Workshops and Specialty Classes
2:00-3:45 pm
Interested in
beginning a yoga practice? All you need to get started is curiosity,
willingness, an open mind, and a sense of humor! Explore the
fundamentals of yoga in this fun 6-week workshop that is designed for
the brand-new beginner or those seeking to revisit the basics. We’ll
work on learning basic postures, finding optimal alignment in each, and
on understanding the benefits of each. We’ll also cover the basics of
yoga philosophy, breath work, and meditation. Here’s a snapshot of what we’ll cover over the six weeks:
Week 1: Start Where You Are: Overview of yoga philosophy, pranayama (breath work), meditation, and warming up sequences (each week we’ll work with the breath, meditation, and philosophy too)
Week 2: Stoking the Inner Fire: Sun Salutations, building heat and strength
Week 3: Rooting Down/Cultivating Equanimity: Additional standing poses and balancing postures
Week 4: Heart Openers/Building Compassion/Overcoming Fear: Backbends and inversions
Week 5: Rinsing Out/Letting Go/Strengthening the Core: Twists, hips, and abdominals
Week 6: Turning Inward/Calming the Mind/Balancing the Nervous System: Seated and restorative postures
As we explore this ancient practice that unites body, mind, and spirit, questions are encouraged. Come see what yoga can do for you!
Cost: $120. Includes the six workshop sessions, handout, and one additional free class each week.
Register at www.acendayoga.com under "workshops".
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at Acenda Yoga
8 Monday evenings, April 2-May 21, 2012
7:30-9:30 pm
Register online at www.acendayoga.com
Click on "workshops"
Students will explore their everyday lives through journaling and discussion and learn basic meditation and relaxation techniques to help them cultivate mindfulness in seven key aspects of everyday life: food/nutrition/eating; workplace; home life; money/finances; community; the natural world; and spirituality.
Each class will consist of discussion/journaling and dharma talks, asana (yoga) practice, meditation instruction and practice, and breath work instruction and practice. Weekly homework assignments will include journaling, meditation, asana classes, and readings.
The course is open to anyone ready to delve deeply into learning to live mindfully.
Recent research conducted at Stanford and Harvard provides “exciting evidence that small doses of mental training, such as an eight-week mindfulness course, can create important changes in one’s mental well-being.” Modern science and research are confirming what ancient wisdom has taught for millennia: meditation and mindfulness are good for you!
Most of us at some point suffer from disturbances of the mind such as worries, self-doubt, stress, low self-esteem, and even panic, and stress-related diseases are a leading cause of death in the US. However, mindfulness meditation and practice in everyday life helps change the way our brains respond to negative thoughts and can help to ease those disturbances and reduce stress.
An 8-week mindfulness course in stress reduction can allow the brain to become “less reactive and more resilient.” By practicing mindfulness and meditation in everyday life, we can improve concentration, become more resilient to stress, and feel more compassion for others. We become aware of our emotions, are better able to manage them, and develop the ability to make mindful choices. Mindful living allows us to work towards integrating mind, body, and spirit and to act with right intention and thoughtfulness in every situation.
Here's some of what past participants of Mindfulness for Everyday Life had to say about their experience with the course:
" I will definitely continue to deepen my practice of mindfulness, meditation and yoga after the course concludes! Every aspect of the course had a huge benefit on my mental, physical, emotional, spiritual, and over all self. I am sad to see the course end, but am so thankful what it has taught me and can not wait to further cultivate what I learned into my everyday life and interactions with others."
"I've increased knowledge that will encourage me along the path to enlightenment. I've started to practice calming breath almost daily and feel more connected to myself."
"The main benefit of this course is that it taught me to slow down and breathe. Sounds pretty simple--but now I'm so much more mindful that I spend some time breathing before I react to stressors both good and bad. I can't tell you how much this means to me...I'm happier when I'm calmer and this course has made me calmer and happier."
"My overall experience with this course was wonderful. It opened up areas to me that I had not been aware of in my life. I am now more mindful of these subject matters that surround me in my everyday life. I feel the course has put me on the course to being a more well-rounded individual in many aspects. I feel that I am calmer. I look at things differently and with a clearer head. I feel the things I learned in the course became a part of me. It is not something that I can just put into words. It is more a sense of 'being' that I learned. The course definitely met my expectations. I did not know what to expect, but it was more than I could have asked for."
