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
Calm Spirit
“Never be in a hurry; do everything quietly and in a calm spirit. Do not lose your inner peace for anything whatsoever, even if your whole world seems upset.”
I think that St. Francis de Sales may have been describing my yoga practice in this quote. He describes what I try to do on my mat - I try to move slowly and find that sense of calm within. It isn't always easy, and sometimes the craziness of the world can move me from that calm spirit, but I know that I have the tools to keep going back to find that sense of inner peace.
This is why I love yoga.
Grace Among the Waves
“Life is going to unfold
however it does.
What a relief it would be
to know that whatever
wave comes along,
we can ride it out with grace.
If we really got good at it,
we could be like surfers,
delighting especially at the
most complicated waves.”
Hello dear friends,
The high winds at the end of this past week meant that there were some incredible waves on Lake Michigan. 18-foot waves on Lake Michigan, of all places. The local news aired videos of rough water, high winds, and rocky shorelines. Surfing wouldn't have been a great idea.
At the same time, the waves are incredible to watch. Such power.
We were near the lake yesterday, at Soldier Field. While the winds were still swirling around in the stadium, the waves in the lake had calmed down. I enjoyed the grandeur of the lake as we drove up DuSable Lake Shore Drive. It was amazing to know that it had been so fierce 36 hours earlier and had returned to its calm glory.
Some days I feel like the waves keep coming. There's lots happening all around us. I look for grace among the waves of busy-ness, news, and noise. I want to get back to a state of calm - I need to.
This week our practice will flow with grace-filled movement. We'll let the breath guide us and fill us as we ride the waves.
Please join me on your mat.
The Treehouse and the Holy Spiral
Hi friends,
My yoga studio is on the top floor of my townhome. I have a large picture window that looks out over Maine Park and there are lots of trees right outside my window that delight me each day. I've lived and worked in this space for the past 4 years and I've seen the incredible beauty of these trees. I call my office 'The Treehouse' because it feels like I'm sitting among the branches and leaves. I have a beautiful vista and it really brings me joy. It's a great place to practice yoga and it's fun to do my Zoom teaching from here as well.
I especially love to note the change of seasons. Right now, everything is lush green. The squirrels are chasing each other up and down the trunks of the trees and there are plenty of birds, but soon things will get cooler, the leaves will change and drop and my view will change completely. I'm not worried - regardless of the season, the scenery is still amazing.
We're headed to the autumnal equinox this week (Wednesday). There's something quite thoughtful about that event - I tend to mark it every year. Maybe because we've hit that 'back to school' rhythm or something. Maybe because the days are getting shorter (see last week's newsletter!). Maybe I'm just nostalgic for cooler evenings and longer sleeves. Whatever. It isn't the 'Circle of Life'. If it were a circle, all would be the same as before. But it's not. While the view seems the same, I know that the trees are taller. I'm not the same as I was last year either. I keep returning to my space in the treehouse and I know that the events of the past 18 months have changed me. It's inevitable. I just hope that I'm getting smarter or wiser with age.
It's not the circle of life, it's more like a spiral. The onward march of the seasons coils on itself and brings me back to the same place, but a different moment. Same trees, similar view, but we've all matured. I've seen this scene before and now I come back to it with a new appreciation. It's the autumn equinox again, but it's different - it's 12 months older. I look out the window with new eyes - tempered by my experience.
It's a holy spiral and I can see it all from my perch in the treehouse.
Our practice this week returns to the idea of flexibility. We visited this concept a few weeks ago, but we'll be looking at it differently this time. We return, but we're different. It's that spiral again!
Monday, September 20 - 8:30 am - Slow Flow with Nina G (NOTE THE LATER TIME!!!)
Monday, September 20 - 4:00 pm - Slow Flow with Nina G (After school class added back to the schedule!)
Wednesday, September 22 - 7:30 pm - Movement & Stillness
Chair Yoga Video - NEW VIDEO ON THE CHANNEL - Equanimity
With love,
Nina G
September Sun & Passeggiata
“the sun is hanging
a little lower
these days
that means it’s
time for you to
become another
source of light”
Hello my friends,
When we moved into summer, I added a passeggiata to my list of fun activities. In Italy, the passeggiata is a leisurely walk after dinner. It isn't a power walk (I do that in the morning). It doesn't require thick soled shoes. It's just movement after dinner. I'd like to think that it aids in digestion. I added it to my routine as the days got longer. I love my passeggiata. I try to keep my headphones off and just enjoy the outdoors. The cicadas are especially loud this September - some evenings they can even drown out the sound of the airplanes!
