New Year Yoga Blessings

New Year yoga blessing and a very special THANK YOU to all of the students who have supported our classes and trainings this year, and for the past twenty years.

Thank you for the cards and emails you continue to send me telling me how much our classes have changed your life – this is the fuel that keeps me going when running a small business is tough.

The best gift you can give us each year is to continue to spread the word about our Center and our Teachers. Your physical presence is what we appreciate the most. Your positive feedback in emails, and on Facebook, Google Reviews, and Yelp is what will help us stay healthy. Your financial support insures that we will continue to serve East San Diego and the world – for many more years.

Deep appreciation and thanks to the amazing teachers at A Gentle Way who love their students, are dedicated to serving our community, and making sure that yoga is enjoyable and doable for each person who walks through our doors.

And last but not least – our front desk team –
(A dream come true finally manifested this year!).
Thank you for your love for our Studio, and your dedication to helping each student feel welcome and served who walks through our doors.

I appreciate you!
Lanita Varshell

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We are grateful for our amazing students.

~ Here’s what some have to say about yoga at A Gentle Way ~

“ I feel safe at A Gentle Way. This is yoga I can do! This is yoga I enjoy doing.” Sonja 12/17

“ I began taking yoga at A Gentle Way at 64 when I retired, and I am still here today at 80 years young – happy, healthy, able to travel and play with my grandchildren. Yoga has helped me with arthritis, osteoporosis, and re-occuring cancer. I have watched Lanita struggle each year keeping this studio open for us – I know it would have been much easier to just close the doors and teach on your own. I am so glad A Gentle Way is still here!” Prudence 12/17

“ A Gentle Way is my Mother-Ship. You are the Center that taught me how to slow down, how to let go, and how to teach others this wonderful practice called yoga. My spirit comes back to you each time I need strength. When I broke my back this year, it was Diane that I was intuitively led to – to do private mentoring with me on Skype, and I want you to know what an extraordinary healer she is. My back is healed. I can practice and teach yoga again.”
Deborah, Omaha NB 10/17

“ What a loving spirit Kristin is! And what beautiful classes she teaches! I was worried initially when you started turning over most of your classes to other teachers this year, but they are so well-trained, and all such a wonderful addition to A Gentle Way!” Pat 9/17

“I just wanted to write about my experience in Cheryl‘s Gentle-Restorative Class on Friday. She guided us through some MIMSY style movements (windshield wipers, etc) to help loosen our bodies and prepare us for deeper longer-held restorative poses. She had lovely imagery throughout the class, helping us notice where our bodies move as we breathe, reminding us to send love, healing and appreciation to our bodies, reminding us to relax, etc. We did three or four restorative poses, and she guided us with some great imagery that created a magical experience for the entire class. We all felt completely relaxed and nurtured. I thoroughly enjoyed the class!” Kristin 10/17

“What I appreciate about Judy is her warmth, depth and authenticity.  She seems to have embodied in herself what she guides us to do in an engaging, positive way.” Lynn 12/17

Thank you for adding Judy to your staff teachers this year. I love her evening offerings, and plan to be regular!” Josephine 11/17

“We LOVE – LOVE – LOVE Amy and her Tuesday 7:30pm class! It would be so great if she taught two times a week!” 12/17 Adele & Karen – (Mother and Daughter)

Live In Gratitude With The Yoga Practice Of Santosha

Try the yoga practice of Santosha. A practice of contentment, Santosha is not an emotion, but rather a state of consciousness. It is the ability to remain in the present moment, experiencing the happiness that can be found there, instead of the judgment that you might have once felt when you were so critical of yourself and others.

To experience Santosha:

Practice – being happy in the moment.

Practice – letting go of judgment.

Practice – seeing the light in each person you are in presence with.

Practice – being grateful.

Practice – feeling content.

Practice- being happy.

Even if these things are hard for you to do – practice.

Yoga is a practice.

