http://www.balanceyogastudio.net Find your breath. Find your strength. Find your joy. Find your ... Balance Sat, 18 May 2013 19:24:05 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 http://www.balanceyogastudio.net/2010/02/wellness/ http://www.balanceyogastudio.net/2010/02/wellness/#comments Fri, 05 Feb 2010 20:00:15 +0000 Balance Yoga & Wellness http://96.9.62.150/?p=51 I’ve tried many times to wrap my mind around my own personal definition of wellness; what does it mean to me? How can I achieve it? What I’ve discovered is that a state of wellness is not something we can conquer and your own personal definition of it will change indefinitely according to your own personal life experience. The only constant I can identify with is the yearning for a state of harmony between the body, mind and spirit. Unfortunately, experiencing a state of wellness is not as familiar as wanting to experience it. It is an investment and a commitment of time and resources. When we opened Balance Yoga a little over a year ago, we opened with the goal of nurturing a budding yoga community here in the Wyoming Valley. We noticed a need for a gathering place of sorts for like minded people to come, meet and share with yoga being the common thread linking us all together. What a year it’s been. We’ve watched you, we’ve listened to you, we’ve practiced with you and we’ve grown with you to bloom beyond our wildest imaginings. So, now we will take this next step together. In four weeks we are moving into new space which will more than double the space that we have today. Our practice space will be bigger, brighter and more comfortable for you to continue on your yoga journey. We are adding a meditation room, and a beautiful community/retail space. Dr. Heather DeLuca, ND – Naturopath is joining us. Beginning in March you can schedule your appointments with her in our beautiful new space with two patient rooms dedicated to WELLNESS. We will also be offering body work including Thai massage, prenatal massage and deep tissue massage to further nurture your body and mind. Our menu of options will be ready soon and we hope that you will continue with us on this journey. We are so excited and we are so blessed beyond measure. Thank you for making this all possible and namaste. Peace & Light]]> http://www.balanceyogastudio.net/2010/02/wellness/feed/ 0 http://www.balanceyogastudio.net/2010/02/catching-up/ http://www.balanceyogastudio.net/2010/02/catching-up/#comments Tue, 02 Feb 2010 16:20:32 +0000 Balance Yoga & Wellness http://96.9.62.150/?p=56 Firstly, if you don’t subscribe to Vegetarian Times magazine you might want to consider doing so.  I picked one up the other day at the grocery store and found some delicious recipes to try.  As I write I am finishing up a delicious vegan “Smokey Pea Soup” – YUM!  Loads of flavor, very easy to make and totally filling.  I also made a yummy roasted veggie linguine last night with some toasted kale leaves.  The kids even like the kale though I salted it a bit too much!  I am currently in a space where I have been deeply committed to exploring my diet to try to figure out what is going to work best for me both on several different levels – in no particular order.  Firstly, I need to feel good; secondly, I need to enjoy my food; thirdly, it needs to be manageable to prepare and lastly my family has to also feel good about what we are eating since I am preparing most meals for 5 other beings.  So, in the beginning of January I led a week long yoga detox which included 5 mornings of a heated vinyasa detox flow, three group meetings, 5 days of a strict vegan diet and 2 days of fasting.  We had 14 people going through the week together.  Everyone came in with their own experiences, intentions and expectations.  I hesitate speaking for all of us, but I know that I felt a deep connection with everyone throughout the week even though I was leading the group so I imagine that the students themselves probably felt an even stronger connection.  It turned out to be a great week.  The vegan diet was pretty easy for me since I’ve done this for weeks in the past.  The fast was difficult.  I tend to lose weight rapidly and I tend to be a little anemic so I went into the fast feeling pretty weak.  My allergies began flaring up with the supplement we were taking so 1/2 through the second day I had to begin introducing some raw nuts and by about 5 PM that second day I heated up an Amy’s veggie burger.  About half of our group elected to not participate in the fast, but the other half did and everyone seemed to have some challenges.  In the end though we all felt lighter with a deeper sense of clarity and profoundly more aware of our bodies, our practice and our diets. So, the food dilemma I am now experiencing has to be related at least in part to that experience.  The week after the cleanse was all about regaining my lost weight which turned out to be about 5 lbs.  