A Month of Gratitude and Love: Our November Newsletter





227 S Cedar St, Suite B                             www.SummervilleYoga.com                                 (843) 628-3601



 

Happy November!

It's a month of Thanksgiving, a month to find gratitude for the people you love, for the things in your life that make you happy - big and small - and most importantly find gratitude for YOU!! Find gratitude and thanks for WHO YOU ARE: YOUR TRUTH, YOUR BODY, YOUR MIND, YOUR SPIRIT! Yoga is for everyone. No matter what your current skill level, remember that every yogi had to start somewhere. You will always be at the right point on your own personal journey. This month, banish your need for perfection, and work to enjoy the effortless feeling of sitting in a pose and experiencing your breath.

Certain poses evoke certain feelings. Some make us feel powerful, like Warrior II. Others bring us comfort, such as Child's Pose. Inversions can energize, and hip poses clarify. So, in light of the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday, I'm wondering which poses give you an "attitude of gratitude?"  What are your favorite poses that help you find an expression of thanks? This month we explore heart opening postures from simple back bends to bigger openers like camel, bound bridge and wheel.  Heart-opening poses are like saying, "I'm here and I'm wide open to so many blessings."  We will include forward folds - whether it's a literal forward fold, a one legged-pigeon or child's pose, these poses give you an opportunity to literally bow and express gratitude. 

And as always, we end our practice with Namaste.  Taking a moment to bow to your true self and bow to everyone else at the end of practice gives you a chance to send wishes of thanks, light and love. 

PHOTO CHALLENGE!!! 

Take a picture of yourself in your favorite POSE OF GRATITUDE and TELL US WHY THE POSE BRINGS YOU THIS FEELING and email it to  Kristín to get featured on our Facebook page and be entered to win a FREE CLASS!

https://www.facebook.com/summervilleyogaandwellness
Kristin@summervilleyoga.com

Come join us this month at Summerville Yoga and Wellness.  Hook in to your feeling of bliss and GRATITUDE for yourself and allow that feeling to spill over into your every day.  As the holidays approach there are a lot of things that may cause stress -- stores get more crowded, traffic gets heavier, finances feel strained, but a PEACEFUL and CALM MINDSET can make anything manageable.  Yoga helps create that feeling from within.  It's born within you - sometimes you just need to take time to remember how to feel your positive blissful best. 

And did you know SYW has gift certificates available?!! Stop racking your brain about what to get that person on your list that "has everything" and give the gift of YOGA!  Go to www.summervilleyoga.com and click to our online store/yoga classes and get your gift certificate today!

We are SO GRATEFUL for YOU and appreciate you choosing Summerville Yoga and Wellness for your home studio.  Thank you, thank you, thank you!  And as a THANK YOU, we would like to give back to our yogis!  A 10% HOLIDAY DISCOUNT is available on CLASS CARDS ONLY and for purchases AT THE STUDIO ONLY (not available for single class or online purchases).  So at your next class, ask about signing up for more and receive 10% off your next class card purchase. 

Share the love, spread the word, and be sure to find us on facebook! 

Wishing you all a wonderful weekend!  We hope to see you on the mat soon!

Namaste!

~ Kristín and the staff at Summerville Yoga and Wellness

(Questions or concerns?  Call us at (843) 628-3601 or email Kristin@summervilleyoga.com)

Winter Schedule for Summerville Yoga and Wellness

Monday
6:30 pm            Warm Vinyasa Fusion w/ Kristín Cotton , 1 hour & 15 minutes
Tuesday
9:00 am            Warm Vinyasa Fusion w/ Kristín Cotton, 1 hour & 15 minutes
5:30pm             KIDS YOGA (ages 6-12) w/ Kelynn Giorno, 1 hour
7:00pm          Hot Vinyasa w/Claire Wagner, 1 hour 15 minutes
Wednesday
7:00 pm             Intro to Integral w/Kelynn Giorno, 1 hour
Thursday
9:00 am            Warm Vinyasa Fusion w/ Kristín Cotton, 1 hour & 15 minutes
7:00 pm            Hot Yoga (Hot 26) w/ Kristín Cotton, 1 hour & 15 minutes
Friday
9:00 am            Warm Gentle Flow w/ Kristín Cotton, 1 hour & 15 minutes
6:00pm           Happy Hour Yoga  w/ Angel Tonemah, 1 hour 
Saturday
10:30 am         Hot Yoga (Barkan Method) w/ Kristín Cotton, 1 hour & 15 minutes
Sunday
6:30pm          Community Class w/Kelynn Giorno, 1 hour (DONATION CLASS - No class cards)

Yoga changed my life....could it change yours?