Taking time to be grateful for our lives, our friends, and our family is a daily practice, not just an annual event, for an advancing student of yoga.

One of the easiest ways to recognize that your yoga practice is truly working in your life, is shown by the way you consciously choose to create less stress over the holiday season, letting go of expectations of yourself and others, and enjoying each others’ “presence” far more than the “presents” you may receive, or once thought you had to make, buy, or go into debt for.

When we allow yoga and the practice of Santosha to transform our lives, we no longer worry about trying to be something we are not around our families or friends during this holiday season, nor do we let it bother us anymore if we know that we are going to spend time with Uncle Bob who always ends up drunk at dinner, or our mother in law who always judges us.

How do we let go?

We let go by keeping up our yoga practice, and infusing it with Santosha. When we do so, we will be able to walk into holiday gatherings with our inner light shining brightly. When we are peaceful within ourselves, we are then able to let go of the judgments we have of others. We will be able to see others’ inner light, even if it is only a tiny flicker hidden deep within, no matter how hard they may try to hide it.

Many blessings,

Lanita Varshell

Yoga Rituals At A Gentle Way Yoga – A Safe Place To Leave The World Behind

Yoga rituals are the reason that after owning my yoga center for many years that one most frequent comments I hear students say is how SAFE they feel when they walk through our doors.

Because there is so much unrest in the world, I’d like to ask that we all make a conscious effort to not bring that type of energy into the studio. One way we do this is through the rituals we practice upon entering the yoga space.

These yoga rituals I ask you to do at A Gentle Way may seem small, but they make a big difference to the quality of your practice. Most other senior and master teachers of yoga ask the same of their students. We are in a grand tradition of honoring the space in which we learn.

Some of you are wonderful about honoring these simple rituals, while others may not yet understand how important they are to the advancement of your yoga practice, so let’s review them. The minute we walk into our Center:

• We remove our shoes, take a moment to sit down, and wash our feet. This ritual is not just about bringing clean feet into our yoga room, but it is also about consciously choosing to sit down, slow down, and wipe the world outside these doors off our feet. It is the first act of honoring our precious body, of gifting ourselves.

• If classes are already in session, we are asked to speak quietly in the lobby and the halls so as not to disturb the peace of those practicing in the rooms. Our walls are thin and voices carry. Please respect your fellow students’ need for quiet, as you would wish your own peace respected at the end of your class.

• We turn our phones off and leave them in the hall with our keys, shoes and watches. We do not bring electronics into the room. Why is this important?

• Leaving our phone behind acknowledges that the world can get by without us during this yoga class time.

• Removing a watch acknowledges that we are ready to practice mindfulness, being in the present moment, even teaching time to slow down.

• Leaving our shoes in the hall acknowledges that we are entering a sacred space where we practice releasing tension, not bringing the conflicts of the world inside our sacred doors.

• When we are in our yoga room we do not bring in complaints, worry or fear.
 We do not discuss politics, the latest murder, or who most recently pissed us off.
 We learn how to sit or lie quietly and bring peace into our bodies and minds, which will help bring peace back into our world.

• Because most of our students like to get their props and immediately take their bodies into Savasana, Meditation, or legs up the wall, if you want to chat with a fellow student, please do so quietly, to avoid disturb the peace of others.

• After class we lovingly, neatly, put all blankets, bolsters and props back in order by type, color, and style. We leave the room clean and orderly for the next class coming in.

We appreciate you honoring these rituals with us.

When we moved to this studio from our old location, our biggest fear was that we would leave behind the safe, sacred, healing energy we all felt at our old studio. But I am happy to say that we easily recreated it here, thanks to the cumulative energy of our students and teachers. Let’s all please keep up that positive energy!

It’s up to us to help newer students understand how important it is to have a safe place where they can leave the world behind for an hour or two. It’s important that we all take time to refill our own cups, and to understand the importance of yoga rituals in creating a beautiful, safe space for everyone.

