Intro to Yoga: A 5-Class Series!
1-2:30 P.M. August 28th, September 4th, 11th, 18th, & 25th $65–Pre-Registration Requested
Join me for weekly immersion into the fundamentals of your new Yoga Practice. Together we will explore the shapes of the foundational poses of Hatha Yoga, learning how to build them from the ground up. In this format, we will have the time to pay close attention to action and alignment that a regular class just doesn’t have time for. Begin building new Muscle-Memory from the outset, learn to tap into your inner awareness, and gain the focus needed for seated meditation.
This 5-week program will cover the fundamentals of:
- Standing Poses
- Balance Poses
- Twists & Backbends
- Core Stabilizers
- Inversions
- Transitions
- Pranayama Breathwork
- Guided Meditation
We will take our time to break poses down so they make sense within our own personal bodies, learning how to use tools and props to bring the pose to us in a safe way. Don’t worry, we won’t be cranking for a full two hours!! This format allows for plenty of discussion and questions, adjustments and breaks.
Contact Richelle directly to register: 206 931 2949 or intro@unitytherapeutic.com
Summer Whidbey Retreat with Jennifer Isaacson and Richelle Ricard
Yoga Lodge, Whidbey Island, WA August 20th-22nd
Join Jennifer and Richelle on an immersion into the center of your own Universe. Over 3 days, explore the topography of the hips and pelvis, integrating these areas more fully into your practice than you ever thought possible. Richelle will offer insight into the physical and psycho-emotional connections that allow these areas to play such an intense role in our Yoga Practice. Jennifer will take this new information and integrate it into the sequencing and queues of the Practice itself, creating a deeper correlation between what we feel physically and energetically.
Please see Jennifer’s Website for more details on the Agenda. The Yoga Lodge will be our home for the weekend, and I encourage you to visit their site as well!
Fees: The lodge accommodates 11 and the retreat is limited to 20 people. Fees include all yoga, mostly organic vegetarian meals, sauna, and shared accommodations/bath.
Lodge: $450
Camp: $400
Offsite: $350
Ferry costs and transportation aren’t included. Ferry times can be found at http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/ferries/
Retreat Cancellation/Refund Policy: Refunds offered minus a $100 administration fee. After 7/20/10 refunds, minus the administration fee, will only be granted if your place can be filled with a new participant.
Registration: Send your deposit/payment to Jennifer Isaacson 1519 3rd Ave #505 Seattle, WA 98101
New Adventures…
Taking my Yoga to the next level means…
I am so excited to announce the opening of my new yoga studio, UniverseCity Yoga. For those of you not on my Facebook Fan-list, or not receiving my newsletter….this may be news to you. For everyone else….please bear with me one more time.
I have taken my work as a healer and teacher very seriously for the past ten years, but have always felt something was missing. Recently, I was forced to recognize that my work in this world is not limited to my one on one interactions with people…I held within me the makings of something more expansive.
Admittedly, for a long while I had faced the difficult decision of how and when to return to the yoga teaching I love. After all, I have a full-time massage practice, teach periodic Anatomy trainings….then there is that whole jewelry bit. When was I thinking I would add those yoga classes? Well, leave it to me….
Instead of just adding hours to my weekly schedule, I went for the whole shebang. I knew that there were so many studios that just didn’t align well with my own ideals of a teacher/studio relationship. I knew I had to do something different. I came up with a revolutionary model (if I do say so myself) and started pitching it to teachers. I really wanted for someone else to take the reigns…I didn’t want to be an administrator. But in the end, it was me and only me who would pull the trigger. I was prodded by some loving friends and some interesting professional circumstances….and so was born UniverseCity Yoga. I wanted to build a space that honored the teacher, the student and the practice; a place that could help build community, build careers, build the practice in the most cooperative way possible. I honestly think we can achieve that here.
Internally, I had said “no” to this endeavor for a long time. But now that the wheels have turned and the steps are being taken, it feels so natural. This space is one that I have imagined in my mind’s eye for a very long time. We made a mad dash to get the doors open and now it feels like this tree is just starting to grow tiny buds. I know that it won’t be long before the flowers bloom and the leaves unfurl into a lush and abundant fruit-bearer.
UniverseCity Yoga
I look forward to welcoming you in person. Until then, Namaste.
Youth Sports….what does it really lead to?
