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Riverbend Yoga Studio Newsletter
Fall, 2008
Political Conventions, hurricanes,
approaching national elections, economic downturns—do we need Yoga?
Do we need help in living with the current level of stress in our
daily lives? Yoga has been helping people to live healthier and
fuller lives for thousands of years; what greater testimonial can we
offer?
At Riverbend we are offering classes and
private instruction to
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develop and maintain health and well-being
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help with recovery from injury or illness
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reduce the effects of stress
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deepen spiritual roots
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teach what Yoga is and how it can help in
everyday life.
This fall, we are adding classes to make
attendance more convenient for you, and make it easier to attend
more than one class a week. There will be three Basic Asana
classes offered, for beginners and for those who want a gentler
class: Tuesday and Thursday at 7:15 p.m., and Wednesday at 10 a.m.
For those moving into Deepening Asana, there are also three
classes: Monday at 5:30 p.m., Tuesday at 5:15 p.m. and Saturday at 9
a.m. For lowering your stress level with asana, pranayama
and meditation, there is the Thursday 5:30 class.
We are adding a second Strong Bones class, and we encourage those
of you with concerns about osteoporosis to come twice weekly. We
work with yoga poses to strengthen muscle and bone, as well as
incorporating the use of free weights into our practice. Gain
information about diet, risk factors and resources to keep abreast
of current research on strong bones. Classes are Tuesday and
Thursday at 10 a.m.
Thursday noon remains the time for a one hour De-stressing with
Asana class. This class is appropriate for beginners and
experienced students as well, and will be geared toward those who
are present for each class.
Beth is offering a special Mini-Series on
Tuesday nights at 7:15.
- Sept. 16,23 and 30: Core Strength:
Engaging the abdominals in support of your lower back
- Oct. 24, 21 and 38: Core Support:
Befriending the iliopsoas and “QL” muscles (If you don’t
know what these muscles are, it will be worth it to come and
find out and learn why they are so important)
- November 4,11 and 18: Organic Yoga:
Heart, liver and kidney awareness in asana practice
Because each of these little series builds upon
itself, drop-ins will not be allowed within a series. Register for
one series, or two, or all of them. You can use your passes for
these classes, but please pre-register (call 651-292-1166 or e-mail
Maggie@riverbendyoga.com to say you are coming.)
You can view the full schedule on the website
at
www.riverbendyoga.com. Click on class schedule.
For those of you interested in chanting
and/or yoga philosophy, I will offer two classes:
Ø
I will be teaching a Yoga Sutra Chanting
class on Sunday mornings at 10:30, twice a month (in
September it will be the 7th and 14th). We
will spend about three-quarters of the time chanting in Sanskrit,
and the rest of the time discussing the meaning of select sutras.
Beginners and experienced chanters are welcome. You will learn the
fundamentals as a beginner, and experienced chanters will be
challenged to develop their understanding and skill. Learn why the
Yoga Sutra of Patanjali is the core text for all traditions
of yoga. Cost is $40 for 4 sessions, or $12 for drop-in. Please
pre-register.
Ø
Introduction to Vedic Chant will be
offered off-site at Heartwood Mindfulness Practice Center, 3706
E. 34th St. in Minneapolis, in a 6-week series, Sept. 9
through Oct. 14. from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Learn through the
time-honored method of listen and repeat the fundamentals of
Sanskrit pronunciation, meter, and rhythm. You do not have to be a
singer to enjoy and benefit from this ancient practice. Desikachar
says: “To share Vedic Chant is to share an experience of silence
through listening, a process of healing, and a link with nature, the
deeper self and the divine.” Please pre-register for this class
by calling 651-292-1166. Cost is $55 for 6 sessions, or $10 for
drop-in.
Announcing a
special series of benefit classes this fall, offered in the spirit
of service (karma yoga): We offer the class, you offer a
donation, and the donations go to a specific charity or service
organization.
Sunday September
21, 10:00-11:30 a.m. Donation to Susan B. Korman Breast Cancer
Research. This is the 3rd day of the 3-Day Walk to raise
money for breast cancer research. Mary Ann McFarland is walking in
the event.
Sunday October 12,
10:00-11:30 a.m. Donation to MN Habitat for Humanity.
Sunday November 9,
10:00-11:30 a.m. Donation to Heifer International.
A word about your
teachers;
Kris Ahern will continue to offer the Tuesday 5:15 class in
Deepening Asana. Kris, along with Beth, kept classes going during
August.
Margaret Chesley
will be back to teach Basic Asana on Wednesdays at 10:00 a.m.
and will take over the Thursday morning Strong Bones Class and noon
class.
Beth Cleary
will continue her Saturday 9:00 a.m. class, and will add the special
Mini-series on Tuesday evenings, beginning Sept. 16. (See above)
Maggie Kessell
will continue to offer the Monday evening classes, 2 Thursday
evening classes, the additional Strong Bones class on Tuesday
morning, and the Yoga Sutra and Vedic Chant classes.