I know that we're headed into the autumnal equinox soon (September 22). Daylight is getting shorter and that means that my after dinner stroll will get shorter as well. The weather guy on the news said that we lose over 50 minutes of daylight throughout the month of September. That hurts!
This time of year is glorious and it's hard as well. I love the energy that I have when things are not quite so hot outside. It's refreshing to pull out the sweaters and sweatshirts and knit a new scarf (done!). On the other hand, I'll have to give up that stroll and I know that we're barreling towards winter's darkest days where daylight ends before dinner even begins.
Let's become a source of light for each other instead.
This week we will turn our focus to grounding - connecting to and accepting the support of the earth beneath us. I like to think of the earth as a giant recycling center. We can release what doesn't serve us into the earth and perhaps it will go to someone who needs it. Once we let go of the old stuff, we can gather what we need as well...strength, confidence, direction, and support.
How does that manifest within a yoga practice? Well, we pay close attention to our connection of our feet, sitting bones, hands, knees, etc. to the mat. We connect and then move from there. We will work with an even breath, trying to keep that slow even pace even when we ramp up the asanas.
These are concepts that we can take off our mats as well. Let's move with intention, with awareness. Let's respond to challenges with equanimity. We will let our actions lead the way for others. We'll be the light that others can use to navigate their own ways through the world.
Join me on your mat.
NEW SCHEDULE!!!
Monday, September 13 - 8:30 am - Slow Flow with Nina G (NOTE THE LATER TIME!!! The link will be out soon.)
Monday, September 13 - 4:00 pm - Slow Flow with Nina G (After school class added back to the schedule!)
Wednesday, September 15 - 7:30 pm - Movement & Stillness
Chair Yoga Video - Back to school, back to basics - let's revisit this video.
NEW VIDEO SERIES FOR SALE
In other news, I have created a new video series with my Pilates teacher and friend, Erica. This series includes 8 short (20 minutes or less) videos focused on specific areas of the body. We designed them to be something you could do to get moving in the morning and still make it to work on time.
Check out our Age Well, Be Well website for more information.
Shine on,
Nina G
All Work Has Honor
Hello my friends,
Just a quick update before the Labor Day weekend.
My dad always used to tell me that all work has honor. He was right. All that we do is important. Each of us plays an important role in this complex society we live in. We need teachers, doctors, plumbers, janitors, sales clerks, IT professionals, stay-at-home-moms and everyone in-between. I’ve had dozens of different jobs since high school. Day camp counselor (first job – hated it!), copy room clerk (part time college gig – loved it!), bank officer (fun suits and floppy ties in the 80s), librarian, software support, merchandiser, the list goes on and on.
Right now (and for the past 10 years) I call myself a yoga teacher and it’s definitely the best gig I’ve ever had. I love to create classes that allow us to explore how we feel and how we can grow in the 21st century. I love trying to balance the craziness of our times with the calm that exists within each of us. I love meeting you and seeing how we're so much more alike that we are different. It’s my hope that these classes serve your needs. It is an honor to see you each week. Thank you for all of your support.
Important notes:
1. NO CLASS on Labor Day - Monday, September 6.
2. Movement & Stillness will meet on Wednesday, September 8 at 7:30 pm CDT
3. Chair video number 80 was posted on Wednesday. Comfort. Worth a look.
4. NEW Monday schedule (beginning Monday, September 13) – Monday morning class will begin at 8:30 am CDT – sleep in! Monday afternoon class will begin at 4:00 pm CDT. Join me.
If you’re traveling this weekend, be safe.
I’ll see you on your mat.
Always love,
Nina G
Comfort & Then Joy
“Oh tidings of comfort and joy, comfort and joy, oh tidings of comfort and joy.”
Dear Friends,
I realize that Christmas is months away, but this week I just kept hearing the word comfort. I didn’t hear the word joy, but I wanted to. It’s been a rough week if you listen to the news.
[Pro tip: Get the info that you need and then turn off the news!]
So, I googled quotes about comfort…I looked through all of my books for poems about comfort…I tried all kinds of approaches and found nothing that served me. Finally, I landed on the Christmas carol above. I listened to the bad tidings and now it’s time for tidings of comfort and joy. Sounds like a good idea to me.
