Notes from Nina
Each weekend I send out the schedule for the following week along with a quick update on all things Yoga with Nina G
Gold Medal Yoga
Dear friends,
Often in class, I remind my students to do what feels right in their bodies - there is no standard or goal that we need to meet in a pose. I use the phrase "There are no yoga police here." Someone chuckles, everyone relaxes, and class continues.
That's yoga. Yoga is more than just a shape or a pose. It's the sensation, the exploration, the adjusting and noticing. Yoga is learning about how our body, mind, and breath work together and affect the nervous system. It's about connecting to ourselves, and through that, connecting to each other and the universe.
So, you can imagine my surprise to learn that there is an effort underway to add yoga to the Olympics!
There is a group called Yogasana (from India) that has grouped yoga postures into judged disciplines. The photos of all of the 'bendiness' are incredible. All of the people are smiling brightly.
Whether or not yoga is added to the Olympic schedule (perhaps in 2036) doesn't bother me. All of those super-flexible people can compete for gold, silver, and bronze medals - though I'd probably load up on the muscle relaxant cream and massages now!
For me though, yoga is a not sport with rules. I come to my yoga practice to relax, not to be judged. It gives me a sanctuary to explore my own being. I hope that I convey that to you in my classes as well.
So whether you practice yoga standing up or sitting in a chair, whether you are hyper flexible or have a restricted range of motion, our yoga class is a judgment free zone. You took time out of your busy day to tune into yourself. That alone is gold medal quality in my book!
Please join me in your practice.
Love & yoga,
Nina G
Strength & Beauty
Dear friends,
If you practiced with me live last week, you may recall that my class had the theme of strength & beauty in our movement. It was an energizing class, and we explored strengthening moves as well as beautiful breath-led flows. I had fun creating it and practicing with you!
This week, we're going to look at strength & beauty again, but this time we will explore their effect on our stillness. Yes, we will move, but we'll be pausing between sequences to notice.
Why stillness? Well, there's a lot of unfettered movement out there right now. There's wind and rain as we begin this transition to fall. There's lots of media noise about the upcoming election. And there are plenty of Halloween skeletons hanging around too!
In general, there's a lot happening and sometimes it feels like things are spinning out of control.
But let's not be overwhelmed. We can pause and move into stillness to process the information that we receive. We might even find some silence in that stillness. And then, refreshed, we can approach the challenges of the day again.
We know that yoga isn't a quick fix, but it offers tools to help us cope. That's why I keep practicing.
Love in stillness,
Nina G
Unexpected Intrusions of Beauty
“Unexpected intrusions of beauty. This is what life is.”
Dear friends,
Just a reminder to watch for those unexpected intrusions of beauty. It's the middle of October, with plenty of sun and blue skies. Where I live, the tips of the leaves are starting to change color. There are mums, sunflowers, and lovely combinations of flora and pumpkins all over the place.
Sunflowers!
The weather will change in the next few days. The colorful beauty of this moment will fade, but something else will appear instead.
Let's keep our eyes open to see it.
Love & beauty,
Nina G
Everyday Magic
Dear friends,
I'm back and ready to teach some yoga!! I can't wait to see you this week.
It was a lovely break - I saw beautiful art and scenery and ate wonderful foods. I learned about the history and culture of an area that was new to me.
I blew on an Alpen horn and was able to make a sound!
I returned from my trip and turned the calendar page to October and found this nugget of wisdom. It's a perfect way to describe my adventures!
“Stay open to life’s everyday magic. Who knows what you’ll encounter along the way?”
A gnome-friend in Switzerland!
I look forward to practicing with you.
Love & magic,
Nina G
A Beautiful Thing
“Oh what is that beautiful thing that just happened?”
Hello friends!
When we practice together, we usually begin with a moment to check in with the body, the mind, and the energy level. It's an important part of our time on the mat to be still and to tune into sensations and feelings. There are no right or wrong answers.
As the practice continues to unfold, we take multiple opportunities to pause and notice changes in the body, in the mind, in how we are feeling, and in how we are responding to the practice.
Finally, at the end of our time together, we complete one final check-in. We witness the changes that have happened within us during our practice. We might experience a deeper sense of calm. We might feel more relaxed, more refreshed, or more energized.
Yes, yoga is a practice of movement and poses and balance, but it is also a practice of pausing in the stillness between those activities. Those pauses are just as important as anything else that we do in the practice.
In the pause, we are able to tune into the subtle shifts in our being.
In the pause, we recognize, acknowledge, and honor this change.
