Classes Start: Jan 4/2010

The website should be changed this week to reflect the new date for the resumption of classes at the studio. The printed material will still show Jan 5-but the doors open again on Jan 4th.

Winter Schedule-Classes & Workshops

My organizational skills are getting the best of me right now as I prepare for the new year. I have my professional development workshops already booked for the winter of 2010. This will impact the following dates & classes:

Sunday, February 21, 2010-Zumba 2-Adding more to your Zumba class by learning to instruct four more rhythms (Belly Dance, Flamenco, Tango and Samba) more creatively and with more impact.

Saturday, February 27, 2010-YMCA Connexions Conference (you'll love what the Y workshops enable to be brought to the studio-plus this is needed for my annual Y certification). Kick-Butt Bootcamp; Cut to the Core; Push-Group Strength (these are not my descriptions!!!).

All other training has been arranged for Fridays, so does not affect classes. Included in this is a workshop with my favourite vinyasa strength teacher from NYC-whose work I'm always happy to admit to during the power yoga class.

Complimentary Meditation Workshop: Parvaneh has offered to provide complimentary meditation workshops for those who are interested. If there is any interest, could you please advise. If you love the short guided mediations that are often done during the Wednesday yoga class, you'll love Parvaneh.

For those still undecided about the Middle Eastern belly Dance, I will need to have numbers to Parvaneh by Jan 3rd.

Blessings!
Darlene

Protocol at the Studio-Footwear, Mats & stuff

First, huge thank you for your patience during the installation of the new floor. It looks great and the feedback on the renos at the studio has been so positive. I'm so happy to be able to take the studio to the next level and create an environment reflective of urban studios. During the intersession, the roman column should be installed and this will complete the renovations.

The renovation has created more floor surface area to accommodate those yoga classes which have in excess of 17 students, who have been feeling claustrophobic due to those pillars. The studio can now accommodate 22 during yoga and the 30 minute express classes. The orientation of the mats will change during these classes.

The new floor means that no outer footwear can be worn in the studio. Please bring a pair of running shoes to wear during the fitness classes-this is to prevent sand and dirt from working it's way under the wood planks or between the edges of the planks. I will try to find the way to have a shoe rack for those who wish to leave their studio shoes behind.

Please try arrive 10 minutes prior to the starts of the yoga classes-if you arrive after the class has commenced, please find your place and set your mat up quietly. If the class has already started centering, please try to keep noise to a minimum as a courtesy to the other members of your yoga community.

Sanitation of mats-thank you for continuing to keep the mats clean after use!! If you have your own mat, it is recommended you bring it.

The studio will be closed from Dec 22, opening again on Jan 5th for another exciting year!

Season's Greetings and Best wishes for a Healthy and Safe 2010!

Darlene

Class Additions: Dec 21 & 22

Added to keep your metabolism moving:

Monday, Dec 21: 4:30-5;30 p.m: Kickboxing
Tuesday, Dec 22: 5:30-6:30 p.m Kickboxing

Mom & Baby/Tot Yoga Fit is coming back!

Mondays, starting Jan 11/2010
Time: 1-1:45

This class provides the new mom an opportunity to exercise, without having to find a babysitter for baby. The class uses yoga and pilates to:
- increase core strength
- increase upper body strength
- increase metabolism
- tone the body (we use resistence bands, yoga balls stability balls)
- bond with your infant
- contribute to motor control development, mental stimulation for your toddler (age 3 max)

Cost: 5.00 class

Middle Eastern Belly Dance Lessons at the studio-Parvaneh Rowshan

O.K, I'm pretty excited about this- I'm considering watching the children for you at the cafe so you can take advantage of this class!

Parvaneh Rowshan, ignited with dance as a child, has been passionately dancing through her life. She teaches cultural dance to women and creative movement to children. Parvaneh's dance style is more than just dance. Her program includes exercises and improv designed to acquaint her students with the virtues, help her students draw on their own creativity, strengthen their self-esteem and confidence and build their sense of self.

