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Be Kind to Yourself on the Mat

One of the first personal breakthroughs I had in my own yoga practice was realizing how critical I was of myself. While I considered myself a kind person to others, I said horrible things to myself all the time! I was reading a book on mantras, I forget which one, but it suggested paying attention to the kinds of thoughts that you habitually repeat to yourself. The idea was to learn to replace these with mantras of your choosing.

Well I learned that I habitually told myself I was inflexible, weak, and ugly. There was a mirror in the room and instead of using it to perfect my alignment I used it to criticize my body. This had to stop.

For a long time I used my yoga mat as a place to practice being kind to myself. Even though it’s not the main intention I work with these days I still retain those habits in my personal practice.

Forrest Inspired Vinyasa

Monday 8:15am

We’ll be working towards Bug on a Windshield asking ourselves, “what part of this pose can I do right now?” each step of the way.

Friday 8:15am

We’ll be flowing in and out of balances poses, learning that the sense of flow comes from within.

Forrest Inspired Basic

Monday 4:30pm

We’ll be opening up our hip flexors.  This class is perfect for those of you who spend your days sitting!

Wednesday 8:15am

We’ll be exploring pigeons and pigeon options. Between Forrest Yoga, Vinyasa, and our creativity there are a lot of ways to be kind to ourselves in a pigeon pose.

Gentle Yoga

Saturday 10:45am

We’ll begin with some luxurious Yin poses and once we’re opened up we’ll move into a gentle flow. Expect to be supporting yourself the whole way.

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Studio News for the week of November 5th

Dear Infinity Students,

Make sure you read through our schedule carefully this week: Mollee’s got subs for her classes and Eri’s SomaYoga is beginning this Tuesday. It’s Eri’s last series this year, so you don’t want to miss it.

We’re also excited about a new partnership with Bluff Country Co-op! Read more about this in the upcoming events.

Have a great week of practice!
Elle

Teacher Feature:

Speaking of changes in our schedule, you will also find that Alanna’s class has changed names. It’s now Asana with Alanna. For those of you who know Alanna, you can imagine her delight at the alliteration! Even beyond the poetics, this name is a good a fit for her teaching style. In Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, asana is defined as a “steady, comfortable posture.” which describes Alanna’s teaching style perfectly!

Alanna’s training is in Vinyasa Yoga through Yogafit, but her personal practice and teaching is shaped by 15 years of Iyengar Yoga. Her classes feature Iyengar inspired alignment, and gentle Vinyasa cuing. Alanna often uses props in her teaching to help students support themselves in poses. Beginners have nothing to fear, as her classes move at an accessible pace, and Alanna is a pro at helping students find the right version of a pose for them.

Asana with Alanna is taught in an 8-week series as a way to help her experienced students build towards more complex poses, while still maintaining an accessible environment for the newbie. As Alanna discovered in her own practice, this kind of consistency has rewards. One week’s class sets you up for the next. Alanna describes her own experience with her teacher, Francie Ricks: “Many times I’d find myself craving poses without knowing it was the theme for that night’s class.” Alanna’s goal is to give her own students the opportunity to experience what a consistent rhythm of practice can do for them.

Though students are welcome to drop in any time, it is especially rewarding to attend all 8 classes in the series. For those of you planning to attending all 8, stay tuned: Alanna and I are creating  some special pricing to reward you for your commitment. The next series will run November 29th – Jan 24th (no class Jan. 3rd).

This Week’s Class Themes

Upcoming Events:

SomaYoga with Eri Fujieda

Tuesdays 5:30-6:45pm
Nov. 6, 13, 20
Instructor: Eri Fujieda

Eri is leading the last SomaYoga series of the year in November.

 

Restorative Yoga and Yoga Nidra with April

When: Last Sunday of the Month 6-7:15pm
Cost: $10 drop in or Infinity Card Punch

Would you like to bring more relaxation to your week and help your body in its natural healing processes? If so, Restorative yoga and Yoga Nidra may be good choices for you. After some gentle movements and restorative yoga, we will settle in to a Yoga Nidra practice.