I was living in NYC, the lead singer of a band, married, with a cozy apartment and an awesome dog. I was bartending in Times Square making great money, had great friends, and any day just knew something good, something big was going to happen. I was living my dreams. Life was right on track, but deep down I knew something wasn’t quite right. I knew I was miserable.  

The city was noisy, and so was my mind.  I couldn’t find any focus. I longed for some direction, some light to be shed on the darkness I felt around me.  It was no longer an acceptable life.  I was sad a lot, and started putting on weight.  I wanted so much for the passion I used to have for performing to come back.  I’d lost my drive, my desire, and wasn’t sure how to recapture it.  Where was the path in life I thought I was following? There I was, a college grad, following my dreams – I was saying “Yes, and?” to life – so why was I feeling so lost? Why did I feel so trapped and alone?

As many freelancers and people in the professional arts may experience, I had no health insurance to cover the expense of going to a therapist, nor did I have any real interest in talking to a stranger about my life.  I knew figuring this one out was something I had to do for myself. A college pal suggested that I try yoga, saying, “You are very bendy and like that hippy kind of stuff, maybe it’ll help you?” A new studio had just opened close to where I lived, so I decided, “why not?”  I might not have the $150/hour to pay for a therapist, but I certainly could invest in myself.  So, I bought a class card and signed up for yoga.

It all seemed overwhelming at first.  So many choices and styles of classes, so many words I didn’t really understand. How do I decide what to try? It seemed that the hot yoga classes fit easily into my schedule. It was beginner friendly and I heard it helped you lose weight, too—bonus! 90 minutes in a super hot and humid room was intimidating, but I made a commitment to myself to try it at least once a week until that class card ran out.  I drew inspiration from my brother, an Air Force MP who was in Saudi Arabia at that time.  If he could be in the desert for a year in all of that gear, than I can surely throw on some stretch pants and a tank top and make it through each class.  Water bottle, mat, and towel in hand, I was ready for my first class. 

The theory behind yoga has always intrigued me.  I had read, “Yoga quiets the mind from the swirls of consciousness,” and the explanation of the hot yoga class sounded do-able—a series of 26 held poses, each one done twice. OK, lets go! Only 10 minutes into that first class, though, I wondered what I had gotten myself into.  I was already breathing harder and sweating more than I ever had, and I was just standing there stretching! Where was the serenity, the calm? However, I was determined to keep practicing and give myself time.

Gradually I was learning a new way to breathe, finding the connection between my body and mind through my breath. This new focus taught me how to shut down the negative voices in my head, the persistent “I can’t” “I shouldn’t” “I’m scared” “why?”  I was starting to remember who I was, and what I wanted out of life. I became hooked. I was a hot yoga junkie, and my transformation had started--the new me was in the making. 

I started taking classes once a week, then three, four, five times--sometimes even twice a day.  This was what I was looking for. The passion was back! Suddenly it dawned on me that my performance career, my marriage, my day job, all things I had thought were supposed to make me happy, actually weren’t. Through my practice, I discovered I had my own strength and light, that I was responsible for my own happiness.  I was ready for some major changes.

My yoga practice had helped keep me in touch with the truth and love I needed to have from myself, so I kept hitting the mat, going to class.  Through this practice, I found the strength to end my marriage. It was difficult, but I am convinced I never would have been able to do it without the insight and clarity yoga brought to my life.  I felt my hot yoga practice had changed my life enough that I needed to share this secret with others.  I wanted to teach, but I wasn’t sure if I was “good enough.”  I remember the scene in the locker room talking to my teacher Anna.  She simply asked me, “What does it mean to be good at yoga? Are you honest with yourself on the mat? Dedicated to the practice? Inspired to teach?  Than you should start teaching.”  That conversation changed my life.  I looked into a few different training programs, and after some more time on my mat and discussions with my teachers, I opted to train in Barkan Method Hot Yoga. The teachers were honest and real, teaching this butt-kickin’ work out but from a completely non-competitive, non-judgmental, non-threatening way.  The answer for me became clear, and in Dec 2010 I was certified to teach hot yoga. 