In reading this article from the New York Times, I found myself making connections to both my practice of healing and my role in the Yoga community. The article describes the competitive culture of youth sports, and the pressure by adults to perform, underscoring the alarming rate of overuse-injury at very young ages. As early as 1952, national groups were criticizing the “high-pressure elements” of youth sports programs. And it has only gotten more pervasive today.
What I noticed was a strong correlation between these examples of competitive youth sports and injury, and the pain patterns I treat today. I have no statistics, but the more people I treat in my massage therapy practice, the more I hear these words, “I played soccer (or any other sport) when I was young, and my knee (neck, shoulder, elbow, back…) has never been the same. It’s sore all the time! I’m not old enough to feel this old.” It has become apparent to me as well, that the pressure to push hard has continued for most of these student athletes into adulthood. Sometimes it’s a good thing–work ethic, focus and determination are great take-aways–but many times, these folks water ski, snowboard, run, rock-climb, or do YOGA past the point of health, and push into injury. They willfully put pain aside to go farther. And for what?? There is no little plastic trophy or letterman’s badge at the end of this….so why push?
Because we have learned to push. In the world where accomplishment outweighs all, we have left common sense behind. We constantly leave behind our instincts, that voice in the back of the head that says, “that ‘pop’ wasn’t good…but it doesn’t hurt TOO bad, I can keep going.” I see this in the yoga culture now too. With new styles constantly touted as the way to firm abs, thin thighs and weight loss, the desire to compete (even with one’s self) is being exploited by business people. Yoga students are often encouraged to push far beyond their limits, resulting in injury and pain. Newbies to yoga in today’s world see airbrushed images of sweat-covered, muscled bodies and say, “I want that”…nevermind that that body likely took years to sculpt, and probably not with yoga alone. Students constantly ask how long it will take to reach a certain point…when will I be strong enough, stretchy enough, when will my heels touch the ground, when will I be able to do headstand? If you tell them the truth, that it may take a lifetime, they are not satisfied. They expect instant gratification, quantifiable outcomes. But the body usually rejects that. Push too far, too fast and INJURY WILL OCCUR. These injuries will only set the body back further, leading to more time to reach those all-important goals.
As yoga teachers, we must recognize these patterns for all they are worth and teach for awareness. While there is something to be said for using tapas, facing fears and persevering through difficulty, we have to remain self-aware. Without awareness, we can’t hear the voice of our inner intelligence; we move out of the pain of growth and into the pain of injury. We cannot take responsibility for the drive to compete within our students, we can teach a class that encourages moderation, internal conversations and assessment. We can also drive home the fact that there are no magic bullets, there are no quick-fixes…we can teach that a life-long practice will get you exactly where you are meant to go.
As parents and coaches and supporting adults, we need to step back from our own egos to see that the lessons we teach our kids in the beginning of life, lead to life-long patterns. To keep our next generations healthy and active, we need to teach them to listen to the inner voices, not the competitive chiding from the sidelines. Activities like organized sports can be powerful outlets for energy, invaluable learning experiences and social interactions, but WE have to get out of the way! If the goal is to teach them, then we must craft the lessons deliberately and not allow our own adult ego and competitive desires to outweigh the importance of a healthy mind-body. We can teach them in youth how to care for themselves and others, to cultivate compassion, and to honor their talents in appropriate measure.
Investment vs Sacrafice
I was having lunch with a friend the other day and she told me a story about her job. She told me how she had thrown herself into the opening of this new restaurant with gusto. She committed herself to the owner and the business. She worked long hours and dealt with the drama of the kitchen and wait-staff. She literally threw herself into this job.
In only a few short months, the long hours ate away at her energy and free time. The relationship with her fiance felt strained. She never saw her friends Read the rest of this entry »
Hello world!
Welcome to UnityTherapeutic.com! I’m still working on setting up this site, so please look around, come back often, and please…be patient with me for now!
Balance is a Verb
finding balance takes action
There are many lessons to be learned on our mat that translate to our lives outside the studio. One of the first we can recognize is that of Balance. I sometimes tell my students that their hips Read the rest of this entry »
Namaste
the space between the palms represents the space for truth within
Many new yogis find the practice daunting and even unnerving as they venture off the street and onto the mat. If you haven’t studied up on the practice and it’s potential components, and you just don’t know what to expect, you may feel intimidated by the things you don’t know: sanskrit names for postures, what that breathing thing is all about, and maybe most of all, the chants and words stated or sung at the beginning and end of class. Here is a primer on a basic class and the meaning behind “namaste”. Read the rest of this entry »