Lunchtime Gentle Yoga at Bluff Country Co-op

Tuesdays 12:05-12:50pm
Dec. 18th, Jan 15th, Feb 19th
Instructor: Mollee Sheehan

Make a lunch date with your yoga mat at the Co-op!

Bluff Country Co-op has partnered with us to offer you a free yoga class in the Co-op’s Community Room on the 2nd Tuesday of each month. De-stress and re-focus while getting your yoga fix during the lunch hour. This all-levels 45-minute yoga sequence will help create balance in the body and mind and, of course, connect with and honor the light within us all.

Space is limited. Please RSVP at 507-452-1815.

Schedule for Oct.  29 – Nov. 4

Unless otherwise noted, all classes run an hour.

Monday:

8:15am Forrest Inspired Vinyasa – Elle
4:30pm Forrest Inspired Basics – Elle

Tuesday:

12:05-12:50pm Lunchtime Gentle Yoga – Pat
5:30-6:45pm SomaYoga – Eri
7pm Interval Flow – Hailey

Wednesday:

8:15am Forrest Inspired Basics – Elle
9:30am Qi Gong and T’ai Chi –  Lynn
12:05pm Pilates Fusion – Deb
7:30pm SomaYoga – Eri

Thursday:

9am  Nia – Jacque
5:50pm Asana – Alanna

Friday:

8:15am  Forrest Inspired Vinyasa – Elle
9:30am  Qi Gong and T’ai Chi – Lynn

Saturday:

9am Qi Gong – Lynn
10:45am Gentle Yoga – Elle

Sunday:

6-7:15pm Restorative and Yin Yoga – April

 

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Asana with Alanna Themes

Alanna teaches her Asana class with a cycle of themes, beginning with Standing Poses and ending with Twisted Postures, with a Restorative Yoga class in the middle.

Each class is an in depth exploration of the theme, with poses suited for beginners as well as opportunities for advanced students to practice more complex poses. Though students are welcome to pick and choose the classes they attend, you will make the most progress by attending all of them. Make sure you check out our weekly newsletter to learn about the current week’s theme.

  1. Standing poses
  2. Seated postures
  3. Inversions
  4. Restorative Yoga
  5. Forward Folds
  6. Backbend/ heart opening
  7. Twisting poses.
  8. Restorative Yoga
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Learn to Love Back Bends with Elle

I’ll admit it, there was a time, not very long ago, that I avoided any class with a backbend theme. So I thought I would share a little of my own journey that helped me appreciate backbends in my own practice, and hopefully made me a better teacher.

If you already love backbends and are just curious about themes, skip to the bottom.

I understood how opening up my front body would help those tense spots in-between my shoulders feel better. I understood how opening through my front body could help me into that oh- so-lovely energetic open heart feeling. Hate might be too strong of a word but I really really really really really REALLY didn’t like backbends.

The road to enjoying backbends wasn’t a short one for me. First came acceptance of my mobility the way it was. Rather than force myself, or internally repeating things like “I’m not good at this, my back doesn’t bend this  way, I don’t like this, I don’t like this, please be over…” to myself while I practiced,  I relaxed. I promised myself that I wouldn’t push myself too far, I decided it was okay with me that I didn’t move that way… in other words I found acceptance; I just accepted the sensations.

Slowly, though, my ribcage started to relax and open. I had been working with Sharon Mansur in private somatic sessions and she noticed how rigidly I held my ribcage. When she first asked me to relax it towards the ground while I was laying on the ground I had no idea that was a part of my body that I could move! But I started getting curious and playing with softening through my ribcage, finding mobility there.

I noticed a new openness in my low cobras in Sun Salutations as well. Lo and behold, it was becoming not just a pose I had to get through to be able to get to Down Dog, but a pose I enjoyed. It was starting to actually feel good to open up.

In classes like the ones we’ll have this week where we are purposely exploring backbends, we will warm up and support ourselves with care. Talk to me about any injuries or concerns you have before class and we can make sure your backbend experiences are good ones.

