Yoga with Zelinda

I gain so much from yoga. Sure, flexibility, strength, and a pain-free body are great, but what about a pain-free MIND?

Years ago, when I first studied to become a yoga teacher, I learned that we, as humans, are not our bodies. 🤯 We’re made up of a body, mind, and spirit, which are all distinct components of our being.

I learned to view my body as a vehicle whose purpose is to transport my spirit around so that I can do my life’s work. This understanding has brought me a lot of peace as my body ages.

My eyebrows are thinning. The skin around my eyes now crinkles when I smile. My neck is beginning to sag. These developments don’t cause me a moment of worry or stress.

I count my blessings that my vehicle is still healthy enough to allow me to parent, teach, volunteer, walk my dogs, and enjoy so many other activities in my life. The vehicle’s aesthetics are none of my concern.

If you might be interested in learning more about yoga and yoga philosophy, please consider joining my upcoming Yoga Teacher Training program. The growth we experience during teacher training is truly transformative. You can read more about the program on Round Rock Yoga’s website. Please message me if you have any questions!

When I studied in India, I found the style of teaching to be different than what we’re accustomed to in the US. Teacher Training includes a lot of lecture and theory, so it’s similar to the experience of taking college classes. But at my yoga school in India, they’d present the material, and if something was unclear, I learned that they expected us to kind of hold on to our question, reflect on it, and try to figure out the answer on our own. In the US, when something is unclear, we ask questions immediately to try to get clarification. I think this is partly due to our desire for instant gratification, but I think it’s also a way we, as students, show our engagement.

Now that I’m back home and teaching yoga to American students, I use a combination of Indian and American teaching techniques, depending on the situation. Sometimes I turn the question back onto the student because I know they’ll learn the concept best through reflection and experimentation. And sometimes I provide context and background because I know that American learners often need to know the “why?” for a concept to make sense.

This morning I realized that my yoga classes sometimes turn into something more like Yoga University because of all the theory that I add in. I know people show up expecting to spend an hour practicing yoga poses, so I sometimes worry that I’m lecturing too much. But a) I think there’s a lot of benefit to this type of learning - you can take the information with you and use it indefinitely, and b) as far as a I can tell, students seem to value the additional context.

So please note - if you come to my classes we’re probably going to do more than just asana. 😄 And if this kind of learning this is your jam, you might really enjoy Yoga Teacher Training. The next batch of my training starts in September. If you think you might be interested, you can find all the details on the Round Rock Yoga website. Please reach out if you have any questions!

Please help me do some research. I suspect the majority of adult people regularly experience pain in their body.  What is your personal experience? No pain, low back pain, neck/shoulder pain, knee pain, something else? (Don’t worry, I won’t try to persuade you to do yoga 😄)

New video coming soon! Gentle Yoga for Neck & Shoulder Tension, accessible to people with all kinds of bodies. Make sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel so you won’t miss it!

It's not too late to join my Gentle Yoga 7 Day Challenge on my YouTube channel! Today was day 4, but the recordings are posted in a playlist so you can start anytime. Make sure to subscribe so you won't miss new uploads and announcements!

My office this morning.

If you enjoy my YouTube videos and are interested in expanding and deepening your practice, consider signing up for the Get. It. Together. New Year’s program at my studio. You’ll get unlimited classes with me and my team in Jan, Feb, and Mar. Recordings of all classes are available, in case you’re not available at the live class time, or if you really enjoy a particular class and want to repeat it. And you get 3 bonus workshops to help you grow. Learn more and sign up at the link in the first comment on Round Rock Yoga’s post. And please lmk if you have any questions! 🙂

Our New Year’s program is designed to help you get started with yoga and establish the habit of a consistent yoga practice. The hard part of committing to a new routine is the consistency. We're offering 3 months of unlimited classes from January 1 through March 31st, both in-studio and online, and 3 monthly workshops to help you stay motivated!

To learn more about Get It Together and to sign up, please see the link in the first comment.

For better or worse, cold weather season is here! Do this gentle practice to help you recover from a cold, flu, or covid.

