Willow Street Yoga Winter/Spring Session 2014 January 13 – May 18 (18 Weeks)
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willow street yoga winter/spring session 2014 january 13 – may 18 (18 weeks) Practice for Life by Natalie Miller Practice is the Here’s my thesis: it’s precisely when we feel like we have no time to care for ourselves that we most require self-care. It’s when we’re “too busy” to practice yoga that we most benefit from practicing yoga. It’s another to-do for the list, self-keeping yes, but it’s the one that helps us evaluate and accomplish all the other to-dos. I’ll illustrate, if you’ll come along for an extended metaphor: Late one evening, chatting in the parking lot after yoga class, friends and I lingered and talked housework. In a swirl that empowers of complaints cheered by camaraderie, we compared how many times we'd sweep the kitchen in a given day, sighing and shaking our heads at how dirty the floors get as four-leggeds and children tromp across them, as they’re littered all the other with construction-paper cuttings and toast crumbs. THIS is what the yoga’s for, we agreed: the ability to pick up the broom, to wipe the counter (again. again. again.) aspects of without gritting our teeth, the ability to see the mess not as a nuisance, but instead as proof of abundance, of a home brimming with blessings and life. our living. It is Like our floors and countertops, our bodies and heart-minds host our endeavors. Hips, shoulders, and headspace collect residues physical and energetic of a day of gardening, carrying a baby, biking to work, pouring soul into a document at the desktop or into the strings of a guitar. The effects of our work, our play, and our responsibilities the to-do for the are strewn across our bodies and often clutter our brains. This is what the yoga’s for: seeing our achy bodies and tired minds not as nuisance—not as top of the list. evidence that we’re overwhelmed or aging or weak or unwell—but rather as proof of life abundant and well-lived. This shift in feeling and perspective is helpful, and it’s only sustained through practice. For no matter how much love and life we can see in the mess, let’s face it: even a mess of abundance will begin eventually to crowd the joy out of life. Skip a day of housekeeping and we may hardly notice. Skip a week, and the stuff of life begins to pile up. The busier life is, the faster the mountains of laundry and countertop clutter will grow. And, of course, the busier we are, the more we require the ease that housekeeping, with its drawers full of clean socks and project-ready tabletops, affords us. Just as it’s easy to lose keys in a messy house, it’s easy to lose center and perspective in a hectic life. I know that when I get stuck whirling about the wheel of life’s busyness, my focus scatters and energy drains. I scramble to take care of business, and I stop taking care of myself. Practice seems like an extra rather than a must. It’s easy to forget that just like we need to sweep clear our floors, we need to sweep clear our selves. Practice does this: helps us to cultivate ease in our bodies and clarity in our self-perspective. While practice is often enjoyable, and may seem like a treat, in fact it is essential self- keeping. It tidies our posture, so we stand tall literally and figuratively. It fosters strength in our bodies and focus in our minds, helping us to be grounded and clear, calm and bright. continues on page 2 new years projects 3 class schedule 4-5 six-week specials 6-7 workshops 8-10 how to register 11 Practice. Like Your Life Depends on It. (continued) Perhaps most importantly, practice expands our awareness, so we are able see ourselves, our willow lives, our situations more clearly. By clearing and calming our headspace, practice enables us to prioritize—and invest in—the pursuits that resonate with our deepest intentions. It helps us to street yoga see—and let go of—the stuff that makes more mess than it’s worth. In this way, practice rekin- dles and fuels the power and joy that comes from living what we love. Practice is the self-keeping that empowers all the other aspects of our living. It is the to-do for the top of the list. winter/spring session 2014 january 13 – may 18 (18 weeks) start young: yoga for kids about Willow Street Yoga Center is one of the DC area’s most renowned yoga studios, with specials spacious studios in downtown Silver Spring and old town Takoma Park. We offer over 130 classes each week to students of all Games, stories, songs, and rhymes help little ones explore yoga poses, breathing techniques, and ages and experience