Belly Dancing, Zumba Performances, New Clothing Line and YOGA - OH MY!

Many blessings to you all...


Check out that beautiful picture! This is really a picture from the resort Soul Shine is hosting in June...see more info about this below....
I have so many new blessings in my life I need to share with you! Great things are happening and I can not wait to see you at some (or all!) of these events.

On May 1st at the Buford Spring Festival Soul Shine Yoga and Wellness will have a booth full of cute clothes, demonstrating yoga, zumba and our newest Soul Shine goddess Oracle will be demonstrating some belly dancing. Also, at 6:00 PM at the Wine Tasting we will be performing Zumba for the crowds delight. Shakin' it Zumba style and getting the crowd to participate is going to be so much fun! Don't miss it! Also, Soul Shine has a new sister company LiciaLu. LiciaLu is a clothing line for all of us! LiciaLu will feature cute yoga clothing PLUS adorable "magic" skirts, tops, hand dyed shirts, batiked clothing etc...lots of one of a kinds and beautiful dresses you can wear to a concert, or to a fancy restaurant. LiciaLu will make its debut at Buford Days. Check out http://www.visitbuford.com/ for more info on the festival.


Oracle, our newest addition to Soul Shine, will be teaching a Belly Dancing workshop on May 15 from 1:00 - 3:00 PM. You do not need to bring anything, just come and learn some beautiful dance moves. Hopefully we will also be adding a weekly belly dancing class to Soul Shine's schedule. For more info on Oracle and her amazing dance company click here. If you don't know what to get mom for mother's day - maybe this could be a great gift for her! (Or YOURSELF!!)

Our yoga classes are growing and we are expanding all the time. We would like to know what days, times and types of classes you want to see at Soul Shine. I created Soul Shine for YOU, so let us know how we can serve you and bring total wellness in your life.

This is our current schedule:
Monday:
6:00 PM – Beginner Series (6 weeks of Yoga 101) with China (Next Series Begins May 3rd.)
7:30 PM – Yoga for Strength and Toning with Heather

Tuesday:
6:00 PM – All Level Yoga with Heather
7:30 PM – Zumba! with Maria
Wednesday:
8:30 AM – All Level Yoga with Heather
6:30 PM – Beginner/Level One Yoga with China

Thursday:
6:00 PM – All Level Yoga with Heather
7:30 PM – Restorative Yoga with Heather

Friday:
10:00 AM – Gentle Yoga with China

Saturday:
9:00 AM – Zumba! with Maria
10:15 AM – All Level Yoga with Heather

The most exciting event coming up for us is Soul Shine is our first Yoga Retreat! Whooo Hoooo!
This weekend is going to be amazing! Everyone is invited! It will be on June 11 - 13 at Pura Vida Spa and Resort in Dahlonega. The cost depends on the type of room you book, but the pricing includes ALL MEALS, yoga and meditation 2 - 3 times a day, lodging, a Jacuzzi, music under the stars and take home materials. The resort is beautiful. Meals are served on the front porch over looking the mountains. There is a hiking trail, pond, Jacuzzi and a spa if you want to get a massage. I am pumped! :)  Go to http://www.rrresorts.com/ and click on Dahlonega for pictures and more info on the resort.

2 Night Retreat

                                      Double Occ.                                          Single Occ.

Farmhouse…………….…...…$370……………………………….…$460

Bear Den Cabin…………...….$420…………………………………..$525

Cottage Suite……………... ….$440………………………………......$550


Schedule:
Friday, June 11
3:00 PM – Check In
4:00 – 5:30 – All Level Yoga Class with Intro to Meditation
5:30 – Tea and Refreshments on the front porch
6:30 – 8:30 – Dinner and Free Time

9:00 – Guided Full Body Relaxation and Evening Meditation

Saturday, June 12

8:30 – 10:30 - Breakfast and Free Time (good time to take a hike!)

10:30 – 12:30 – Morning Flow Yoga

12:30 – 2:30 – Lunch and Free Time

3:00 – 4:30 – Restorative Yoga and Meditation

4:45 – Tea and Refreshments on the front porch

4:45 – 6:30 – Free Time (maybe a trip to the spa?)

6:30 – 8:30 - Dinner and Free Time

9:00 – Hanging out Under the Stars, Hot Tub Time, Meditation…your choice!

Sunday, June 13

8:00 – 9:30 – Continental Breakfast

10:30 – 11:45 – Gentle Yoga and Closing of the Retreat

12:00 – Check Out (you are welcome to use the trails, enjoy the day!)

I truly hope you can join us at the Buford Spring Festival, at the Belly Dance Workshop and at the Summer Retreat! Its going to be a fabulous summer!

Namaste,

Heather

PS: Hailey is at the beach enjoying herself for the first time in 2 years! Thank God!

De-mystifying Yoga Styles

Yoga is yoga, right?
Yes and no.
The definition of Yoga means to unite, to tie strands together, to bind, to unite the mind body and spirit. Obviously this theme should reign over all yoga classes and styles. That being said, every yoga class is different and different styles have different approaches. Here is a list of styles and a short description of each.

