Dear Yoga Outsiders,
I heard from a friend the other day that the high temperature in Pinedale, Wyoming was -20. Brrrrrr! That makes it seem downright balmy here these days! Luckily, the heat is on at the Munson Library and classes remain very well attended. Thank you for your continued support and participation. I am truly grateful for this indoor location!
Speaking of support… I’d like to thank you all for your well wishes and give special thanks to Ilana for teaching for me while I recovered from my recent surgery. Today, I am six weeks post hernia repair with clearance to begin regular yoga practice. I know it will take some time to return to my pre-surgery fitness levels, but I am excited to begin teaching again. Expect a practice that is slower, gentler and lower to the ground for the next few Sundays.
Read on for news about possible workshop series to begin in February, class with Liz Lacey and her Tibetan Bowls (Quick take: She’s teaching tonight at 5:30 PM!), upcoming offerings from Sebastian Merrill, and our monthly Teacher Feature with Ilana Beigel.
As always, our classes are offered freely to all. No registration required. Donations are gratefully accepted, but not expected. We want the benefits of community practice available to all.
With warm appreciation (and a great, full heart),
Linda
P.S. In case you want to capture more of the flavor of my summer in Wyoming… One of our summer guests made the following (long) montage. Enjoy!
Click below for our website and the most up-to-date teaching schedule.
Evening Yoga with Liz Lacey and Tibetan Singing Bowls
Tuesday, January 23, 2024 5:30 - 6:30 PM Munson Library
Join Liz on Tuesday evening for a slow-paced class focused on balance and alignment with a special savasana accompanied by Tibetan Singing Bowls.
Can You Offer a Ride?
I received the following message from a person new to Amherst who would appreciate sharing a ride to yoga.
Hello! I am very interested in attending daily yoga practice, but I do not have a car. Anyone willing to carpool? I live near Heatherstone on the same road as Amethyst Brook. Email Sarah at dizzybear01@gmail.com
“We will not go back to normal. Normal never was. Our pre-corona existence was not normal other than we normalized greed, inequity, exhaustion, depletion, extraction, disconnection, confusion, rage, hoarding, hate, and lack. We should not long to return, my friends. We are being given the opportunity to stitch a new garment. One that fits all of humanity and nature.”
- Sonya Renee Taylor, poet, activist, and author of The Body is Not an Apology
Spread the love! Share our newsletter with friends and neighbors.
Mindful Mondays Continue
Shalini’s Mindfulness Mondays are a big success, and we were so happy to celebrate the launch of her new book, Return to Mindfulness. Shalini is traveling to India for the next three weeks so Amy-Sundari Finlay will lead class on Monday (5:30-6:30pm) Jan 29, Feb 5, and Feb 12. Continuing with the mindfulness theme, these classes will introduce visual aids (“maps”) from a yoga-informed psychology modality which Amy has found deeply enriching and helpful. Psychosynthesis* ties together many concepts and pieces of a spiritual practice. Each class will also include gentle movement.
*Amy is certified as a coach through Synthesis Northeast.
Interested in Other 6-Week Workshop Series?
We’d like to offer additional workshop-type series in the coming weeks. Read on and contact us if you are interested in learning more about these potential evening offerings (always free and donation-based) at the Munson Library.
Breaking Free from Food and Weight Obsession
Tired of spending your valuable energy thinking about what, when, where, and how much to eat? Does the number on the scale dictate your mood, your self-talk, and focus for the day? Are you trapped in the grip of diet culture? A binge-restrict cycle?
It’s not your fault. We live in a culture steeped in objectification and unrealistic images of beauty and wellness.
What might you be or do if you freed more of your natural creativity and life force?
This 6-week series will start you on the path to an improved relationship with food and weight with the skills of mindful awareness, gentle movement and breathwork. Using the tools of yoga, meditation, journaling, and sharing, we will learn to watch (but not police) our thoughts; notice, accept, and allow our feelings; and create supportive connections with ourselves and each other. You don’t have to do it alone. Freedom is possible. Curiosity and compassion can overcome habitual patterns of self-judgment, criticism, and comparison.