We must give from the overflowing of our cup, or we give ourselves away.

Many blessings,

Yoga For Stressful Situations – A Student Testimonial From A Gentle Way Yoga Center

Yoga for Stressful Situations – A Testimonial by A Gentle Way Student Lynn Reynolds

“This is how yoga helped me deal with life, and yoga can help you get through stressful situations too!

Remember to breathe!

Last week was quite taxing on me and my family. My husband complained of not feeling well and having some discomfort in his heart and arms Wednesday night.

On Thursday morning, he picked me up from my Yoga class and still was not feeling well. I called our Cardiologist. He asked us to call 911 and go to the ER. We went to the ER at 1:30 on Thursday afternoon. Two hours later at 3:30 the ER Doctor said he would be admitted to the hospital. He spent the night in the ER and finally got a bed in the hospital at 8:30, the next morning, Friday. He had surgery Friday afternoon and was discharged Saturday afternoon. Three days, two nights in the hospital.

It was an exhausting ordeal! Waiting and then surgery, waiting, and then more waiting for the doctor’s report! Two stents in surgery and a day of recovery and we were home.

During these long periods of waiting, I practiced my Yoga breathing, shoulder rolls and what every I could do in the confines of a hospital room.

All turned out well for my husband. We had a few days at home to rest.

Then on Wednesday, I had a scheduled heart chemically induced stress test. After what my husband had just been through, I was a bit anxious and still very tired. During these ultra sound tests, you must lay still for 15 minutes with your left arm across your forehead and your right hand tucked in your waist band while the machine does its thing. So, here again I took to Yoga, breathe in and out, “let the tightness go”…the 15 minutes passed quickly, I nearly fell asleep!!! Then the chemically induced heart stress drug was administered. After waiting another 30 minutes, back in the machine for the final 15 minutes.

Breathe! Focused on the breathing, again the 15 minutes passed quickly. I drove home in a very calm mood. I must not be dead yet, the doctor told me he would not have the results for another week! I found that very amusing!

In addition, I have found Yoga extremely helpful as I am the go-to-caregiver for my adult daughter who has multiple physical disabilities. Something you said in class last week, “you must give from the over-flowing of your cup, or you give yourself away“.

That thought is helping me change my attitude in the way I help my daughter.
Thank you for that thought, very insightful.”

Regards,

Lynn Brown-Reynolds
Student of A Gentle Way Yoga Center

Gentle Yoga Can Help with back pain

I was thrilled to see a recent article on the NPR website about a study showing yoga can help with back pain. Most people who are new to yoga have heard that it’s good for your back. However, the danger is that if it’s not the right kind of yoga for your body, it can actually do more harm than good.

We see many students at the studio where I teach, A Gentle Way Yoga Center, walk in with numerous things going on with their body. Some examples are arthritis, injuries such as herniated discs, spinal fusions, people healing from knee and hip replacements, etc. Not to mention just basic wear and tear that we all experience with age. We also see students who have taken yoga classes in the past and gotten injured.

It’s very important to find the right type of yoga class when a student is experiencing challenges or recovering from an injury or surgery. A class that is too fast or strenuous will not be beneficial to someone with back pain, and may cause further damage. Gentle yoga can help with back pain! It’s so important to learn to listen to your body, to breathe and to slow down.

I love how this recent NPR article talks about gentle yoga being as effective as Physical Therapy. Maybe one day yoga will be covered in our health insurance??

Namaste!

