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
Turning Towards the Light
“What to Do in the Darkness
Go slowly
Consent to it
But don’t wallow in it
Know it as a place of germination
And growth
Remember the light
Take an outstretched hand if you find one
Exercise unused senses
Find the path by walking it
Practice trust
Watch for dawn.”
Hello my friends,
We passed by the shortest day of the year this week.
We're headed into the light. We can watch for the dawn together.
Love,
Nina G
P.S. No classes this week. I'll see you on January 3rd!
Things to watch when you're not watching Netflix or Disney+ or hulu or...
Hello my friends!!
There’s lots of information to share this week.
1. An all-new chair yoga video was released last Sunday on my YouTube channel. This one focuses on releasing tension in the head, neck, and shoulders. Click here to get started.
As a reminder, the videos on my YouTube channel are free to all. If you know of anyone that might benefit from a chair yoga practice, please share this link with them.
2. I have another video coming out soon in response to requests for the sequence that I often do when I return home from travelling. It’s called “Coming Home” and will be done completely on the floor on our mats. Look for an announcement about this new video next week.
3. In other video news…
I’ve fielded a few questions this week about my companion website: Age Well, Be Well. I started that site in early 2021 along with a great Pilates teacher, Erica Oshona. We created a series of Pilates and yoga videos that anyone can do. Our first series focused on the four pillars of healthy aging: balance, strength, agility and flexibility. We created eight 30-minute practices - 4 Pilates videos and 4 yoga videos.
We all realize that as the weather starts to get colder here in the upper Midwest, our outdoor exercise options start to dwindle. I don’t mind walking when it’s 32°, but 32° with high winds, precipitation and 6” of snow on the ground just isn’t as much fun! However, we know that we need to keep active despite the weather.
That’s why Erica and I decided to expand our Age Well, Be Well video series.
This fall we released 8 more videos. These are shorter (15 – 20 minutes) and again are divided among both yoga and Pilates. We focused on different areas of the body this time, but the videos have the same premise: we all can practice yoga and Pilates to support us in our efforts towards healthy aging.
Each video series is sold separately. Once you complete the payment process, you’ll have unlimited access to the series and can practice all winter long.
Check out the website. If you have any questions, drop me an email.
Gift of the Darkness
“The darkness itself offers the gift. Each day, the darkness comes sooner, comes deeper, comes blacker than ink. It draws us in, into our homes, yes, but more so into our souls. ”
Hello my friends,
Here in the Northern hemisphere, we’re at that point on the calendar when the world outside is telling us to slow down and hibernate. The daylight is shorter, the temperature is cooler, and we are reminded to turn inward. Pause, reflect, and connect with your higher self.
On the other hand, our culture is telling us to pick up speed and get stuff done. Shop, decorate, bake, ship, celebrate. It can be a lot and it’s definitely overwhelming.
Chances are good that we’re all living somewhere in between these two extremes. How can we find a way to process and balance those two conflicting messages?
I’m gonna go with yoga.
My classes this month will focus on the deep rest that we want to find, that we need to find - that we must find - if we are to live well. We won’t just lie on our mats for 60 minutes (although that’s not a bad idea…) but we’ll work to identify how we feel, release the tension that is resident in the body, and move the nervous system towards calm.
Sounds like a plan.
Join me on your mat.
Thanksgiving Gratitude
“Gratitude is not a passive response to something we have been given, gratitude arises from paying attention, from being awake in the presence of everything that lives within and without us. ”
Hello my friends!
I hope that you had a wonderful weekend with family and friends. It's always fun to have a slightly different rhythm in our days. And then there is the comfort of returning to familiar patterns as well.
Roll out your mat and join me this week as we continue our exploration of gratitude.
Patience & Fortitude
Hello dear friends!
I’m back and I’m ready for some yoga – I hope that you are too!
The past 10 days have been a whirlwind of fun, love, family, friends, travel, and excitement. After the wedding, my husband and I flew to NYC and saw a few great shows, ate some fine meals, and just generally enjoyed ourselves. It’s something that we hadn’t done in a while and we were happy to get away and take a break. I am so thankful that we could do that.
While in NYC, we visited the New York Public Library (reminder – I love libraries!). It’s a grand old building with beautiful reading rooms, marble staircases, and two large lion statues flanking the front of the building. The lions are stately, projecting a sense of calm. They are seated, watching over pedestrians as they walk by on 5th Avenue. They arrived on the scene in New York when the library was first dedicated in 1911. When they were installed, the lions were named after the two major contributors to the library, Astor and Lenox.