I ate some unhealthy carbs, but other than that I couldn’t handle anything too heavy.  Cheese and white products are still feeling a little strange.  I am not sure where this is going to take me. Other things on my mind include our move at the end of the month, our new website design, retail purchase orders, dentist appointments, birthday party’s and turning 36.  So, my plate is full, but my spirit is fuller with peace, light and lots of love from 4 wonderful children and my very supportive husband.  I hope to update this more often but there will be no promises, just intentions.  I hope to see you in the studio soon my friends.]]> http://www.balanceyogastudio.net/2010/02/catching-up/feed/ 0 http://www.balanceyogastudio.net/2009/11/welcome-lucy/ http://www.balanceyogastudio.net/2009/11/welcome-lucy/#comments Tue, 24 Nov 2009 16:44:48 +0000 Balance Yoga & Wellness http://96.9.62.150/?p=60 www.shaktispirit.com).   Please be kind to Lucy while I am away as she jumps into the routine and gets comfortable at the studio.]]> http://www.balanceyogastudio.net/2009/11/welcome-lucy/feed/ 0 http://www.balanceyogastudio.net/2009/11/training/ http://www.balanceyogastudio.net/2009/11/training/#comments Fri, 06 Nov 2009 13:53:18 +0000 Balance Yoga & Wellness http://96.9.62.150/?p=63 I was officially accepted into Rusty Well’s teacher training program in early September.  This is the teacher that blew the roof off of my practice this past July when I was visiting San Francisco.  Since then I’ve been bhakti obsessed!  I have read and been told that when it is time, your teacher will find you and I believe that is what has happened in my life.  I had been contemplating different trainings to take my personal practice and my teaching to a much higher level and was seriously considering several different programs throughout the country.  I didn’t even really know of bhakti flow (this is the style of yoga based on Bhakti or the yoga of devotion), but after taking just one class, I knew that was where I belonged and I felt that Rusty was the right teacher to study with/under.  The teacher training program that I am currently in is a 200 hr level course in which I am completing 100 hrs now and another 100 in March/April in NYC.  I am currently completing the home study portion of the training which includes approximately 5-7 hours of written work, study and reading every week.  I just finished up the week 2 assignments and am already learning and applying the work into my own practice.  I, of course, can’t wait to share it all with my students when I am finished.  At the end of this month I will be leaving my family for 10 long days traveling to San Francisco ( one of my favorite cities on the planet) and training with Rusty & crew.  So far, the experience has exceeded my expectations and I am really looking forward to meeting all of my teachers and the other students in person.  I will be staying with another student who is hosting me for all ten days.  She, like me, is already a teacher and we happen to have a lot of other things in common.  She is a mom of two and we are becoming good Facebook friends at the moment.  I am very grateful to be able to have this opportunity.  I am filled with enthusiasm and energy.  I have a feeling that over the next month I will experience tremendous growth and change and I am welcoming that with open arms.]]> http://www.balanceyogastudio.net/2009/11/training/feed/ 0 http://www.balanceyogastudio.net/2009/10/workshops-this-weekend/ http://www.balanceyogastudio.net/2009/10/workshops-this-weekend/#comments Tue, 20 Oct 2009 15:50:14 +0000 Balance Yoga & Wellness http://96.9.62.150/?p=73 Amber is preparing some music that reflects her work for our regular class time at 5:30, then immediately following we will be setting up some additional art and bringing in the food!  My favorite lunch stop, Something Special located in Kingston is preparing light, yummy vegetarian appetizers for our guests & we will have some hot apple cider and organic wine on hand for drinks! On Saturday morning we have planned a hike up Ricketts Glen’s Falls Trail!  I am hoping & praying for good weather!  If we have it the plan is to hike up the trail to Lake Jean and then sit & do some Yin Yoga on the sandy beach.  I am really looking forward to this time with my fellow yogi’s & yogini’s and of course any new faces that show up!  This event is free, so hopefully we have a nice crowd!  If you’ve never hiked the Falls Trail before you’ve got to come out and appreciate this local paradise – it’s really beautiful!  I may drag along my trusty companion, Sunny…  we’ll see if he’s up to it on Saturday morning.  Unfortunately, my kids have other things going on that morning so they won’t be able to make it. On Sunday we are hosting yoga teacher, Stina Forsell from Stroudsburg who will be running the “Autumn Alignment” workshop from 4-6 PM.  If you’ve never met Stina you’ll soon find out that she is a good time!  