The Business Of Yoga: Why We Need More Gentle Yoga Classes And Teachers

We need more gentle yoga classes and teachers.  This is why; A beautiful larger woman, somewhere in her 50s, walked into my Center today with her friend. I could tell that she was apprehensive walking in the door, but when she saw me, a well-rounded 50+ year-young teacher and Studio owner, she relaxed a little. The story she told me is similar what I have heard from hundreds of women in the past 20 years:

I’ve always wanted to do yoga.  I have never been athletic, never been coordinated or thin, but I did love moving and dancing when I was younger.  Every time I saw yoga practiced, I loved the way it looked, but never knew if I could do it, and was afraid to try.  My friends assured me I could – if I found the right teacher and the right style. So finally, about 10 years ago, I got the courage to go to a class at a Women’s fitness center. The class was filled with fit looking women, and of course the teacher was a tiny little thin flexible woman.

I was concerned about the back issues I have, but the teacher assured me when I spoke to her about my concerns that I would be fine, and that she had worked with students like me, and had many years of training and experience.

The class was intimidating and way too hard for me, even though the teacher came over and would help and adjust me. I left in pain, discouraged and depressed. I stayed in pain for weeks.

I still did not want to give up, so I bought a series of yoga videos for beginners. Although the poses were slower moving than the class I had gone to, the teacher on videos was tall, thin, and could bend completely in half. My husband and I tried to do what she was doing, but we could never keep up. It went too fast, and we just did not ever feel like we were relaxed, stretched, or even knew what we were doing. Everything was awkward, uncomfortable, and intimidating. We gave up on the tapes, but I still didn’t want to give up on yoga. Something just draws me to it.   Will someone like me ever be able to do yoga?”

The challenge with many forms of yoga, as well as much traditional exercise, is that they were created for the already fit and flexible body to STAY fit, or to get MORE flexible. When traditional yoga poses were recorded many years ago, they were taught primarily to men, who were lean and squatted on the floor as a regular part of their lifestyle. The poses were a way to prepare the fit body for meditation, and balance body, mind, and spirit energies. Traditional Hatha yoga asanas (poses) are extremely beneficial for an already active person or fairly healthy body, but what about a person who has not exercised for years?  Someone who cannot even walk a ½ mile without great fatigue?  Who cannot comfortably bend over, or even be on their knees? Don’t we need more gentle yoga classes and teachers?

The challenge with the way most yoga teachers are trained today is that they are trained to teach the traditional pose first, with modifications, if any, coming later.  So when a plus size or health challenged student is in a class, there is an immediate feeling of discomfort, or defeat when they cannot do the pose the way it is originally demonstrated.  A well-trained teacher will notice and offer alternatives or come over and prop the student into the pose, but by that time many students are self-conscious and embarrassed by the additional attention and sometimes already even injured.

Many women have told me their “horror stories” of yoga class experiences, and I myself as a plus-size woman in traditional classes have felt the embarrassment in my earlier years of yoga of not being able to do something. Having attention drawn to us is the last thing we want, but here would come the teacher, with five more blankets or 4 more blocks so that you can do what everyone else is doing without them. It seems as if all the “fit” people are watching you; a few with kind and understanding eyes applauding you for being there, but more with looks of impatience and annoyed that YOU are slowing down THEIR class. (And yes, those people are out there, and have even come to my Center and told me that they do not want to practice yoga with fat or slow people next to them. I direct those people to another Center).

In 2001, Time Magazine helped to bring yoga and its many benefits to the attention of millions of readers. On their cover of their April issue they had actress Christy Turlington doing a complicated yoga pose. The cover read; “The Science of Yoga…. Millions of Americans are discovering this ancient exercise. Here’s the skinny on why it makes you feel so good.” Near the end of their nine page extensive article on yoga, which covered Bikram’s Hot Yoga, The Sun Salutation, Chakras, pictures of partner poses and pretzel poses that only a small percent of the population can do, there was this paragraph:

Two oddities attend yoga’s vogue.  One is that America has the fittest people in the world, and the most obese.  Yoga, typically, is practiced by the fit.  Exercise, the care and feeding of the body and possibly mind, is their second career. The folks in urgent need of yoga are the ones who are at the fast-food counter getting their fries super size; who would rather take a pill than devote a dozen hours a week to yoga; for whom meditation is staring glassily at six hours of football each Sunday; and who might go under the surgeon’s knife more readily than they would ingest anything more Indian than Tandoori Chicken.”