For the next 20 years, Leo Astor and Leo Lenox watched over New Yorkers during the Gilded Age. However, during the Great Depression, Mayor LaGuardia renamed the lions. He wanted them to be an inspiration to New Yorkers as they worked through the economic challenges facing the city and the country. To this day, the lions are known by the names that LaGuardia gave them:
Patience & Fortitude.
Patience - the ability to remain calm and not become annoyed when dealing with problems or with difficult people
Fortitude - strength of mind that enables a person to encounter danger or bear pain or adversity with courage
I took this photo of Fortitude. He looks pretty strong.
Almost one hundred years later, the nation and the world have changed, and yet so much is still the same. Human beings are experiencing fear and anxiety similar to that felt during the Great Depression, but this time it’s on a global level. We’re frightened. The path ahead is uncertain. In the midst of all of that uncertainty, we still have our breath.
One inhale and one exhale.
And just like that, we're closer to the end of the dark tunnel.
Let’s be calm and stately like those lions.
Patience and fortitude, my friends. We’ve got this.
Love,
Nina G
All About the Love
Hello dear friends,
The mural that you see above was on the building across from the church where my daughter was married this past weekend.
It's all about the love.
It's the only way we can change the world.
Love, only love,
Nina G
Linger in Gratitude
Hello dear friends,
I was back at the Arboretum this week. Friday was gorgeous - it was cold in the morning, but sunny and beautiful. I bundled up, we got there early, and we walked the loop that we always do. This spot spoke to me. It beckoned me to take notice.
So I did.
Last week, when we turned the calendar page over to November, I told you how my class focus in November turns to gratitude. Having Thanksgiving on the calendar at the end of the month is a nice excuse to practice our gratitude. There's never a bad time to be grateful, November is a nice reminder for all of us.
When we can take the time to practice gratitude, it allows us to leave the mind and move into the heart. We stop 'thinking' about those things for which we are grateful and we begin feeling them. And maybe, just maybe, it gives us a better understanding of our connection and interdependence on each other and the natural world as well.
The trees at the arboretum are glorious this time of the year. If I had gone on an overcast day, perhaps I wouldn't have felt that same pull. It was the connection of the sun, the shadows, the leaves, that bench, and the path ahead that gave me pause. I'm glad that I was there and that I was a part of that connection.
I'm thankful.
Take a moment in your week ahead to find your own connection. It might be while on your yoga mat or it might be when you're outside. Don't overthink it, just connect. Let the feeling wash over you like the sunshine on a crisp day. And then stay with that feeling.
Linger in gratitude.
Changing Times
“Tempora mutantur, nos et mutamur in illis.
- Times are changed; we also are changed with them.”
Hello dear friends,
Do you believe it? November is tomorrow. I keep feeling like I’m stuck in amber, unable to move forward at all and then I realize that we’re hurtling towards the end of the year. How is it possible to feel stuck and moving out of control at the same time? These times are strange.
In the meantime, there is so much to news to share. Here’s what’s happening over the next few weeks as we begin our race towards 2022.
In November our focus will be on Love & Gratitude. Gratitude is always a big part of my practice, especially as we enter this season of Thanksgiving. In addition to that, we have a family wedding in 2 weeks (!) so we will celebrate love as well. After the wedding, I’ll take the week of November 15th off. Don’t forget that you have access to the videos from our Yoga-versary celebration. You can still practice yoga.
I’ll be back the week of November 22 and we will definitely have class on the Wednesday night (November 24th) before Thanksgiving. Please take the time to join me. Friends or family are always welcome to join us too!
In December we will turn our focus to deep rest and relaxation. My experience as a yoga teacher has been that no one comes to yoga class in December even though we all complain that we are stressed out. It’s tough, I know. Please be kind to yourself and join me for classes that will explore ways to allow the body to rest and restore. It’s important to give our bodies, and our nervous systems, the chance to recover from external stressors. Let’s make sure that we take the time to do that.
I will be sharing the holidays with family, so there will be no classes the weeks of December 20th and 27th. Don’t forget that you have access to the videos from our Yoga-versary celebration. You can still practice yoga. (sounds familiar…)
We’ll be back at it on January 3rd!
Lots to share. Don’t worry, I’ll remind you of changes as the dates get closer.
