As we shift into the autumn season, nature begins a process of letting go and holding onto only what is essential. This is an optimal time for slow and grounding practices such as yin yoga to help us connect with stillness and reflection. Yin facilitates a healing cycle of receiving and releasing which can support us in aligning with the cycles of nature.
In our extended yin practice we will apply static, gentle pressure in long holds to build fluidity and elasticity throughout your connective tissues. This workshop is focused on yin yoga poses for the upper body which will facilitate openness in the chest, release in the neck and shoulders, and softening tension in the jaw. The yin practice promotes strength and the mobility of Qi (vital energy) flow throughout the meridian systems we will be specifically targeting enhancing and balancing lung Qi.
Throughout the practice we will draw on ancient breathing techniques to focus the mind and release patterns of tension. Developing a conscious relationship to your breath can shift us in body, mind and spirit. Have you ever noticed how you take a deep breath right before you do something challenging? We intuitively know that we can use the breath as fuel to ground us for life’s most challenging circumstances. Out of all of the processes of the autonomic nervous system, the breath is the only one we can control. We take in on average 21,000 breaths every day. In many ways the breath functions like a river, it will flow whether we watch it or not. Through skillfully practicing ancient breathing techniques we can unblock our vital life energy, soothe the nervous system and invite in a sense of deep relaxation.
Schedule:
- Saturday, October 14, 2017
- 6:00 pm – 7:30 pm
Cost:
- $25 in advance,
- $30 at the door
About the Instructor: Leah Adams
Leah is a passionate student of Ayurveda and is a certified Ayurvedic Health Counselor and has completed a NAMA (National Ayurvedic Medical Association) approved course of study. She incorporates this as well as Meditation, Chinese Medicine Meridian Theory, Western Science, and Nature into her teaching, bringing her love of yoga and her ever-growing knowledge of it to share with others. Leah teaches weekly classes to providers at Washington’s top Cancer Care Hospital, is serving as a faculty member for a CME (continuing medical education) course of Seattle’s Virginia Mason Hospital, and has also lead mindful yin classes at the University of Washington Mindfulness Project. In her classes she encourages students to find connection to their inner wisdom, healing, creativity and joy. She believes that every choice, every day, in every way, can add restored vitality and mind-body balance into our lives. Through her study and practice of yoga and Ayurveda, across three continents she’s learned that living in alignment with nature is the ultimate form of self-care.