"My opinion of Jennifer is that she actually practices what she preaches...Jennifer knows her subject matter inside and out. She lives her subject matter inside and out. She treats others with respect, honor, and gratitude for being a part of her class. She is always there to help us when we have a question, and she is willing to stay after and talk with you if you have something you would like to ask or discuss. It is apparent that she truly loves what she does and that she loves teaching others."
"I find myself more eager to meditate and pursue further study of meditation. You were great Jennifer--a true inspiration; genuine, loving, kind, intelligent."
"The course helped me make some needed changes in my daily life. It helped me get on track with a more regular sleep schedule, eating better, turning the TV off, and paying attention to the present moment. It also forced me to take a look at all the areas of my life that I have neglected, and made me realize that I need to make some more positive changes at home, work, and as a member of the community...I gained the tools I need to continue to work on mindfulness in the areas addressed throughout the course. This is a lifetime process. The 8 weeks was a mini-immersion in mindfulness that needs to be continued throughout life."
"I am less stressed about major and minor events in my life. I tend to worry about the future and miss the present. I now realize that I am able to plan for the future, but I need to focus on the present as well. The course met my expectations. It helped me get back on track with my life. It gave me tools I need to continue on a path of mindfulness on my own. I think I may need a tune-up in the future. I would take the class again in another year or two."
"Jen, you are a great teacher. You lead discussion well and asked students questions to help them gain insight and guide them on the path to mindfulness. I liked how you got everyone involved in the discussions. Your instructions were clear and easy to follow for the various meditation, pranayama, and asana practices. Your classes were well planned."
"Overall I thought the course was well laid out. I liked the themes from week to week, enjoyed the introduction to new breathing techniques and methods of meditation, and liked the conversation that occurred each week. I thought the homework was thought provoking and reasonable to accomplish within a week. I thought the course was excellent, well thought out, and beneficial."
"I feel that I have a much stronger understanding and comfort with meditation. Before I felt like I was at times fighting the thoughts that popped into my head when meditating, but now I am comfortable letting them pass without judgment. I feel like I am utilizing slow, mindful breathing much more in everyday situations. I also feel like I have worked through many of the emotions that have been causing me stress and anxiety over the past few years by talking through them and journaling about them."
"You are a great teacher and always make your students feel at ease. I also enjoyed the community that was established between students, the laughter, and the vulnerability from all involved. I liked looking forward to class each Wednesday. I thought the course was a great experience and taught me a lot about myself and how to further my practice. I feel this course has given me many helpful tools for continuing and deepening my practice. I will continue to read from the recommended reading list and hope to continue journaling and mediating."
"I thought you did an excellent job. The course was well thought out, and you make people feel comfortable and welcome. Your enthusiasm is palpable. I appreciate that you are living what you are teaching and provide so many hints for incorporating practice and mindfulness into life. Thank you!"
"I obtained a deeper understanding of the state of mindfulness. I learned that there is more 'stuff' up in my head--I learned this while meditating. I learned that I am not the only one trying to get off the hamster wheel, and I learned that many of the obstacles that face others are the same barriers I find in my way. I am definitely eating more healthfully, more consciously, and I am watching much less TV. The course, at the very least, met expectations, and in some ways exceeded them. It exceeded them in that the feedback from classmates about the challenges in their lives were similar to my own. It also went a long way in reassuring me that life is not a puzzle to labor over, but rather a blessing to embrace. I definitely feel as a result of the workshop that I will deepen my yoga and mindfulness practice, and likely make more inroads with meditation. Jennifer, you rocked! I would take the workshop again."
"I really enjoyed it Jennifer. Thank you for offering it, I feel it has begun to change my life for the
better by giving me the tools to begin to take charge of how I feel and
react and absorb all of life's gifts and trials.Thanks again."
"The changes I feel I have undergone as a result of my studies and practice in the course is that I am more mindful, when I slow down, and make an effort to be. I like that it is referred to as a “practice”. That allows me to not become intimidated with not being perfect and enables me to keep trying. I learned that mindfulness, meditation, and yoga all fall along the same spiritual lines as the 12-step program I work. I was elated with that! It was comfortable and familiar and yet fresh and new. The readings and discussions expanded and built on the ideas, practices, and tenets I have already adopted into my daily life. I love learning, reading, and finding new ways to see life, and to experience life and relationships."