Stina has a great sense of humor and and is a wonderfully talented teacher of yoga.   The workshop is for anyone – beginners – advanced as she will explore some foundational asanas and peel them apart focusing on alignment using props and your body to take it “back to basics”.  I am hoping to attend, but with the week I am having it might be impossible! Well, that is it for now… I have two little yogini’s tugging at me for snacks.  Look out for our “Journey Into Power” workshop next weekend!  We are almost FULL, so if you still want to attend please rsvp today!  Peace!]]> http://www.balanceyogastudio.net/2009/10/workshops-this-weekend/feed/ 0 http://www.balanceyogastudio.net/2009/09/getting-better/ http://www.balanceyogastudio.net/2009/09/getting-better/#comments Fri, 18 Sep 2009 13:19:24 +0000 Balance Yoga & Wellness http://96.9.62.150/?p=75 Some old aches and pains that I haven’t noticed in awhile have made their appearance.  What is interesting is that it is giving me a new perspective on my health and vitality without yoga in my life (or at least without my asana practice). This time off the mat has given me a chance to reflect on my practice and how important it is to my well being.  Besides the aches and tightness in my physical body I’ve also noticed my temper flaring up more than usual and my patience feeling tested more noticeably.  After a challenging morning routine with my 5 year old daughter yesterday she told my husband that I was acting like a “maniac”; this made me take a step back.  I lost my patience with her because she was being indecisive about choosing shoes for her outfit for school.  Now, while I know that we all lose our patience some of the time (with or without yoga in our lives) this made me feel sad.  I don’t want my 5 year old daughter feeling bad before starting a long day at school – a school that she is just starting to adjust to.  While regretful of this and regretful of her feeling upset with me I realized that it was more about me feeling off balance than feeling frustrated with her indecisiveness.  She is after all a five year old child having a bad “shoe” day… I would normally handle this situation better, but I am human and currently a human not fully practicing my yoga.  So, what I’ve been concentrating on today while in the studio is to step more fully, more clearly into this moment and use this time to take inventory of any negative energy or feelings inside that may be bubbling up during this time of healing.  I am not normally a list person, but I’m going to make a list and keep adding to it so that when I am able to begin my practice again; when my body is ready and my Dr. confirms that it is ready that I can focus on the positive changes yoga makes inside and out.  I was talking to a good friend yesterday about this – another yogini, and I explained to her that I’ve felt good for so long because of my practice than I’ve forgotten what it feels like to feel bad. This about sums it up.  So, I will do my best to take advantage of this time so that I can better relate to my new students just finding yoga and to all of the other non-yogis & yoginis in my life.]]> http://www.balanceyogastudio.net/2009/09/getting-better/feed/ 0 http://www.balanceyogastudio.net/2009/08/back-from-cali/ http://www.balanceyogastudio.net/2009/08/back-from-cali/#comments Fri, 07 Aug 2009 11:01:52 +0000 Balance Yoga & Wellness http://96.9.62.150/?p=79 California is a beautiful state and I now have a new appreciation for it’s beauty & diversity.  We packed in so much it would be difficult to share every detail.  But I will say a few things. San Francisco has it all except it is freezing cold there in July.  The best yoga classes at Yoga Tree in Castro (Rusty Wells) that I’ve ever experienced & the most challenging.  Amazingly beautiful city – friendly people, Alcatraz, delicious food!  Tess and I walked those hilly streets for miles & miles.  I don’t know how anyone living there could ever be chubby.  I got a workout everyday just walking around. Napa – oh, the wine.  Wine country… & Ubuktu – the best food ever!  Hands down the best meal we had the entire vacation & all vegetarian.  I am still dreaming about those potatoes. Driving down the coast on Pacific Highway 1 was the best day of the vacation.  We took a slow ride stopping in Carmel.  Carmel is like a fairytale kind of place.  The trees don’t even look real.  It is so beautiful and charming that I can’t imagine anyone visiting there doesn’t fall in love with it’s streets.  It was very, very expensive though and we met some of the rudest people that I’ve ever met.  Snotty, rude, very rich people.  After a few hours we headed S and took a slow ride down through Big Sur.  Big Sur is magnificent.  God must have really been proud of what He created there.  I can’t even describe how amazing it is.  You just really have to experience it for yourself.  