Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Giving Thanks to Yoga This Thanksgiving

Though we should feel thankful for our gifts all year round, it is nice that we have Thanksgiving every year as a day where everyone in the country devotes to being humble. This year I have been grateful for many things in my life, and on the top of the list is my health. I know that Yoga has played a big role in maintaining my good health, so this Thanksgiving I will be celebrating Yoga!

Have a happy and safe holiday, Yogis and Yoginis!

Thursday, November 19, 2009

Lakeville Life Time Fitness Thanksgiving Turkey Jam

My good friend Deb Preachuk is having another exciting Yoga event next Thursday (Thanksgiving!) at Lakeville Time Life Fitness in Lakeville, Minnesota called Thanksgiving Day Turkey Jam! The event is from 8:30am-10:00am and involves 3 different classes to kick your butt before you stuff your faces full of Thanksgiving dinner :)

Included with the Step, Mixx, and Fluid Strength classes that morning, Deb will be giving out prizes from YogaDirect.com, HotHead Headbands, and Annie Fink Designs.

Here is the information from Deb's Facebook event page:

Fabulous News! This just in: I will be teaching a 30 minute Fluid Strength section along with two other amazing instructors Thanksgiving morning at the Thanksgiving Turkey Jam at Lakeville Life Time Fitness.

This is a workout not to be missed!

Who? Mary (Step), Nicole (The Mixx) & Deb (Fluid Strength)

What? 30 minutes each of Step, The Mixx & Fluid Strength.

Where? Lakeville Life Time Fitness - Studio 1

When? 8:30 - 10:00am Thanksgiving Day (Thursday November 26th)

Why? You're kidding, right? Why not! Amazing instructors, fun atmosphere, door prizes, and a healthy way to get rid of all that stress that comes with visiting family and making a fancy meal...

You're all invited to join Mary, Nicole and Deb for a 90 minute, not to be missed, Thanksgiving Day Turkey Jam workout. Come and get your GROOVEMENT on! Toss the bird in the oven, grab your gear, get to the studio as fast as you can. Come to play and sweat it all out before the day's feasting and celebrations begin. Looking forward to seeing you in the studio!

To RSVP your planned attendance to this event please visit: /http://schedule.lifetimefitness.com/schedules/club/164/dept/22/

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

So Close...But So Far Away!

Well, tomorrow is my last day in Vegas before we go back home. We have been so busy with the conference that I haven't been able to catch a Bikram class :( It is really inspiring to see all the teachers in training going to class every morning when we are on our way to the conference. Perhaps I will come back here one season and take the Bikram Teacher Training myself!

Monday, November 9, 2009

Wouldn't You Know...BIKRAM IS HERE!!!

My boss and I are in Las Vegas this week for a Conference and we are staying at the Hilton. We were just wandering around downstairs and I see this sign for Bikram Yoga Gift Shop.

What?

So I go in and there's all these cool Yoga things and I am looking around and discover there's a Bikram Yoga teacher training session going on right now in this very hotel! Hahaha, what luck!

I am sure there's no open classes to take, but I am definitely going to be on the lookout for Bikram himself. I would love to get my photo taken with him heheh.

I will keep you posted!

One Last Hike Before Winter

It was abnormally warm in Connecticut this weekend, so Nathan and I took a hike in Farmington, CT. It felt so good to be outside, and it wasn't that cold at all. We used some trees to do some stretches :)

stretching with trees


I will be in Las Vegas all week at a conference. Since I have no money to gamble, I am bringing my Travel Yoga Mat so I can do some Yoga in my hotel room :) See ya next week!

Monday, November 2, 2009

Techno Hot Power Yoga Classes

I took a two hour Hot Power Yoga class at Samadhi Yoga Studios in South Windsor on Friday. The class was taught by my new friend Alysse, and two live DJ's (my husband, DJ Originate, and Yoga instructor Nick Ricciardi) accompanied the class. It was quite an experience!

I had never been to this studio, or even to a Hot Power Yoga class before, so I was excited and nervous about the class. Especially since I hadn't stepped into an actual yoga class in over a month! As soon as I walked into the studio I could hear the boom of the bass from the music. As a big fan of Drum & Bass, Dubstep, and Electronic Music, I couldn't wait to get into the class!

I laid down my mat in the middle of the room. There were about 16 people in the class, and we were all different ages. I was glad to see such a diverse group of people. But then again, Yogis are pretty much always open for new things!

After setting the initial intention for the class, Alysse began leading us through Sun Salutations and the pulse of the music became louder. I do have to say that I LOVED having techno music blasting during the class! I am not sure if it is just because I am used to being driven by music because I am a dancer, or because it was helping me get through the millions of Chaturangas I struggled through (something Bikram students like myself are NOT used to!!!), but it was great! It was also comforting to occasionally look up at the two DJ's and see that they were both totally into the music and the energy of the room as well.

The two hour class flew by, and was full of flowing postures, balancing postures, and many breathing exercises. It was actually the toughest class I have ever taken - even more so than any Bikram class, if you can believe that! I definitely need more Hot Power Yoga classes in the future, at least to build my arms strength. My arms are STILL sore from all the Chaturangas, and it is 4 days later!

At the end of class, when we came back from Savasana, we sat up and faced Alysse and the two DJ's beside her, who were all seated in cross-legged positions with their palms up in front of us like they were thanking us for the class and the energy we had shared with them.

I didn't get to talk to any of the class members about their experience, but I did talk with my husband after. It was great to see him looking so happy after class. He has NEVER been to a Yoga class before, so I was eager to hear what he thought about the class. From the look on his face, I could tell that he may have gotten some of the benefits of doing Yoga just by being in that hot room with all of us practicing in front of him.

He told me that he felt he was feeding off our energy during the class. His song selections were chosen based on what postures we were doing. He said that when we began flowing, he would pump the bass up a bit more, and when we were still, he changed to play more smooth songs. Nate used to DJ our dance rehearsals sometimes and has become really aware of how to play off his audience, so I was really excited to hear how that translated into DJ'ing for a Yoga class.

Nate and I spoke to Alysse and Nick after class and we all agreed that perhaps a "TechnoYoga" class would be a good idea to add to the class schedule at the studio. Though the mixture of Yoga and Electronic music is not something you'd think that would blend together that well, it surely was an experience we'd like to explore again!