It is a beautiful thing.
Love & yoga,
Nina G
Connecting Through the Koshas
Hello friends!
In our practice this month, we have been exploring the koshas. According to yogic tradition, humans have five layers that make up our being. We begin with the outer layer, our physical body. As we look deeper, we find the energy layer, the mental/emotional layer, the wisdom layer, and finally, at the core of our being, we find our heart, our very essence. This is called the anandamaya kosha. Ananda means bliss.
That is an extremely simplistic definition of some very profound ideas! But it's a start to understanding this concept of our humanity.
The anandamaya kosha is where everything meets - we connect with our physical, energetic, emotional, and intuitive selves. We connect with all beings around us. Ancient yoga philosophers spent lifetimes exploring this connection. This is the place where everything merges together, both the internal and the external. It's the place where we become one with the universe. It's our shared inner light.
We might observe glimpses of this grace in our everyday lives. I do. When I teach a live class (whether in-person or on Zoom) I see the connections that you all make with each other. I see your kindness and your interest in supporting others. I witness strangers becoming friends.
The layers peel back and connect.
Community happens.
It's powerful yoga.
Thank you for sharing your inner light with me,
Nina G
August Beauty
Hi friends,
“Flowers... are a proud assertion that a ray of beauty outvalues all the utilities of the world.”
Madison Farmers’ Market
Chicago Botanic Garden
Maine Park
Enjoy the beauty of August!
Love & flowers,
Nina G
News & Notes - August 2026
“August is the great stillness before change. The heat of the summer, the slow drag of days—all of it a long sigh before the winds pick up.”
Dear friends,
Welcome August! Here's what you need to know:
New Video:
There's a new chair yoga video on my channel - Calming Breath. We manipulate the breath and lengthen the exhale in order to bring a sense of calm into the body.
My YouTube channel statistics tell me that the shorter videos are getting more views. I know that we are all busy, so I intentionally made this one less than 20 minutes. Grab your chair and give it a try!
Upcoming Calendar Notes:
The following classes are cancelled this month:
No 7:30 pm class on Wednesday, August 12.
No classes on Monday, August 17.
Love & yoga,
Nina G
Shades of Gray
Hello friends!
I’m not a big fan of the words ALWAYS and NEVER.
The internet is full of them these days, especially in clickbait headlines and listicles: "5 Things You Should NEVER (or ALWAYS) Do as a [gardener/decorator/baker/teacher, etc.]."
A few months ago, having just turned 65, I stumbled across a video that was titled “5 Brands of Shoes Women Over 65 Should NEVER Wear.” You know I had to click on that one. Guess what? I had worn 4 of the 5 pairs on that list – and they were all incredibly comfortable!
Obviously, I’m doing aging all wrong.
I’ve been teaching yoga for 15 years now. When I first started, I was often unsure if I had served my students in the best way possible. I clicked on a few of those ALWAYS/NEVER articles and, wow, was I intimidated. It was clear that I’d NEVER learn the "right" way to teach yoga.
But I kept trying.
I continued my own practice and completed more training. I watched and listened to my students. The more that I did all of these things, the clearer it became: yoga is less about rules and absolutes; yoga is more about possibility.
We have options. We can try different ways to move and breathe and stretch. We can choose how we want to spend our time in this human body.
Life is full of shades of gray – it's not just black and white, always and never.
When we come to our mat, we have the opportunity to explore those spaces in between.
ALWAYS love!
Nina G
The Power of Gathering
“This is the power of gathering: it inspires us, delightfully, to be more hopeful, more joyful, more thoughtful: in a word, more alive”
Dear friends,
The past few days have been busy with family. We gathered here in Chicagoland for a whirlwind weekend of food and fun!
No classes tomorrow. My regular schedule resumes on Tuesday.
Love & joy,
Nina G
A Shift to Stillness
“In an age of speed, I began to think nothing could be more exhilarating than going slow. In an age of distraction, nothing can feel more luxurious than paying attention. And in an age of constant movement, nothing is more urgent than sitting still.”
Dear friends,
It was a crazy weekend here in the Great Lakes Region. Many outdoor activities were cancelled due to extreme heat and abysmal air quality. It was unsafe to go outside.
We had no choice but to slow down and stay indoors.
It shifted things for me - I had a busy weekend planned. I was supposed to go on a walk with some old friends. Instead, we met indoors and shared coffee and a long conversation. My husband and I had a host of outdoor activities planned but stayed inside and watched some fun videos as an alternative.
