga
Yoga for "Core" and Connection

A truly stable core allows the body to respond naturally, without bracing and excessive tension, despite changes in how fast you are going, how much weight you are carrying, or if you are changing direction.  This unique class is for people seeking to strengthen and balance their internal structure—“core” stability—through improved movement.  Class will include a blend of mindful movement, breathing exercises, yoga poses and meditation to help practitioners experience how a supportive and responsive “core” emerges when you are moving and breathing well. Class suitable for all levels.  $15 drop-in fee; first class is free for people new to the studio. 

SUNDAY March 11
Yoga Nidra and the Art of Conscious Relaxation
4:30 - 5:30 pm at Body Grace studio in Vienna
Fee: $20 pre-registered: $25 drop-in

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 reserve a spot with Jan at bodygrace@verizon.net


THRIVE:  Supporting People with Parkinson's Through Yoga Therapeutics

There are just a couple spots left in this unique program for people with Parkinson's.  This program combines a set of private sessions and a customized 5-session series class to help people with Parkinson's address "what shows up" for them each day--physically, energetically, emotionally and mentally, using supportive therapeutic yoga "tools" to respond..  The program helps each participant nurture a  personalized self-care practice that makes sense for their unique needs.  Contact Carolyn for more details!

Your daily Dinacharya
 
Um, what's that? 

Dinacharya is the Ayurvedic concept of a daily self-care routine, that will change with the Circadian rhythms of nature that shift with the seasons.  The weather is shifting, we can feel Spring approaching.  To help our body feel more optimally it is really helpful to take a look at what supportive daily routines we have in place so that we can feel what needs to shift with Spring's approach.  

The first step though is figuring out what supportive self-care tools you use on a daily basis--morning, mid-day and night.  By self-care I mean, what are you doing for yourself physically, mentally and emotionally each day to bring a sense of nurturing and balance into your life?    AND, maybe even--yes--write down in black and white your answers as you ask these questions (because writing things down brings about greater clarity): 

* What is your DAILY self-care routine - morning, mid-day and night?  Do you have a routine?  Include everything you can think of-- both Body-care & Mind-care.  
* What is nourishing about this routine?  Specifically, how are you nourishing yourself with food, movement, breath, stillness, fun and joy?  Where are the gaps?  Where do things feel out of balance?  What feels like it needs to begin to change up?  Are some things just not working, not connecting anymore with what you need?
 
Those last few questions I think are pretty important, especially as the seasons shifts. I'm taking a close look right now at my own routine and what needs to shift for me.  I can feel inside that I'm ready and need to bring myself out of my winter diet, sleep, and body-mind care routine.  When we don't periodically take a close look at how we are caring for ourselves, we can get stuck in patterns that aren't working anymore.  

Why?  Because things change.  

I leave you with this quote:

To exist is to change, to change is to mature, to mature is to go on creating yourself endlessly.  ~ Henri Bergson.

With light,

​Carolyn