September 7, 2008
October 19, 2008
November 9, 2008

Sundays
1:00pm - 2:30pm
Cost: $20 each

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Yoga Nidra is the Yogic tranquillizer. It establishes harmony and well-being throughout the entire system. It greatly reduces the physical and mental tensions brought about by modern life. Yoga Nidra induces physical, emotional and mental relaxation, in that order.

Physical relaxation is achieved by rotation of consciousness around the various parts of the body. Next, attention is drawn to the breathing process. The slower and deeper the respiration, the more relaxed one becomes.

Emotional relaxation is achieved by developing a state of mind where various feelings are brought to the surface voluntarily, and then thrown off.

Mental relaxation is psychic sleep in the realm of the mind. One appears to be asleep to the outside world, but is fully awake and aware on an internal level.

September 18, 2008
October 16, 2008
November 20, 2008
December 18, 2008

Monthly - Thursdays, 7:30-9:30pm

Reiki Share is Free But Charitable Donation For Grassroots is Requested.

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Are you a Reiki practitioner who would like to connect with others in the Reiki community and Practice giving and receiving Reiki?

Please join us in our monthly Reiki Share hosted by The Yoga Center. Wellness Room practitioners
Maureen Fama (Reiki Master) and Melissa Lindon (Reiki II) will facilitate the group.

If you've never experienced Reiki, you are welcome to come and find out about it and experience it firsthand from our Wellness Room practitioners. Reiki [pronounced RAY-key]is a Japanese word which means Universal Life Force Energy. This gentle hands-on healing technique works with vital life source energy to heal and balance. It can relieve stress and pain, stimulate the immune system, balance subtle body energies and broaden self-awareness.

Space is limited. Please call The Yoga Center at 410-720-4340 to reserve your space in advance.

Sunday
September 7, 2008 10:00am - 12:00pm
Cost: $35

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The psoas (so-az), also known as the iliopsoas, is a multi-joint muscle that supports the free
swing of the leg in walking, transfers weight from the spine to the legs, stabilizes the spine, and provides support for the organs in the pelvis. When aligned it give you a sense of grounding and being centered.

Releasing the psoas will bring new freedom, ease, and structural integrity to your yoga practice. It is the keystone of a balanced, well-organized body. It is what we see some people have called 'poise'. In this class we will focus on how to feel and lengthen our psoas and poses to stabilize the pelvis that is needed for a happy psoas muscle.

***Please note, there was a misprint in the Fall newsletter, the Healthy Joints Series - PSOAS is on September 7th. ***

4-Week Mini-Session
Wednesdays
October 1 - 22, 2008
8:15pm - 9:15pm
Cost: $64

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"Everyday when we wake up, we have 24 brand new hours to live. What a precious gift! We have the capacity to live in a way that these twenty-four hours will bring peace, joy, and happiness to ourselves and others."
Thich Nhat Hanh from Peace is Every Step

Meditation is a journey towards living our lives mindfully as we shine the light of awareness on all aspects of our lives. Through meditation we gently train ourselves to be awake and alive. In this class we will explore various practices of sitting meditation, guided meditation and walking meditation.

You will be encouraged to develop a personal meditation practice. It is by sitting still that we come to know who we are. No meditation experience required, just an open mind. This class will not include yoga, but we will do some gentle stretching to make sitting more comfortable.

October 3 - 5, 2008

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Additional Information

Please join Jamie Allison, senior certified Anusara Yoga Instructor, for this transformational weekend. Jamie is one of the most respected and inspired yoga instructors in North America. She speaks with the wisdomof her Senior Certification in Anusara Yoga and long-time study of Rajanaka Tantra. She has been studying closely with Anusara Yoga Founder, John Friend, since 1994 and Dr. Douglas Brooks, world renowned scholar of Rajanaka Tantra since 1998.

Weekend Workshop with Jamie Allison - All levels Fri. Oct. 3 - Sun. Oct. 5
• Entire Weekend Workshop Oct. 3 - 5
Pay only $165 if you register by September 19, Pay $185 if you register after September 19
• Friday, Oct. 3 6pm - 8:30pm Individual 2.5-hour Class $50
• Saturday, Oct. 4 12:30pm - 3:30pm Individual 3-hour Class $55
• Saturday, Oct. 4 5pm - 7pm Individual 2-hour Class $40
• Sunday, Oct. 5 10am - 1pm Individual 3-hour Class $55

Kirtan
• Saturday, Oct. 4 7pm - 8pm 1-hour Kirtan $10 (Free for those attending the All Levels workshop)

Continuing Education - Teachers and Serious Students
• Fri. Oct. 3 12pm - 3pm Reading the Map of the Body $55
Pay only $45 if you register by September 19
• Sun. Oct. 5 3pm - 5:30pm How to Observe and Enhance a Pose $50
Pay only $40 if you register by September 19

Saturdays
October 4 - 25, 2008
4-weeks
11:45am – 12:45pm
Cost $64

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These classes are especially designed to introduce children (ages 5 - 10) to Yoga.

Children learn Yoga in such a fun and delightful way, that they have no idea how healthy and relaxed they are becoming with simple yoga exercises. The yoga increases their strength, flexibility, concentration and balance.

The classes will include warm-up postures, breathing exercises, balancing poses, standing poses
and lots of games.

These classes teach children:
• Yoga postures in a playful way, filled with imagination
• Increased self-awareness and self-esteem
• Mind-body fitness and breath awareness
• To strengthen their bodies and create more flexibility
• Concentration and relaxation
• How to be healthy, happy and mindful young souls

Please have children wear loose, comfortable clothing.

