Emily Stauch Yoga and Wellness
HEALTH AND WELLNESS COACHING, ADAPTIVE/GENTLE YOGA, LET YOUR YOGA DANCE®, MEDITATION, DIVINE SLEEP No previous yoga or dance experience is ever required.
Health, including Weight Loss/Weight Management, Wellness:
Health Coaching: I enjoy helping people discover optimal heath through weight loss/maintenance and lifestyle transformation. I offer private coaching on an individual basis to develop a unique plan for each individual to address diet/nutrition, fitness, mind-body and life goals. Wellness Coaching: I offer Wellness and Empowerment Coac
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KINDNESS:
In Yoga and Buddhism, there are four traditional ways to express kindness. These four great treasures (Bhrama Viharas) are practices of positive emotions:
Metta - (Maitri) loving-kindness, being kind to yourself and others.
Karuna - feeling compassion and care to lighten sorrow.
Mudita - being happy for the good fortune of others.
Upekkha - (Upeksha) equanimity, composure with our own and others' faults.
Studies show that kindness overcomes the mind’s survival-based negativity bias. By wishing well for yourself and others, you can change the default story of the mind from feeling alone to feeling connected. And, kindness gives you resilience to recover from the fierce realities and challenges of uncertain times.
PRACTICE: Try it now. It's easier to start with someone you love who is not in pain. Picture them and feel their presence. Silently repeat the phrase, "May you be happy." Now, focus on your breathing and body sensations.
Bring your attention to others, and place a hand to your heart. Repeat slowly:
May all beings be safe and protected, calm and connected
May they be happy, healthy, whole and free.
~Ken Nelson, Kripalu
The Timeless Art of Yoga:
Yoga is meditation in movement, where the union of breath and movement becomes a source of presence and awareness, allowing us to connect to our true divine essence.
In the realm of holistic practices, few can rival the longevity of yoga. With a history that stretches back thousands of years in India, this ancient discipline has captivated hearts and minds across the globe. Its popularity today speaks volumes to its transformative power.
At its heart, yoga is a spiritual system of self-discovery, enlightenment, and a path toward greater mind-body-soul connection, health, and inner balance. The physical expression of yoga, through its asanas, is just one branch of yoga’s deeply rooted, cultivated, and profound spiritual philosophy. And a branch that has borne an abundance of fruit! Over time, the embodied practice of yoga has evolved into various forms such as hatha, vinyasa, ashtanga, and more.
This physical practice of yoga has become increasingly popular in the West — perhaps because of the magic that lies in its harmonious combination of movement, breath, and mindfulness. Beyond the myriad physical benefits of yoga — greater strength, flexibility, energy, and improved posture, to name a few — it has tremendous emotional rewards, such as promoting relaxation, stress relief, and mental well-being. On the spiritual level, yoga is meditation in movement, where the union of breath and body becomes a source of presence and awareness, allowing us to connect to our true divine essence.
Yoga has no age limits. There are no prerequisites or even equipment needed — just an open mind and a space for your body to move. There are many varieties of yoga to choose from, gentle flows to more challenging styles. With open arms, yoga welcomes everyone to come as they are. It’s a fluid artform that you can easily build upon, from asana to asana, until you have a personal practice of your own that’s catered to your individual needs.
Start with a couple of asanas or poses. For example, Child’s pose is a simple and comforting way to calm your nervous system and center yourself. Close your eyes and breathe gently as you hold the pose, focusing inward. Downward Dog, great for relieving tension and stress, also gives you an excellent stretch and improved circulation. There are many asanas to draw from, each one with its own healing gifts to unlock. The beauty of a yoga practice is that it can grow and change with you, always meeting you wherever you are on your journey.
~Daily OM
Here is an article with lots of ideas for self-care:
Self-Care: How to Do It Right Now Self-care includes all the things we do to tend to our physical, mental, and emotional health needs. Here are just some of the many ways you can do it.
Join us on Thursdays at 12:00 for Gentle Yoga with Movement, followed by Yoga Nidra: 655 N. Broadway in Medina. All ages, body types and levels welcome. Poses and movements designed to address individual needs. 😉😃
“Quiet friend who has come so far,
feel how your breathing makes more space around you.”
~Rilke
Pre-holiday stress buster and something for everyone! 😃
Yoga classes offered at Unity of Medina on Thursdays:
Gentle Yoga 12:00-1:00
Yoga Nidra 1:30-2:30
Let Your Yoga Dance 3:00-4:00
Unity of Medina is located at 787 Lafayette Road, Bldg. D
Contact Emily via Messenger, this page or email at [email protected]
Moving Our Body
Human bodies love flow and movement and respond in kind when used in this way.
Our bodies love movement. When we stretch or dance, our bodies adjust, realign and start to become fluid with the rhythm of life. Our mood lifts and we feel more connected with the world around us. If you are feeling stuck, ready to release old energy, or eager to feel more alive, try moving your body. By giving your muscles a chance to do what they were created for, you may find that all areas of your body and your life benefit as well.
Many times we can be so busy that we forget moving our body is even an option. Some of us remain seated at our computer for hours every day or rush from task to task with robotic precision. When we are caught up in crossing items off our to-do lists, we tend to neglect all the opportunities there are to enjoy our bodies in the process of living. If this is true for you, begin looking for opportunities to move. You might try dancing or moving about freely as you clean your home, tend your garden or care for your children. If you are able to devote a set amount of time to self-care, practices such as yoga, dance, tai chi and walking are all great ways to keep your body in motion.
