Studio Yoga

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Happy New Year 🎊 2023 is going to be full of exciting changes as we welcome our newest yogi!

Look forward to seeing everyone back in the Studio and on Zoom tomorrow!

“Yoga teaches us to cure what need not be endured and endure what cannot be cured.”
-BKS Iyengar

Today is International Day of Yoga! It is a day that is shared and celebrated with the Summer Solstice, where the sun shines the brightest!

On June 21, 2015, nearly 36,000 people, including Prime Minister Modi, performed 21 asanas for 35 minutes in New Delhi in what was the first International Day of Yoga.

The theme for this year’s celebration is: Yoga for Humanity. The essence of yoga is balance- balance within the body as well as balance between the mind and the body. Yoga emphasizes the values of mindfulness, moderation, discipline and perseverance.

Next Tuesday, June 21 is International Day of Yoga ✌🏼

This weekend we will be celebrating by leading a FREE class on Sunday, June 19 at 9:30am. Join us for a 60 min. class designed for all levels at in . Hang out afterward for sips, sweets, and 15% off your total purchase. Hope to see you there!

RSVP via the link in our bio.

Paripurna Navasana (Boat Pose) strengthens the core, hip flexors & spine.

1. Start seated with knees bent, feet on the floor. Place your hands behind your knees, lift the chest, engaging the back muscles.

2. Engage through the lower abdominals as you lean back on your sit bones and lift your feet up to about knee height.

3. Hands cans stay behind the legs for support as needed or can reach out in front.

4. To go further, straighten your legs. Hold for up to 10 breaths before lowering back down.

*Focus on keeping your abdominals and back muscles equally engaged.
*Keep the chest lifted and open- try not to round through shoulders and upper back.
*Don’t hold the breath!

Please consider taking the time to vote Studio Yoga best Yoga/Studio!

Check out Studio Yoga. Go vote for who you think is The BEST in the Brazos Valley!

“In the midst of movement and chaos, keep stillness inside of you.”
-Deepak Chopra

Mindfulness is all about being still inside regardless of what’s going on around you. Take time each day for stillness.

We hope everyone has a happy & safe Memorial Day weekend 🇺🇸

We will be open as normal on Monday, May 30. Join us on the mat:

9:15am Pilates Mat
11am Zoom Relax & Restore
5:15pm Zoom Vinyasa Flow
6:30pm Strong Vinyasa Flow

Parivrtta Utthita Ashwa Sanchalanasana (Revolved Lunge Pose) is the advanced version of Revolved Low Lunge pose, where the extended leg rests on the floor making the twist easier. Either version of Revolved Lunge helps to boost energy in the body and is often included in Vinyasa flow sequences.

Twists are a great prep pose for backbends and also help to neutralize the spine after backbends.

1. Step the right foot forward between the two hands, with the right knee directly over the right ankle. Tuck the back toes under and straighten the back leg by reaching back with the left heel. *Think plank pose with a long line through the spine.

2. Plant your left hand underneath the left shoulder as your right hand extends up toward the ceiling, twisting the torso right. Keep most of the weight in your legs rather than in your left hand.

3. Stabilize the pelvis as you twist, keeping your hips as level as possible. Think LENGTH as you twist.

4. Repeat on the left side to counter twist.

“When the breath wanders the mind is unsteady, but when the breath is calmed, the mind too will be still.”

-Hatha Yoga Pradipika

Yoga gives us the time and space to focus on our basic needs. When the breath is calmed the mind will be still too, and yoga teaches us how to control the breath through pranayama. We learn that breath is a bridge, a connection between mind and emotion, mind and body.

https://medium.com/swlh/neuroscience-of-breath-63c32604be22

Happy Friday! Tomorrow’s Rise & Shine class is canceled, but it’s still going to be a beautiful morning to enjoy the & get some of the best coffee in town, !

Have a great weekend ☀️

Our yogis are amazing! This group group of ladies is always working on a different inversion/arm balance.

1. To set up for Sirsasana 2 (tripod headstand), build a triangle with your hands at the base and your head at the apex, keeping your knees on the ground. Your arms should be bent at a 90-degree angle, with your elbows directly over your wrists and in line with your shoulders.