Please look over the
schedule and e-mail me or call me to let us know which classes you
plan to attend. It helps us to know how many to expect in a class.
651-292-1166 or
Maggie@riverbendyoga.com.
Please note that any
class with consistently fewer than 4 students may be cancelled.
Mexico in February, 2009
As the weather
begins to cool a bit, it reminds us that February will come, and it
will be dark and cold here in Minnesota. In Puerto Morelos, Mexico,
however, the sun will be shining and you will be wishing you were on
a Yoga Retreat on the shores of the Caribbean. Plan ahead, and sign
up now to join us for yoga immersion, a great way to deepen your
practice and understanding of yoga, escape the cold, and renew your
spirit. There are spaces available, both weeks (Feb. 14-21, and
Feb. 21-28). Check out the website, or pick up a brochure at the
studio, or call me for information.
We hope you have had a beautiful summer, and
we look forward to seeing you in class, as classes begin on
Saturday, September 6.
Namaste,
Maggie
A Yoga Newsletter September
2007
455 W. 7th St.
St. Paul, MN 55102
September is a time of transition—looking back
www.riverbendyoga.com over our summer activities
with its more relaxed schedule and looking i
forward as we return to a time of routine activities and
expectations. A time to reflect and a time to plan. A time to be
kind to ourselves, letting go of what we didn’t get done over the
summer, and being realistic about what we can do in the fall,
and remembering that we are human Beings, not human Doings.
The tragedies in Minnesota in the month
of August, beginning on August 1st with the bridge
collapse, and continuing with the devastation of flooding in
southeastern Minnesota, serve us all as a wake-up call. They speak
to us individually in some unique way; I wonder how they speak to
you. To me, they bring awareness to the fragility of life as we
know it, to the narrow margins of our lives, and to that truly
important connection we have to others. People reaching out to each
other—to help and to be helped. Maitri, karuna….(loving kindness
and compassion, Yoga Sutra 1:33). When we see the scale of the
destruction here and how it affects community, we can take that
scale and multiply it by days, weeks, months and years of
destruction as it is happening globally. If we can let that in,
then truly our hearts will break open with compassion. What will an
open compassionate heart do? For each of us that answer is unique.
And for each of us, our yoga practice is
unique. At Riverbend we offer classes that speak to your unique
needs—be it asana (postures) for strengthening, gaining flexibility
or healing, or breathing practices to promote relaxation and lower
stress levels. There are Yoga Sutra chanting classes, to become
acquainted with yoga philosophy and experience the power of
chanting, improving memory and concentration. And this fall we will
introduce Vedic Chant classes for those interested in experiencing
the healing quality of chanting the wisdom of the Vedas as it
pertains to our body and spirit and to the elements of life that
surround us. For those who want to retreat from the cold in
February, we offer a yoga retreat to Mexico. We keep our classes
small so that everyone is seen and attended to. We offer private
sessions for those with special needs on any level, or those who
just wish to study privately. Historically in India, all adult
study has been one on one—teacher and student. I encourage everyone
to schedule a private session with her teacher from time to time to
address specific needs. We value the student/teacher relationship.
Here is a preview of coming events: (See
the home page links for more specifics)
Sept. 9 & 23, Oct.7 & 21, Nov. 11 & 25: Yoga
Sutra Chanting
Oct. 13 & 14: Workshop: Chant in Yoga
Practice (Oct. 13) Introduction to Vedic Chant
(Oct.14) With Ana Franklin of Manhattan, Ks. and Maggie Kessell,
both KHYF certified teachers, and students of Sonia Nelson
Oct. 21: Workshop: iRest (Integrative
Restoration) with Kevin Kortan
Oct. 23- Nov. 27: special 6 week class:
iRest, with Kevin Kortan
Nov. 1: Vedic Chant classes begin
Nov. 11: Workshop: Introduction to
Feldenkrais with Kevin Kortan
Feb. 9-16, 2008: Yoga Retreat to Puerto
Morelos, Mexico with Kris Ahern and Maggie Kessell
July 14-18, 2008: Meditation Retreat on Lake
Superior
Prices for classes remain the same this
fall, with the exception of the unlimited classes for the month
being priced this year at $90.
We welcome Margaret Chesley as a new
teacher at Riverbend. Margaret will teach Level I yoga on
Wednesdays at 10:00 a.m. For those who relish a morning class, come
and join Margaret. She completed her training (200 hrs. at
Riverbend Yoga Studio) in 2006 and is certified through KHYF in
Chennai, India. Margaret assists Maggie in the current Teacher
Training.
