Our eighth summer begins on Saturday, June 10th with Ilana teaching 8-9 AM out by the pond. I know you will be as excited to see her as she will be to see you!
Spread the word.
Our class schedule is simple: Every day, 8-9AM down by the pond at Andrew’s Greenhouse. We have a different teacher teaching each day, some days are shared, and some days there will be substitute teachers. Now you can access an online calendar and know exactly who’s teaching every day. You can find the calendar and teacher bios on our website here.
You can also access the calendar with the button below (and add it to your own).
My Summer Plans
One of the four pillars of Karma Yoga (the yoga of action) is to let go of outcomes. Once you discern your purpose, you give it all you’ve got, then you let go of the fruits of your labor. It’s easier said than done. That’s why it takes practice!
I won’t see you outside until the end of September so I am letting go into the capable hands of Erin Scifferli who will manage all things Yoga Outside. Thank you, Erin!
I get to spend the summer with my friend Bobbi Wade and Blue Sky Sage Horseback Adventures in Pinedale, Wyoming. My husband Paul, our dog Teddy, and I start our drive west on June 8th.
I’ve been horse-crazy since I was a girl growing up in Oklahoma and Indiana, and I’ve ridden with Bobbi for years, but this summer Paul and I are helping her host seven guest weeks as Camp Jack and Assistant Wrangler. We have a month off mid-July to mid-August to visit family in California so it will be a summer full of travel and adventure. We’ll help set-up camp, welcome guests, manage camp, feed and water (and ride) horses, and then help break down camp in late September.
I plan to send updates from the trail, but she still has openings for guests. It’s not cheap, but it’s worth every penny!
Yoga Outside Origin Story
Some of you have heard me tell this story, but it bears repeating.
After I retired from teaching at Fort River in 2016, Paul and I visited our daughter in Southern California. A local yoga teacher offered free, donation-based yoga classes in a nearby park with a view of the Pacific Ocean, every day, rain or shine at 10 AM.
I attended her class every day for the ten days we were there. Some days there were forty people, some days there were four. We practiced under trees in perfect sunshine; we practiced on cool, cloudy days. One day we practiced with pouring rain puddling on our mats. I LOVED every minute.
I’d been drawn to yoga since I first tried the postures described in Runner’s World magazine in 1978. I’d always been a “group exercise” person. I played team sports and taught aerobics and fitness classes in the 80’s. I’d been teaching yoga since 1991, but struggled to maintain a consistent personal practice unless I attended classes regularly. Something about the company of others made it easier, more compelling.
On the plane ride home, I told Paul. “I could do that. I could offer yoga outside every day, find a park somewhere. Sure the weather isn’t as beautiful as in California, but New Englanders are tough. They’d come. Wouldn’t they?”
Two days later, I got a text from Sue Crutch, a teacher I’d worked with at Fort River. My sister-in-law, Jacqui, wants to offer yoga at the greenhouse. Do you know anyone who might be interested in teaching?
I showed the text to Paul. “Can you believe it? If this isn’t a message from the universe, I don’t know what is.”
I liked Jacqui immediately, and the rest, as they say, is history.
I am grateful every day for Yoga Outside and for your willingness to explore this life-changing practice. I love that we get to do it together.
Yoga Indoors at VWC continues through Friday, June 9th
We’ve loved our indoor home at Venture Way Collaborative. So much gratitude to Andrea Bordenca, owner of the building, and to Corinne Andrews, owner of Shraddhā Yoga for gracefully sharing the space with us.
There is one minor hiccup as we come to the end of our indoor season. Onatah Stoll begins teaching a new offering for Shraddhā Yoga on Mondays at 8 AM (Chris’s time slot) on June 5th. Onatah is an amazing and gifted teacher. You will love her class, but you need to pre-register through the Shraddhā Yoga website to attend.
Read on for Workshops and Classes from Yoga Outside Teachers
Exploring Balancing Poses: 4-Week Series with Ilana Beigel
MONDAYS // 5:45-6:45 PM // JUNE 5,12,19,26
This series is for you if you want to take your asana practice to the next level (whatever that means to YOU!) with curiosity, joy, and confidence.
Balancing poses can be liberating and teach you about your inner strength, resolve, and power … and also playfulness, courage, fearlessness, and agility. Balancing poses are empowering and illuminate a lot about how you approach life on and off the mat.
As you learn the fundamentals and foundations of balancing and explore more complex balancing poses (on your feet and/or on your hands), you will learn to incorporate these postures into your practice with enthusiasm and ease.
Poses we can play with (key word = play) include tree variations, dancer, eagle, half moon, hand to toe, side plank, crow, side crow, flying pigeon, firefly, eight angle, forearm balance, and flying splits.
Come with a playful attitude and no expectations.
Let’s have some fun at Serenity Yoga Studio.
Yoga for Sleep: 4 Week Series with Ilana Beigel
MONDAYS // 7:00-8:15 PM // JUNE 5,12,19,26
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1 in 3 adults reported not getting enough rest or sleep every day. An estimated 50 to 70 million Americans have chronic, or ongoing, sleep disorders.
Proper sleep is an integral component of physical and mental health, and it is essential to develop good sleep hygiene and habits to support healthy sleep.
In this series, we will explore how the tools of Yoga and Ayurveda (the sister science to Yoga) support healthy, restorative, and consistent sleep.
All levels welcome at Serenity Yoga Studio.
Partner Yoga at Central Rock Gym w/ Erin Schifferli
Friday // 7-8:15pm // June 2nd All are welcome!
Partner Yoga offers an all-levels Yoga class including centering breath, postures, and a final relaxation. Practicing with a partner allows us to explore new depths within our range of motion. Join us as we have fun connecting in this collaborative class. Feel free to bring anyone (sibling, friend, neighbor etc) along or sign-up solo and be paired with someone. No experience necessary, modifications offered. Email questions: info@erinschifferli.com
Breathing, Meditation, and Mindfulness (for 60+)
Hadley Senior Center with Erin Schifferli
Mondays // 9:45-10:45am // June 5,12, 22
Join us Monday June 5th, 9:45-10:45am, at the Hadley Senior Center, for a 3-week breathing, meditation, and mindfulness class. No class 6/19 (Senior Center closed). Learn how to cope with, and release stress as it arises. Discover how to be more present in the moment and apply those methods to daily life. This class will be practiced seated with some options to lay down if you wish. Chairs, mats, and props available. Feel free to bring a blanket with you. Email questions: info@erinschifferli.com
No experience necessary, non-Hadley residents are also welcome to join. Please call the Hadley Senior Center to register for class: (413) 586-4023
Let’s Grow Our Community
Please forward this newsletter to friends and family. Invite others to join us.
Join the Yoga Outside Conversation
This is an informal chat space for our community. We’ll post short prompts, thoughts, and bits of inspiration and invite you to jump into the discussion.
You can access the group chat at the Yoga Outside Newsletter website here.