Thursday, October 29, 2009

Yoga Teacher Training Coming in January

I am excited to announce that we will be conducting a 200 hour teacher training at Mindful Motion Yoga this coming January. Our training program meets all Yoga Alliance requirements and will be a great opportunity for individuals to grow their yoga practice. It is designed to build a strong foundation in all aspects of the basics of yoga from the physical, to the mental and spiritual.

In addition to offering a comprehensive training in yoga, it is our intention to grow a compassionate and accepting yoga community. Believing that every spirit has a gift, a light, to share. We offer yoga as a path to sharing this light.

As in our studio classes, we will share our knowledge with you in a safe, supportive environment. It is our intention to encourage your unique and personal journey in yoga. Whether you are a seeking a greater depth of knowledge for personal growth or interested in becoming a yoga professional, we invite you to come and grow with us.

In the spirit of compassion, we have attractively priced our training in addition to offering a payment plan option and built flex-time into the schedule to accomodate your real-life situation. Ask us about your unique situation.

For more information, visit www.mindfulmotion-yoga.com

We will also be co-hosting a RYT500 hour training in 2010. For details, visit www.RYT500.com

Monday, October 12, 2009

Message from Christina

To my Mindful Motion Yoga family,

Wow - what more can I say than - wow! I was completely blown away by the support and participation of both the Friday night yoga class and Social and the Walk on Saturday morning. I am so touched to be honored by Terri and her beautiful studio and by all of you. The energy in our packed Friday night yoga class was incredible (a lot of it nervous energy for me at the start - ha-ha). But, it was truly a presence that filled the room. And, at that moment in time, we were all woven together to create some powerful prana!

Your kindness and loving generosity touched my heart and soul beyond words. It is a gift for me to be there teaching yoga - and the thought of all of you coming to share in that gift makes me smile really big - even now as I think about it!

The walk on Saturday was so much fun - family and friends all coming together to take a walk along our beautiful backyard called the beach! The view was breathtaking and the camaraderie and conversations were perfect! The community that Mindful Motion Yoga has created is a strong tight-knit "family" with hearts as big as the ocean! I might have been the initial inspiration behind the gathering of this team - but, it became much larger than that. We have bonded together and gained friendship, strength and courage from each other. I look forward to continuing this journey with all of you as we travel onto the paths of our individual lives. How they intersect is what makes all of this so special and amazing!

Your support of me and all those who have been touched by breast cancer is astounding. Awareness and support for all those affected is key. I would like to send a loving, thankful, mindful hug to all of you who were able to come and share - and to those of you who weren't. It was an amazing couple of days that will forever stay in my memory! Thank you for everything - You all heal me!

Love and namaste,
Christina

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

Team Christina

Mindful Motion Yoga teachers and students have formed Team Christina in support of our friend Christina Phipps Crum! We plan to participate in the Making Strides walk at Jacksonville Beach on Saturday, October 10.

Christina, all around amazing yogini, teacher, friend, breast cancer survivor and self-described goofball, will lead her regular gentle class on Friday, October 9 at 5:30. This special class will be offered at no charge and we will follow with healthy snacks and drink, and a celebration with our dear friend.

Namaste.

Terri

Saturday, September 19, 2009

Anita Nall-Richesson

My youngest daughter swims with a great group of coaches and kids at her elementary school in Jacksonville. As a part of this group, she was invited to attend a presentation on nutrition by Olympic Gold Medalist and former world record holder (200 breast at 15 years of age!), Anita Nall Richesson.

Anita has a compelling story of the importance of nutrition and the impact proper nutrition has had in her life. In addition to being a mother of two she has continued her career by working with in the field of nutrition and is the current team nutritionist for the Jacksonville Jaguars. We enjoyed her kind and encouraging delivery and left with a renewed commitment to simplifying our diets.

As a yoga teacher I believe in the importance of how we care for our bodies. The importance of strengthening, stretching, and moving, as well as the importance of what we put into these machines. Ironically, it is often the busy schedules that come with these healthy activities (lots of yoga, swimming, equestrian events) that results in eating convenient, processed foods. The busier the schedule, the greater the temptation to consume processed foods.

