Monday, October 4, 2010

What do do with old Yoga mats?


You can use your old Yoga mat for many different things. A couple of ideas are;


  1. Use it underneath your new Yoga mat as extra cushion when on knees or back. You can also cut it up and use it as a knee pad. Roll up your mat and tie it with ribbon and use as a bolster.

  2. Use it as a floor liner in the trunk of your car - it's non-slip and perfect for keeping the carpet clean.

  3. Use it as a seat cover when loading dirty items into the back seat of your car, or for a pet liner when traveling with dogs.

Any other suggestions please feel free to add them on the post.


Enjoy re-using your mat!

Friday, August 27, 2010

Reach the Summit!

Poise Studios Terry Tsubota "Reached the Summit".

Congratulations Terry! What an amazing experience it must have been.
















Friday, June 25, 2010

Yogathon at Poise Studio



Greetings!

Join Poise Studio's team in this years Yogathon, Yoga for Everybody! by committing to your own yoga practice and raising pledges to support yoga classes for our students. Beginning July 1, 2010 through August 30, 2010, you can set a goal for the number of classes you want to complete during that period of time, and reach out to your family and friends to pledge their support raise funds for Living Yoga.

Living Yoga serves, for free, a wide range of facilities and institutions including prisons, drug and alcohol rehabilitation centers, domestic violence shelters and programs for disadvantaged youth. We have over 70 active volunteers teaching more than 10,000 student hours of yoga each year.

Visit our website http://www.firstgiving.com/poisestudio and sign up today. Our goal is to raise $1000. Please feel free to forward this email on to anyone you know that might support this cause.

Thank you so much.

Victoria & Sarah











Monday, June 14, 2010

5K Race, Run & Walk at Intel's Jones Farm



















The race started as we cheered them on.
We heard something like over 90o participants were racing!
Luckily we were able to share a tent with another vendor.
We got a little wet but not as much as the race participants.
We had a good turn out and met a lot of great people.
Thanks Intel for inviting us to be a part of this!

Monday, May 3, 2010

91 year old Yoga Instructor

This was sent to us and I thought we would share it with everyone else. Very inspiring, short video to watch.

http://money.cnn.com/video/news/2010/04/12/n_cmr_92_year_old_yoga.cnnmoney/

Thursday, March 4, 2010

Tai Chi in March

Wednesdays at 6:00 pm, call to register or sign up on line.

Tai Chi ~ CosmoDynamics
CosmoDynamics, also known Tai Chi, draws its knowledge from the I-Ching and ancient Taoist practices. It is a "soft" Chinese martial art form and a means of cultivating the qi, or chi, in the body. Tai Chi originally stemmed from the ancient practice of qi gong, and consists of many qi gong movements, and it evolved to a distinct and separate martial art form. It incorporates movements that are used as a form of relaxation and to teach control of every part of the body. The movements practiced are slow and steady, and students will focus on developing control and form.
The health benefits of regular practice include:


More efficient breathing
Reduced blood pressure
Increased bone density, strength and range of motion of joints
Greater leg & knee strength and flexibility


Reduced levels of stress hormones during and after practice
Practitioners studying CosmoDynamics will achieve better conditioning for the body and more importantly, develop a sense of internal calm. It is to learn to synchronize with the environment, to move with the dynamics of the cosmos. In using introspection, practitioners while bring together their inner strength and softness in the outside. It's about opening the mind and losing the structure.


Thursday, February 18, 2010

Offbeat is Off-Schedule! Yet still FREEE! And still fabulous!



http://www.thebluemonk.com/


Date: Saturday, February 20, 2010
Time: 7:00pm - 9:00pm
Location: The Blue Monk

Thursday, February 11, 2010

Partner Yoga at Poise Studio





For the month of February we are offering Partner Yoga. Bringing people together through conscious breathing, movement, touch and interdependent partnership. Partner yoga poses builds a high level of trust and intimacy. It can be a fun exercise to do with children, or a special moment shared between spouses or friends.

Shared touch therapy in the form of yoga is similar to a massage. The spirit is revitalized with the gentle touch, the even flow of breath, and the focused attention on one another.

This class is paired up with Kids Yoga Play. Make it a date night or bring a friend! Drop in fee $10.

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Meditation as Prison Reform

I recently read the following article and found it very interesting so I thought I would post it. Feel free to also click on the link to take you directly to the site. http://www.andmagazine.com/content/and_3617.php

Meditation as Prison Reform
Vipassana, Ten Days of Silence

I first heard about it two years ago in Northern India and then again from a recent ex-girlfriend. Typically the timing is never right for this kind of thing-cause hey, its ten days and I'm a busy guy. But for once the timing was right, and to be honest I'm not that busy. So in early December I drove three hours north of the city to a small compound in northern California. It's the type of area where the guys sport grizzled beards and drive old pickup trucks that run on used cooking oil. Here, surrounded by dense forest we began our course in Vipassana meditation, ten days of silence.


Vipassana
If you're anything like my grandmother I need to assure you that this is not a cult nor is it in anyway dangerous. The day starts at 4:30am and ends at 9:30pm. In between you get two meals, a tea time, and a whole hell of a lot of meditation. Then, repeat for ten days without talking or making eye contact and you have yourself a full fledged Vipassana class.

The technique was designed to focus your mind in order to be aware of the sensations of the body. By understanding these sensations you will gain an experimental knowledge of craving and aversion and as a result understand desire and suffering. This is the goal, although it's admittedly a long process. In the short run however, there are some beneficial side effects. Most notably the surfacing of old memories (pleasant and unpleasant) and the general happiness and clarity that comes about at the end of the program. This is the justification for its use in prisons.

This particular meditation technique was laid down 2,500 years ago by Guatama Siddhartha (the historical Buddha). Now it has become a standard feature in many prisons around India and has even started being used in the U.S. The Indian government decided to implement the program originally in 1975 and then again in 1994 under the direction of Ms Kiran Bedi in the Tihar Central Jail of New Delhi. Since that time the results have been astounding even to the point of inmates breaking down and crying in the arms of their captures. Currently the Indian government is encouraging their prisons and detainment centers around the country to adapt the program.

As far as the U.S. prison system goes, the program is still in its infancy. It's been tried in a couple of places like as Bessemer, Alabama and Seattle, Washington (Seattle being the 1st). Now the question remains, should this continue to be implemented in our prisons here in the United States.? Well, here are some major points to consider:

What's the cost? At least so far, the cost of running these programs has been met strictly by donations. And only people who have completed at least one 10 day course are allowed to donate. If this remains the case, then implementing the program would have little or no effect on government spending. If they end up changing it, then that's something else to consider.


Is this religion? In a sense-yes. It is based off the teachings of the Buddha and is based on some ideas about the nature of life after death. And in a sense-no. They do a great job of keeping all Buddhist culture out of the program and try to focus only on the technique. Also, there is no reason that anyone has to accept anything contrary to their own philosophy. They are very clear about not being a religion.


Is this a bunch of hippie bulls*? Normally I might say yes, but I've been through it so I know that it works (and it definitely can't hurt). If you don't believe me, then there's only one way to make a solid argument. So if you find yourself with ten days to spare, why not put your "time" where your mouth is and try the course. It won't cost you a thing-and there's even free food involved. How can you turn down free food?

For more information, check out the documentary "Doing Time, Doing Vipassana".