Namaste, As always we express gratitude for the continued support our current community of yogis and we are excited to continue to grow our yoga family! In effort to be a resource of information and inspiration we are always looking for ways to expand what we offer and bring something new to our community.  We encourage everyone to extend their gratitude and appreciation of their yoga practice - sharing this gift with others by welcoming them to our studio.

This month we look to celebrate our friends and others who have brought goodness to our lives.  Bring a friend with you to class who is new to the studio and their first class will cost only $5.  Bring two friends with you during this month and your next class will be free! I feel strongly that as a community, we can inspire others with an improved sense of well-being, hope and compassion, gratitude and peace.

In peace, light, and love,

Seaside Yoga Sanctuary

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To better serve our yoga community, we have made a few small changes to the class schedule for March.  Please click on link below for current schedule and downloadable/printable version:

 http://www.seasideyogasanctuary.com/classes.html

New Class!  Beginner’s yoga class every Tuesday evening.  6:00-7:15pm with Jeannie Walker.

March special!  Purchase a class card in any amount between March 1st and March 10th and take $10 off!

Like getting one class for free!

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Class CouponTake your first Qi Gong or Tai Chi class for only $5! ———————————————————————————

 Instructor Update

Candice Garrett will soon be leaving on maternity leave. Michelle Spencer will be taking over the Saturday morning classes beginning March 14th until she returns. Congratulations to Candice and her family! We all wish her well.

Upcoming Workshops/Events

• Saturday & Sunday, March 14th & 15th

Janet MacLeod - Senior Iyengar Instructor

http://seasideyogasanctuary.com/blog/?page_id=119  (Saturday’s workshop)

http://seasideyogasanctuary.com/blog/?page_id=120 (Sunday’s workshop)

• Saturday, March 28th  Taking Yoga Home

 with Laura McKinnon 1-3pm

http://seasideyogasanctuary.com/blog/?page_id=136

• Saturday, March 28th Seaside’s Community Dance Boogie  7-9pm

http://seasideyogasanctuary.com/blog/?page_id=133

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Asana of the Month

Tadasana (Mountain Pose)

While this is a seemingly simple pose, this posture is the beginning of understanding better alignment in the body. When the body is in correct alignment, there is improved space for our skeletal structure, promotion of healthy joints, and space for the organs in the body to function efficiently  When practiced regularly, we literally begin to change the way we stand, sit, and walk. Tadasana begins with the foundation of our feet, which are often neglected until they give us problems.  Our two feet support the entire body, but usally we do not pay attention to how we stand on them - not noticing how we balance the weight of the body, and not giving them the proper stretching and strengthening. How we stand on our feet affects how our legs feel, any knee or back pain, and the alignment of our spine and pelvis.

To practice tadasana, stand with your back against a wall to give your body feedback.  Take your feet hip width apart and turn your heels out until they are in line with your pinky toes (this will keep space in the lower back).  Lift all 10 toes and spread them wide, then release them down to the floor still spread.  Begin to distribute the weight of the body onto all four corners of the feet (the inner and outer edge of the ball of the foot and the inner and outer edge of the heel).  Notice if tend to lean your weight forward in the feet or to the back, by gently shifting your weight around until you feel balanced.

Then actively press your feet down into the floor, firming your thighs and lifting the thighs and knee caps up.  Notice how stable the legs become to support the lift of the torso.  Genty draw the hip bones up towards the ceiling as the tailbone gently draws down the wall.  Roll the head of the arms back and slide the shoulder blades down the back side of the body.  This will open your chest and encourage the lift of the collarbone towards the ceiling.  Actively stretch into your hands, the fingertips reaching down towards the floor.  The back of the head should touch the wall with the eye gaze and chin remaing level.

And now close the eyes and feel the strength in your body, the firm foundation you have created as you are supported by the earth, and the quieting of the mind as your awareness draws inward to connect you with your spirit.

Namaste

Namaste,

Happy New Year to all of you and your families!  We wish all of you many blessings and good health for 2009.  We are excited to bring new classes/workshops and new instructors to our sanctuary and to you. Through you, we have been building a wonderful community of celebration. Seaside Yoga has been blessed to remain open for our community and will continue spreading mind, body, spirit wellness and peace through the practice of yoga. We begin the new year with renewed enthusiasm and hope to see you all in class and welcoming our new instructors.

Today is the day to enjoy each moment fully - not brood about the past or obsess about the future.  Every moment is an opportunity presented to us to become more aware by slowing down our pace of life, loving ourselves and others, accepting that where we are in life is where we are meant to be, and knowing the difference between what we can change and what we cannot.  Love living in the NOW.  Together we continue the beautiful journey of life.

