Yoga on the 4th of July

Thanks to all the freedom yogis and yoginis who joined Gina and us for the 4th of July donation class for the House of Hope Initiative. It was a juicy class that ended with some yummy therapeutic partner yoga. Plus your efforts contributed over $200 to fund a Ugandan orphanage, which brings our fundraising to over $800! We are grateful for your generosity and support!

If you weren't able to make the class and might be interested in contributing to the House of Hope Initiative, please feel free to visit their website at World Action for Humanity or their Facebook page for upcoming events.

Triathlon Training with Yoga

Our latest newsletter features a section on how athletes can cross train with yoga. This spring and summer, MY instructor, Sarah Newman, has been preparing for the Cayuga Lake Triathlon in August (Rock on!), and she uses yoga to support her rigorous training for the race that consists of a 1500-meter swim, 24.3-mile bike ride, and 10K run. When she’s not running, in the pool or on the bike, she enjoys using a yoga strap in reclined hamstring and IT band stretches like Reclining Big Toe Pose, aka Supta Padangusthasana. To make the pose even more restorative and healing, you can use a block (or a pile of books) to prop your foot on, as Sarah demonstrates here.

She also recommends variations in the restorative pose Legs Up the Wall, Viparita Karani, for athletes who primarily rely on their legs, like runners, bikers and hikers. Happy and safe training!

Honoring all the cool dads today

Fatherhood is pretending the present you love most is soap-on-a-rope.--Bill Cosby

Happy Father's Day to all the Mighty Dads out there!

Okay, let's get real for a second. How many of you might have been contemplating surprising an awesome dad with a yoga class pass today, only to hesitate because of a looming uncertainty: Will he think yoga is a "chick thing?" When nary a male head is seen in many yoga classes, whether in Ithaca or elsewhere, you might think men avoid yoga mats. Heck, one of our cheeky mottos is "Not your Mom's yoga" (No offense to the Mighty Moms as they are kick-butt yoginis!). We can't blame you for making that assumption. But we'd like to put your fear at ease, so listen up. [Drumroll] Yoga is definitely NOT a chick thing! It's a practice for everyone, from the mellow, non-competitive types to the more macho, type-A folks.

And we're not the only ones who know this. Check out these two articles on men doing yoga in spite of being outnumbered by flexy women. Plus, the last piece is by the author of the 2003 book, Real Men Do Yoga, which features some well known male athletes who have been "OMing" for years. After reading these, you might reconsider the gift of yoga for Pop. We hope you do!

Where Are All the Men?, Yoga Journal

Reaching Your Peak: Real Men Do Yoga, Newsweek

Got 4th of July Plans? How about some Downward Dogs with those hot dogs?

Join Gina and us this 4th of July for a benefit yoga class to help support a Ugandan orphanage, the House of Hope. Gina will teach a specialty class pairing vigorous vinyasa flow with supportive partner yoga. Be ready to experience the freedom and fun of partner inversions, and discover that through interdependence, our independent practice can grow by leaps and bounds!

The down low on the cause: Gina has been working with local Zoe Wakoff to raise funds for the House of Hope Initiative. When Zoe spent one spring teaching at the House of Hope orphanage in the Kyazanga village in Uganda, she witnessed the extraordinary struggle to provide room and food—one meal per day—for its children in a region mostly characterized by extreme poverty. The House of Hope orphanage was founded nearly five years ago in response to the rising number of children orphaned after losing their parents to AIDS, a country-wide phenomenon that has affected some 1.2 million children.*

In spite of these enormous challenges, the orphanage has cared for 100 children and acts as an elementary school for more than 200 Ugandans. However, the lack of sustained financial support compounded by a recent raid on the orphanage, including the destruction of classrooms and a nearly finished dormitory, threaten to undermine the House of Hope’s mission. Since her return, Zoe partnered with humanitarian organization, World Action for Humanity, to raise $15,000 for the orphanage to start a farm in the hopes that it will offer a sustained way of living for the children and the surrounding community.

“The money that would be saved each year in food costs is monumental,” she writes in her donation request. The orphanage could afford more medical care for the children, some of whom are HIV positive, with the money saved. Zoe estimates, with a farm, it would cost under $20 to feed one child for an entire year, an incredible savings.

We’d like to send a big THANK YOU to the mighty yogis who contributed over $600 in the first two benefit classes Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day. We look forward to seeing you this 4th of July!

House of Hope Benefit Class
Sunday, July 4, 2010
10:30 AM - 12:30 PM
w/ Gina Newlin
All Levels Welcome
Suggested Donation, $20

*According to 2007 figures by the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS and the World Health Organization

Dancing Warriors at the Ithaca Festival

In their third Ithaca Festival appearance, The Pranadhanas drew quite a crowd Saturday night! And we were happy to see some mighty yogis among the many happy faces checking out some inspirational yogadance and soulful music!

Going to the Ithaca Festival? Check out the yoga!

Tonight marks the kickoff of the Ithaca Festival 2010. We're sure you're looking forward to enjoying the music, performances, food and great company all weekend long. We are, too! And because we can't help but be drawn to anything yoga, we're especially looking forward to checking out Ithaca's Vinyasa Yogadance group, The Pranadhanas, on Saturday evening.

If you haven't seen these yogis before, this is definitely a performance to check out. The Pranadhanas incorporate yoga, rhythmic movements, choreography and dance to some rockin' music. Their creative flows are a great reminder that there is an artistic side to yoga as well. So if you're free, stroll on down to the Ampitheater in the Commons around 7:30 pm. We'll see you there!

Plus, feel free to check out the other great acts at the Ithaca Festival, www.ithacafestival.org.

Another plug for yoga outside

This Memorial Day holiday was a lovely prelude to summer with sunny, clear skies. Whether you're celebrating these warm, longer days with an outdoor picnic, a bike ride along rows of vineyards or a hike through beautiful parks and waterfalls, perhaps you might be inspired to take your yoga practice outside as well. Yoga Journal asked instructors to share some of their experiences practicing yoga outdoors in Call of the Wild and notes when we move from the climate-controlled studio to an outdoor classroom, the experience can be "exhilarating," in spite of uneven surfaces or the occasional insect yogi. They also offer some popular poses that we can adapt to the natural props around us. Consider these the next time you head outdoors, and you won't always need your mat!

Call of the Wild, Yoga Journal