Saturdays
October 4 - 25, 2008
4-weeks
1:00pm - 2:00pm
Cost $64

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Yoga is tremendously beneficial to the healthy development of teens. It builds strength and flexibility, aids relaxation and stress reduction, and increases body awareness, self respect, and self confidence.

Whether active in sports or carrying a heavy backpack, teens benefit from yoga’s focus on core strength, flexibility, posture, and body alignment. As teens mature, their senses of themselves change. They are trying to figure out how to live in their new and ever-changing bodies. Yoga focuses on listening to your body and respecting it.

We teach teens to honor themselves and appreciate their strengths. As students get stronger, have a more developed sense of self, and increased confidence, they are better equipped
to face increased peer pressure and school stresses.

The benefits of yoga for teens include:
• Increased strength and flexibility
• Improved self confidence.
• Stress reduction
• Body awareness
• Respect
• Community building
• Relaxation

Sunday
October 19, 2008
10:00am - 12:00pm
Cost: $35

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The shoulder is the most mobile and flexible joint in the human body. We all depend upon our shoulders for a very important reason -- the shoulder joint is what allows us to control where we can move our hands in order to use them. The shoulder is also a common area where injuries occur. It is a complex ball and socket joint that relies on muscles and tendons, and to a lesser degree on the capsule and ligaments for stability. There is a very fine balance between mobility and stability in the shoulder that allows us to have freedom of movement throughout our entire lives.

The movement of the arm and the shoulder are controlled by a group of four muscles called the rotator cuff. At the end of each muscle is a tendon that attaches to the bone. Tears in these tendons are called rotator cuff tears. This type of shoulder injury is a common cause of shoulder pain and weakness. Although there are many reasons why this balance can be upset, the causes of the more common shoulder injuries, shoulder pain and problems are easy to understand if you gain a little knowledge about shoulder anatomy and how to protect, stabilize, and strengthen
the shoulder that this workshop will provide.

Saturdays
November 1 - 22, 2008 4-weeks
11:45am – 12:45pm
Cost $64

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These classes are especially designed to introduce children (ages 5 - 10) to Yoga.

Children learn Yoga in such a fun and delightful way, that they have no idea how healthy and relaxed they are becoming with simple yoga exercises. The yoga increases their strength, flexibility, concentration and balance.

The classes will include warm-up postures, breathing exercises, balancing poses, standing poses
and lots of games.

These classes teach children:
• Yoga postures in a playful way, filled with imagination
• Increased self-awareness and self-esteem
• Mind-body fitness and breath awareness
• To strengthen their bodies and create more flexibility
• Concentration and relaxation
• How to be healthy, happy and mindful young souls

Please have children wear loose, comfortable clothing.

Saturdays
November 1 – 22, 2008
4-weeks
1:00pm - 2:00pm
Cost $64

Download flier

Yoga is tremendously beneficial to the healthy development of teens. It builds strength and flexibility, aids relaxation and stress reduction, and increases body awareness, self respect, and self confidence.

Whether active in sports or carrying a heavy backpack, teens benefit from yoga’s focus on core strength, flexibility, posture, and body alignment. As teens mature, their senses of themselves change. They are trying to figure out how to live in their new and ever-changing bodies. Yoga focuses on listening to your body and respecting it.

We teach teens to honor themselves and appreciate their strengths. As students get stronger, have a more developed sense of self, and increased confidence, they are better equipped
to face increased peer pressure and school stresses.

The benefits of yoga for teens include:
• Increased strength and flexibility
• Improved self confidence.
• Stress reduction
• Body awareness
• Respect
• Community building
• Relaxation

Wednesdays, November 5, 2008
November 19, 2008
December 10, 2008
8:00pm - 9:30pm

Cost: $20 each

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When we're in tune with the seasons, our natural rhythm is to slow down and turn inward as winter approaches. Yet, as the days grow shorter and darkness falls sooner, most of us find ourselves busier than ever, and over-extended with holiday preparations.

This year, try something different. Come take time for yourself. Experience deep release and relaxation as core tensions melt away through the practice of some of the "yummiest" poses that yoga has to offer. We'll use the support of props for these gentle yet profound poses, which are held for several minutes at a time to allow the body to let go at a deep level.

The practice of "active relaxation" can help reduce the effects of stress, and rejuvenate body and spirit when you feel weak or fatigued. You'll leave feeling nourished and renewed. You may find that you sleep better and your energy level increases.

This class is appropriate for students of all levels.

Sunday
November 9, 2008
10am - 12pm
Cost: $35

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WE SIT TOO MUCH, and most of our sitting is in chairs, couches, or in the car; we rarely get down on the floor...except in yoga class.

Since we already have a stiff thoracic spine with relatively hyper-mobile cervical and lumbar spines in this culture, the mechanical stress of prolonged sitting tightens our hips, dulls our spine, and tenses our neck and shoulder muscles. We end up with dull, lifeless spines with excessive compression in isolated spots.

YOGA CAN HELP!!
Yoga helps ease lower back pain by gently stretching and strengthening the muscles of the lower back, abdomen, and legs. Yoga incorporates relaxation, which reduces tension in stress-carrying muscles. Yoga poses are meant to train the body to be healthy and supple and with consistent practice will result in improved posture and an increased sense of balance. Additionally, unlike many other forms of exercise, yoga helps stretch and strengthen both sides of the body equally.