ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION – SEPTEMBER 13
PLEASE COME JOIN US ON SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 13th, 2014 FOR A DAY OF FREE CLASSES, INTRODUCTION TO NEW WAYS OF MOVEMENT AND OTHER GOOD STUFF!
WE’LL BE OFFERING SPECIAL DEALS, DISCOUNTED PASSES AND OTHER TREATS THAT DAY. PLEASE COME BY TO HELP US CELEBRATE!
9AM – 9:45 AM – INTRODUCTION TO YOGA – If you’ve never done, or done very little, yoga and were thinking about taking it up, drop by to hear the basics so that you can come to your first class free from any anxiety. Presented by Kerry Wilson and Jody Reece.
10AM – 10:45AM – INTRODUCTION TO MAT PILATES – If you are interested in Pilates, come to this introduction by one our instructors, Kellie Morse.
11AM -11:45 – THE DIFFERENT STYLES OF YOGA – This actual yoga session will feature different instructors leading you through various yoga moves and philosophies. Presented by Misty del Pozzo, Patricia Soto Gibson, Jhoanna Mukai and Brendan Maloney.
11:45AM to 1PM – LUNCH! We’ll be serving healthy and delicious treats and juices provided by The Seasoned Stone and the Bambu Body Bar!
1PM – 1:45PM – JAPANESE SWORD – A demonstration of Japanese swordsmanship by Richard Ganey and some of his students.
2PM – 2:45PM – AROMA YOGA with the vivacious Lacy Emiba recruits the powerful sense of smell in a relaxing and therapeutic asana routine.
INSIDE/OUT FITNESS CO-OP offers guided, conscious exercise at 249 Third Street SW, in downtown Winter Haven. Check out our website at www.ioyogastudio.com. Our targets are strength, ease, balance and increased range of motion, but you do not need to be “in shape”, “flexible” or have any prior experience to start. Classes are open to all interested persons!
Breathing
I was extremely fortunate to be able to spend a week at Rancho La Puerta a couple of weeks ago, taking in the constant magic of the place, and participating in a week of classes taught by Leslie Kaminoff. Leslie has been a revolutionary and iconoclastic yoga teacher for many years, extremely well-versed in the history of yoga and integrally involved with its development over the last thirty years. A student of Krishnamacharya’s son, T.K.V. Desikachar, Leslie teaches an “individualized, breath-centered” yoga deeply rooted in the wisdom of our own bodies. He is a co-author of the authoritative book, Yoga Anatomy, now in its second edition, and brings a life-long passion for anatomy, and real experience in the dissection of the human body, to the traditional practice of asanas, pranayama and kriyas. He now usually teaches just experienced yoga teachers, so I was extremely lucky to have this kind of personal contact with him. I am also pleased to report that he plays a mean game of basketball, and enjoys a glass of tequila when available. Here’s a picture after he and I had consumed such a glass, maybe two.
I should add that a highlight of the week was spending New Year’s Eve with Leslie, his partner Lydia, and respected Raja yogis, Michele Hebert and Mehrad Nazari. During the evening, we were also joined by the remarkable Phyllis Pilgrim. She’s too young for me, but I love me some Phyllis Pilgrim. She’s taught yoga, meditation, writing and many other skills at the Ranch since 1981, and I always enjoy her “basic” yoga classes. Anyway, it turns out that both she and Leslie knew Indra Devi quite well. Devi was a famous student of Krishnamacharya and basically brought yoga to California, particularly Hollywood, in the late 1940s. She later established an arshram in Tecate, which can still be seen on the morning walk to RLP’s organic gardens. Anyway, it was just a pleasure to see these two together, sharing anecdotes and other contacts.
We are going to our best to host Leslie at Inside/Out for a three-day seminar some time in 2015 (he’s booked until then). Will keep you posted.
An evening of Raja Yoga with David Sands!
THIS WEDNESDAY EVENING, DECEMBER 4, 2013, AT 6PM
David is the former head of Kripalu Center, the largest yoga center in the US.
He has over 40 years of daily practice and teaching.
Over those four decades, David has had the privilege of studying with some of the most advanced yogis and yoginis on the planet and loves to share what he has learned and practiced.
