Hot body cool mind or hot body stressed out mind

Dear Yoga/Pilates People,
Summer greetings! I am excited about adding new classes, new opportunities, and meeting new friends. Power Yogilates, Boot Camp for ages 8 - 15, and Tulsa University classes are on my horizon. I love the challenge of making each class that I teach new, refreshing, and helpful to the age group, fitness ability, and wide variety of personalities. I consider each new face a friend in the making, and it is my goal to make you feel welcome, at ease, yet challenged in every class that you attend. Although yoga will always be my first love, my focus is fitness and flexibility for every body at every age.
One of the things I have noticed in the gyms that I teach or sub include stressed out people working out at a frenzied level leaving all sweaty and just as stressed if not more from their daily or weekly time in an effort to develop a healthy body. I believe that yoga can teach us a new perspective to our workout time. This is my take on it.

“However, what I have seen so far, both in the gym and online, are lot of training to tire you out but little if any awareness of how to position the body or maintain proper alignment in the execution of these exercises.” Johnathan Urla
Hot body, cool mind. Hot body, busy-overstressed mind. How many times at the gym do you see someone on the exercise machines who is watching t.v., using an IPOD with headphones, and talking? Does it make a difference in our workout?
I personally believe that yoga and Pilates teach that being mindful in the exercise helps in many ways. First, you learn to be present instead of distracted. Secondly, you concentrate on your breathing which not only promotes the mindfulness, but it also helps you find the rhythm of your breath and invites the prana (life giving energy). Finally, you pay attention to your alignment which encourages good posture and muscle alignment and prevents repetitive stress injuries.
So, it’s not always what you do, but how you do it that really counts. Alignment, action, and attitude are the three keys to a beneficial workout in yoga, Pilates, cardio, aerobics, and weight-lifting. Quantity is not always the most important. Quality workouts following the three “A’s” (my attitude follows my action; my action follows my alignment) are far more beneficial. Hot body, cool/focused mind relieves stress every time.
Brooke Siler, author of Pilates Body Challenges, says, “When performing the 10-minute challenges (for example: 10 minutes on the treadmill +15 minutes on the elliptical +10 minutes on the bike, and the rest of the time on the yoga mat) remember to work with concentration and control. Find the movements you feel work best and that provide the greatest results for you. Remember too that the postures you hate are probably the ones that are best for you and the ones your body needs. Always keep your brain inspired, and your body will follow.”
Let's keep our brains inspired, our posture and alignment in check, and our bodies fit. Join us in class this week!
Tranquility Yoga Schedule for June 27 - July 4, 2010
Sunday, June 27 at 2:30 Afternoon class Thornton YMCA - WILD Thing!
Monday, June 28 at 5:30 Evening class Thornton YMCA - Power Yogilates - Arm Balancing
Monday, June 28 at 6:30 Evening class Thornton YMCA - Turn Your World Upside Down!
Tuesday, June 29 at 7:00 Evening class Tranquility Home Studio* - Kundalini Challenge
Wednesday, June 30 at 6:00 Morning class Tranquility Home Studio* - Sunrise Pilates
Wednesday, June 30 at 6:30 Evening class - Subbing for Gretchen at the Owasso YMCA - Vinyasa Flow Yoga
Thursday, July 1 at 7:00 Evening class Tranquility Home Studio* - Backbends to Open the Heart
Friday, July 2 at 6:00 Morning class Tranquility Home Studio* - Sunrise Pilates
Friday, July 2 at 5:30 Evening class Tranquility Home Studio* - Power Astanga Yoga
Saturday, July 3 at 9:00 Morning class Thornton YMCA - Yoga + Pilates = Great Workout!
Saturday, July 3 at 10:30 Morning class Thornton YMCA - Pigeon One and Pigeon Two Beginner's Yoga
Sunday, July 4 - Happy Independence Day! No classes scheduled - Thornton YMCA is closed (opening again on Monday, June 5)
Gentle Chair Yoga and Kid Yoga classes are not scheduled for this week. If you would like to arrange a small group class during the daytime hours, please call 855-6459. Small group classes by arrangement are for a regular punch card price ($5.62 each class) this summer = special discount.
(8 classes = $45.00 Tranquility Yoga Punch card with an expiration date of one year from date of purchase)
*All Tranquility Yoga Home Studio classes are by reservation only in order to know how many to plan for; if you can attend, (or something comes up and you cannot attend), please let me know. Thank you!
Namaste'
Jeanne

Jeanne K. Doss
Registered Yoga Teacher/200 hr. level
Cooper Institute: Personal Fitness Trainer
YMCA Pilates Instructor
Also certified in Zumba, Aerobics, and Step-Aerobics

"If there is any kindness I can show, or any good thing I can do to any fellow being, let me do it now, and not deter or neglect it, as I shall not pass this way again." William Penn