Queen Street Yoga November Newsletter

[Queen Street Yoga]

Queen Street Yoga Newsletter

Hello! Please take a moment to read over this newsletter, there are some schedule changes that you should be aware of, some cool workshops to check out and at the end, a short yoga sequence that works on opening the hips and hamstrings.  Enjoy!

In this Newsletter:

1) Schedule Changes starting November 1st

2) New Intro to Yoga Courses for November: Please Spread the Word!

3) Family Yoga with Kymberley: Nov 22nd         

4) Restorative Yoga with Brad: Nov 29th

5) Meditation Courses with Nancy and Kunga

6) Moving with Change: Dance Workshop with Lauren: Nov 21st

7) A Simple Home Practice

1) Schedule Changes as of November 1st. Please take note!

Monday's level 1-2 class will be at 5:45pm (instead of 5:30)

The Community Yoga Class will be back on Thursdays at 7:30pm, still with Lindsay (if this is a good night for you, and you want to donate a class pass instead of doing the $ donation, please feel free!)

Meaghan will be teaching both the Power Hour and the Restorative Class on Wednesday nights

Brad is back on Saturdays!

Reminder that there is now a Sunday 10am class with Anna-Marie

2) Intro to Yoga Courses

We really appreciate when you share you love of yoga with others and let people know about us! In our Intro courses we love teaching how to do the yoga postures, empowering students right from the beginning to understand their own bodies, and how the yoga practice can work for them.  We hope that students begin to integrate what they learn into their daily lives, reaping the most benefit possible from the yoga practice.

The Intro courses starting in November are:

* Mon 7:30pm with Lindsay: Nov 16-Jan 4

* Wed 5:45pm with Lindsay: Nov 25-Jan 20 (no class Dec 23)

There is an Beginner Drop-in class on Tuesdays at 5:30 with Meaghan. This a great class for those who just want to try it out, for those with physical limitations who want a slower pace, and for more experienced yogis who just want to take it easy and get back to basics!

3) Family Yoga with Kymberley

Our first family yoga workshops was a success with 5 families and a whole lot of fun. If you would like to join the group with your little person or persons age 3-9, the next one is Sunday November 22nd, 2-3:15pm, the cost is $25.

Kymberley's love for yoga has lead her to expand her practice to involve yoga instruction to adults and children alike. After completing a 200 hour yoga teaching certification Kymberley has had the privilege of offering yoga to a wide range of students in local studios and gyms through out Waterloo and Kitchener. Holding a Bachelor of Fine Arts in contemporary dance from Concordia University, and a Master of Arts from Wilfrid Laurier in communication studies, it has been beneficial to augment her education with a teaching certification in Kripalu yoga, a style known for inner reflection and physical discipline. This training has allowed her to be immersed in an understanding of how the mind and body influence each other through the creative process, influencing her choreography & teaching style in both dance & yoga. Kymberley is excited to continue her study of yoga through a second 200 hour course, facilitated by Meaghan Johnson and Kristin Honey, under the tutelage of Hart Lazer.

4) Restorative Yoga for Physical Fatigue with Brad

Please join us on Sunday November 29th, 5:30-7:30pm Cost: $25 Please register in advance.

This month's topic: Physical Fatigue

Stressful physical exertion is responsible for this condition. Characterized by exhaustion and a reluctance to exert oneself. If left unchecked by rest and removal of stress, chronic fatigue may ensue. Resting, resting and more resting. Give that body a break.

5) Meditation Courses

* Intro to Buddhist Meditation with Kunga: Nov 11-Dec 30

* Secular Mind Body Meditation (beginner and experienced meditaters welcome) with Nancy: Nov 25-Jan 20 (no class Dec 23rd)

Both Courses are  8 weeks in length and cost $90

6) Dance Workshop: Moving with Change, facilitated by Lauren Clarke

Saturday November 21st, 1-4pm, Cost: $35 (subsidies available upon request)

Our workshop with Lauren last spring was a great success, and we invite you to join her this November to explore themes of presence, awareness and change, themes that often arise in our yoga practices.  This workshop provides a different method with similar goals to yoga, the method being dance and movement.

From moment to moment we change. Our bodies fill with air when we breathe in and empty when we exhale. Our thoughts jump from yesterday’s chocolate bar to a conflict at work. Our relationships transition from distance to connected and apart again. From moment to moment, we have the possibility of choosing how we move with change. During this three hour workshop, you will gain clarity on how you encounter change and the choices you make when faced with transition. We will experiment together using a variety of verbal and non-verbal exercises to feel our full range of aliveness. You are invited to come ready to move with and without music, through body and words.

Lauren Clarke, MSW, lives and works in Toronto and provides psychotherapy for groups and individuals seeking healing and growth. Lauren is a registered 5Rhythms Movement Therapy facilitator, who has been practicing Gabrielle Roth's 5Rhythms movement practice for over eight years across North America. Lauren draws upon her love of movement, self-reflection, and joy to create a vibrant, dynamic, grounded space for healing and play.

7) The following is short sequence of poses that will take approximately 30 minutes to complete.

We are currently working with a local artist to create some illustrated handouts, in the mean time, these are all postures you have likely done in class, and we hope that this flow will inspire you to try practicing on your own!

Sit in Virasana (kneeling with height under buttocks) for 5min (longer if you have the time). In Virasana, allow your body to settle and your mind to rest on the feeling of your breathe.

Move to wide legged active child pose.  Big toes touching, knees apart, head on the floor and arms stretched out as if in downward dog. 10 breaths.

Lie down on your back for Supta Padang Hastasana (hamstring stretch with the strap). Start by drawing the right leg in and holding, and then rotate in circles.  Then take strap around heel and extend leg by initiating the movement from the thighbone.  With the leg straight, hold for 5-10 breaths, then take the leg out to the side and externally rotate, 5-10 breaths. Repeat on the other side.

Come to standing.  Pick three of the following Standing poses:

* Trikonasana (triangle)

* High Lunge

* Virabadrasana 1 and 2 (warrior 1&2)

* Ardah Chandrasana (half moon)

* Pravritti Trikonasana (revolved triangle)

5-10 breaths each on each side

Viprit Karani (legs up the wall with a height under the pelvis, no height if you are menstruating or have a back injury) 5-10 min

Savasana 5-10min.

I recommend having a timer for the 5-10 minutes poses.  If you are short on time, do the shorter suggestions for time. 

If you would like to see pictures of the poses to be sure of what they are, check out

http://www.yogajournal.com/poses/finder/browse_categories on the left hand side there is a search box!

That is the QSY news! See you soon at the studio!

Nameste,

Meaghan and the QSY Crew