Yoga for Covid Recovery To establish and sustain your consistent yoga practice, join my membership group! Details here: https://www.rryogaroom.com/yoga-with-zelindaQuestions? Email ...

I'm teaching a free online workshop about sleep this Saturday at 11 a.m. my time. If you're interested in learning how to improve your quality of sleep, and by extension, the quality of your health, please join me!

Join us for a free online class this Saturday!

Join us this Saturday, October 21st, for a FREE ONLINE COMMUNITY CLASS! Brandy is teaching this Gentle class designed for all levels and all bodies, regardless of fitness or flexibility. In her class, you can expect a safe and supportive environment where you can explore the benefits of yoga at your own pace.

Brandy is one of our Yoga Teacher Training graduates who is continuing her education through our Yoga Teacher Mentorship program.

To learn more about Brandy and to sign up for the online class, please visit the link in the first comment.

Lori is my online student from Ohio and she attended class in the studio today! It’s the first time we meet in person. 😊

Announcing the brand new Yoga with Zelinda membership! Join me for daily on-demand yoga practice, a monthly live workshop, a monthly live class, and more!

Yoga with Zelinda Unlock premium resources with my membership program! From my accessible yoga practice calendar, to live workshops and classes, to my online community, my membership offers interactive support to help you achieve your wellness goals. Sign up today to take the first step toward better health!

Zuko’s been helping me with my yoga practice! 😁 Did you know I have ADHD? People who have ADHD can have a hard time initiating tasks, even tasks they WANT to do. There’s a concept called Body Doubling that a lot of neurodiverse folks find helpful. Basically someone sits nearby while you work on your task. They don’t help with the actual task - just their presence provides motivation. My practice has become so much more consistent since Zuko joined my family. He’s taught me that body doubles don’t necessarily need to be human! ❤️

Hi, I’m Zelinda! As you likely know, I teach yoga for people with all kinds of bodies (and minds). I also offer 1:1 yoga therapy and I train yoga teachers. I’ve been practicing yoga for 24 years and teaching for 15. I love what I do!

I have over 300 yoga videos on my YouTube channel and every single one of them offer options so that you can find a version of the practice that is comfortable and provides the right amount of challenge.

I’ve done most of my training in India, and you can probably easily see that my approach is quite different from most western teachers.

I’d be happy to support you in your yoga practice so that you can reduce aches and pains and relax your mind. Please check out the links in my bio for different ways you can practice with me. And if you post a questions or comment here or on YouTube, don’t be surprised if it becomes the inspiration for my next YouTube video. 😀

Lastly, if you have a friend or loved one who is looking for yoga that is accessible to their body, please share my info with them. ❤️

I’ve been MIA a few weeks and this is why. 😍 Our local shelter is way beyond capacity and has been asking for volunteers to foster a dog for two weeks to give the dogs a break from the shelter and (I assume) give the team a little bit of relief from the enormous task of running a shelter that is consistently over capacity.

When we met Zuko he was extremely energetic and kept jumping on us, but I figured we could handle him for two weeks. 😂

Long story short, we all fell in love with him and we adopted him when the two weeks were up.

Zuko is 2 years old, 77 lbs, and very strong. He was in the shelter for 6 months (!) so it’s taking some time for him to decompress but he’s doing great!

He loves to sit in on my Zoom yoga classes and I’m sure he’ll be in new YouTube videos very soon. ❤️

I’ve been a little under the weather with allergies the past few days. Chanting videos will be back soon. 🙂 And a new video with Denisse will post this week! Make sure you subscribe to my YouTube channel (link in bio) and click the bell so you’ll get a notification when a new video posts. ❤️

Lunch to balance my constitution. 😍

This is very exciting! I wish I could attend in person, but I've heard that recordings will be made available.

Schedule for the International Conference On The Subtle Tools Of Yoga Cikitsā Prāṇāyāma | Mantra | Bhāvana

To Register for the conference, https://www.kym.org/dt_courses/an-international-conference-on-the-subtle-tools-of-yoga-cikitsa-pra%e1%b9%87ayama-mantra-bhavana/

If you wish to submit abstract paper for the pre-conference, please note that we have extended the last date for submission to 20th, March 2023.