August was a learning month for us at
the studio. Kris Ahern spent 9 days in Santa Fe at the Vedic Chant
Center. Maggie joined her for the last 4 days, studying Vedic Chant
with Sonia Nelson. You can bet there will be some sound coming out
of Kris’s classes this fall! Later in the month, eight of
us—students, teachers, or former teachers from Riverbend—journeyed
to Long Island for a 3-day Positively Healing workshop with TKV
Desikachar and his daughter Mekhala. There we experienced
beautifully how the tools of yoga—posture, breath, sound,
meditation, and relationship - promote healing.
Before closing, I want to mention the names of
those connected to the studio who are being certified through
KHYF (Krishnamacharya Healing and Yoga Foundation) in Chennai,
India. They are: graduates of Riverbend Yoga Studio Teacher Training
2006: Kris Ahern, Margaret Chesley, Dana Gartner, Laurie LoPesio,
Patsy Murphy, Nancy Saslow and Elizabeth Witt. Graduates of AVI
(American Viniyoga Institute) and teachers or former teachers at the
studio are: Beth Cleary, Lindsay Cowles, and Michele Hoffman.
All ten have chosen Maggie as their mentor, and we will work
together to support their continued growth on the path of yoga. I
am honored to serve them in this capacity.
And I look forward to working with each of you
in the coming year.
Maggie
A Yoga Newsletter
455 W. 7th St., St. Paul, MN
Vol. 7, No. 1
651-292-1166 January 2007
www.riverbendyoga.com
As this New Year dawns on us, I feel an opening, a breath from a
new breeze that stirs the trees and our hearts. Perhaps it was the
strong sense of commitment to yoga that I felt from the thirteen
people who came to the New Year’s day class; perhaps it the
softening of the rhetoric coming out of Washington and our own
capital, as the two parties are more balanced; perhaps it is simply
the good will that seems abundant at this time of year. Our weather
reminds us that we have dire problems to deal with; yet there seems
to be an awakening to this fact, a growing awareness that is already
beginning to show itself. We must be aware of the goodness in this
world and in ourselves, cultivating the qualities of generosity and
compassion.
A new year brings new directions as well for the studio. Beth and
Kris and I have been meeting to find ways to improve our offerings
to you, so I take this opportunity to share our thoughts with you.
As new people come to the studio, we want to offer a beginning class
that will introduce the concept of moving with the breath, becoming
aware of breathing patterns, and learning the basic poses. So we
will offer an 8-week series to do that, and try to have one starting
every 4 weeks or so. The once-a-month free introductory class will
feed into this beginning class. We will continue to offer Level I,
II and III classes, with the beginning series as a pre-requisite, or
permission of the instructor. Level I will thus not be a beginning
class, but rather a gentle class for those who want to move gently,
and for those recovering from injury or dealing with a chronic
condition. Levels II and III will move into more complex asana and
breathing patterns. What we ask of you is that you choose your class
more on the level that is appropriate for you and not so much on the
time that is convenient for you. Convenience is of course a
consideration—it’s always easier to do something if it’s convenient.
But we sometimes fall into habits, and it may well be worth the
effort to make a shift. If you are not sure what class is best for
you, please consult with your teacher. We are here to help with
that.
I will continue to offer the Meditation Class on Thursday
evenings, and the Yoga Sutra Chanting Class every other Sunday
morning. This class was begun to invite teachers from all traditions
to come and chant the Yoga Sutras together, but it is open as well
to all interested students. Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras are the basis
for yoga practice in all traditions. Learning to chant them in
Sanskrit is an experience of focus, improving memory, finding joy in
your voice, and feeling the vibrations in the cells of your body.
There is excitement about a new offering: YOGA FOR KIDS. Liz
Lacey-Gotz will be teaching 7-11 year-olds on Tuesdays at 4:00. We
have had requests for a children’s class; if you know of any little
ones who would benefit from yoga, please send them to us. Liz is
studying with me and will be in the upcoming Teacher Training; she
has 2 daughters who practice yoga. Liz is a spontaneous being, full
of enthusiasm and humor, and will be a great teacher for these
little ones.
Thirteen people will accompany Kris and me to Mexico in February
for a week-long yoga retreat at Villas Shanti. There is space for
one more person—if interested, don’t dally. Upon return I plan to
offer a Pranayama Series. This class will be of interest to those
with respiratory problems, as we will spend some time just becoming
aware of our natural breathing patterns before moving on into
working with techniques and ratios. I encourage those who are moving
into Level II and III classes to consider this class as well, so
that pranayama becomes more and more a part of your practice. In
closing, I want to thank all of you for making Riverbend Yoga Studio
your place of practice. Your comments and suggestions are always
welcome. You are the center of our efforts, and your commitment
enhances our commitment to you. Your energy influences the energy of
other students, and it is you who are building the sangha, the
community of practitioners, which supports all of us.
We pledge to stay connected to our teachers and the tradition
behind us, to our own practice, and to our students in front of us.
Blessings to you in the New Year. Maggie
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