In collaboration with My Health Matters, a new HAES fitness community on Route 9 in Hadley, I am offering a 6-week series of workshops for women ready to break free from obsession with food and weight. I’d like to pilot the workshop with a small group on Tuesday evenings at Munson Library 5:30-6:30 PM. Email me if a February start date interests you. Linda’s email: lacastronovo@gmail.com
RISE: The Kripalu Approach to Resilience - Tools For Work-Life Balance
Reset your priorities in this 6-week series dedicated to learning and practicing tools that will help you meet the moments that matter most with calm, clarity, and connection. Anchored in the science and practice of mindfulness, yoga, and positive psychology, the RISE curriculum balances practice, research, and real-world application.
Through practices of meditation, breath, and gentle movement, learn how to:
Navigate stress with skill to avoid burnout.
Build positivity, productivity, and mental clarity.
Improve stress resilience in the moment, and over time.
Cultivate tools you can easily apply to your life.
Email Ilana if you are interested in a mid-February start date. ilana@ilanab.com
Teacher Spotlight - Ilana Beigel
Ilana Beigel is on a mission to foster connection, promote harmony, and inspire transformation through her 1:1 coaching, yoga teaching, workshops and retreats. She is a lover of organization, inspirational quotes, footwear, and the Beatles.
Read on for my interview with Ilana and find more information on her website.
Interview with Ilana
How were you first introduced to yoga?
My first introduction to yoga was in a high school gym class in 1992 (pretty progressive gym teacher, if you ask me!). Although I loved it right away, my next experience with yoga wasn't until 1997.
I had recently moved across the country from Boston to Seattle. My apartment building manager had just become a yoga teacher and invited me to a class. I practiced with her once a week in various spaces around the city (there were no yoga studios back then). Her teacher had studied at Kripalu, and I began to take classes with her, as well. When she found out I was moving back to Massachusetts, and to the Pioneer Valley - only an hour or so from Kriplau - she enthusiastically encouraged me to go there and get my teacher training.
I did. But not until almost two decades later 😄.
Describe your first (or an early) experience as a student.
What I remember most about the first few years of being a student was how difficult savasana was for me. My mind raced with thoughts and plans; my body resisted letting go and relaxing. Inevitably - and seemingly - as soon as I finally was able to settle in and surrender, there was the teacher’s voice inviting us out of rest.
What does yoga mean to you?
The most commonly referenced literal translation of the word yoga is union or connection, as the word derives from the Sanskrit root ‘Yuj’ which means to yoke or join together. To me, this refers to both connection within (to body, mind, spirit) and connection around (to one another, to the Earth, to nature, to Spirit, to something bigger and greater than myself).
One thing I love about the Sanskrit language (the ancient and classical language of India) is that words have not only numerous literal translations but also many functional or applied meanings. As a way of living, I think of yoga as the art of listening and skillful engagement in and participation with life. Any of us who are householders (aka not monks) are engaging in and participating with life - but to live yoga is to engage with skill and intention and presence … and connection!
What inspired you to become a yoga teacher?
Ooooh that’s a long one … the whole story will be in my book coming out sometime in the next few years! 😜
Long story short … after many years of being unhappy in my work and job, and after a lot of processing and introspection, I enrolled in a yoga teacher training - but only with the goal to learn more about yoga - NOT to become a yoga teacher. I even said that on the opening night of the training, “I am not here to actually teach yoga, I just want to deepen my knowledge and practice.” Well, life is what happens when you’re busy making other plans - and now here I am, teaching almost a dozen classes a week, leading international yoga retreats, and leading teacher trainings myself.
How long have you been teaching and how has your teaching evolved?
I have been officially teaching since 2018, but was sharing the practice and what I had learned through my own self-study with friends and family for many years before that. I started by teaching group and individual yoga asana (physical practice) classes, and quickly had the desire to expand and share more on yoga philosophy and “living” yoga, as opposed to doing yoga. I started offering workshops, series, and retreats on how to apply ancient yoga philosophy to modern living.
I’m a lifelong learner so after my initial yoga teacher training I went on to receive my advanced 500-hour-training in Ayureda (the sister science of yoga). I also became certified as a facilitator of the RISE program which is an evidence-based program for stress reduction and resilience building based on yoga and mindfulness tools. I assure you this is not the end of my learning. My teaching will continue to evolve!
How has your personal practice changed over the years?