I cannot wait to go back someday and spend some time there just hiking around.  I think Ed & I were speechless most of the ride just giggling like kids, pointing at the sights and taking it all in. Next was LA.  Blah.  We all hated it there.  It’s a nasty, smoggy, filthy, crowded city.  We did go see the taping of “The Tonight Show” with Conan which was pretty cool.  My husband really enjoyed that since he actually watches the show.  I just kind of took it all in and thanked God that I didn’t have to spend much time in LA. San Diego.  We fell in love with San Diego.  What is not to love?  Perfect frigging weather – PERFECT!  Perfect temperature.  No humidity.  No bugs.  No rain.  No clouds.  Just perfect sun, beautiful ocean breeze and perfect temperature ALL OF THE TIME.  I want to live there.  I would move there tomorrow if I could – no lie.  Gorgeous coastline.  Great people & awesome downtown.  If you’ve never been there.  GO.  Tomorrow if you can.  My brother lives there and he always says that he will never leave.  I now totally understand why. Great vacation.  Now back to reality which is a good thing.  I can’t wait to get back to my studio.]]> http://www.balanceyogastudio.net/2009/08/back-from-cali/feed/ 0 http://www.balanceyogastudio.net/2009/06/arriving-at-omega-happy-yoga-beyond-with-steve-ross/ http://www.balanceyogastudio.net/2009/06/arriving-at-omega-happy-yoga-beyond-with-steve-ross/#comments Sun, 14 Jun 2009 21:29:43 +0000 Balance Yoga & Wellness http://96.9.62.150/?p=81 I arrived on campus right around 7 p.m. and they greet you right in the parking lot.  Everyone is soooo friendly.  Lots of young people work here I guess for the summer – wish I would have known about this place 15 years ago. After registration I hurried up to the dining hall and enjoyed a most delicious vegan feast – the food is fresh, mostly organic and local – awesome.  While I was eating I happened to look up and exchanged smiles with Steve Ross – very cool.  He looks much shorter in person, but I couldn’t miss that happy grin.  I later found out that there are only 16 people in our class so I am really excited to learn and grow from this week.  We had orientation around 8 p.m. which was a standard typical orientation and I met a new friend who said to call him “Tex” b/c he is from Texas.  So, anyone who has read “Eat, Pray, Love” will laugh to themselves.  Ahhhh, enjoying a “meditation” tea in the Omega cafe and a vegan cookie – then off to bed in my little hut. Love & Peace]]> http://www.balanceyogastudio.net/2009/06/arriving-at-omega-happy-yoga-beyond-with-steve-ross/feed/ 0 http://www.balanceyogastudio.net/2009/06/ok-marty-this-is-for-you/ http://www.balanceyogastudio.net/2009/06/ok-marty-this-is-for-you/#comments Sat, 06 Jun 2009 23:26:12 +0000 Balance Yoga & Wellness http://96.9.62.150/?p=83 Open in camel & bow.  I want & crave more when I wet my palate with a nice locust or up dog.  I’m sure you get the point.  So, what threw me off was the fact that the class before David’s was specifically backbending.  It was a sequencing class and I was a little tired, but really wasn’t paying enough attention to my body to realize that at the moment.  So, there I was pushing my tired 35 year old ass through some pretty advanced postures.  At the time I felt good until we got to the drop backs.  Drop backs are interesting because I believe it’s more of a fear thing that most people need to overcome.  I understand that, but never experienced it in backbending… until I felt my upper body crunch literally into my cervical spine while practicing.  I couldn’t help but think that maybe I really hurt myself, but what I actually think I did was pull a muscle in my neck and my spine had just had enough.   I had to back off.  This was hard to do and luckily this was towards the end of the class so I really didn’t have to back off of much.  But I was aggravated.  Here I was with this great opportunity to learn & explore in a very safe environment with a master teacher and I was letting fear & an achy neck get the best of me. Soon we settled in Savasana and I could not for the frickin life of me clear my thoughts.  I was obsessing about my neck.  Then I had this great thought – go ask the teacher about it – after all, I was the STUDENT!  Ohhhhh, the excitement.  I had a problem, a concern and I had someone there I could ask to help me out.  That someone just happened to be David frickin Swenson!!!!  After savasansa many of the students must have had the same idea b/c he was literally surrounded by students.  So, I waited.  After all, I had no where to go b/c I was waiting for the Anna Forrest demo anyway.  I sat my tired ass down on my mat & waited taking in the sights.  About 20 minutes later I had my opportunity.  I think I may have actually hopped over or maybe I just flew, because I literally don’t remember my feet touching the ground.  I was so excited.  He was sitting down on the floor and I crouched down next to him.  