Lately I have been guilty of serving more processed foods than I would like to admit. However, after Anita's presentation, my family discussed our commitment to good health and decided to return to eating only whole foods. I'll keep you posted. (Already missing Diet Coke)

Namaste

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

RYT 500 Advanced Yoga Teacher Training in Jacksonville Florida

RYT500 coming to Mindful Motion Yoga!

Yoga has added so much to my life. It has provided me with unlimited avenues for both physical and spiritual growth. I continue to seek ways to personally grow in this practice have worked the last several months with a collection of teachers who have joined together to facilitate an advanced teacher training in Jacksonville, Fl.

I am happy to announce that in 2010 Mindful Motion Yoga will be hosting world class teachers as they deliver a teacher training program at the 500hour level (RYT500)! Many of our sessions will include workshops with these special teachers offering portions open to the community. We will be offering the program under the direction of Jenny Otto - E-RYT 500 and founder of Body Balance Yoga - an RYS with Yoga Alliance.

Details can be found at www.RYT500.com Program start date of March 2010 (sessions at Mindful Motion Yoga will begin Fall 2010). Please feel welcome to email me or call with any questions!

Namaste,

Territerri@mindfulmotion-yoga.com

Sunday, August 30, 2009

Yoga for Tennis

I love tennis. I love sound of a new can of balls being opened and the smell of the felt and rubber. I love the sound that comes from a perfectly hit ball. When I step onto a tennis court I am flooded with memories of my childhood in Texas. My dear friend, Janice, and I spent a great deal of our youth on the court. Laughing, planning and dreaming.

Many years later, I still love playing tennis, watching tennis and experiencing the joy of a new can of balls. This week I am bringing together my love for tennis with my passion for yoga. Monday, August 31, marks the beginning of our yoga series specifically designed for tennis players. We will address the demands tennis places on the physical body as well as addressing how to strengthen the oh-so-important mental game.

Saturday, March 21, 2009

Ultimate Frisbee and Yoga

Last month, Daniel, a new student, came to class with his girlfriend Lauren. Lauren is a regular at the studio with a strong and beautiful yoga practice. They come across as an effortless kind of cool couple with great energy.


To my surprise, without knowledge of the postures Daniel was able to come into the poses with relative ease. He was able to find Warrior I and Warrior II adjusting hips and shoulders, seemingly falling into the postures. Additionally, he had great balance, not something that comes without effort to someone as tall as Daniel.


After class we talked about his athletic interests and I learned that in addition to playing basketball, and being a runner, he is an avid competitor in ultimate frisbee. Having played on a championship team in college, he continues to compete in a local league.


I am very aware of how yoga improves performance in a virtually all sports. However, until meeting Daniel and Lauren, I didn't know much about ultimate frisbee. I now have an appreciation for the sport and have developed an understanding of how the stretching and alignment of yoga transfers to this graceful and fast paced sport.


BTW, Daniel now attends yoga classes regularly with Lauren, and Mindful Motion Yoga will be a proud sponser of the Jacksonville Ultimate Frisbee league this season.


For more on how a regular yoga practice can increase sports performance: http://www.mindfulmotion-yoga.com/terristhoughts.html


An interesting list of professional athletes practicing yoga:
http://www.holisticmed.com/exercise-yoga.html



Namaste,


Terri

Sunday, March 1, 2009

George




Last fall we had a new student in the studio, George, he came with two female friends, his partner, Joella, and their friend Mary. George’s physical presence was impressive, much taller than most. However, this physical presence paled in comparison to the energy surrounding him. Although he was facing a relatively new diagnosis of lung cancer, he was surrounded by positive energy. He had a humor that seemed to resonate with everyone. You don’t have to believe in the presence of physical energy surrounding us to have felt the beautiful, positive energy radiating---truly surging from George. This lovely trio returned to class. Some days George participated in class, other times he simply sat and observed, encouraging Joella. Inevitably, those in the class would ask about George. Unanimously touched by him. He had a way of making new acquaintances feel like old friends. George’s physical life ended this past week. I am grateful to have crossed paths with George and his friends. In such a brief time I benefitted immensely and hope to never lose the joy and lightness he brought. My heart goes out to those who are feeling experiencing this loss. Light and Love to you all.