I sat with the idea of ‘comfort’ for a few days and listened to what I was thinking. How does comfort translate into a yoga practice? How can I find comfort when everything around me is so disjointed and so out of alignment? Who needs to be comforted and how am I qualified to comfort them?
Comfort – to me it means a hug, it means familiarity, it means a sense that everything is okay - or at least it will be okay. It’s empathy and connection – a feeling that we’re in this together. That’s what gives me comfort and that’s what I would offer to someone who asked for comfort. If we can find comfort, I’m guessing that joy would follow naturally.
But right now, I want comfort, I need comfort. I want the sense of the familiar. I want to be told that all will be well. I want to know that you feel the same way and that it’s okay to feel that way. Then I will be comforted.
That’s what I want our yoga practice to do this week. I want it to comfort us. If we’re comforted, we can offer this comfort to others. I want to share the comfort so that we can move towards joy.
Please join me on your mat.
News to know
There will be no class on Labor Day, Monday, September 6.
The following week (Monday, September 13) we will add our afternoon class back into the schedule at 4:00 pm.
Monday, August 30 - 8:15 am - Slow Flow with Nina G (The link will be out later this evening.)
Wednesday, September 1 - 7:30 pm - Movement & Stillness
Chair Yoga Video - Motion is Lotion
Love,
Nina G
Flexibility in Yoga
Hello my friends!
The first thing I do every morning is practice yoga. I just feel my mat calling to me in my room upstairs. When it calls, I answer! Some mornings I’m on my mat for an hour, some mornings it’s just 20 minutes, but I’m always on the mat before I do anything else. When I can’t get to my mat because I’m traveling, my body feels different. I know that the yoga serves me well. I love practicing yoga in the morning. Later in the day I usually go for a long walk. Those two activities have saved my sanity during the pandemic.
This past Thursday morning I woke up early and saw the weather warning about the heavy fog. I decided to ignore the call of my mat and to go outside for my daily walk early, while it was foggy, before it burned off.
Game time decision and I don’t regret it.
It was wild to see the fog resting on the fields of Maine Park and the nature center. The sun was trying to burn through, but couldn’t. When I got to the neighborhood streets, they were enveloped in fog as well. I really couldn’t see much past a half a block away. When I finished my walk, about an hour later, the fog had burned off and the outside looked like it normally does.
It was beautiful.
It was yoga even though I wasn't on my mat. I was fully present as I watched the scenery around me reveal itself. I spent some time on my mat once I returned home, but I made the decision to forego my usual routine that morning and I’m glad that I did.
This week our yoga practice focuses on flexibility. Not the flexibility of bringing our ankles behind our ears or turning ourselves into pretzels. Instead, we will focus on the flexibility of our approach to our practice. What happens when we come to our mat with a different mindset? How will our practice change when we look at it with new eyes? Can we be comfortable with taking that early morning walk to see the fog?
Join me and we’ll explore these ideas together.
More News and Info:
Thanks for checking out my new website, Yoga with Nina G. I appreciate your feedback.
Monday afternoon (4:00 pm) Zoom class is returning on Monday, September 13. I hope that the teachers in this group (and anyone else that wants to!) can join me.
Interested in joining me live? I have a small class beginning on Monday, September 13 at noon in Niles. Click here for more info.
Monday, August 23 - 8:15 am - Slow Flow with Nina G (The link will be out later this evening.)
Wednesday, August 25 - 7:30 pm - Movement & Stillness
Chair Yoga Video - Footloose (This video is a great warm up for your feet and ankles before you go for a walk.)
Always love,
Nina G
Connect to the Infinite
When we try to pick out anything by itself,
We find it hitched to everything else in the universe.
- John Muir
Hello dear friends,
I went for a walk at the zoo this weekend and this quote was in the buffalo habitat. John Muir wrote it over 100 years ago and it's still true today.
Simple, direct, complete...we're all connected.
Let's imagine that we are each a drop of water in the ocean. Connected, working together, moving with the tides, rising and falling with the water cycle. Each one important but each one so small. Infinite in number and so much more powerful together.
We talk about yoga being the union of body, mind, and breath and we practice that each week. But let's take a step back and look at the bigger picture. What if yoga is the union of body, mind, and breath, as well as the union of the self to the greater good? How do we connect with all of those other drops of water in the ocean? Can we practice this sense of oneness and connection both within and without? Interesting ideas to explore on our mats.
