Welcome to the 2024 OUTDOOR Season
Our 9th outdoor season at Andrew's Greenhouse begins on June 8th
The summer season begins on Saturday, June 8th. Join Ilana down by the pond at Andrew’s Greenhouse (1184 South East Street, Amherst) 8:00 - 9:00 AM.
Classes Continue at Munson through Friday, June 7th
We love our indoor home at the Munson Library. So much gratitude to the Town of Amherst for making this beautiful space available for a reasonable price. We’d like to reserve it again for next year, but in order to continue at the bargain price of $15/hour, we have to become a non-profit 501(c)3 organization. I need help with the legalities, paperwork, and requirements of forming such an organization. Can you help? Can you recommend someone who has experience with this? Please let me know.
There is one minor hiccup as we come to the end of our indoor season. The Town of Amherst and Amherst Regional High School will use the Munson all day on Friday, May 31st for graduation festivities. There will be NO CLASS on FRIDAY, May 31st.
Beginning June 8th, the outdoor class schedule is simple: Every day, seven days a week 8-9 AM. (Our final evening offerings at the Munson end June 3rd and 4th).
Just as was true indoors, a different teacher leads class each day; some days are shared, and sometimes there will be a substitute teacher. You can access an online calendar to see who’s teaching every day. Find the calendar and teacher bios on our website. Consider adding our teaching calendar to your own digital calendar.
Spread the word.
Yoga Outside at Andrew’s Greenhouse
Huge gratitude to Andy and Jacqui Cowles for making this beautfiul space available to us since 2016! Remember to park ONLY along the back border of the parking lot (overlooking the field) and use the main entrance and exit by the Greenhouse shop. Use of the driveway and parking on the other side of the farmhouse (near the solar panel) is reserved for tenants and Greenhouse employees only.
There will be a greenhouse available for us to practice undercover in case of rain, but cancellations (due to the threat of thunder and lightning) will be posted on Facebook by 7 AM. Otherwise, class is ON! See you all outside very soon!
Meditation Opportunities
All are welcome to join Kim Deshaies for meditation practice immediately following her Wednesday morning yoga class.
Meditation Practice Group-Last Two Classes 5.27 and 6.03!
Mondays 5:30-6:30 PM Munson Library 1046 South East Street Amherst
Join our instructors for an on-going inquiry into the practice of meditation and mindfulness. This is a drop-in, interactive class led by various teachers on Mondays at 5:30 PM at Munson Library. Come practice with us for the last two Mondays of the season. I (Linda) will be leading the practice group next Monday, May 27th at 5:30 PM and Kim will lead our final class on Monday, June 3rd at 5:30 PM. Practice breathing, guided meditation, visualization, and gentle movements to enhance your own mindfulness practice.
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.
SPECIAL CLASS OFFERING: KRIPALU VINYASA FLOW
Do you like to move with music? Come try Vinyasa Flow.
Tuesdays May 21 and 28 at 5:30 with Diana
Diana Peters-Ross will offer a Kripalu Vinyasa Flow class with music. Kripalu Vinyasa flow includes a dynamic slow flow connecting breath with movement.
Participants will move through a progression of postures, slowing building heat... then relaxing into a spacious shavasana. This class cultivates inner awareness, strength and flexibility.
Background music will play throughout the class to enhance rhythm and movement. Hope to see you there!
Yoga Outside Origin Story
(You may have heard a version of this story before, but it bears repeating for members new to our community.)
Shortly after I retired from elementary teaching in 2016, Paul and I visited our daughter in Southern California. A local yoga teacher there 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. Something about practicing in the company of others made it more compelling and rewarding, maybe it was because it felt like my practice was benefitting more than just me. Something about the group energy and the group intention seemed to compound the benefit.
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 my whole life and taught aerobics and fitness classes in the 80’s. I’d been teaching yoga since 1991, but struggled to maintain my own consistent personal practice unless I attended classes, and the cost of a daily yoga class ($12-18/class) was just not in the budget.
On the plane ride home, I told Paul. “I should 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 met with Jacqui and liked her immediately. In the beginning of that first year, I taught almost every class, sometimes to a single student, but slowly we added more teachers. Now we have many more teachers than weekly slots, and our community really values the breadth, depth, and variety of our teaching line-up.
I am grateful every day for this communiy and the opportunity to begin each day anchored in my body, centered in my mind, and with my spirit enlivened with yoga. Thank you for your willingness to explore this life-changing practice. I love that we get to do it together.
Shraddha Yoga and Yoga Sanctuary
Corinne and Matthew Andrews of Shraddha Yoga are now collaborating with Sanctuary in Northampton to offer Yoga Immersion and Teacher Training
Join Corinne and Matthew on Wednesday, May 22nd to hear details about their 100-hour immersion, 200-hour and 300-hour teacher trainings and their new collaboration with Sanctuary in Northampton. Learn more about their other offerings and their annual trip to India.
More with Tiffany
Please note that this class will move to Tuesday evenings beginning June 4th.
Email groundedinwellness365@gmail.com for more information.
Juneteenth: June 19, 2024
Tiffany will be selling products at the 4th Annual Juneteenth Legacy Celebration on the Amherst Town Common. Check out her table.
More Yoga with Sebastian
Queer & Trans Yoga Series
Thursdays from 7-8:30 p.m.
May 2 - June 6
in-studio at Sanctuary in Northampton
Radical Rest: Queer & Trans Restorative Yoga
Saturday, May 25: 12-2 p.m.
in-studio at Sanctuary in Northampton
Relieve deep-set tension with yoga instructor Sebastian Merrill (he/him) and licensed massage therapist el nyberg (they/them). Sebastian will guide the class through a meditative sequence of gentle, floor-based, prop-supported restorative postures with long holds (5-12 minutes per shape). While we breathe and settle into rest, Sebastian and el will offer optional hands-on support and bodywork.
This workshop is designed specifically for the LGBTQ+ community to provide a supportive space to slow down, receive healing touch, and practice self-care in service of our own well-being and the well-being of our relationships and communities. This workshop is appropriate for many levels of experience and ability, including beginners and those who struggle to access stillness and relaxation. All bodies, sizes, and abilities are welcome and celebrated.
Please note: Masks are required for this workshop.
Sliding-scale workshop pricing: $30-50.
Scholarships available!
More Yoga with Ilana:
Mondays: Kripalu Online Studio, 6:30 am Meditation, 7 am Gentle Yoga
Wednesdays: Serenity Yoga, South Hadley, MA, 9:30 am Classic Yoga
Upcoming workshops at Serenity Yoga (South Hadley):
June 11 - Arm Balancing workshop
June 21 - Solstice Celebration: 108 Sun Salutations workshop
Upcoming retreats:
Jan 25 - Feb 1, 2025 Retreat to Lake Atitlan, Guatemala - registration opens in early June! Get on the VIP list NOW!
April 2025 - Azores, Portugal. More information soon!
Stay in touch: Join Ilana's Substack and Join Ilana's newsletter
More Yoga with Erin:
Prenatal / Postnatal Yoga Thursdays 4/25 - 6/6 (no class 5/23) 4:30-5:45pm at Serenity Yoga & Wellness in South Hadley: in-person OR online
Spring Detox Workshop: Yoga & Clean Mindful Eating Saturday 6/1 10:30am-12:30pm at Serenity Yoga & Wellness in South Hadley: in-person only, spaces are limited
Yoga Flow Saturdays 9-10am at Central Rock Gym in Hadley: free for members or $15 to drop-in
NEW! Sunrise Yoga Wednesdays 6:30-7:20am at Central Rock Gym in Hadley: free for members or $15 to drop-in
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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.
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