Terri

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Yoga and the Feet

As is often the case in life, one thing flows into the other. This seems to be the week of paying attention to the feet, our foundation.

Having chosen Tadasana, mountain pose, as our pose of the week naturally brought me to the feet. Additionally, my daughter, who is on her middle school track team, has developed some foot pain requiring multiple visits with specialists over the past week. After much time spent sitting in doctor's offices, looking at plastic models of the foot and diagrams on the wall followed by thinking and reading on the subject I found the following most memorable:


Taken from Yoga Anatomy by Leslie Kaminoff

"When you stand, you bear weight on the only structures in the body that have specifically evolved to hold you up in the uniquely human stance-the feet. The architecture of the feet, along with their musculature, shows nature's unmatched ability to reconcile and neutralize opposing forces.

Clearly , however, these amazing structures are massively over engineered for the way most people use them in the civilized world of stiff shoes and paved surfaces. Fortunately , yoga exercises are done barefoot, with much attention given to restoring the strength and flexibility of the foot and lower leg muscles.

In yoga practice, some of the earliest lessons frequently simply center on the simple act of standing upright-something you've been doing (more or less successfully) since you were about a year old. If you can feel your weight releasing into the three points of contact between the foot and the earth, you may be able to feel the support that the earth gives back to you through the action of the three arches of the foot and the muscles that control them.

Standing positions have the highest center of gravity of all the starting points, and the effort of stabilizing that center makes standing poses-by definition-brahmana. Release and support, giving and receiving, inhaling and exhaling....

Standing poses, Tadasana in particular, is one of the best ways to restore the natural aliveness, strength, and adaptability of the feet. Once your foundation is improved, it's much easier to put the rest of your house in order. "

It is my intention to bring into my personal practice a new mindfulness to the feet. Consciously connecting with the earth through the triangle of each foot, lifting the arches, grateful for the support.





Sunday, February 22, 2009

Sunday Night Stress

Love this.

Your body is precious. It is your vehicle for awakening. Treat it with care.

--Siddhartha Guatama

It is Sunday evening and I feel so fortunate to be looking at the upcoming week with joyful anticipation. So different from previous years where Sunday night came with "Sunday night stress". A phrase I would use as an explanation, even an apology, for my often unpleasant behavior on Sunday evenings. The looming week of tests and homework in my younger years followed by deadlines and conflicts in my working years then tests and homework again as my children became school age.

Now I get to spend my days in the world of yoga, inviting in the positive and reciting my mantra of "acceptance". I like to think that the real change has been within me and not simply a change in the surroundings. However, I am grateful that I won't be testing that theory this week.

This week is truly joyful as Friday, my dear friend, Rebecca, arrives from Austin to present several workshops at the studio over the following weekend. Rebecca travels and conducts workshops through Spirit Works, an organization she founded, and serves on the board of Living Compassion, an organization in California doing great work and truly rooted in compassion.

In addition to being just plain smart (as in very,very intelligent) and kind, she is really, really funny. She has the kind of humor and warmth that makes me feel I am just as smart, kind and funny as she. I am in awe of her level of commitment to bringing good and peace into this world, by helping individuals find their own personal peace and am honored to have her return to the studio.

It is going to be a great week!

Saturday, February 21, 2009

Gratitude and Yoga

I am thankful to the practitioners who have suggested this blog for our studio. This past week we introduced a "pose of the week". I chose Bhujangasana for our first week and was so proud on Friday and this morning as I witnessed beautiful, mindful bodies flowing with such grace and strength into the pose. I am proud of the teachers, proud of the students, proud of the space and so overwhelmingly grateful to be a part of it all. Next week, Tadasana.