This week our practice returns to healthy aging - utilizing our yoga to help us age well so that we can continue to build those connections. We will move slowly and deliberately, paying close attention to the movement. We will keep the spine safe and work to strengthen the body. In previous classes we identified 4 components of healthy aging: strength, flexibility, balance and agility. Strength is the basis for all of these components. Without strength we can't balance or be agile or flexible.
Strengthening our bodies, strengthening our awareness.
Let's connect to the infinite.
Join me on your mat.
Important scheduling news:
I will be traveling this week - heading East, connecting with family. This Wednesday class is cancelled as well as next Monday, August 16. Watch this newsletter for updates.
Monday, August 9 - 8:15 am - Slow Flow with Nina G (The link will be out later this evening.)
Wednesday, August 11 - 7:30 pm - NO CLASS THIS WEDNESDAY!!
Chair Yoga Video - Open to Growth
Infinite love,
Nina G
Roy Kent & Yoga
Hey friends!
I don't watch a lot of 'must see' TV, but I do watch Ted Lasso on Apple TV+. It's upbeat, incredibly funny, poignant, well-written…the list goes on and on. It’s definitely worth my time. For those of you that don’t watch it, Ted Lasso is an American football coach who has relocated to England to coach soccer. He doesn’t understand anything about soccer and hilarity ensues.
One of the players on his team is Roy Kent. Roy had been a top player in the league for a long time and he might be past his prime now. He suffered a few injuries and he's slower than most of his younger teammates. Some of the players call him granddad. Roy is always angry, always swearing, and really not fun to be around. He's very self-assured and doesn't care what anyone thinks about him. In his spare time, Roy practices yoga.
Based on the few references to his yoga practice, it doesn't appear to be hot and sweaty yoga but it looks like it's slow-moving, mindful yoga. He doesn’t tell many people about it, but he practices regularly with a bunch of 60-year-old women. When the practice is over, they all watch some British reality TV while drinking rose. Roy doesn't miss his yoga for anything. It’s wonderful!
When he's off his mat, Roy is his usual cranky and cantankerous self, but he keeps going back. I think that he gets glimpses of his softer side and wants to explore it more. I wonder about the back story on his joining the yoga class. What opened him up to the idea of practicing yoga? Whatever it was, it had to have been a powerful force to convince this elite athlete to slow down and get in touch with his inner self.
That's what we're trying to do on our mats. We take a break from the busy day-to-day stuff and check in with the body, the breath and the mind. Whether we're elite athletes, woefully out of shape, or somewhere in between, mindful yoga can serve all of us. We can all have a meaningful practice.
This week our practice will center on our own openness. We’ll explore the concept of being open to growth – growth in our practice and in our lives.
Please join me on your mat.
I do yoga with a group of women in their 60s, they have no idea who I am, it's twice a week and it's really good for my core. - Roy Kent
Monday, August 2 - 8:15 am - Slow Flow with Nina G (The link will be out soon!)
Wednesday, August 4 - 7:30 pm - Movement and Stillness
Wednesday, August 4 - 2:00 pm - Park Ridge Public Library Chair Yoga - Zoom LIVE. I'll be subbing this class on Zoom. There are still spaces available. Visit the library's website to sign up or call the library at 847-825-3123 for more information.
Chair Yoga Video - Calming Breath
Love,
Nina G
Calming Breath
We shall never know all the good that a simple smile can do.
~ St. Mother Teresa
Hello my friends,
I hope that you had a wonderful week - mine was interesting. My theme last week was to close the umbrella and to open ourselves to the gifts around us. Experience the yoga. I know - sometimes that gets a little bit too 'woo woo'. But I had some interesting feedback last week, when I least expected it.
I had a new student join me in my chair yoga class. She had done a few yoga classes in the past, but she felt like they were too hard. I asked that she be patient and give my class a try. It was very interesting to watch the change in her from the beginning of the class to the end. The tension that was evident in her head, neck, and shoulders visibly disappeared as the class progressed. When class was over, I asked how she felt and her answer was 'calm'.
And that's why I do this.
I want us to be able to find the calm despite all of the other things that are going on in our lives. This is why I'm practicing and teaching yoga for the nervous system and not 'kick your butt' yoga or 'beach body' yoga. This yoga of mindfulness can help us when we feel disconnected from our selves, from our community, from our higher power.