You can watch a sample of Paraveneh's work at: http://www.parvanehmovement.com/dance.html

Dates: Jan 8-Feb 26th ( 8 weeks)
Fridays 5-6 p.m
Cost: 120.00
Minimum number of students required: 10

If you know of anyone interested in taking the classes, please forward the information to them as a minimum of 10 students are needed to enable this class to occur.

Controlling Consumption During the Holidays

So, after hearing the comment that a rum and apple cider can't be as bad as rum & I cola, I thought the following was rather fitting regarding holiday comsumption.

#1: Eat a sensible meal before the party.You should always arrive at parties with a full stomach, you'll make better choices. It's the same principle as avoiding grocery shopping on an empty stomach.

#2: Bring a healthy dish to share.

#3: Do you want to drink or eat your calories? Rum & apple cider & rum & cola=sugar, sugar, sugar (lots of it). Do you realize how quickly calories add up when you're slurping them out of a cup? Alcoholic beverages and sweet holiday drinks are simply packed with calories. These calories don't take up much room in your stomach so you're left wide open for even more calories. Your best strategy is to avoid these beverages altogether, and stick with water. Aim to drink 2-3 glasses of water at the party.

#4: Fill your plate, but only once. No going back for seconds. Since you've already eaten a sensible meal before arriving, this rule is going to be easier to keep than you think.

#5: Taste dessert, just a taste. (I'm a believer that desserts should be available in tablespoon size)!

Team Yoga Sessions-Athletes

I've done this before in the past and have alot of fun in working with athletes. Team sessions are interesting as the team dynamic can be very powerful or sometimes need to be worked upon-this often becomes quite apparent in a team yoga session. Yoga, unlike activities that focus on strength or cardiovascular components has the ability to balance the body, mind & spirit. These aspects are critical to athletes-being physically in shape does not often equate to mental concentration nor does it mean being injury free. I'm taken back by the number of athletes I meet that have chronic back, neck, knee, wrist, shoulder and hip problems. I find it distressing to meet a 20 year old hockey player who has back problems that will affect his/her career, particularly when this could have been avoided.

What are the benefits of yoga to athletes?

Yoga improves lung capacity.
Yoga improves circulation, concentration, strength and flexibility.
Power yoga develops upper body and core strength and lower body and spinal flexibility. This is vital in preventing injuries and reducing time the body needs to heal.
This mixture of strength and flexibility prepares the cardiovascular system and muscles for peak performance.
Yoga invites awareness and understanding of our minds, bodies, and actions. Focus, visualization, and self understanding can help train the mind for competition and to improve confidence and focus.
Yoga teaches you how link movement to breath: creating more efficient movements, and increasing speed.
Gentle Yoga rejuvenates tired muscles and repair sports injuries.

Tell me again why we should reduce our sugar intake?

I am not a big sugar consumer-since a fairly intensive elimination diet to get to the source of my allergies, I'm finding I am consuming less and less sugar in my diet. Sugar is often a roadblock to our success with weight loss, has no nutritional value and as a nutritionist told me (and I'm sure you all heard this before) "Darlene, that stuff is pure poison."

So, why do we insist on ingesting this stuff? Here are reasons why we should not (condensed from an online article):

1. Sugar is seen by the body as an invader.
2. Mineral Depletion. When you eat refined sugar, your body takes nutrients from other cells to metabolize it because the sugar lacks the ability to do so on it's own. Minerals like calcium, magnesium, sodium and potassium are taken from vital body parts to make use of the sugar you ingested. Over Time, the vital body processes requiring those minerals run down and become less efficient.
3. Bone Loss. Your body particularly misses calcium as it is destroyed in your body's fight against sugar. With a decreased amount of calcium being used toward vital body processes, bones become weak, increasing the chances of osteoporosis, breaks and fractures later in life. Calcium loss also leads to tooth decay, a major component of the $50 billion dentistry industry worldwide.
4. Diabetes. Large sugar intake leads to the onset of diabetes because sugar raises your body's blood sugar levels quickly, causing the pancreas to release insulin. The constant consumption of sugar throughout the day forces the body to constantly work. Eventually, the pancreas wears out and cannot perform its normal duties.
5. Low Energy. Sugar consumption will leave you feeling run down. Eating sugar after a craving might give you the notorious "sugar high," but it does not last long. Soon you crash and feel more tired than you did before the high, have less energy and are hungrier.