The benefits of hot yoga are remarkable.  My practice first helped me transform my mind.  We live in a fast and loud world – a lot of confusion, anger, and judgment get thrown around.  We are all squeezed financially, and sometimes the stress transforms our bodies and minds into this ball of darkness and confusion.  Its easy to let ourselves fall into the trap of the victim mentality, “Why me? Why now? How will I ever?”  Hot yoga helped show me that no one could change me but me.  I learned to move on from anger that I had held onto from my failed past relationships, I learned to deal with the anxiety and sadness I felt about having my baby brother overseas, and even came to terms with the issues of self doubt that I had experienced my entire adult life.  I forgave myself for the roadblocks I put up for myself. My unhealthy mindset had taken its toll on me, and now I was finding freedom, forward motion, and feeling terrific.   Physically I was looking better and better.  I found an understanding about the way my muscles worked within my body, and how deeply the mind and body are connected.  I also started to understand that I was connected to something greater than myself – I felt the collective energy of the universe behind me.  The new Me was on a new path, basking in the light and love of hot yoga. 

To quote J.D. Glossinger, one of my favorite inspirational speakers, “If you can’t figure out your purpose, find your passion.  Your passion will lead you to your purpose.”  My hot yoga practice helped me find myself, find my center, my truth, my light, my love, my passion, and my purpose.  It also allowed me to love and trust myself enough to be open to anything and everything. 

After sorting out my head and heart, I was ready to start moving on with my life. I realized NYC was not the place I wanted to be. I longed for warmer winters, more sunshine, the ocean. I kept hitting my mat, dreaming of my beach, and I started visualizing myself in love again, with a family surrounding me. I started creating again, writing music, playing more guitar, going back to things that made me organically happy.  I was open to life again, and life answered.

One day on facebook, I received a message from a guy I went to high school with in Michigan who now lives in South Carolina. We had been friends, but not super close. Well, emails turned into phone calls, and then into Skype, and eventually we met in person. A year and a half of getting to know each other again, and trips back and forth from NYC to SC, I finally know where I belong.  My passion helped me find my purpose, and it is here. I am getting adjusted to life in the South, sharing my story, and teaching hot yoga in Summerville, South Carolina.

The new me was not easy to find – it took discipline, and a little hard work, but the rewards are remarkable.  For me, it was my commitment to hot yoga, and the decision to love myself enough to try something new.  My practice opened my heart and mind to the possibility that as we train our bodies physically, we can also transform our hearts and minds. 

There is an amazing connection that is waiting to be found. Connection to your truth, your happiness, your path in life is waiting for you to discover.  Dig deep, and know it can get scary to start over or recreate a new and improved version of you.  Trust yourself, be brave, try something new, and try hot yoga! I know how much it changed my life.  My proof is in my practice – I know for sure the benefits to be true because I have experienced it first hand. 

Trust yourself, find yourself, love yourself…..Try Yoga! 

Kristín Cotton is our resident Hot Yoga instructor at Summerville Yoga and Wellness - For more information on her classes check out Lowcountry Yoga on Facebook or email her at kristin@summervilleyoga.com 

7 Reasons Why Yogis Are Happier People

Last year, an estimated one out of every ten adults reported being depressed. Can you guess the primary culprit? 

Stress. In an age of having, doing, and multitasking, stress and stimulation are everywhere. 

Most people never give themselves enough time to truly decompress and relax. Even when we go on vacations, there is often little relief from the demands of daily life, whether it’s work, family, or friends. 

There’s always a voicemail, text, or email message waiting to be answered. There’s always more that you feel like you need or want to do.

So how is it that in these days of nonstop information and stress that millions of people are not only finding stress-relief, but also reporting greater levels of peace, joy, and contentment in their lives?  