Yoga doesn't have to be complicated. We don't have to do handstands or wrap our ankles behind our ears. We bring our attention to our breath and our movement. The quote above made its way to my media feed last week. I'd like to paraphrase St. Mother Teresa and say 'we shall never know all the good that a simple breath can do.'
So that's what we'll do this week. We'll use our breath to help us find our sense of calm.
Please join me on your mat. And if you know someone else that might need to find that sense of calm, please invite them to join us as well.
Monday, July 26 - 8:15 am - Slow Flow with Nina G (The link will be out soon!)
Wednesday, July 28 - 7:30 pm - Movement and Stillness
Chair Yoga - Experience
Love, always love,
Nina G
Giving & Receiving
Hello my friends,
I visited the Morton Arboretum again this past weekend and finally saw all of the pieces of the new exhibit Human+Nature by Daniel Popper. The sculpture below was my absolute favorite. Just those two hands reaching forward...ready to help, ready to receive, ready to offer support. I love those hands.
In my work this week I've been reviewing lots of the training materials that I have from the past 18 months. I came across the following notation:
There are so many blessings all around us - we put up umbrellas of distraction, of busy-ness, of ego. We need to fold away the umbrella and revel in the blessings. - Kristine Weber
Yep, I need to fold up my umbrella. Lose the busy-ness, lose the distraction, and notice the grace around me. I need to be open to those blessings of wisdom, awe, knowledge, and insight. I will open my hands to be ready to receive them. I want to share those same gifts with everyone I know. My hands are reaching forward to share with you.
We often use that mudra (symbol with our hands) of open hands in our practice. That sense of both giving and receiving is important in what we do. Doing something for you makes me feel good, but until I can receive and allow you that same good feeling, it's not balanced. The umbrella is still open.
We'll use this imagery in our practice this week. Receiving these gifts and sharing them as well. We fold up the umbrella and let the gifts rain down!
Please join me.
Monday, July 19 - 8:15 am - Slow Flow with Nina G (The link will be out soon!)
Wednesday, July 21 - 7:30 pm - Movement and Stillness
Chair Yoga - Forward
Love,
Nina G
Forward
I spent Friday night and all day Saturday in Madison, Wisconsin, visiting my daughter and her fiance. It was a beautiful 26 hours and it was great to take a road trip again. I hadn't been in a hotel in 18 months, so it was interesting to return to some previous patterns. There was eating, drinking, shopping, talking, and walking. It was a fun and holy weekend.
Wisconsin on top of the Wisconsin state building. Photo from Wikimedia Commons.
The state motto of Wisconsin is FORWARD. When we visit Madison, we stay and play in and around the capitol building, always under the watchful eyes of Wisconsin. She is the statue who stands on the capitol dome. Her right arm reaches out, symbolizing forward. Every time I visit Madison, I like to shout FORWARD as we move between activities. Time to go to the Farmers' Market? FORWARD! Time to get in the car and drive to a restaurant? FORWARD! You can only imagine how much everyone enjoys that...
The down time of the past 15 months has given me time to reflect. I realize that forward is exactly what I've been craving. I've heard lot of talk about returning to 'normal' post-pandemic. I don't want to return to normal. Normal wasn't necessarily all that great. To me, normal is going backwards. I want to unstick from the past way of doing things. I want to lose those pre-conceived notions of how things ought to be and make them better. I want to proceed forward using what lessons I've learned.
I don't want normal, I want better.
What does better mean? I think it will be different for me than for you, and that's okay. You define how you want to make the world better and I'll do my thing and maybe, together, we can all create better. Each one of us can make our own little ripple out there in the big pond. Together we can effect big change. There's lots of work ahead of us. It's time to begin.
In other news, I'm working to expand the reach of my yoga teaching practice. I'm working on new projects and taking more training (always learning!) to improve my offerings. All of this is to better serve you, my wonderful students. If you know of anyone else that might be interested in the slow, mindful yoga that I teach, please invite them to join us. I'm happy to reach out and welcome them to our group. Hit reply and let me know. Stay tuned to this newsletter for more info.
Wisconsin on top of the dome has it right - let's move forward.
Monday, July 12 - 8:15 am - Slow Flow with Nina G (The link will be out soon!)
Wednesday, July 14 - 7:30 pm - Movement and Stillness
Chair Yoga - Focus & Attention
Forward with love,
Nina G