2. Tuck your toes and begin to lift your knees off the ground. Walk your feet toward your hands until you can rest your knees on your triceps. Slowly lift your feet off the ground. Keep your neck long and resist the urge to collapse your shoulders toward your ears.

3. Pull your heels toward your glutes and activate your core. As you un-round your tailbone, your knees begin to float up off your triceps.

4. Activate through your legs and glutes as you reach your feet toward the ceiling. Breathe!

5. To release, bend at the hips and knees, bringing your knees back to your triceps and releasing your feet to the floor.

“Whenever your mind becomes scattered, use your breath as the means to take hold of your mind again.”
-Thich Nhat Hanh

Inhale, exhale, repeat. Breathing is so simple, and yet its effects are miraculous. The ultimate sign of life, the foundation of mediation, breath is the means by which we can truly focus on the present moment.

It’s a beautiful day in Downtown Bryan after all that rain yesterday ☀️ Join us for our free First Friday class tonight 5-6pm!

Monique will be leading a gentle class focused on lengthening and relaxing. The perfect way to end your week. Don’t forget to reserve your spot via the link in our bio- there’s one spot remaining!

High supported lunge is a variation of Anjaneyasana (Crescent Lunge). It is still considered a standing posture, since our feet and legs are the foundation for this asana. It is often used as a warmup, preparing the body for more challenging postures or sequences, but it can also be practiced independently and within a sun salutation.

High supported lunge gives you the support of your hands, while still strengthening the hips, glutes, quad and feet & lengthening the hip flexors and quads.

1. From Downward Facing Dog, step your right foot between your hands OR from a standing forward fold, step your left foot back.

2. Align your right knee above your right ankle so that your right shin is vertical.

3. With your hands framing your right foot on the mat or on blocks, reach your left heel back to find length through the front of your left hip.

4. Do your best to keep your spine in alignment, chin slightly tucked, shoulders back and down. Think about creating a long line with the spine.

“Yoga means ‘union.’ It is often interpreted as the union of mind, body, and soul, and can provide perfect harmony and balance.”
-Nancy Hine

Our theme this week at the Studio is “connect.” In order to find stillness in the midst of chaos, we must connect to ourselves, our mind, our breath and our body. Set your intention this week to connect to it all. To be able to observe without reacting.

Next Friday, May 6, Monique will be hosting our Free First Friday class 5-6pm 🎉 Class is already full, but if you put your name on the waitlist, you will be notified if a spot opens up! This will be our last First Friday class until we pick up again in August.

No Yoga, Beer & Brunch this upcoming month, but we look forward to seeing everyone the following month on the second Sunday, June 12.

Have a happy weekend ☀️

Sukhasana Cactus Arms is a variation of the grounding seated pose Sukhasana with the focus on the upper body. The practice of this variation can be helpful in warming up the arms and shoulders for other asanas involving rotation of the shoulder and opening of the chest.

However, cactus arms is also beneficial on its own, strengthening the shoulders, building better posture and in understanding the alignment of the shoulders and chest to the rest of the body.

Inhale, to reach the arms up alongside the ears. Exhale, to pull the elbows back and down about shoulder height, squeezing shoulder blades together.

“Now and then it’s good to pause in our pursuit of happiness and just be happy.”
-Guillaume Apollinaire

This is such a good reminder! While it is good to look at the big picture, sometimes we just need to focus on what’s right in front of us.

Happy Friday! Thank you for your understanding this week with our change in schedule. I will be back this afternoon and look forward to seeing everyone again next week.

*Reminder: no Zoom Pilates Mat or Zoom Relax & Restore this morning.

Standing Stork is a one-legged balance pose that strengthens the legs, aligns the feet and improves stability and coordination.

1. Start in Tadasana (mountain pose) with feet hip-distance apart, shoulders back and down and the crown of your head lifted toward the ceiling.

2. Shift your weight into your right leg, finding the four corners of your right foot. Using your lower abdominal muscles and hip flexor to draw your left knee forward and up until your left thigh is parallel to the mat.