Forrest Inspired Vinyasa

Monday 8:15am

Warm up and open up to your week. As you might know ,Mondays are usually inversion days. Uncertain how backbends relate to inversions? You’ll have to show up to find out!

Friday 8:15am

Bring your backbends into Sun Salutations and B Series with Vignettes. For those of you who have already had a backbend class or two this week, this will be the perfect way to celebrate your newfound openness and recover from any soreness. If this is the only class you make this week, it will be a great refresher on getting the most out of your cobras.

Basics

Monday 4:30pm and Wednesday 8:15am

We’ll be getting into the nitty gritty of how to support yourself. This is a great class if you want to spend time getting deeper into your backbends, and it’s a great class to address your questions. Let me know what your questions and concerns are ahead of time so I can better support you.

Gentle Yoga

Saturday 10:45am

Ahhh, heart openers. If you’ve been practicing with me all week, don’t miss this class. And of course it’s great for everyone looking for a gentler practice as well. We’ll explore the nuances of opening up within your range of motion using gentle backbends and lots of support. We’ll end with a delicious heart opening meditation.

 

 

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CranioSacral Therapy

CranioSacral Therapy (CST) is a gentle, hands-on approach that releases tensions deep in the body,  relieves pain and dysfunction, and improves whole-body health and performance.

Through the end of the year, CranioSacral Therapy is just $40!

Meet our Practitioners:

Laura Graybar: Massage Therapist, CranioSacral Therapy Practitioner

Sharon Mansur: Massage Therapist, Reiki Master Practitioner, Somatic Educator, Craniosacral Therapy Practitioner

and Sydney Swanson: Office Manager, Nutrition Response Testing (NRT) Practitioner, Reiki Practitioner, CranioSacral Therapy Practitioner

Continue reading “CranioSacral Therapy”

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Studio News for Week of Oct. 29th

 

This week our featured instructor is Hailey Richter, who developed Interval Flow at the request of Dr. Kristin Noble.  It’s the perfect class for a yogi who wants more cardio in their life without spending hours on a treadmill. Interval Flow is yoga-inspired HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) class. Hailey demonstrates moves that are perfect for the beginner as well as more advanced versions once you’ve built up your strength.

Check out this video to learn more about Interval Flow and get an idea of what a class entails.

This Week’s Class Themes

  • Mollee Sheehan – Happy Hips
  • Alanna Pelowski – Heart Opening
  • Jacque Paulsen – This week we will be focusing on the base of the body:  Feet, Knees, and Pelvis.  Learn More Here.
  • Elle Newman – Cultivate Joy. Learn More Here.

Upcoming Events:

SomaYoga with Eri

Tuesdays 5:30-6:45pm
Nov. 6, 13, 20

Eri is leading one more SomaYoga series this year this November.

Schedule for Oct.  29 – Nov. 4

Monday:
8:15am Forrest Inspired Vinyasa – Elle
4:30pm Forrest Inspired Basics – Elle

Tuesday:
12:05-12:50pm Lunchtime Gentle Yoga – Mollee
7pm Interval Flow – Hailey

Wednesday:
8:15am Forrest Inspired Basics – Elle
9:30am Qi Gong and T’ai Chi –  Lynn
12:05pm Pilates Fusion – Deb
7:30pm Candlelight Yoga – Mollee

Thursday:
9am  Nia – Jacque
5:50pm All Levels Vinyasa – Alanna

Friday:
8:15am  Forrest Inspired Vinyasa – Elle
9:30am  Qi Gong and T’ai Chi – Lynn

Saturday:
9am Qi Gong – Lynn
10:45am Gentle Yoga – Elle

Sunday:
6-7:15pm Restorative and Yin Yoga – April

*unless otherwise noted, all classes run an hour.

 

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Nurture Your Joy with Elle

Cultivating joy in my life both on and off my mat is an important part of my personal practice, and I love to share it as an instructor. Every time we choose to attend to our practice, and to ourselves, it’s like we’re storing up joy for our future. We’re taking care of our future selves’ mind, body, and spirit!

