You...my students

Hello!
My goal as a yoga teacher is to teach students the amazing benefits of yoga. I want to reach people who would not normally take yoga, be able to afford yoga and those who have a passion for yoga. In this spirit - I am having a Fall sale on yoga classes. All drop in classes are now only $10 per class for a limited time. Also, all punch cards are on sale as well - you can get 12 classes for only $100!
Also, I wanted to ask you some questions...

Scheduling... what works best for you? Day classes? Evening classes? What time works best? Also, what days would you be most likely to come to class? Is it me or do most people start to check out later in the week? ;) Would you be more likely to come to a Monday morning class or a Tuesday evening class? I know for a lot of you, evenings are crazy busy, so I am thinking of adding some day classes to accommodate you.

What type of classes appeal to you the most? Restorative Yoga, Classical Yoga, Intermediate Yoga, Yoga for Toning, Beginner Yoga, Yoga for Stress Relief, Private Lessons

Let me know what would make classes more accessible to you...I want to know!

Much love and many blessings,
Heather
www.jacksoncountyyoga.com

Yoga in Helen, GA

This past weekend I had the awesome opportunity to teach a group of people in Helen, GA. I had a blast! The weather was perfect, the rain held off and it was cool outside. We were on the deck at Smithgall Woods surrounded by lush greenery and a river of clear water. I hope to do more groups like this in the future.

It was a very interesting group to teach as some of the students had never taken yoga before, some had lots of experience, some were older, some were younger...and I had one student that declared at the beginning of class that she needed a cigarette and beer before we started! Ha! It was a fun group to say the least and lots of laughter was mixed in with our blissful surroundings. Viniyoga is perfect for everyone, as a viniyoga teacher I had the tools to teach everyone and offer several options for poses to make it doable by everyBODY.

Mmmmmm....breakfast

I love breakfast, its my favorite meal. However, I tend to skip it or just grab something sweet like a granola bar or a high fiber cookie. Yeah, a cookie. Its one of those TLC cookies with like 5 grams of fiber in it, leave me alone!


Anyway...really...we need to eat a good breakfast. We alllllllllllll know this. We have heard it all our lives, but who has time to whip up a good for you breakfast when you are not sure if you put mascara on both eyes or just one???

Well, I have come up with some solutions. I will share with you some great, quick, easy recipes that will get your digestive fire going in the morning and give you good, consistent energy until lunch.

The first recipe is for a yummy to the tummy oatmeal. This will take some prep work, but only one night a week.

Ingredients:


2 - 3 apples (depending on size)


1 teaspoon of grated ginger (fresh only please!)


1 teaspoon of cinnamon (honestly y'all, I am only guessing on the measurements, play around)


1/4 cup of dried cranberries (see if you can find the unsweetened kind)


water (or soy milk)


oatmeal


pinch of salt


butter


PURE REAL *NOT HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP* MAPLE SYRUP (I abhor high fructose corn syrup)

On a night when you are already cooking (this will save you time) cut up your apples, grate your ginger and throw about a pat of butter in the pan. Then throw the apples, ginger, cranberries and cinnamon in there...let it get all nice and soft. Turn the pan down low and let them go for a while. We are stewing the apples, not frying them.

Put your apple goodness in a bowl and store it in the fridge till the next morning.


Also, while you are at it, you can pre-measure out your oatmeal, salt and a dash of cinnamon for the next day, put it in a Tupperware bowl and have it ready for you in the morning. Maybe this will take some pressure off and you will actually get mascara on both eyes.

In the morning - if you have time - boil your water and cook your oatmeal the old fashioned way - on the stove. Mix in your apple goodness, a little pure maple syrup and enjoy.


If you don't have time for all of that, add water to the oatmeal, add your apples and stick it in the microwave until its done. I find that you have to add more water when you cook it this way, or it will turn out like a mass of goo that is not very appetizing. Go with the stove top if you can.

Hope this help with your morning rush! And don't forget to get all your makeup on and shave BOTH legs.

