Harmonizing Yoga and Ayurveda: Navigating Kapha Balance in Spring By: Shala Worsley According to Ayurveda, Kapha Dosha is naturally high during the transition from Winter to Spring, especially when the weather is cool and damp. Kapha dosha is one of the three fundamental energies in Ayurveda, representing stability, strength, and cohesion. It governs qualities like heaviness, coolness, and moistness in the body and mind. When Kapha is not balanced, it can lead to feelings of lethargy, heaviness, and congestion, both physically and emotionally.  The increase in Kapha at this tim ..read more

Spring Renewal: Yoga and Ball Rolling for Mind, Body, and 'Sole' By: Deirdre Smith-Gilmer I like to do a little asana test before I start, as a warm-up but also as a way to watch my progress. Then, I do the ball work on one side, then I re-do the asana, then do the ball work on the other side and then repeat the asana one short final time so that I can see the difference the ball work made. Feet: Put a little spring in your step Here I would do some standing calf and foot stretches or even take a short walk around the room noticing my feet as a way to start.   I break the foo ..read more

What was your initial experience with yoga? When I was 21 I lived in Lake Tahoe, CA, and I took a vinyasa yoga class at the community college there.  Amrita, from England, was my first teacher and after close to 20 classes doing the same poses and sequences over and over, I was hooked. I remember having deeply profound experiences in savasana at that time, and I never looked back.  What do you find most rewarding about teaching yoga?  Even after all these years, I LOVE teaching Yoga.  When I am teaching, it feels like something beyond me comes through ..read more

Dear AYC Friends – Welcome to our March newsletter! The word asana, which is usually translated as ‘posture,’ actually means ‘seat.’ The objective of yoga isn’t to master fancy, athletic, or difficult poses like putting our legs around our neck nor is it to zone out into oblivion–though both can be really fun, inspirational and provide clues that can potentially support a deeper understanding of yoga. A deeper intention is for our yoga practice (whether it’s gentler or more physically rigorous) to support how we sit with ourselves, our thoughts, feelings, and consciousness in each moment no m ..read more

What was your intial experience with yoga? My initial experience with yoga was that it saved my life, changed my life and I am forever grateful for this practice.  When I was 20, I was diagnosed with a condition that would be with me for the rest of my life.  Although I was in excellent health (as per all the test results), I was in extreme and debilitating amounts of pain.  As counterintuitive as it may sound, I needed to move my body.  Therefore, with the recommendation of my Dr, I started with Vinyasa style classes which turned out to be a natural fit with my dance a ..read more

What was your intial experience with yoga? My very first introduction to yoga was in 1974 when my neighbor, Eve Diskin, then the president of the American Yoga association, came to my school to teach me how to do yoga. In all honesty the only thing I remember is that we did shoulder stand! And I thought it was so cool! What was cooler was that I was then given the opportunity to teach the younger kids how to do yoga Asana. Looking back all these years later, I’m not sure what I was teaching !! But it was beautiful and fun. We were fortunate enough to be in a school that was on Biscayne Bay ..read more

What was your intial experience with yoga? I’ll be honest— I was really turned off by my first experience with yoga. After having many friends tell me how I should try yoga for its peaceful benefits, I signed up for an Intro to Yoga course. As I lay down on my mat preparing for class to begin, the teacher walked over, stomped his foot onto the floor next to my mat, leaned over, and yelled at me to move my mat so that it was in precise alignment with the wall. When I moved it, he yelled again saying it was still a millimeter off. Shortly afterwards, he started walking on his hands around the ..read more

New Studio Registration Guidelines To ensure the fairest process for class registration, we want to share a few important changes… Pre-registering and arriving by class start time is the only way to ensure you have a spot in class. If a class has filled, you can join the waitlist online up to 30 minutes before class start time, you will need to provide your phone # so you can get a text if a spot becomes available. Please plan to arrive before class begins if you are interested in a waitlist spot. Once you receive the waitlist text, you’ll need to click register to officially be added on t ..read more

This is a beautiful little meditation, accessible to all, with so much potential! The mantra is one of self-healing, humility, relaxation, and expansion. Mantra: Guru Guru Wahe Guru, Guru Ram Das Guru This is a heart mantra, bringing the power of the heart, of the unknowable mystery, of miracles. Guru, of course, means teacher but implies not just any teacher but one that is significant to your path unfolding. Gu stands for darkness, and Ru means light ~ this is the teacher that takes you from the dark of not knowing to the light of knowing. The Guru mantra is an ashtang mantra, meaning i ..read more

What was your intial experience with yoga? My first experience with yoga was when I was traveling Latin America around 1999 with my backpack, a few pliers for my jewelry art craft, and no money, yet I had a lot of enthusiasm and curiosity for life. All that enthusiasm I had, I started getting carried away in a not so healthy way. Then, as always, when it came to my life, I felt a spark of yearning for seeking truth and the Divine. I knew it was time to make a change and right there and then, I discovered yoga or yoga found me. My first love was ashtanga yoga vinyasa. I met a French student ..read more