So tell me again, why should we reduce our sugar intake?

Quick Ways to Reduce Stress

1. Fold your hands in prayer behind your back. When we get stressed we tend to tense up, and cave our chest in. This opens up our chest, so we can breathe more freely. Pull the shoulders back, tilt the head back, and breathe deeply.
2. Rub the circumference of each ear with your hands. Right hand rubbing the right ear and left hand rubbing the left ear. According to Ayurveda, India's 5,000 year old Science of Life, there are marma points (like acupuncture points) in the ears that correspond to the various parts of the body. Rubbing the ears in this way is like giving yourself a little mini massage!
3. Stop and smell the flowers. Keep some lavender essential oil in your desk or purse. When you feel stressed, bring it out. Close your eyes and breathe in the fragrance. Count to 5. Then exhale through your mouth to the count of 5. According to Aromatherapy, lavender is very calming. and when we close our eyes it isolates the sense of smell so that we feel it more intensely.
4. Present moment awareness. Most of the time, when we're stressed it is because we are living in either the future or the past. Bring yourself into present moment awareness by focusing on the now. Use your senses, which connect us to our environment. Hug yourself, to be more "in your body" instead of in your mind where the stress is. Look at something beautiful, a flower, a bird, the sky, and just be with that for a moment. Take a sip of sweet tea, and really taste it, and enjoy it. Be grateful in that moment, and stress just washes away. Gratitude and stress cannot be present at the same time!
5. Sit in your desk chair, or kitchen table chair - left foot on the floor, put your right ankle on your left knee, and learn forward with a stretch. Hold it as far as you can go, then bend forward a little more. This opens up your hips, and again balances that tensed up muscle feeling. Do each side equally.

Coffey News.

Side plank with bent Knee

Target Body Part: Abs, Butt/Hips
Primary Muscles: Transverse Abdominus, Gluteus Medius/Minimus (Abductors), Obliques
Secondary Muscles:(Synergists/Stabilizers)
Quadriceps (quads), Adductors
Equipment Needed: No Equipment


Step 1: Lie on your right side on an exercise mat with your left leg lying directly over your right leg and bend your knees to a comfortable position. Raise your upper body to support yourself on your right arm, your right elbow should bend to 90 degrees and be positioned directly under your shoulder. Align your head with your spine and keep your hips and lower knee in contact with the exercise mat.

Step 2: Exhale, gently contract your abdominal / core muscles to stiffen your spine and lift your hips off the mat, but keeping contact with your knee, and head aligned with your spine.

Step 3: Inhale and gently return yourself to your starting position.
Step 4: Exercise Variation: You can increase the exercise intensity by increasing the length of time you are in the raised position.

Cauliflower that Tastes Great

Cauliflower is not a veggie that creates great excitement when it appears at the dinner table. I think that when I was growing up my mother would drown it in cheese sauce as that was the only way my sisters and I would eat it. The reality of it was that was the only way she knew how to cook it.

I love finding ways of making veggie recipes appealing and to create change. I don't have alot of time to prepare meals-the recipe has to be quick, easy and most importantly nutritious. In addition to cooking cauliflower and mashing it with Parmesan (think mashed potato alternative), the following is a great tasting cauliflower recipe.

One 2 1/2-pound cauliflower, cut into 2-inch florets
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper
4 lemon wedges, for serving
Directions
Preheat the oven to 400°. On a large rimmed baking sheet, drizzle the cauliflower florets with the olive oil. Season them with salt and pepper and toss well. Roast for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the cauliflower is tender and golden brown. Transfer to plates, garnish with the lemon wedges and serve hot or at room temperature

Benefits of Cauliflower:
Low in calories (1/2 cup=15 calories)-After citrus fruits, cauliflower is the next best natural source of vitamin C. It's also an important warrior in the continuous battle our bodies wage against infection. Cauliflower is also notable for its fiber, folic acid, and potassium.