A shift in plans.
And after a few hectic weeks where I was going full tilt, I suddenly needed to stop all of the activity and slow down.
A shift to stillness.
It was an unexpected opportunity to regroup and center - to slow down and pay attention. I enjoyed the slower pace.
I hope that you did too.
Love in stillness,
Nina G
Connections
“Everything is interwoven, and the web is holy; none of its parts are unconnected. They are composed harmoniously, and together they compose the world.”
Hi friends,
Last week in our in-person and Zoom classes, we practiced the Hakini mudra. By bringing all of our fingertips together, we created a symbolic bridge between both hemispheres of the brain. This is a gesture of integration.
We explored the connection of the body, mind, and spirit in class - searching for harmony between the elements.
We also focused on the integration of breath and movement. Flowing through our sequences became smoother and more fluid when we were intentional with their connection.
Finally, we explored the idea of our interconnectivity as a community - acknowledging our support for each other when we meet and practice. This support carries over and resonates within us even when we're not in class.
No matter the time or the place, we know that the connection is important. It is holy. Our consistent yoga practice offers us a way to witness this harmony and support it. Each time that we step onto the mat, breathe together, and move with intention, we are actively weaving our individual threads together into a stronger web.
We are making connections within ourselves and within our community.
These connections compose the world and heal it too.
Love,
Nina G
News & Notes - July 2026
Hi friends!
I hope that you enjoyed the holiday weekend. Here's what's happening in July:
New Video:
There's a new chair yoga video on my channel - Flourish. We want to flourish and thrive within our own environment, our own circumstances. Grab your chair and try it!
Upcoming Schedule Changes:
Classes are cancelled on the following days this month:
Wednesday, July 15th
Monday, July 27th
As I shared last week, the Monday 8:30 am class is discontinued for the summer. Please join me on Zoom at 4:15 pm on Monday for our Slow Flow yoga mat class.
Summer:
“Where summer settles best is in the soul. In the part of you that remembers not to worry for the moment. To soothe the long ragged edges. To breathe.”
Love & yoga,
Nina G
Flourish this Summer
Hi friends,
We have crossed the calendar into summer. Yay!
Think warm sunshine, lazier days, and wonderful opportunities to explore new things.
To that end, my schedule will shift slightly to match the season.
Our regular class schedule stays the same this week, but beginning on Monday, July 6th, my Zoom schedule will have a slight adjustment:
8:30 AM Class: Cancelled for the summer
4:15 PM Class: Please join me here instead!
The 8:30 am class will return later this year. Take advantage of the change - go for a morning walk. Perhaps meet a friend for breakfast. Read a book outside.
Take time to flourish.
Then be sure to join me for yoga at 4:15 on Monday afternoon!
Love & sunshine,
Nina G
Flourish & Flow
Hi friends,
We'll continue our exploration of flourishing this week. This time, we will move with the breath and begin to flow. When we practice this way, our yoga becomes a moving meditation and a ritual of gratitude. As we bring our intention into each movement, we cultivate our awareness and invite joy into the process.
It is yet another way to acknowledge our connection to something greater than ourselves.
The Butterfly Lady by Francis Akosah
With love & joy,
Nina G
Glimpses of Connection
Hi friends!
I was fortunate to be able to see the new Willem de Kooning exhibit at the Art Institute this past weekend. You may be familiar with this work, Excavation.
Excavation at the Art Institute of Chicago
De Kooning created his art from what he described as fleeting images that he tried to capture with his brush or charcoal. He defined it as: "A glimpse of something, an encounter, you know, like a flash..."
And right away, I thought about yoga.
Our yoga connects us. This is why we practice. Yes, we're moving and stretching and breathing, but we're also reminded that we are all connected.
Connected to each other.
Connected to something greater than ourselves.
It doesn't happen in a big way. We don't take one yoga class and change who we are or what we think.
It happens in smaller fleeting images, or glimpses. We catch them and then they're gone, but we know what we felt. We look again. We catch that glimpse again, and again it's gone. But we know it was there. So we will look again and again.
It's what keeps me coming back to my mat.
I capture a glimpse of connection. I capture a glimpse of something greater. I return and I try to find it again.
I am practicing my art.
I am practicing yoga.
With glimpses of connection,
Nina G
News & Notes - June 2026
Hello my friends!
Here's the news for June:
New Video - There's a new video out on my channel - Ease & Grace. It's about 30 minutes long and we do just that: move with ease & grace! Give it a try.
