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Classes
These yoga classes are fun as well as mindful and beneficial. In all classes the last few minutes are devoted to meditation (see Just One Percent on the Miracles of the Spirit Webpage) so our bodies can fully integrate the benefits of the class just past. Wear clothes that are easy to move in and if you have a mat, bring it. If you don't have a mat, bring a towel or blanket or rug. Additional nice helps to bring are a bath towel and woven fabric belt. We look forward to meeting you. You can call me at 612/722-9703 for more information.
Evening
Monday evening: Hatha Yoga 7 to 8:30 at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church (generally in the Mary/Martha room). 2730 E 31st St, Minneapolis, MN 55406. It's right behind the Library on Lake Street. htlcmpls.org.
Cost: $50 for a four-week month. $60 for a five-week month. Drop-ins: $15. Classes are ongoing.
Weekday
Thursday Afternoon: Yoga instead of Coffee Break This class is great for releasing stress and centering. Take 45 minutes to reclaim your soul! 2 pm until 2:45 at Nokomis Yoga, 2722 East 50th Street (on the corner of 28th Ave. and 50th St., 3 doors down from Nokomis Beach Coffee Shop.). www.nokomisyoga.com.
Cost: $60 per six-week session. Drop-ins: $12. Classes are ongoing.
Weekend
Saturday mornings: Hatha Yoga Hiawatha Lake Rec Center from 10:45 am to 11:45 pm. (612/370-4930). 2701 E 44th St, Minneapolis.
Cost: $20 per four-week session. Drop-ins: $5. Classes are ongoing.
Outfit yourself with all your yoga needs here!
For information about Yoga for Every Room in Your House here!
Yoga Bytes Archive
Yoga Bytes was intended to keep yoga in your consciousness by suggesting a little something you can work on at any given moment. Since I now write a monthly column in The Edge: Soul of the Cities I am taking a hiatus from Yoga Bytes. You are welcome to enjoy past issues here.
See what Minneapolis public schools are doing with yoga!
My Yoga Philosophy
I've been teaching yoga for a few years now and I've been able to observe how yoga practice has affected my students. Each person has his or her unique strengths and weaknesses. Each is strong in some areas, weak in others; flexible in certain joints and stiff in others. We tend to judge ourselves by our weaknesses but yoga gives us an opportunity to celebrate our strength and flexibility. It also provides us with a chance to gently and lovingly strengthen our bodies (minds and spirits) where they are weak, and encourage them to flexibility where they are tight.
In the process of all this, yoga helps us to really move into our bodies. Many of us have spent years pulling back from the physical being. We are taught, "no pain, no gain" and so we devalue the feedback our bodies give us. We "work through" the pain. We go to work while our bodies are sick and need to be cosseted. Athletes are honored for pushing on despite injury and pain. This is the moral high ground of our culture. This is how we prove our worth to the world.
I realize there are many "brands" of yoga on the market these days, but the yoga I've come to love and value is not the yoga of superheated rooms. It is not power yoga. It is the yoga that brings body and mind into harmony. It honors body wisdom and the mystery behind physical being. It is a constant meditation in the here and now. This kind of yoga dissolves the barriers between mind, body and spirit. It enables us to, little by little, become beings who are fully present in and to our lives. It helps us move through the dark night of the soul into the radiance native to that same soul.
This is what I see in my students. They move differently after a few months, with greater grace and strength. They respond to life differently, with less angst and greater compassion. Sometimes the changes are subtle, but they are always beautiful.
Teaching yoga has moved from a discipline to make sure that I do yoga into a joyous dance with people more diverse and creative than I could ever have imagined. Even the most physically challenged make progress and receive real benefits.
Jinjer Stanton is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.