Times are always changing. My yoga practice helps me through these transitions with grace, ease, and awareness. It is my hope that it serves you as well.
With love and gratitude,
Nina G
Supply Chain?
If you live in awareness, it is easy to see miracles everywhere. - Thich Nhat Hanh
Hello dear friends,
As you know, I’m always looking around for signs from the universe about what to say in my newsletter and what to teach in my yoga classes. Of course, the only thing that’s been in the news for the past 2 weeks is supply chain. That’s all I hear about. Supply Chain. I’m sorry, that eyeliner you want isn’t available: supply chain. Order all of your Christmas gifts early: supply chain. You won’t be able to replace that washing machine for months: supply chain. Can’t find shoes for your daughter’s wedding? You guessed it, supply chain.
Not exactly the sign I was looking for. It’s hard to write a yoga newsletter about economics.
I went out for a walk instead. Friday was a gorgeous, crisp day and it was great to be outside. I started moving and as I was walking, I passed those two beautiful leaves that you see in the photo above. I saw their beauty and I walked right by them.
Then I turned around and went back and picked them up off the ground.
They really are amazing - the color, the symmetry, the grace. The photo does not do them justice. Their presence on sidewalk in front of me was exactly what I needed to see and it is exactly why I needed to turn around and look again.
And then I realized that there was my newsletter.
Yep, everything is delayed and backlogs abound – supply chain issues are real. There’s absolutely nothing that I can do to solve them though. And railing at the wind doesn’t seem to fix anything. Supply chain issues? I just have to be patient and wait. In the meantime, there's some incredible beauty in the world. I have seen it. I just need to turn around and look again.
Those two leaves stopped me in my tracks. They forced me to focus and slow down. They allowed me to see the wonder right in front of me. I could let go of worry about supply chain and revel in the beauty of the present moment.
One of my favorite Fall activities is something I call “kicking the leaves”. I love to go outside in the park and walk through the leaves, kicking them as I go. It is invigorating and energizing. I find it very relaxing. But I haven’t been able to go out and do it yet this October. As I understand it, we’re a little bit behind on the leaves changing color and falling this year. Here in Chicagoland we’re experiencing warmer and drier weather than usual, so everything is mostly green and very few leaves have fallen. Luckily for me, I happened on those two beauties in the photo. I wouldn't have seen them if all of the other leaves had fallen though. I was fortunate, but I'll have to be patient and wait a little bit longer for serious leaf kicking.
Sounds like a supply chain issue to me!
Our classes this week take a playful look at yoga. We’ll do some spooky Halloween yoga - having some fun while releasing tension and anxiety.
Please join me on your mat.
What’s Today?
I've been busy this weekend. It was nice to see the sun again and get outside. I ended up going into the Loop twice over the weekend and I wasn't even running in the marathon!
I did stop in the Art Institute briefly - we were on our way to a Chicago Symphony Orchestra concert across the street. There is a new Barbara Kruger exhibit in the museum and all over Chicago as well. It's bold, it's quite loud and there's bound to be some piece of it that speaks to you.
This one was talking to me.
As I said, I was only in the museum briefly, but her work certainly caught my eye. I haven't done my research on what she meant by all of that - I just let the words and the visuals play in my head.
Words are powerful. They are big and bold and playful and formidable. Maybe that's what Kruger is trying to portray in her artwork. I have lots of options for today. I have a choice. How do I want to spend my day?
For me, it starts with baby steps. I'm sometimes afraid to try something new and big - to work on the edges of what I already know. I always want perfection, so it becomes easy to get stuck in the rut of everyday pandemic living and not even try. However, maybe I should dip my toe in and try something new. If that works, perhaps I go a little deeper next time? Yeah, it's scary and a lot of work but it's also invigorating and exciting. What would happen if I took the risk to do something that wasn't perfect but was headed in that general direction?
Big words...
The emojis at the bottom of the display all make me smile. Face it (pun intended), I go through that whole range of emotions every day. I think we all do. I want to spend more time as the happy face in sunglasses and less time as the face with the sticking-out tongue.
And those are the choices that we make every day. How can I approach today and make a difference? What can I do to start something new, to create something better, to let go of the fear, to explore all of the possibilities available to me? And when it's all over, at the end of the day, have I spent more time as the happy face in sunglasses emoji or the sticking-out tongue emoji?
On our mats, it starts in silence. No words. We listen to the body, to the mind, to the spirit, and then we can learn about our day.
What's today for you?
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