Imagine how freeing it would feel to trust your body's movements completely, knowing it has a perfect strength and rhythm of its own. See if you can sense your bones providing graceful support, your muscles and tendons expanding and contracting in just the right measure, your lungs changing pace to fill deeply with fresh air. Movement is a vital celebration of life. It is a way to proclaim your own existence and relish in the joy of being alive. Today, and into the future, give yourself the gift of your body in motion.
~Daily OM
Personal Power
Power is not about exerting our will over others, it is about being in complete truth with yourself.
Many of us have do not understand what personal power means. We have been given the false notion that power is bad -- that it is something we use to exert our will upon others. In fact, when our personal power is intact, we are neither overbearing nor meek. We have a clear sense of our strength and the impact we can have on others. This actually enables us to be more sensitive. Personal power is what permits us to work on behalf of our dreams and desires. It allows us to realize that we are worthy and deserve to be heard. In addition, our personal power lets us extend the respect we know that we deserve to the people around us. There is no reason to be afraid or ashamed of fully owning your power.
In the chakra system, the solar plexus is the seat of personal power. One way to evaluate your sense of power is to breathe into this part of the body. If it feels tight or nervous, it is an indication that you may not be fully expressing your power. You can heal this imbalance by expanding the area of the solar plexus with your breath. You can also visualize a bright yellow sun in this part of your body. Allow its heat to melt any tension, and let its light dissolve any darkness or heaviness. Repeating this exercise on a regular basis can restore and rejuvenate your sense of power.
Another way to nurture your personal power is to honor your dreams and desires by making concrete plans to manifest them in the world. Start by making a list of things you want, and let yourself think big. Choose one goal from the list and commit to bringing it to fruition. In addition, break the goal into tasks that you can work on each day. Know that you deserve to have your dreams come true and that you have the power to bring them into being.
~Daily OM
Trusting Your Intuition
Part of being an intuitive person is becoming in-tune with, and trusting, your power center.
Gut feelings earn their name from the place in the body where they make themselves known. A pang in your gut when you may be doing the wrong thing, or a vibrant zing when your body approves, can guide you reliably at times when logic fails. Sometimes, when logic prevails, we ignore our gut and live to regret it, understanding later that a rational approach is only one way of determining what is going on in a situation and how we should react.
Our gut resides in the neighborhood of our solar plexus and the third chakra just above your belly button. When it is functioning well, we can trust its guidance and adjust our actions accordingly. Many of us have a tendency to hold in this area of our bodies. We may take shallow breaths that never reach this vital nexus that is the source of our empowerment. It is in this place that we find the courage to act, to reach out into the world and create change. When our power center is out of balance, we are timid and out of sync, wishing we had said something we were only able to phrase later when we were alone; wishing we had acted on an opportunity we didn't see until it was past.
In order to utilize your power center, you may want to focus your attention on it more regularly and make time to care for it. You can begin right now by taking a deep breath into your belly. On the exhale, pull your navel in toward your spine so as to empty out completely before taking another deep breath into your belly. When you empty completely, you release stagnant energy and create more space to be filled with fresh, nourishing breath. The more you practice this simple, cleansing exercise, the more clear and communicative your gut feelings will be and the more comfortable you will feel acting on them.
~Daily Om
Join us for Gentle Yoga Stretch class via Zoom every Thursday at 4:30. PM me for details and to register. 😃
Yoga with Emily: Gentle Yoga Stretch class held every Thursday at 4:30 p.m. via Zoom. Contact Emily at [email protected] or PM for details and to register.
Our Story/Meet the Teacher
Health and Wellness Coaching: Emily enjoys helping people discover optimal heath through weight loss/maintenance and lifestyle transformation. She offers private coaching on an individual basis to develop a unique plan for each individual to address diet/nutrition, fitness, mind-body and life goals.
Emily offers Wellness and Empowerment Coaching, including anxiety and stress management, using positive psychology, yoga and meditation as well as other techniques and skills to live mindfully and fully, activate the inner voice, and to embody and express one’s own unique personal power.
Gentle Yoga: For those who prefer a gentle practice, this class combines user-friendly yoga and yoga-inspired movement with other exercises and stretches to promote both strength and flexibility. We practice mindfulness based stress reduction throughout the class and with a full meditation at the end of our practice. This class encourages mindful awareness of movement, thereby increasing mobility, building strength and confidence, promoting the mind-body connection and reducing stress.
Adaptive Yoga: For older adults, for those recovering from injuries and for those who prefer a gentle practice, this class combines gentle yoga with exercises designed to address specific issues and areas needing extra attention. An adaptive yoga approach for all body types, this class is also designed to accommodate adults with movement disorders, focusing on breath, alignment and balance. Mindful gentle movement helps to build strength and ease stress.
Gentle Yoga/Let Go of Stress (Virtual): is an opportunity for us to connect as a community during this challenging time, as we explore techniques to manage stress and anxiety-- including breath work, yoga-based movement, meditation and other mindful practices-- and to learn skills and strategies to use every day. We meet via Zoom every Thursday at 4:00 p.m. Donations are appreciated, although not required. All are welcome!