Kids' Yoga - What a success!

Today's 10 a.m. Kids' Yoga class with Christa looked like so much fun! We had seven kids today and the great energy was radiating throughout the studio.

Recently we were honored to be named Seattle's Best Yoga for Kids by Red Tricycle! We were so excited to be recognized for our commitment to engaging children in wellness activities. Even greater: we had some new faces in our yoga class who had read about us in Red Tricycle.

Our class offers a creative approach to yoga so that young kids are engaged through the inclusion of music, games, and storytelling while practicing traditional poses and new ideas about moving their body to learn strength, coordination, and agility.

We offer Kids' Yoga every Saturday at 10 a.m. and we would love to see your child there! Enjoy complimentary coffee and tea and relax in our lounge while your little one livens it up with Christa in the studio.

Call us at 206 631 2818 to add your child to our class!

What a Concept!

So, here's the deal. Like most people I have a few pet peeves. One for instance has to do with people standing directly in front of a weight stack and performing their exercises, thus making it impossible for anyone else to access a dumbell or two. That just bugs me. A more agregious level of peevity (my word) would be the conceptual misuse of words. You know, things like "your going to get in trouble if you go threw that door." See the words aren't misspelled, they just are conceptually wrong. It hurts me that perfectly functional, red blooded Americans willfully abuse grammar and thus are never able to extract the desired result from their tortured attempt at communication. The other night while I ruminated on a particularly tragic attempt at literacy with regard to a facebook status update, I had what Oprah refers to as an Ah Ha moment. You see I am a fitness instructor. It is my job to see to it that individuals perform certain exercises, drills, movements, properly therefore reaping as many gains as possible. It doesn't peeve me when clients perform exercises "improperly" it just makes me sad. Everyone has the opportunity to glean the most out of every training session, but that requires one not just to listen to cues, but to hear them, internalize them, and act on them. Let's take the example of lateral flexion and extension of the torso with a load. If the torso or the core is where I'm trying to get my power and also the area I'm trying to target, the load does the most when it is close to the trunk i.e. the Kinesis cable handle on the shoulder. Once the handle leaves the shoulder on the push the arm is simply following through. As the torso goes back toward the cable the handle just rests on the shoulder, it does not go down to the side. Why? Well I"m glad you asked because that's where the conceptual thing comes back to play. You're not loading the bicep, you're loading the trunk! Yay! In fact the bicep has little to nothing to do with this exercise. It's about the C to the O to the R to the E. Remember that is the shoulder girdle, the hip girdle and everything in between. Always think of where your load is and what your force is. It's a concept that will allow you garner the very most from your training sessions. Once you understand the concept, you will find that it just doesn't make sense to do things any other way. Okay, any questions? Let me hear them. In the meantime, Merry Merry and Happy New Year To! (hah, just kidding:)

Mid-day breath break.

Hello there readers,

I'm Kelly! I have the great honor of teaching yoga at 5focus. Yoga, in a nutshell, brings the brain, the body & the breath into divine union. If you have ever gone to a yoga class or practiced yoga at home, you may be familiar with the feelings of calm joy and alert presence that often accompany the practice. Too often, however, the feelings dissipate as we navigate traffic or manage a full schedule. It may seem impossible to imagine the feelings “joy” or “calm” accompanying you on a trip to the market after a long day at work, but adding moments of quiet into your day will put you on the path toward a calm, alert holiday season. Begin by taking 5 minutes for the following exercise during your lunch break or whenever you need a lift and work up to 20 minutes as you grow accustomed to “sitting” with your breath.

Part One: Lunar breath.

The lunar breath calms the mind in preparation for a few moments of quiet. This video demonstrates how to practice the lunar breath.

lunar breath. from kelly c on Vimeo.
Part Two: Experience your breath fully.

Use all of your senses, one at a time, to experience your breath.
Listen to the sound of the breath.
Feel the breath move the entire body.
Smell the air as it moves through the nose.
Taste the breath as it touches the back of the throat.

Try not to *think* about it too much. Let your senses guide you.
Practice this using all of your senses for a few minutes.

Part Three: Solar breath.

The solar breath energizes the body and brain, maximizing focus. The calm center you created through the lunar breath and sensory breath experience will stay with you as well, leaving you energized, yet peaceful. Sounds perfect, right?

solar breath. from kelly c on Vimeo.
Namaste.
{The light in me bows with respect to the light in you.}

Join us for yoga at 5focus on Monday nights and Friday over the lunch hour. Click here to view the schedule.

Kelly

This week Kelly is going to post. If you don't know who Kelly is. She is our 5Focus Yoga teacher. She also has hung her art here in Cafe Mae. I can't wait to see what she has to say. Check back this week to see what she has to say.

Worry

Do you worry about things that you know you shouldn't worry about? I do. ALL the time. My roommate is moving out at the end of the month and I'm trying to find a new one. My older sister is coming back into town in November.
I worry about not finding another roommate in time. What happens if I don’t? I might be living in the café……
I worry that my sister and I are going to get into a fight when she comes. We never really got along….
I worry that I'm doing bad at my job most days (so I may not be living at the café….).
I worry that I don't take enough time for myself. I feel like most the time I might be a victim. UGH.
And you know what? I know in my heart that everything will work out.
The trick would be to learn to live without worrying so much….or to not play the victim role….I know that I need to not take so much on, breathe and just let things happen. To let go and not have so much control. Like I said, it will all work out…..

Any tips on how to NOT worry so much or do you??? and what do you about it???

Stressed out???

So the past year of my life has easily been the craziest year of my life. I've been adjusting to my new responsibilities as a mother and also as a business owner. The "to do list" at times is overwhelming and I must confess, even with my background in health and wellness, that I lost track of balance in my life. Stress manifests in many ways... and we typically cope by not taking care of ourselves. Working harder isn't always the answer. I've learned the most important thing is to remember to breathe, to move, and to slow down. Breathing connects us to the present and helps us clear our body of toxins. We tend to hold our breath in times of stress, so it becomes that much more vital to breathe throughout the day. Movement is another vital component of a healthy lifestyle. Getting up, away from your computer, and walking around or stretching is one of the best things you can do to release the tension and stress which accumulates in your body. Workouts obviously help, but just moving brings great benefits. Lastly, slow down. Somehow the "to do list" always takes care of itself. I've found more peace in my life the past few months, remembering to breathe deeply, to get up and walk away, and to allow a pause or a break in my day. My life really hasn't become any less stressful, it's just my approach to it that has created more peace.

Today

Today you will hear Laura. If you don't know who Laura is, well she is one of the owners of 5Focus & Cafe Mae. She is the mother of Miss Mae. She is also a great friend.

If you ever feel stressed out?? Well, you’re not the only one!! Laura and has a few good tips about what to do when your stressed.