Over the past decade we are finally seeing books and articles about modifying yoga, but there is still much more attention that needs given to this issue. Sixty percent or more of our population is now overweight or facing serious illness, from Chronic Fatigue, Cancer, FMS, MS, crippling Arthritis, and many other illnesses, diseases, and health challenges.  There are now MORE people suffering than healthy. Yoga and meditation are the greatest healing tools there are, but must be modified to meet the NEEDS of the individual, and for the greatest majority of our population cannot do what we have come to know as “traditional” yoga.

Because I came into yoga as a plus-size, health challenged student, I had to learn to modify poses so that my body could benefit from them, and I understand more about the awkwardness, pain and intimidation than someone who perhaps has never lived in a very large or health challenged body.  As I have worked with thousands of other students who are older, larger, less-flexible, and more health-challenged, together we have learned even more modifications.  Regardless of the type or amount of modification, the practice is still yoga, if it is done with the same intention. The results we have had with a gentle, modified approach to yoga have amazed even us!  Doctors have told me that what I teach could be considered PRE-physical therapy.  Therapists have said that it has elements of Feldenkrais, Accupressure, and Qigong, but it is YOGA, just adapted to each person’s abilities.

Yoga classes at A Gentle Way Yoga Center in San Diego, Ca tend to those in need of more gentle yoga classes and our Teacher Training is about learning to teach from the lowest level of student in class up to the fittest ability. The wonderful surprise about this method is that it is also attracting fit students who need to learn to slow down and center themselves, who have back challenges, who have injured themselves in other classes, or who are in need of a door into a deep meditation practice.

We need more gentle yoga classes and teachers! Gentle Yoga is for everybody.  It is fun, doable and highly effective. My unique style of yoga is called MIMSY – Meditation in Movement Style Yoga®. It is yoga for your back, your hips, your spine, and your mind. Whether you are an older student, larger, less-flexible, or just new to yoga, we invite you to enter the world of yoga through this relaxing and effective style. If you consider yourself “fit,” and extremely experienced in yoga, we welcome you too! MIMSY® may just be the deepest yoga you will ever do! You never know where gentle yoga may lead you; many students become teachers too!

The Business Of Yoga: Teaching Skills – What Students Want To Hear

Every now and then I send out survey emails to our dedicated yoga students, asking them about their class experiences in a effort to try to understand why some classes at my Center in La Mesa, California are consistently full, while others are not.

Of course there are many reasons, which I will discuss throughout this blog series, The Business of Yoga. Here is one important reason you may not have considered. It was a response from a long-time, experienced student at A Gentle Way:

The words teachers use are very important. They need to flow and not bring us back into the brain mind. For instance, when a teacher says things like:

“Now I want you to’, or, ‘now let’s’…It takes me out of the full body experience and back into the brain. That is not what I am here for.”

This may sound nit-picky to you, but the words we use make a huge impact when we guide our students into the practice of pratyahara during class. Filler words take one out of the full yoga experience and are not needed to guide students from pose to pose, they are actually quite distracting. (We discuss and practice this concept much in more more detail in our MIMSY Meditation in Movement Style Yoga® training workshops.)

As you teach, listen for any filler words that you use, words that are just not necessary.

Even better, record yourself teaching a class and count how many filler words you regularly use. Then practice letting of of those unnecessary words.

These little tweaks can make a big difference in your students’ experience.

Away From My Studio And My Style – Venturing Out Of My Comfort Zone

It has taken me ten days to get to one class in my two weeks of visiting Fort Collins, Colorado. I’m here helping with my daughter’s two month old baby, allowing mommy to catch up on sleep —
while trying to take care of myself at the same time. Not an easy task! I have done a little stretching in my bedroom, and at the parks where I got a few walks in, but that is not the same as a group class practice.