Love and Light,

Heather

Just Breathe...

How many of us think about our breath on a daily basis? Unless you have some kind of breathing disorder like COPD, you probably do not think about your breath too often. It's automatic, natural and we do not have to think about it. However, our breath is the bridge between our mind, body and spirit. So, our breath is vitally important to our inner being. In a yoga class you typically hear the teacher reminding you to breathe through the poses and make sure you do not hold your breath. Sometimes, more detailed instruction such as when to inhale and when to exhale in a pose are used as well. We also have something called pranayama in yoga. This is breathing exercises you can do either while performing a yoga posture (asana) or after your asana practice while seated. Pranayama is very powerful. It affects our deeper structure, our organs, helps with anxiety, depression and can balance our entire system. Think about it, when we get all frazzled and really stressed - our breathing gets all out of whack and we breathe faster, shallower and we may start sweating etc... When we are relaxed, we tend to breathe slower and feel a sense of calm. Also, animals that live longer, take fewer breaths per minute than animals that have a shorter life span. Take an elephant vs. a dog, a dog pants and breathes faster than an elephant, the elephant takes much fewer breaths per minute and lives longer. To see a great blog on this topic click here.

The breath is of utmost importance in yoga. The breath is called our prana, our life force. Without it, we will die. There are no ifs ands or buts about that fact. Our breath is a gift from God.

The breath is very important in the Bible as well. Take this passage from the book of John:
Again Jesus said, "Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you." 22And with that he breathed on them and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit.
In the KJV of the Bible the word - breath - appears 42 times, breathe - appears 4 times, breathed - appears 4 times, breatheth - appears once, breathing - appears twice.

So, take a deep breath, relax and possibly live longer. Sounds nice, right?

Namaste and deeeeeeep, long, cleansing breaths to you all.

I know you do not want to hear it...

I know, I know...but you really need to read this one.
You do not have to become a vegetarian or start juicing - just start making better choices about your meat and you will feel better and make the world a better place for all of our animal friends, the water, the air YOU breathe and all plant life. Lets get back to eating the way God intended us to eat and I think that our world will be a better place!

Love & Light - Heather

Click the link below for a great article from Time about our food and how its manufactured.
Getting Real About the High Price of Cheap Food

Good Eatin'

I made the best vegetarian stew last night, if I do say so myself. For most of us, vegetarian and stew do not go together, beef and stew - yes, but veggie stew - not so much. Well, let me change your mind with this delicious creation that Mike and I gobbled up last night. Today I ate the rest, now I feel like I am going to explode, but it was so tasty I could not help myself.

Coconut Sweet Potato Stew:

1 baking potato
1 sweet potato
1 can of garbanzo beans
2 cans coconut milk
1 can vegetable broth
1 zucchini
1 yellow squash
1 tsp - 1 tbs of flour
salt
pepper
curry powder
garlic

Crank up the oven to 400. Dice the potatoes into chunks, bake the chunks on a baking sheet, and put a little oil on the pan so the potatoes do not stick. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until tender but not mushy.

In an big ol' pot saute for just a minute or two the zucchini, squash and garlic, just to get them a little soft and to bring out the flavor of the garlic.

Drain the can of beans and rinse. Add the beans to the pot, and add the coconut milk and broth.

Now add salt, pepper and curry powder to your taste. Be careful with curry powder, too much can be overpowering. Taste as you go, then see what you need to add.

When the potatoes are finished baking, mash 1/2 of them and keep the other half chunky. Add the potatoes to the pot. Stir to break up any chunks of the mashed taters.

Let it all simmer for a bit on the stove top on medium until its bubbly. Taste for seasoning again and see if you need more salt or curry.

Sift about a tablespoon of flour or nutritional yeast (can be found at health food stores) over the top of the stew and stir like crazy. This will thicken the broth. Turn it down to low and let it simmer for another minute or two.

We had traditional flat bread with this meal, a light salad would have been nice too.

Enjoy!

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