Join me on Saturday, February 18th from 12:30 – 2 PM, to learn about wrist injuries and yoga. Wrist pain does not have to limit or restrict your Yoga Practice!

The wrist is a relatively small and complex joint which can be prone to injury during hatha yoga.  Some of the more challenging poses like Downward facing dog, hand stand and other weight bearing poses to the hands can stress the wrist as well as the surrounding muscles, tendons and ligaments create discomfort and even acute, lingering pain. The injury can be yoga related or it can be an unrelated injury from some other sports or work activity or accidental fall.  In this workshop we will discuss preventative techniques to both deal with previous injuries and avoid yoga related injuries.  We will focus on alternative or modified positions to help the wrist sensitive student realize a full yoga practice.

Join me, Bill O’Connor RYT for a discussion of major and some minor wrist injuries and how to deal with and prevent them.  This will be followed by a special vigorous “wristless” yoga practice which you can take home with you as well as use the modifications in your regular practice.

As a long time evolution teacher who has been teaching and practicing for 10 years with Keinbox disease, a genetic condition that causes disintegration of the central wrist bone.   I have studied the use of the wrist in daily life as well as in yoga practice and developed a yoga practice which de-emphasizes the use of the wrist.  Consulted with and been diagnosed by some of the leading wrist experts in the US, and I am happy to share my experience with others who are dealing with wrist pain. ~ Bill

Oh, how much do I love garlic! And the best part is that I’m immune to the smell so even after consuming so much, I don’t smell my garlic breath or the fumes as I perspire. This time of year, when colds and flus are abundant, I eat extra garlic to protect my health. Maybe by just eating so much of it, that alone may be keeping people at a distance. Be thankful, I won’t be in yoga class for a few more days after I’ve sipped my soup.

I roasted in olive oil about 2/3 of the cloves, peeled and whole, and the remaining third, I sliced up and set aside. In a pan, I sauteed the following:

- 2 to 3 chopped shallots in olive oil (onions could be substituted)

- all of the sliced garlic cloves

- 1/2 stick of butter

- rest of the roasted cloves

- some whole wheat flour to make thick rue

- a healthy pour of white wine

- seasoning: salt/pepper/turmeric/cumin/bouillon cube

- a few handfuls of chopped white potatoes

-water (or broth)

I took slowly added water to rue until the soup pot was full. Then simmered the garlic goodness for twenty minutes after it reached it’s final boil. Pureed until smooth, and to finish, a splash of milk. Served along side a hearty piece of bread, my spontaneous version made a delicious dinner…and even a better lunch! ~ Petra

It’s not too late to say YES!! If you’re ready to dip your toes into some yoga that is just beyond the basics, join my 6-week Intermediate Series, now starting NEXT Wednesday, February 1st from 4:30-5:30 pm. Come, get stronger, boost your confidence, and have fun! Joyfully ~ Christine

Tripod Headstand. I happen to think this is one of the easier ones because your hands can help you stay balanced, but it can also hurt your head, so make sure you do this on a thick mat…continue reading on fitsugar or join me in class on Sundays at 4:30pm. ~ Jenny Sugar

Anyone who has taken my classes knows that I am always wishing that we had more time. As one of my dear teachers often says, “so many poses, so little time!”  In these 2.5 hour workshops, we’ll have plenty of time to warm the body up slowly, so that we’re ready to work towards more advanced asana variations with intelligence and attentiveness. I love finding different ways to get into poses, using props and partner assists to help inform the energy and safe execution of advanced asanas.