Flourish - Our practice has turned to the idea of flourish for the month of June. I found another definition of flourish this week. Consider this:
Flourish: the experience of joyful, meaningful growth, shared with others.
Upcoming Calendar Notes - For my friends at the Survivorship Center, be sure to check the CSC calendar for classes that have been switched to Zoom. We are really practicing our flexibility this summer!
For my MaineStreamer friends, this session ends on Tuesday, June 23rd. The next session begins on Tuesday, July 7th. Be sure to sign up!
For my Zoom friends, our June calendar looks pretty much the same. As the school year ends, you may want to consider adding more yoga into your life. I look forward to seeing you!
Love & yoga,
Nina G
Yoga to Nourish
“...and you too have come
into the world to do this, to go easy, to be filled
with light, and to shine.”
Hi friends,
Poet Mary Oliver said it right - we are here on this earth to share our light and to shine.
I like to use the word flourish.
We don't have to be rich or strong to flourish. We just need thrive within our own environment - within our own circumstances.
Often we languish. We just get by. There are enough distractions and roadblocks to keep us inert and occupied.
When we can block out the noise and flourish, we not only lift ourselves, we lift those around us too.
Our yoga practice can help us to flourish. We can connect our body, mind, and spirit, and disconnect from distraction. Yoga moves us physically; it helps to decrease our mental stress; it fosters our mindfulness and awareness. Those benefits translate into a body that moves more easily. A body that can find balance physically, mentally, and emotionally. A nervous system that is moving closer to a sense of calm.
A spirit that is easy, filled with light, and shining.
When we allow ourselves to flourish, we are navigating our own path through the day. We are actively choosing how we want to spend our time. We create a feeling of sanctuary within ourselves that the outside noise cannot disrupt.
As we turn the calendar page to June, our practice will focus on this concept of flourish.
It is my hope that we will flourish in a way that we can fill ourselves with light and shine.
Love & light,
Nina G
5-Senses Yoga Stroll
Hi friends,
It has finally warmed up! I am enjoying my time outside again without all of the extra layers. This past week I took myself on a 5-Senses Yoga Stroll.
It's a simple practice: I leave my ear buds at home, head to the park behind my house, and pay attention to the world around me.
Here's what I noticed on my most recent walk:
Sight - The trees are finally in full leaf and they are a vibrant shade of green. There are lots of flowers around, including tiny violets in the field beneath my feet.
Sound - Besides the roar of airplanes overhead, there were several red-winged blackbirds guarding their territory. Their song is loud, repetitive, and unmistakable. There were also many people working on their yards with mowers and blowers.
Touch - The sunlight on my body was a welcome sensation. There was lots of wind as well.
Smell - There were many mowers in operation while I was out (see sound!), so the smell of freshly cut grass was predominant. The lilacs are just about to bloom - their fragrance is amazing!
Taste - There's not much to taste while walking, but I grabbed a mint on my way out the door.
That's all. It's not complicated. It was a 20-minute walk that allowed me to tune into my senses, to feel a bit more grounded, more connected, and even slightly calmer.
Try it yourself.
Step outside without a podcast or playlist and tune in.
See if you can find one thing for each sense. There's no need to judge what you find (even the airplane noise!) - just notice.
When you've completed your walk, take a few mindful breaths and check in with your nervous system. Notice how you feel.
I hope it's a little closer to a sense of calm.
Love in warmer weather,
Nina G
A List of Brilliant Things
Hi friends!
Earlier this month I spent a wonderful whirlwind of a weekend in NYC. While there, I saw Every Brilliant Thing, a one-man show starring Daniel Radcliffe. EBT is a drama about a man dealing with the mental health of his mother. She first attempts suicide when he's 7 years old and he begins to create a list of every brilliant thing in the world so that she will be happy.
It's a beautiful show. The actor is on the stage alone and the audience plays a big role, reading from small cards that are distributed throughout the theater before the show begins. Each card is numbered, and when Daniel calls out that number, the audience member is supposed to read that card aloud.
The list is an important part of the story and he continues to weave in so many brilliant things throughout the 85-minute soliloquy, finally finishing with number 1,000,000. Here are a few of the items from the list:
#1 Ice cream
#3 Staying up past your bedtime and being allowed to watch TV
#9 Chocolate
#317 The even numbered Star Trek films
#993 Having dessert as a main course
In times like these, it's nice to have and keep a list of those things that bring you joy. I know that yoga would be high on my list.
Your list can be a reminder of the glimmers that exist in your own life.
Love & brilliance,
Nina G