levels. ways of being calm and centered—all at the appropriate level for their development. Parents may use missed classes as make-ups for themselves. Our rigorously trained faculty offer classes kids s in sessions—like semesters—so they can Seeds! Yoga for Crawlers ' Mondays, 10:45-11:30am Silver Spring help you progressively build skills, strength, to 2-year-olds w/Ylla Bishop, Feb 24-Mar 31 & Apr 7-May 12 and flexibility. To accommodate your busy Fridays, 9:45-10:30am s Takoma Park schedule, we have a generous make-up w/Rebecca Gitter, Jan 17-Feb 21, Feb 28-Apr 4, & Little Families s policy which allows you to make up missed Apr 11-May 16 Sundays, 12:00-12:45pm Takoma Park classes in any other class that is appro- s Mondays, 9:45-10:30am Silver Spring w/Rebecca Gitter, Jan 19-Feb 23 priate for your level. You can make up a w/Ylla Bishop, Mar 2-Apr 6 missed class any time during the session— w/Ylla Bishop, Feb 24-Mar 31, & Apr 7-May 12 w/Rebecca Gitter, Apr 13-May 18 in advance of a planned absence, or after Sprouts! Yoga for 2- to 4-year-olds an unexpected one. s Fridays, 10:45-11:30am Takoma Park Itsy-Bitsy Baby s w/Rebecca Gitter, Jan 17-Feb 21, Feb 28-Apr 4 & Sundays, 2:30-3:30pm Takoma Park admin staff Apr 11-May 16 w/Rebecca Gitter, Mar 2-Apr 6 Joe and Natalie Miller s co-directors codirectors at willowstreetyoga dot com Joy Kirstin administrative director ChildLight Yoga Teacher Trainings manager at willowstreetyoga dot com 301.270.8038 ext. 14 w/Jen Mueller and Rebecca Gitter Erin Pendergrass registrar January 17-19, Silver Spring registrar at willowstreetyoga dot com 301.270.8038 ext. 15 Yoga4Classrooms Professional Development Workshop Mailing address & Takoma Park Studio: This one-day workshop is appropriate for all K-12 class- 6930 Carroll Ave., Suite 100 room teachers (with special focus on primary school), Takoma Park, MD 20912 administrators, school counselors, phys ed teachers, 301.270.8038 health educators, therapists, paraprofessionals and other school professionals seeking to bring simple yoga and Silver Spring Studio: mindfulness techniques into the classroom or similar 8561 Fenton Street setting for a more peaceful, productive class day. Silver Spring, MD 20910 website: willowstreetyoga.com ChildLight Yoga Kids’ Teacher Training Are you seeking ways to incorporate yoga into your email: yoga at willowstreetyoga dot com current work with children aged 2-12, or are you looking to begin teaching kids’ yoga as a career? Directions to WSYC Become a Certified ChildLight Yoga Instructor! We have metro-line locations in downtown Silver Spring, and old town Takoma Park. ChildLight Yoga provides evidence-based yoga edu- Visit www.willowstreetyoga.com for complete cation to children in schools and communities, and directions and parking tips. to professionals whose work supports the well-being of children. It is our mission to teach strategies that A help children and youth develop resilience, positive Printed on perceptions, good health habits and mindful awareness. 100% postconsumer recycled paper. To register and/or ask questions about these offerings, please contact ChildLight directly: www.childlightyoga.com or 603-343-4116. 2 winter/spring 2014 save the date new year’s evolution Warriors at Ease Training Yoga for Learning to Live What You Love 13 weeks of self-study w/Natalie Miller June 19-22 Warriors at Ease brings the Thursdays, 7:30-9:30pm; Jan 2 - Apr 3 healing power of yoga and (no class Jan 23) in Silver Spring meditation to military communities Slow down. around the world, especially Life in the 21st century is full and fast-paced. As our those affected by combating busyness gets the best of us, we find ourselves feeling Open your eyes. stress, PTSD, and trauma. We do scattered, depleted, and ultimately unable to enjoy the Life is a blessing, this by training and deploying life we’re working so hard to have. As we hurry and hustle, certified mind-body professionals somewhere deep in our hearts there’s a whisper: Slow down. and you’re to settings where they can enhance Open your eyes. Life is a blessing, and you’re missing it. missing it. the health and well-being of Yoga can help us heed this inner wisdom, especially if we take it servicemembers, veterans, families, out of the studio and into our daily living. This New Year’s Evolution and healthcare staff. Project is part weekly yoga class, part book club, and part rigorous This specialized course focuses self-examination, all designed to help us tackle a big project: figuring out on: (1) understanding how to work what’s keeping us from living what we love, and what to do about it.