To Register for abstract submission, https://www.kym.org/dt_courses/call-for-papers/

YOGA TEACHERS
Take your teaching to the next level with Mentorship. This 6 month program might be a good fit for you if:

📌 you've been teaching and you’re ready to uplevel your teaching skills

📌 you graduated from YTT but haven’t been teaching, and you'd like support to get started

📌 you're interested in deepening your personal practice to support your teaching (asana, pranayama, meditation, and/or chanting)

📌 you'd like to learn more about teaching yoga that’s accessible for all kinds of bodies

📌 you're interested in continuing education hours with Yoga Alliance

Yoga Teacher Mentorship involves monthly 1:1 sessions with me, so the group size is very small and only 3 spots remain.

Read the program details here: https://www.rryogaroom.com/yoga-teacher-mentorship

Newest Video! Yoga can be a helpful tool for people who have ADHD, but it needs to be a practice that doesn't feel slow and boring. 😉
https://youtu.be/DqicaUmQ5HI

Are you tired of feeling sluggish and blah? 😔

If you’ve been assuming that you’re feeling blah because you’re getting older, I have some good news for you!

The right habits can help you reconnect with radiant health - and they’re probably much easier than you think!

Tomorrow I’ll be speaking at a free virtual conference with my colleague, Rose Metcalf, MA, and other health and wellness experts. (My spot is at 3:30 pm Central time!)

If you’ve been feeling blah, click the link in bio to register and take a BIG step towards feeling your best!

https://springintoyourbestbody.com/zelinda

Are you tired of not feeling great? There are so many gentle ways to prioritize your health and wellbeing!

I've been invited to speak at a free virtual conference this week. It's called, ‘Spring Into Your Best Body: Unlock Your Radiant Health, Unleash Your Radiant Life!’ 💃 and I'd love for you to join.

Global experts (including me!) are coming together to help you...

✅ Connect with your body, reduce stress, and feel empowered to make a difference in the world

✅ Get real advice from experts who will share their top tips and strategies for living your most radiant life

​✅ Connect with other like-minded women who are also passionate about health and wellness

The event is free! Sign up here: https://springintoyourbestbody.com/zelinda

It's March! A new month and a perfect time to join as a Member! This month's Member Workshop is

INTRODUCTION TO CHANTING AS A MINDFULNESS PRACTICE
Part 1: Saturday, March 18, 10:30 a.m.
Part 2: Saturday, March 25, 10:30 a.m.
(yes, recordings will be available)

More and more, I’ve been hearing that people are interested in learning chanting. So for the first time I’m going to teach chanting outside of my Yoga Teacher Training program. This month’s live workshop is divided into two parts, each planned to be 45 minutes long. Part 1 will cover the basics of chanting, like pronunciation, grammar, pitch, breath, etc. You’ll have a one week gap to assimilate these learnings before we get to Part 2, which will focus on actual chanting practice.

Visit https://www.rryogaroom.com/yoga-with-zelinda to learn more about Membership and sign up!

For those of you interested in chanting, my yoga school in India will livestream a chanting session tomorrow (Tuesday). This will be at 6:00 am Texas time.

Ārogya Śravaṇam | The KYM will be holding a chanting session on
February 21, 2023 at 5.30 PM Indian Standard Time. The session will be streamed live on KYM's page.

List of Chants Planned for the Event:

Opening Chant | Hayagrivastakam Composition by Śrī T Krishnamacharya) | Guruvastakam | Yoganjalisaram | Lakshmikavacam | Adiseshastakam(composition by Śrī Krishnamacharya) | Sudarshana Astakam | Aditya Hrdayam (if time permits) | Closing Chant

Flashback to the excellent Medicinal Garden tour offered by Dr. Ganesh Babu at a couple of weeks ago. Solange and I were walking through a pathway of bamboo and I had a giant plumeria tucked behind my ear. 😊 Can’t wait to go back. Who wants to join me? 😉