They practice yoga, of course! 

More and more studies are confirming what yogis have been claiming all along: Those who consistently practice yoga are consistently happier. Here’s why:

1. A healthy dose of hormones.

Like any physical exercise, asana practices actually boost our levels of “feel-good” chemicals in the brain, such as endorphins, dopamine, and serotonin. These are responsible for elevating your mood, blocking pain, creating feelings of pleasure, amping up your energy, and providing greater clarity.This is especially true for those styles with more movement, such as vinyasa flows. So the next time you’re thinking to yourself, I just can’t do one more vinyasa flow, know that your brain is in the process of mixing up a seriously sweet cocktail for you! 

2. Pain relief.

Chronic pain can dull the senses and cognitive functions and may lead to inactivity, passivity, fatigue, insomnia, anxiety, and depression. As a result, it can also have a tremendous impact on relationships with family, friends, and coworkers. Yoga can be an effective means of relieving and even treating pain by targeting its primary causes: muscle tension and poor alignment. There have been countless cases of individuals who have claimed yoga has given them their lives back by decreasing or eliminating their chronic pain.    

3. An increased sense of health and wellbeing.

Feeling good is so much more than absence of pain, and yoga helps to build a healthy body inside and out. Yoga not only increases flexibility, balance, strength, and range of motion, but also contributes to decreased blood pressure, increased immunity, and lower levels of glucose, sodium, LDL and VLDL (bad cholesterol), and triglycerides. Furthermore, all of the bends, twists, and subtle movements of yoga help to stimulate the internal organs and flush out toxins. When your body is strong, flexible, free of toxins, chemically balanced, and properly regulating itself, you begin to emit a sort of radiance that shines into every aspect of your life.

4. Focused attention (a.k.a. mindfulness).

Unlike some other forms of exercise, yoga calls for a great deal of focus — not only on the positioning of the bones and muscles in each pose, but also on the quality and flow of the breath. This focus draws you inward, away from the noise and chaos of the outer world. As one of my teachers so succinctly stated, yoga helps us transition from external stimulation to internal sensation. Essentially, every asana practice becomes a meditation in motion. It gives our brains a much-need break from continuous multitasking and information overload. Studies show that this type of focused attention on the mat can actually lead to lasting effects off the mat, including improved memory, attention, and concentration. 

5. A confidence boost and greater sense of self-worth.

Our confidence naturally grows as our minds and bodies transform through yoga. Improved physical dexterity, flexibility, strength, and posture, as well as the ability to manage stress, relax, and reach a place of deep inner calmness all contribute to a more positive outlook, especially about ourselves. Furthermore, yoga encourages us to show greater compassion towards ourselves. In each pose, we are given the opportunity to work through any self-judgements that may arise.The more we are able to disconnect with the many pressures and expectations placed on us by the external world, the more we are able to connect with the true essence and beauty of the internal world.  

6. Strengthening relationships.

Our interactions with others tend to reflect our state of mind. When you're feeling more calm, clear, and centered, it creates a ripple effect that is felt by everyone around you, especially those closest to you. It’s often been said that a smile is contagious, and this is also true of the centering and revitalizing effects of yoga. Beyond the ripple effects, yoga truly does promote open-mindedness and self-reflection. Yoga helps us become more patient, compassionate, and present with ourselves — skills that are incredibly important in developing and strengthening relationships. 

7. Lifestyle choices

A consistent yoga practice tends to lead to better decision-making in general. The foods we eat, the projects we pursue, the people we spend time with, and the amount of sleep we get all contribute to our experience of life and level of happiness. Finally, yoga encourages a deep sense of gratitude and appreciation — for ourselves, our teachers, our friends, our family, and our experiences, even the difficult ones. When gratitude becomes the lens through which we view life — when we stop taking the little things for granted — life becomes that much sweeter.

For all the happy yogis and yoginis out there, can you think of a reason I might have missed? Please add your thoughts in the comments! 

Cheers to your yoga practice and a life of happiness!  

Get ready, Get Set and Go Yoga!!!!

First Classes begin April 1st, 2013