In Light and Love,

Laura McKinnon

Seaside Yoga Sanctuary

New Classes/Updates

**Gentle Yoga with Barbara will not be held, Tues.  Jan 6th.  Class resumes on Januarty 13th**

• Tai Chi  Wednesdays, 12:00-1:00pm with Jeff Barnard Jorgensen

TAI CHI SHORT FORMThis form can be learned easily, is a gentle, complete workout for every joint and muscle, and can be performed in a few minutes.

Derived from Wu style Tai Chi, this form was intended to be simple enough to learn in childhood and gentle enough to practice into very old age. It works with the breath, energetic meridian system, spinal cord and endocrine glands to reduce stress, reverse the effects of aging, build the immune system, and promote freedom of movement, balance and grace. The instructor will explain the impact of each move on the body and psyche.

• Qi Gong Fridays, 12:00-1:00pm with Jeff Barnard Jorgensen

QI GONG FOR HEALTH AND HAPPINESS

Qi gong, pronounced “Chee gong” means “energy skill”. Derived from shamanism, it is the mother art of acupuncture, acupressure, Chinese yoga, and many systems of martial arts, massage, meditation and self healing.

In this class, we will focus on low impact movement forms, postures, and energetic training to promote vibrant energy, health, physical youthfulness, joy, and creativity. Qi gong can be used both to meet health challenges, and build strengths.

Students with severe health challenges should let the instructor know, and let their primary healthcare provider know they are starting qi gong. We can customize training to meet individual needs. In some cases, students and physicians will find it useful to lower or discontinue medication levels. Qi gong is movement-challenge friendly; it can be adapted to serve anyone from quadriplegics to professional athletes.

Individual sessions to assist healing or personal growth, including qi gong body work and personal training, are available on request.

About Jeff

Jeff Tukum Barnard Jorgensen began studying internal martial arts in 1970. After a few years his interest in martial prowess waned, but he remained fascinated with the concept of internal energy and the links between mind, body and emotion. He learned acupressure and Chinese medicine, and began studying qi gong and internal yoga systems in 1980. He also began studying Native American Medicine and was adopted by a traditional American Indian healer. He also trained in western emergency medicine, which he still teaches. He is certified as a Master of Medical Qi Gong and is happy to answer questions or talk over individual interests; phone number is 831-655-3565, or e-mail barneyphil@hotmail.com. Thanks!

• Community Yoga  Mondays 12:00-12:45pm and Sundays  4:00-5:00pm with Bonnie Burns

Both classes by donation (suggested $10)

Click here for class info http://www.seasideyogasanctuary.com/classes.html#community

Click here for Bonnie’s bio http://www.seasideyogasanctuary.com/about.html#bonnie

• Yoga for EveryBODY Saturdays 11:00-12:00pm with Jeannie Walker Class by donation (suggested $10)

This class is appropriate for every BODY and people who have never done yoga. Emphasis will be on increasing range of motion and flexibility by connecting movement with the breath. Yoga postures while seated in chairs are also offered in this class. This class is appropriate for any physical condition.

New Series

• 4 Week Beginner Series  Tuesdays, 6:00-7:15pm (Jan. 6-27) with Laura McKinnon  Cost $50
• 6 Week Prenatal Yoga  Thursdays, 6:00-8:00pm (Jan. 8-Feb. 12) with Michelle Spencer  Cost $85

Upcoming Workshops/Events

Click on links for workshop and registration details

• Saturday & Sunday, Jan 10th and 11th  Afternoons with Kofi Busai

 1:00-4:30pm http://seasideyogasanctuary.com/blog/?page_id=118

• Saturday, January 17th  Seaside’s Community Dance Boogie

http://seasideyogasanctuary.com/blog/?page_id=122

• Saturday, Jan 24th 12:30-2:00pm Free Introductory Workshop

The Anat Baniel Method with Jacqueline Van Ness

http://seasideyogasanctuary.com/blog/?page_id=123

Namaste,

‘Tis the Season! Let us celebrate life and express gratitude for all that is good. May the joy of the holiday season be upon us all.  Seaside Yoga has much to be thankful for - it has been a great year building community and sharing our love of the yoga practice.  Our studio has already received a huge blessing this week. Because of financial struggles, it appeared we would have to close our doors at the end of the month, but the landlord has offered us a reduced rent to help us stay open.  We are staying open, but we still need your support.  In the season of giving, the studio and our continued success could benefit from any monetary donation.

We thank each and everyone of you for your continued support this past year and look forward to many new things we have planned for the New Year!  There will be second email later this month, announcing new classes for January and other events to come.

In Peace, Light, and Love,
Laura McKinnon, Owner/RYT

New Yoga Class! Gentle Yoga w/ Jeannie Walker, Thursdays 3:30-4:45pm A beginning practice that emphasizes increasing range of motion through gentle movement and breath.