With patience, support and encouragement, these classes will allow students to test their physical and mental limitations, and to discover which are real, and which are merely false perceptions. Longer class times also means we have ample opportunity to include extended pranayama, quieting postures, and time for deep relaxation. Join us for this once-a-month hearty exertion of playful energy, seeing how – with careful attention and ease of breath – you can go farther than you may have imagined!  (These workshops are not for beginners.  Please see website for specific prerequisites for attending these classes). Joyfully ~ Christine

Andrea Averill Trombley graduated from Northern Arizona University with a Masters Degree in Physical Therapy in 1997, after completing her undergraduate work at the University of Vermont in 1990.  Andrea’s career began at Copley Hospital, in Morrisville, VT, where she treated orthopedic inpatients as well as outpatients, and served as the pediatric PT in the area schools.  In 1999, Andrea moved to the Burlington area and began working at Fletcher Allen Healthcare, working with the orthopedic outpatient population.  Andrea’s practice increasingly moved toward treatment of patients with chronic back and neck pain, and she spent 5 years working with a multidisciplinary team specializing in this area.  In 2007, Andrea decided to make the leap from clinician to clinical researcher, taking a position at the University of Vermont with Dr. Sharon Henry, to study chronic low back pain in more depth.

Andrea has been exploring Anusara Yoga for the past 2 years, and has completed Level 1-3 Immersions, which are the prerequisites for entry into the Anusara Teacher Training Program. She enjoys blending her physical therapy background with yoga philosophy, and finding creative ways to help her patients overcome whatever challenges they are having.

Andrea is also a mom to two active and inquisitive tween boys.  She spends her days exploring alternative education methods, taking long walks, preparing green smoothies and raising chickens. Join her for the next Belly After Baby workshop on Sunday, January 29th at 9 AM!

What’s Feldenkrais Method? Feldenkrais is considered an educational approach, not a medical one. “I don’t heal people,” says Mester. “What I do is to help people to understand how they are moving and alternatives to the way they move. That can really help them to overcome limitations in their movements.” Read the full article: “Rising Again” from the Seven Days, and then try any of my weekly drop-in classes at evolution on Tuesdays at 9:30 am and Wednesdays at 7:00 pm. Also, come to any of the monthly workshops, each with a specific theme and muscle group. Regards ~ Uwe

Lisa grew up dancing and adding yoga into her  life was a natural and complete part of living life more fully. Lisa earned a degree in dance at Dean Jr. College and followed this with teaching dance at numerous art camps. Lisa found a PTA program and completed certification in Physical Therapy Asst. in 1995 and gradually began implementing yoga into therapy for her clients. This led to Teacher training at Yoga Vermont in 2005. Lisa enjoys teaching children and quickly added kids yoga as part of her classes and has attended: Circus Yoga level I, Yoga Ed. K-12 training, and more recently Anusara Immersion 1-3 and numerous Anusara workshops.

Lisa offers yoga in a flow, alignment vinyasa style and enjoys teaching babies, toddlers, preschool, kids and family yoga classes. When not teaching she is spending time with family, cooking, crossfit training and enjoying the outdoors.

Do you have a minipanic attack when your yoga instructor says it’s time to work on headstands? Whether you’ve tried inversions a hundred times and can’t stay balanced for more than half a second, or are too intimidated to even try, here are five reasons headstands aren’t happening for you and how to get started hanging upside down. Continue reading here or join me every Sunday at 4:30pm! ~ Jenny Sugar

For New Year’s I had a great time going up to Montreal for the weekend with my family. It was awesome! When my wife and I first met we actually spent New Year’s in Montreal, but we haven’t done it since, and that was 15 years ago. We did all kinds of great stuff – we went to the Biodome, we went skating in the Old Port, found a great Thai restaurant, went swimming in our hotel, watched the Fireworks, saw an outdoor concert, rode the metro (quite exciting for us Vermonters!), took a nice walk. It was great!

In thinking about it after getting back I realized that what made it really fun is that no one had any strict agenda. Everyone was really open to do whatever. It seemed like we were moving pretty slow, but at the same time we did a lot of stuff over a 24 hour period. What we were doing was really going with our hearts, going with the flow of things, letting stuff come as it a came.

For me in my everyday life it seems like that sense of going with the flow gets caught up an an agenda to “get things done” and to accomplish something. Being on this trip opened me up more to how nice it is to go with things as the come, and maybe even get more stuff done and waste less time in the process.

Today’s video is practice of this idea – I hope you enjoy it! John