Any practice that is truly transformative will have its challenges but that doesn’t mean every moment is drudgery. Even within in a single pose, part of us might be working hard, but then another part of us gets to release.

This week (10/29 – 11/3)  in class we’ll be tracking down and growing our joy. Below is an idea of what you can expect in my classes.

Forrest Inspired Vinyasa

Monday 8:15am:

Turn your frown upside down with inversions.

Friday 8:15am:

Joyflow. Using Sun Salutations and Flowing poses as a metaphor we’ll explore following your Joy.

Forrest Inspired Basics

Monday 4:30pm, Wednesday 8:15am

Using the wall as support, we’ll explore triangle, half moon, and more.

Gentle Yoga

Saturday 10:45am

We’ll be playing with balance poses and ending with a meditation geared towards brining more joy into our weekends.

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Studio News week of Oct. 21st

Hello, as you can see this newsletter is moving to our new Infinity Blog. Just as before you’ll get each week’s schedule along with upcoming events in your inbox, but in a beautiful new format with more information.

To start things out we’re featuring Lynn Carlson this week. She’s not only our Qi Gong and T’ai Chi instructor at Infinity, she is responsible for the beautiful murals on the walls.

This video is filmed on the land behind Lynn’s house. It’s so inspiring to watch Lynn practice in a nature setting, especially one that she loves.

This Week’s Class Themes

Upcoming Events:

SomaYoga with Eri

Tuesdays 5:30-6:45pm
Nov. 6, 13, 20

Eri is leading one more SomaYoga series this year this November.

Schedule for Oct 22-28th

Monday:
8:15am Forrest Inspired Vinyasa – Elle
4:30pm Forrest Inspired Basics – Elle

Tuesday:
12:05-12:50pm Lunchtime Gentle Yoga – Mollee
7pm Interval Flow – Hailey

Wednesday:
8:15am Forrest Inspired Vinyasa – Elle
9:30am Qi Gong and T’ai Chi –  Lynn
12:05pm Pilates Fusion – Deb
7:30pm Candlelight Yoga – Mollee

Thursday:
9am  Nia – Jacque
5:50pm All Levels Vinyasa – Alanna

Friday:
8:15am  Forrest Inspired Vinyasa – Elle
9:30am  Qi Gong and T’ai Chi – Lynn

Saturday:
9am Qi Gong – Lynn
10:45am Gentle Yoga – Elle

Sunday:
6-7:15pm Restorative and Yoga Nidra – April

*unless otherwise noted, all classes run an hour.

 

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Restorative Yoga and Yoga Nidra

Every last Sunday of the Month April leads Yoga Nidra.

Yoga Nidra is often referred to as “yogic sleeping” and is a guided meditative practice almost anyone can do. Yoga Nidra is very gentle and only requires that you can lie comfortably on the floor or sit comfortably in a chair and follow the sound of April’s voice during your time together.

Practitioners of yoga nidra often say that 20 minutes of yoga nidra is equivalent to two hours of sleep, and the benefits of the practice continue outside of the time spent in class.

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Lets Get Our Twist On

I almost went with the more yogic sounding title, “Unwinding to Unwind” but I’ve been singing, “Come on Baby Lets Do the Twist” all day.

Below are the ideas I have for my classes this week. Please reach out to me if you have any questions or concerns.

See you on the mat!

~Elle Newman

Forrest Inspired Vinyasa:

Monday 8:15am

We’ll start the week by getting twisted! Expect eagle arms and legs added to poses you love, as well as some extra twists in sun salutations and standing poses.

Friday 8:15am

Fridays are typically flowing classes and this is no exception, we’ll wind our way into twists and binds to enjoy unwinding and opening up.

Forrest Inspired Basics:

Monday 4:30pm and Wednesday 8:15am 

We’ll be exploring and unlocking the mysteries of outer and inner rotation in our warriors and down dogs. Learn how practicing with this awareness can strengthen your poses.

Gentle Yoga

Saturday 10:45am 

Expect to gently wring out the stress of your week. This gentle winding/unwinding practice is designed to sooth your mind and leave you feeling centered and relaxed.