The first thing I said was something like this… “Hi – my name is Jennifer and I just wanted to thank you for the great class”.  He thanked me.  Then, it happened…  I began my gushing.  It went something like this… “I use your practice manual and I am inspired by you almost everyday so it really is such an honor to be here practicing with you”.  He just smiled and thanked me again.  At this point I think I must have been a little scary.  But, did that stop me?  Nahhhh – I just kept rambling.  Next I told him about my neck discomfort during the drop back.  He told me to show him.  I got up and did what I was told.  He stood up next to me and adjusted my neck which instantly changed the entire posture.  I no longer felt any crunching and actually felt better.  It was pretty cool.  But the dork inside just couldn’t stop.  I had no control and then it happened.  It went something like this….  “Mr. Swenson – would you mind having your picture taken with me?”  I literally forced the guy to sit in a picture with me – which I guess I will have to post.  I think it may have actually been his son or his nephew b/c the guy that took the picture looked  like him… After writing this all down I am now kind of thinking that maybe it wasn’t as much of a big deal as I made it out to be.  Maybe I was such a dork after all.  People must react that way to him all of the time, right?  Hey, as long as he doesn’t remember me when I go to the teacher training in September, right?  Right! And on that last thought I will say goodnight.]]> http://www.balanceyogastudio.net/2009/06/ok-marty-this-is-for-you/feed/ 0 http://www.balanceyogastudio.net/2009/06/finishing-my-thoughts/ http://www.balanceyogastudio.net/2009/06/finishing-my-thoughts/#comments Fri, 05 Jun 2009 19:03:48 +0000 Balance Yoga & Wellness http://96.9.62.150/?p=88 Backbending is a different story, or was… I should say.  ( I have a much deeper profound respect for the power of backbending after my 5, yes, 5 backbending classes that weekend.  But that is another story altogether!!!) My enthusiasm walking into the class was probably annoying.  I was just so damn excited to see this man in person.  I purchased his practice manual when I went through teacher training and since then it has rarely left my side.  What can I say – the guy inspires me.  He was one of the first Americans to train with K Pattabhi Jois in CA back in 1975, then traveled over to Mysore to study the entire Ashtanga system directly with Guruji in 1977.  So, for most of my life on this planet David Swenson has been studying a yoga system that I have fallen in love with.  So, in my eyes, he is the MAN! I sat on my mat and waited taking in the sights of much younger, much fitter people around me warming up their (very) flexible bodies readying themselves for the class.  I know, I know, I’m not supposed to compare myself to others or feel competitive in my practice.  BUT, my ego got the best of me…  That ego coupled with the pure adrenaline rush of being there plus the anticipation of meeting David was, well, awesome!  So, David walks in.  He is tall – really tall and thin, but a strong, healthy thin.  His hair was shaved close to his head and he has these wonderful twinkling eyes.  He has a warm crooked grin that matches his endearing sense of humor.  I think the most interesting thing about being around him is he is just this regular, cool guy.  I instantly liked him and trusted him.  I felt safe to explore my practice. So, we get started with Surya Namaskara (Sun Salutations) and to hear him call the class was all I needed.  There must have been about 300 people crammed together and we all moved as one.  At one point he asked us all to close our eyes and just focus on our foundation – this was simply magical.  Liberating.  Exciting.  He didn’t run us through Primary Series as this class was focused on backbending and inversions.  For the very first time in my life I easily held my headstand (and, I wasn’t against the wall) then tried (for the first time) forearm stand (aka Peacock Feather stand or Pincha Mayurasana).  WOW – I was really impressed with myself at this point.  HA!  Then…  handstand.  Handstand has been interesting for me.  I practice it all of the time, but always with support and never really getting it.  It always seems like I just miss the purpose and once again, even with my beloved teacher it just kind of didn’t work out for me.  Grounding, humbling.  Back down from my high.  Someday… Next was backbending.  Now, those of you that know me know that I am a backbending freak.  I freaking love backbending.  Give me the opportunity and I’ll open up my heart for the whole darn world to see.  So, needless to say, I was having a great freaking time until, BAM…  come back down to Earth again.  And… pause – time to eat dinner.  I shall return!]]> http://www.balanceyogastudio.net/2009/06/finishing-my-thoughts/feed/ 0