The evening will include mantra chanting, pranayama, asana and meditation and yoga philosophy.
Christmas gift cards – Do you know someone who might need or want a little yoga?
We are offering a Christmas gift card special. For a new student and during the month of December, you can purchase a 10-class pass for just $50. All classes must be used by March 31, 2014, and they are not transferable. We can handle the purchase by mail (P.O. Box 7378, Winter Haven 33883) or at the studio. Turn somebody you love on to yoga!
Meditation/Deep December
In keeping with the experimental nature of Inside/Out, we invite you to participate in a daily meditation period, from 6AM to 7AM, to be held each day in December, starting Sunday, December 1. Each period will consist of two (2) periods of silent, seated meditation, starting each at 6AM and 6:30AM, and two (2) periods of walking meditation, starting each at 6:20AM, and 6:50AM. You are invited to attend the whole hour, although you can also participate in just one period of siting and walking meditation, starting at either 6AM or 6:30AM. All of these sessions are “FREE”.
To simplify our interactions, here are the “rules” for these periods. By agreeing upon this protocol, we will be relieved from constantly worrying about “what’s next” or constantly comparing it to some other form or ritual.
- Our meditation and other activities will be non-denominational and silent. These are not instructional periods, or times for socializing. If you must talk with the monitor prior to the mediation sessions, or during walking meditation, please do so as quietly as possible. Please leave your phones outside.
- All sessions will be timed precisely and begin when indicated. If you are going to leave the first session or join us for the second session, please do so between 6:25 and 6:30AM. Do not enter or leave the studio except during that period or, of course, prior to 6AM. If you wish to remain in seated meditation during the whole hour, please feel free to do so.
- Although you may use the studio’s yoga bolsters, its few zafus or chairs, please feel free to bring your own cushion or other sitting device.
- During seated meditation, please abide as quietly as reasonably possible, and do not fidget. If you must sneeze, cough or blow your nose, please do so in a hygienic and discreet manner. Please keep prayers, mantras, psalms and songs within your own mind.
- Seated mediation will end at 6:20 and 6:50AM. A bell will ring. At this point, you are invited to slowly rise, keeping the focus of your meditation, and we will walk at an ordinary but deliberative pace clockwise around the studio. These walking mediations are not some “relief” or break from meditation, but are the practice of taking the stillness of your practice into motion. You may also find that they “cleanse” obstacles encountered during the preceding seated meditation.
- If you need to go to the bathroom, or get a sip of water, please do so prior to 6AM, or during the 6:20-6:30 walking period. There are three bathrooms available in the rear hallways of the studio. Please be back and ready to continue your seated meditation by 6:30.
- If you are a beginner or have other questions regarding your meditation practice, feel free to discuss them with the monitor after a session. If there is interest, there may be one or more “introductory classes” offered at the studio during December.
Come join the experiment! A month of daily practice requires some commitment and will- power, but it just might change your life. Of course, you can also just come occasionally. All serious (or at least quiet) persons are welcome!
Marking a date
Today marks the one month anniversary of Inside/Out. I’d like to thank all the people who have started to attend, have “liked” us in various forums, and continue to provide their love and support. I especially want to thank the teachers who are showing up each day with a passion for the yogic arts. We’ll be doing more! We should actually have a sign up on the building within the next couple of weeks and will continue to improve the interior of the space. We’ll be reaching out to more people in the community and remaining open to new teachers who want to join our modest mission of opening hearts, bodies and minds. If you are reading this, resolve to make inner and outer fitness a part of your lives each day. And come by and see us!
PS – Check out he new willPower class offering this Saturday, October 12!
The fitness menu
The first schedule is up for the week of September 9-15m 2013, and we are heavy on the yoga, a most savory sauce. But we are still looking to add some other mindful meals, so interested instructors, please contact us. As for the yoga menu, I’d be most interested to hear if there are appetites out there for advanced yogis, and athletic tyros, who are looking for some vigorous power yoga, the kind of class that will soak the mat. The menu is meant to be supplemented and amended, so please keep in touch and tell us what you’d like to do. Thanks to everyone that is making this possible!