Massage with Michelle Spencer

Michelle  is now available for massage at the yoga studio!  Michelle currently teaches Hatha yoga, prenatal and post natal yoga at the studio and is moving her massage practice to our space.  Michelle offers therapeutic massage, Thai Yoga massage, and Reiki.  For more information on her specialities, visit www.salambayoga.com.  To schedule a massage with Michelle, call 831.747-4367

Theta Healing

Jeannie Alcouloumre, Certified Theta Practitioner

Theta is a process that uses scientific principles of applied kinesiology in conjunction with ancient wisdom and your inner power to reveal self-sabotaging beliefs hidden in the subconscious.  This process cancels and replaces the hidden negatives beliefs with new self-empowering beliefs.  When the subconscious is aligned with your conscious intentions, you feel empowered in every area of your life - your relationships, your work, your connection to yourself.

To conact Jeannie, call 831.643.1334

“When we forget what we should be, we find what we are.”

~ Daniel Levin

Namaste

Thank you to all of you who attended our open house and anniversary celebration!  We had many new faces joining our regular students and we were truly honored by everyone’s presence.  We look forward to continuing to grow our yoga community and inspire others to learn about yoga.  Our fall schedule brings even more classes to the schedule and a new instructor to the studio.

As mother nature transitions into the fall season we can reflect upon our own transitions in life. Without hesitation the leaves on trees turn colors, the wind becomes more brisk, and the sun begins to set earlier in the day.  Let us be reminded that we too can transition in life by letting go of our attachments to how we think things should be and finding the beauty in how things already are.

With blessings,

We look forward to seeing you at Seaside Yoga Sanctuary!

Class Updates

• Please welcome Barbara Tudhope from Wellsprings Yoga! Barbara brings a wealth of expertise in her teaching and practice of yoga. She will be teaching a Gentle Yoga class on Tuesdays from 3:30-4:45pm beginning Oct. 7th. We are excited to have her as part of our studio and the addition of her class!
• 4 Week Beginner Series  Tuesdays, 6-7pm (10/7, 10/14, 10/21, 10/21)  Cost of series is $45.  Call 899.YOGA or email seasideyoga@sbcglobal.net
• New evening Hatha Yoga class!  Every Wednesday evening, 5:30-6:30pm with Natalie Lott.
• New class!  Restorative Yoga with Michelle Spencer.  Tuesdays, 12:30-1:45pm
• 6 Week Parental Yoga Series with Michelle Spencer.  Thursdays, 6-8pm Series dates 10/2, 10/9, 10/16, 10/23, 10/30, & 11/6.  Cost of series is $85 or $16 drop-in
• New! 4 Week Post Natal Yoga Series with Michelle.  Fridays, 11:00-12:00pm  We encourage you to bring your infant with you to class. 10/3, 10/10, 10/17, 10/24 Cost for series $45 or $14 drop-in

Upcoming Workshops

• Autumn One Day Women’s Retreat  Saturday, October 18th, 11:00-5:00pm

Enjoy a morning practice designed to help balance hormones and address imbalances of the menstrual cycle, menstruation, and menopause.  There will be lunch, followed by meditation, discussion group, and full hour and half restorative yoga practice.

Cost: $95 Advance Registration/ $125 after October 10th

Registration: Call 831.899.YOGA or email seasideyoga@sbcglobal.net

Save the date!

• Saturday & Sunday, November 1st & 2nd  Yoga with Janet MacLeod
• Saturday, November 8th Restorative Yoga with Denise Wendler  11:00am -1:00pm

“Words fail to convey the total value of yoga.

It has to be experienced.”

-B.K.S. Iyengar

Summer has almost arrived!  Thoughts of summer can bring lots of excitement: the days growing longer, vacations planned, BBQ’s being fired up, late night conversations around the campfire, curling up with your favorite book, or the carefree feeling of a summer breeze through your hair.  Our own yoga practice can help us appreciate the change in seasons and activities, as nature has its own pace in life.  Never rushed and never late.  May we enjoy the beauty of each moment in our lives.

My summer wish for each of you,

Experience love, experience joy and compassion, experience life - Experience yoga

Namaste,
Laura McKinnon, Owner, RYT

Bring a friend to yoga!

Spread the joy of yoga by bringing a friend to class with you at Seaside Yoga Sanctuary!  Class cost is only $5 for your friend and $5 will be taken off of your class or applied to your next punch card!

*(Referrals are valid for new students to studio during June, July, & August)

New classes

Kid’s Yoga:  4 week series, Wednesdays 4:00-4:45pm  Begins June 4th!