3. You have the option to keep your left toes resting on the mat for support as needed, but make sure your torso does not shift forward. Keep head over heart and heart over pelvis.

4. Focus on your standing leg and stay lifted out of your waist.

5. Find a comfortable gaze and allow your arms to float to wherever feels best. Hold for 5-10 breaths before lowering and repeating on the other side.

“He who is contented is rich.”
-Lao Tzu

Material things do not and cannot measure wealth. We always end up wanting more. Contentment is far more valuable, because whoever finds contentment is always satisfied. Material things come and go, but contentment rises above our circumstances and offers happiness regardless of our current state.

Have you taken a Pilates Reformer class yet? Our private Reformer sessions are designed for each individual’s specific needs. This is great if you’re starting a new fitness routine, rehabilitating an injury or just looking to improve your well-being.

Reach out to schedule your private or semi-private session now!

“Happiness will never come to those who fail to appreciate what they already have.”
-Bilal Zahoor

Contentment is the ability to be satisfied with what is. Contentment means accepting gratefully yourself and your environment. In your yoga practice, rather than focusing on the asanas that are too difficult, be grateful for yoga itself and your ability to do the asanas that you are able to practice.

Don’t forget, this weekend is our Yoga, Beer & Brunch at ! Join us on Sunday, April 10 at 12pm. $10 includes one hour of yoga + a beer. Stick around afterwards to enjoy their delicious brunch!

Reserve your spot via the link in our bio. Don’t forget to bring your own yoga mat. Hope to see you there!

Bhujangasana (Cobra pose) is a heart-opening backbend that stretches the front of the body and can provide relief if you’re experiencing back pain. It improves posture and counteracts the effects of prolonged sitting and computer work.

Cobra is intended to be gentle, less intense than Upward Facing Dog, but still a definitive back bend.

1. Begin in a prone position, on the belly, with feet hip-distance apart and hands under shoulders close to the ribs.

2. Press down into the tops of the feet to help activate your quadriceps.

3. Tilt the pelvis slightly back, so your tailbone is reaching behind you, lengthening the lower back.

4. Pressing down lightly with your hands, start to lift your head and chest, rolling your shoulders back and down.

5. Keep the back of your neck long and focus on lifting your sternum instead of lifting your chin.

6. Extend your arms while keeping your shoulders away from your ears. Keep at least a slight bend in your elbows. Continue to breathe.

7. To exit the pose, gently lower your chest back toward the mat.

*If you feel any discomfort or compression in the lower back, don’t come up as high. Focus on creating strength in the upper back, between the shoulder blades.
*To make more space for the spine to arch, place your hands a few inches farther forward.
*Ensure that the backbend is evenly distributed throughout your spine. Your upper back is harder to bend than your lower back. Think of lengthening your spine to create more space between the vertebrae.

“Happiness is letting go of what you think your life is supposed to look like and celebrating it for everything that it is.”
-Mandy Hale

How often does the phrase “I’ll be happy when….” cross your mind? Santosha or ‘contentment’ both on and off the mat is our Studio’s theme this month.

🔹Cultivate an inner peace that is not dependent on what is happening in our lives.
🔹Become mindful - notice the times when we’re living in the future or past and bring awareness to the present moment.
🔹Become grateful for whatever we have - it’s impossible to be discontent when we are truly grateful.

Happy April! It’s First Friday in Downtown Bryan tonight 🎉

Join us for our FREE community class 5-6pm. Monique will be teaching a gentle class available to all levels. Stretch out and relax to kick off the weekend. Mats, blocks and bolsters provided.

Spots are limited, so don’t forget to reserve yours via the link in our bio.

“If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.”
-Dalai Lama

Happiness lies in compassion. The secret to becoming happy doesn’t just lie within yourself, but in your connections and interactions with others.

It’s Friday! I will be subbing for the Zoom Relax & Restore class this morning at 11am and Monique will be subbing for tomorrow morning’s Rise & Shine class at 8am. Hope you can join ☀️

Don’t forget next Friday is First Friday in Downtown Bryan (4/1). Monique will be teaching our FREE community class 5-6pm. Spots are limited, so don’t forget to reserve your spot via the link in our bio.