Viniyoga: This is the type of yoga I have studied for the past 18 months. My instructor, the wonderful Cheryl Zak, also studied Iyengar for years, so I got tastes of Iyengar as well. The practice of Viniyoga is focused on bringing out the best in each individual no matter what your current condition is. If you have old (or new) injuries, Viniyoga may be the best approach for you because this style takes YOUR body into consideration and the teacher does not look at you like member of the heard. Viniyoga is adaptable enough to be a vigirous practice, or a calming practice. Viniyoga gives you the tools to discover more about yourself and enables you to transform through yoga.

Iyengar: Props, props, props. The class I teach on Thrusday evenings, Restorative Yoga, is actually an Iyengar style of yoga. Viniyoga and Iyengar are similar, yet different. In an Iyengar class, you may do more headstands etc...than a Viniyoga class. Iyengar focuses on alignment, the differences in each persons body, and using props like blankets, blocks, straps etc...to correctly align the body and make sure the student is safe in the pose.

Ashtanga: Ashtanga literally means the 8 limbs of yoga. The classes marketed as Ashtanga yoga are a vigorous, athletic style of practice. It appeals to those who like a sense of order and who like to do things independently. There are several different "series" of poses that do not vary from class to class. This style focuses on purification and building stamina.

Bikram's Yoga College: Bikram yoga class is a twenty-six asana series designed to scientifically warm and stretch muscles, ligaments and tendons, in the order in which they should be stretched. This style of yoga is also sometimes called "hot yoga" because it is taught in a room that is 95 - 102 degrees. Expect pools of sweat! Due to the sweaty nature of this type of class students usually do not wear much, and Bikram has his own line of clothes to sell for these classes.

Kundalini: This is a more spiritual side of yoga. It is a physical asana practice but it is designed to awaken energy that is trapped a the base of your spine. Awakening this spinal energy is said to awaken your inner knowledge. The path of Kundalini is said to proceed from the Muladhara Chakra at the lower end of the spinal column up to the Sahasara Chakra at the top of the head. But its awakening is not thought to be a physical occurrence; it consists exclusively of a development in consciousness. According to some sources, awakening of kundalini brings with it pure joy, pure knowledge and pure love.

CLICK HERE for a cute quiz on which Yoga style is right for you.

There are more styles out there, but this covers the main ones we see today in studios, plus I am running out of time! Hope this helps!

Love and Light,
H

Yoga in the Evening...

Last week I talked about a morning yoga practice and how it can change the whole outlook of your day. A morning yoga practice can really give you extra pep in your step and make you even more pleasant to be around (if that were possible, I know you all are super perky and niceness goddesses at all times!)

So in the effort to balance our lives we would also need to practice some yoga in the evening. I recommend practicing pre-dinner or at least 2 hours after you eat so you don't get nauseous. A gentle approach works best for evening yoga so we do not over excite our systems before we catch some ZZZZZZZZs. Start with some gentle warm ups like Apanasa (knees to your chest), then move to some gentle twists and some more postures that keep you grounded on the floor. You can add a standing asana or two like Uttanasana, but I would not recommend you do anything too energetic like a bunch of Triangle poses or Warriors...remember we are trying to get some good sleep! I highly recommend Viparita Karani (legs up the wall) for a good 5 - 10 minutes. This pose is awesome if you have trouble sleeping, it calms the nervous system, very soothing, and its just an all around great posture. Take your time getting up from this pose especially if you have high blood pressure. Use caution with any inversion if you have high blood pressure or any eye problems. I highly recommend using an eye pillow when in viparita karani and just let yourself MELT into the pose.

Night, night...sweet dreams and don't let the bed bugs bite...

Finding Peace in the Storm

Yesterday someone told me that you are either in a storm, coming out of a storm or going into a storm.

The last 18 months of my life have been a storm. The storm started slowly...then built up to hurricane like winds and left me batted, bruised and broken. However, this storm made me realize that I have always been broken, and despite my brokenness, I am beautiful. My heavenly Dad loves me and that is all that matters. When the world makes you feel like a tree in a hurricane, remember the Spirit's love is what keeps us rooted to the ground. Even as I was thrashing around like a rag doll in the winds of cancer, money woes and less than marital bliss; through all of it my faith grew stronger.

Physically, some days I did not feel like getting out of bed, much less doing any exercise, although I knew I needed to move. With my bones popping and my muscles aching, I would practice restorative yoga. This was part of my healing and my therapy on the mat. Some days I would just lay there and cry, some days I would feel a great weight lifted off my chest.

Restorative yoga uses props like bolsters, blankets and blocks to fully support your body in gentle postures. This type of yoga is great for stress reduction, to restore your body back to balance and to maybe get you to calm down in the storm. My heavenly Dad was my shelter in the storm, restorative yoga was the vehicle I needed to take me there. It is important for me to note, that I know that God did not go anywhere, I was just too caught up in the hysteria of my life to feel his grace, love and peace. I needed to lay down on a bolster for an hour to disengage my head and body from the outside world and let my heart hear the sweet song of the angels and feel the peace radiating around me.

Tonight, I will be teaching restorative yoga at New Community Church. I hope one day you will try it. Maybe it will be the vehicle to take you out of the storm and into peace - even if it is just for an hour or two.

Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will. Romans 12:2