Cost: $45 for series ($10 of each add’l child)

Toddler & Me Yoga: Sunday mornings, 10:00-10:45am  Begins June 1st!

Cost: $14 for toddler & parent/ $55 for 5 classes/ $100 for 10 classes /$5 each add’l child

6 Week Beginner Series: Wednesdays, 5:30-6:30pm Begins June 4th

Have you always wondered what that yoga thing was all about?  Are you looking to decrease stress/anxiety or gain strength and flexibility? Find out what yoga has to offer the mind, body, and spirit through our next beginner series!  Yoga can improve posture and maintain a healthy spine, improve circulation through proper breathing and stretching, build balance and stamina, reduce fatigue and improve sleep and diet, boost your immunity, ease chronic pain, calm the mind and build inner peace, and so much more! Our next beginner series starts soon! We’d love for you to join us!Series dates: June 4th, June 11th, June 18th, June 25th, July 2nd, and July 9 Total cost of series $65. Payment due in full by first session.

Yoga for Beginners:Saturday mornings, 9:45-10:45am Begins June 7th!

with Kara Engle

This class introduces the beginner to basic alignment in a gentle vinyasa flow style that emphasizes the connection between the body, mind, and breath.

This class will be on the schedule every Saturday - regular class fees apply

Changes to existing classes:

New class time for yoga on Mondays with Michelle Spencer!

Class is now from 9:15-10:30am (beginning June 2nd)

Please welcome David Barth to the studio!

Teaching Thursday evenings from 6:00-7:15pm.

“Within this fathomlong body is found all of the teachings, is found suffering, the cause of suffering, and the end of suffering.” — Buddha

“I am beginning to learn that it is the sweet, simple things of life which are the real ones after all.”  Laura Ingalls Wilder

Namaste,

We have a few changes this month with our instructors at the studio. We say goodbye to both Maya and Danielle as they are finishing with their studies this semester. Maya graduates from MIIS this month and the studio would like to congratulate her on her accomplishments!  Maya will be leaving the Monterey Peninsula to pursue other endeavors and we wish her the best along her journey.  Danielle will be away for the summer months and returning in the fall for her second year at MIIS.  We hope to have her resume teaching yoga classes when she returns. A big thank you to both Maya and Danielle for their gift of teaching and sharing their knowledge of yoga!

Danielle’s last class will be on Monday, May 5th.  The Monday 7pm class will continue, with Laura McKinnon teaching.

Please welcome David Barth! David will be taking over the Thursday evening class from 6-7:15pm. David has been a long time practicioner of yoga and recently completed his 200 hour Teacher training/Advanced Studies at Yoga High in Salinas.  He also brings a wealth of knowledge of the physical body to his yoga practice, as he is a Certified Massage Practicioner with 15 years of experience. The format of the thursday evening class will be similar to Maya’s, with incorporating basic alignment principles and breath awareness into the vinyasas.

Upcoming Workshops

Understanding Inversions with John Hayden

Saturday, May 3rd  1:30-4:30 pm $45

Click on link below for details

http://seasideyogasanctuary.com/blog/?page_id=4

Thai Yoga Massage with Michelle Spencer

Saturday, May 10th 1:30-4:30pm  $45

Click on link below for details

http://seasideyogasanctuary.com/blog/?page_id=4

Yoga with Elise Miller

Saturday, May 31st

Elise Miller is a senior certified Iyengar yoga instructor who specializes in yoga for scoliosis and the health of your spine.

Workshop topic and details to be announced soon. Please keep checking the events page on our website for the workshop announcement.

Prenatal Yoga with Michelle Spencer

The next six week series begins on May 13th.  Prenatal yoga to be held on Tuesday evenings from 6-8pm.  Cost is $85 for entire series or $16 per session.

6 Week Beginner Series

Next beginner series to start Wed, June 4th. Wednesday evenings from 5:30-6:30pm, $65.

Series dates: June 4th, 11th, 18th, 25th, July 2, and July 9.

Kid’s Yoga: 4 week Series

A yoga class just for kids! Ages 6-10.

Coming in June…. stay tuned for further details!

Toddler & Me Yoga

To return in June!  Class day & time to be announced.  Call or email the studio if you have suggestions of what time & day to offer this class.

For children that are walking age up to age 5 and their parents.  A fun class aimed at getting young children active in a way that stimulates creativity and imagination, and gets the whole family moving and stretching together. A good way to introduce healthy activity to small children, and allow parents to explore yoga in a fun, whimsical and noncompetitive manner.

“When the asana is correct, there is a lightness, a freedom. Freedom comes when every part of the body is active. Let us be free in whatever posture we are doing.  Let us be full in whatever we do.” B.K.S. Iyengar