Summer Nights @ Mighty Yoga

Still wondering how you're going to spend those long, hot, summer nights? Check out these special summer classes, as featured in this month's newsletter.

Spend the first Tuesdays of the month in Power Melt where we pair vigorous vinyasa with deep stretches that leave you boneless. On the third Tuesday of the month you can get your yoga on to an energizing music mix in Rockin' Flow. If you're looking for more balance in mind and body, check out a new Meditation class Thursday nights. And on Friday nights, learn to balance on your head, shoulders, hands and forearms in addition to your feet in Inversions 101.

See you on the mat this summer!

Power Melt w/ Jamie (all levels)
First Tuesdays of the month, 7:30 - 8:30 PM
July 5th, August 2nd

Rockin Flow w/ Jamie (all levels)
Third Tuesdays of the month, 7:30 - 8:30 PM
June 21st, July 19th, August 16th

Meditation w/ Dana (all levels)
Thursdays, 7:30 - 8:30 PM
$10 regular/$8 student; All passes accepted

Power Flow - Inversions 101 w/ Zainab (all levels)
Fridays, 6 - 7:15 PM

Meditate with Dana Kingsbury, our new teacher!

We're so excited to introduce Dana to the Mighty crew! She will be teaching Meditation Thursday nights (7:30-8:30pm), starting June 9th! Here's a little Q&A to start to get to know her.

Mighty Yoga: How did you come to meditation?
Dana Kingsbury: I was first introduced to meditation in 2008 during my graduate coursework in the Transpersonal Psychology Program at Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado. Naropa is an established contemplative school that bridges Eastern and Western learning modalities to foster the whole student. Contemplative education is an academic setting infused with the experience of awareness, insight and compassion through the practice of sitting meditation and other disciplines. I enjoyed working one on one with a meditation coach during my first two-semesters of Meditation in the MA TCP, Art Therapy program.

MY: What do you like about power yoga/meditation?
DK: Strength and flexibility are the foundations of a good work out. Yoga is a tool to strengthen our core, and align body, mind, and spirit. Meditation is a way to bring great awareness into our physical movements, and to develop a healthy flow of balanced intention. Meditation creates a place of stillness that can be carried into more rigorous yoga workouts offered at Mighty Yoga. Even in the most challenging yoga poses, we can work with our breath and awareness with ease and grace to deepen our commitment to each moment during the workout.

MY: How has your yoga/meditation changed since the first time you practiced?
DK: I feel a deeper sense of embodiment now than I did when I first began my meditation and yoga practices. The breathing exercises and poses have become more natural to me, and I feel a greater sense of flow and presence both on and off the cushion/mat.

MY: Why did you decide to teach meditation?
DK: I am working towards a private holistic healing practice. I felt that Meditation Instruction was the first place to begin, because it represents a practice that is simple, sustainable, and can be done anywhere at any time. It is the basic practice of being fully present with ourselves in each moment. With many distractions and external stressors in today’s culture, the simple act of remaining clear and connected to true inner self through meditation can create a sense of balance and harmony in all that we do.

MY: Any tips for somebody new to meditation?
DK: To begin with curiosity, openness, and a sense of commitment. Also, to keep in mind that there will be challenging times during one’s practice, and that is ok, and is a natural part of starting something new. It is important to remain present and non-judgmental. To practice with love, and to appreciate the challenges as much as the fun times!

MY: What is your favorite pose? Why?
DK: Garudasana, or eagle pose. It calls on the inner stillness that is evoked through meditation to remain balanced and centered.

MY: What do you like to do off the yoga mat?
DK: I enjoy painting, jewelry making, pottery, gardening, reading, biking, dancing, singing, and cooking, to list a few. I also like to contribute to the community in any way I can.

MY: What fuels you?
DK: LOVE. A deep connection to my true self and to all things, and an intention to evoke this fullness of spirit within others.

Meet Dana on the meditation cushion next week!

What's the hurry? It's summer!

We often hear the phrase “be present” in yoga classes. Sometimes this can be easier said than done whether we're referring to a yoga pose or to life off the mat. As we round out August (a.k.a. MY’s one-year anniversary month!), it can be a challenge not to turn our focus to the approaching fall. We’re already being poked, or pummeled, by seasonal marketing, from “Back-to-School” commercials to autumn displays in retail stores (eek, it cannot be Halloween already?!?). So you might be feeling a wee bit pressured to put an end to vacation mode, store the flip flops and floaties and prep for September’s work mode. If you’re nodding your head as you read this, take a deep breath and exhale. It is still early August. There is still time to enjoy this lovely summer!

You can encourage that “be present” attitude through daily self-care practices. When life becomes hectic, MY's Zainab Zakari enjoys silent walking meditations to help ease rising tension. “As a freelance writer and instructor, my brain can sometimes feel like it’s on a 24/7 work schedule,” she says. “I’ve learned that when I take breaks and walk outside, I’m much calmer. The time I spend away from my computer and my phone, pulls me out of a place filled with deadlines and never-ending to-do lists, and reminds me to simply appreciate the world around me.”

Walking meditations can be a practice in syncing the breath with each footstep or bringing awareness to each mindfully placed step. The aim is to ease the mind into a more peaceful state. If you’re new to this kind of meditation, Zainab recommends trying to remain silent for 15 to 20 minutes to start or longer if you’re so inclined. Observe the life around you, from the trees and the animals to the breeze and your breath. Without the distraction of speech, you can observe and enjoy moments that might have been ignored otherwise. Such as this picture of a sunset and birdhouse, which Zainab shot on a walk along Seneca Lake. Happy summer!