My asana practice has had many forms. I started with Kripalu hatha yoga, then did prenatal and postnatal yoga for many years, since I had three babies within six years. Having three young kids at home, I needed an outlet to move energy and developed a power vinyasa and classical Ashtanga practice. Now, a lot of my physical practice occurs in fits and spurts as I teach classes - I’ll model a pose here and there, but it’s hardly a ‘real’ practice when I’m teaching. I do get to attend class occasionally (and not nearly often enough) and it’s always such a treat to be guided. I love creatively sequenced strong and flowy vinyasa classes, and I also love a restorative practice where I can just melt into release and relaxation.
Who have been your most important teachers?
Pema Chödrön, Thich Nhat Hanh, Lao Tzu, Lorin Roche, Stephen Cope, Brené Brown, Tara Brach, Danna Faulds, and my one-time therapist Paula Olson. Also, my dear friends and fellow Kripalu teachers Jess Frey and Coby Kozlowski. Some of my greatest teachers have been the people and experiences that have offered the greatest challenge, struggle, difficulty, and heartbreak. I also learn so much from my breath. And, of course, my children.
What are you reading/listening to these days? Sources of inspiration?
I’m actually trying to listen to less these days. Instead of always having a podcast on when I’m in the car or out for a walk, I’m experimenting with being in sacred silence. I’m currently reading “A Poetry Handbook” by Mary Oliver, as I’m a novice poet.
Reflect on our Yoga Outside community at Andrew’s. How has it impacted you as a student and teacher.
I started teaching for Yoga Outside in 2019 and it’s hard to believe that it’s already been five seasons! I absolutely love the community we are co-creating, I love how there is no financial barrier to practice, and I love being outside at Andrew’s (or inside the beautiful greenhouse Jacqui has set up for us) and practicing surrounded by nature - the earth, the water, the sun, the breeze … and somehow, miraculously, NOT the mosquitos! Now, being in the Munson library, it feels like a return to my roots - when my teacher rented spaces in various buildings around Seattle, and we would simply come together as a community and practice. I love the simplicity of how we gather.
Do you teach elsewhere or offer online courses or workshops?
I teach at Serenity Yoga & Wellness in South Hadley and at Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health in the Berkshires (and on their online studio) and I also offer 1:1 private yoga and yoga-based life coaching and lead local and international retreats. I also offer online courses in yoga, mindfulness, and Ayurveda.
Thanks, Ilana, for being our featured teacher this month!
Interested in learning more? Email Ilana at ilana@ilanab.com
Click below for our website and the most up-to-date teaching schedule.
Other Workshops and Offerings
Queer and Trans Yoga Series with Sebastian Merrill
Thursday, January 4th - Thursday, February 22nd, 7 - 8:30 PM (another series begins March 7)
In studio at Sanctuary in Northampton (Drop-ins Welcome)
This 6-week series is designed especially for LGBTQIA+ identified students who are looking to connect with their bodies and their breath in a supportive, community oriented environment. This space aims to create a container where queer and trans community members can cultivate joy, a deeper relationship with their bodies, and a sense of connectedness to their yoga practice. Each class will feature time for community and connection and an alignment-focused physical asana practice, ending with gentle restorative movement. Sebastian’s teaching is gender-affirming, body-positive, and consent-oriented. All bodies, sizes, and abilities are welcome and celebrated.
Yoga for Creativity Workshop with Sebastian Merrill
Saturday, March 2nd, 12-2pm, In Studio at Sanctuary: 150 Main Street, Northampton
This writing and yoga workshop will include an asana practice designed to spark our creativity, followed by generative writing. We'll cultivate a sense of wonder, intuition, and magic with various tools including meditation, bibliomancy, and tarot.
The act of writing is an act of revelation: this workshop will provide you with techniques and skills to act as a medium for your writing, discovering new ideas, shapes, and forms through your own subconscious. This workshop is for anyone who wants tools and structure for supporting their own creative practice.
Thank YOU for being a part of Yoga Outside!
For more information, teacher bios, and an up-to-date calendar, check out our website. You can also find us on Facebook. If you’ve missed past newsletters, you can find them in the Newsletter Archive on Substack. Thanks for being a part of Yoga Outside (Now until June, INDOORS, at the Munson Library).
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