Group yoga practice is important. It is not only about the energy you get to tap into in a class with like minded people, but it is also about getting yourself dressed for the day, out of the house, and perhaps even facing the fear of going into a new environment, and wondering, once you get there:

Will it be safe?
Will I be ok?
Will I be able to do their kind of yoga?

Yes, after all these years of practicing, teaching and training yoga teachers, I still battle these fears. I still am shy, awkward, and concerned about re-injuring my body, or being forced to do something that does not feel safe to me. But I no longer judge myself, my body, and my emotions like I used to. I just notice, observe, mentally note where I am each day. I find my “whole” self quite interesting now. I learn a lot when I can be in this place of living consciously without judgement.

Since I have been in Ft. Collins, my deepest “yoga” has actually been when my daughter Katie brings granddaughter Addie to my bed at 6 or 7am so that Katie can finally get some sleep. I feed Addie, burp her, play with her, change her, and then rest her across my breast and belly. I practice deep conscious breathing. This IS meditation. Addie loves the rhythm of my body rising and falling. She falls into a deep sleep. Then to the bassinet she goes, as I have been asked not to get in the habit of holding her too much while she sleeps.

Yesterday though, I knew it was necessary to carve out the time to visit some of the studios here, and attend at least a few classes during my last week of Fort Collins trip #2. It was time to find community, face my fears of meeting new people, and get myself out of the apartment. I have been checking out Ft. Collins Yoga Studios ever since trip #1 (last month), There are lots and lots of flow classes, but just a handful of classes that I feel I might be able to comfortably practice. It was not easy to find gentle, restorative, or beginner classes.

Eventually I found two places very close to Katie’s apartment. One studio specializes in “flow” yoga, with a Level 1 class that advertises “it is great for beginners.” Both owners have a background in dance or athletics, and are young, but the overall energy of their Studio (based on the website) felt good.

Since I thought I could probably handle the Level 1 class, I took a walk to this Studio early in the afternoon, thinking I would go in and ask a few questions to make sure I could handle their 5:30 pm class. I walked past the Studio twice. I watched one of the owners walk in. (She seemed pleasant, noticed me, and smiled.) But I could not go in. I just could not open the door. She was young, fit, and tiny.  I am older and large. Their front retail space was filled with designer yoga clothes for thin women, so I walked back to my daughter’s place feeling discouraged, and feeling like I was new to yoga again.

But I was not going to give up! I would check out the “Fitness Center” down the street that offers yoga and all kinds of other group exercise classes. Although the “fitness” name always intimidates me, (separate article), this place advertised two separate yoga rooms, and was actually offering a “Restore Yoga” class that evening.  It looked great – until I read the bio of the teacher, which included this:

She (instructor) prefers to see the world from a different perspective: upside down. She wishes for the power of super speed, because doing things in half the time means more time for handstands! This was the teacher for a slow, therapeutic, healing class?! But I was desperate for a class, and after a bit of inner struggle I made it to the Center, (getting lost of course along the way, even though it was only 3 minutes away.)

Here is my review of the Center, teacher, and class:

February 13, 2017 (5 Students)
REV Fitness Fort Collins – Restore Yoga Class- Teacher: Renica

This Center felt warm and welcoming the minute I stepped in. A friendly woman greeted me immediately, got me checked in, chatted a bit about it being my first time, and was excited with me about why I was in town, and loved my picture of my grand baby, (yep, I am one of those Nanna’s) She showed me where to go, how to use their lockers, and loaned me a mat. The yoga room was dark, warm, and clean with candles flickering. The teacher came in and introduced herself to me. There were only 5 of us in a room that could have easily held 10-12. It was a good class! The teacher was sweet, confidant, and well-trained. It was not MIMSY Meditation in Movement Style Yoga® like we teach at A Gentle Way Yoga Center in San Diego, nor my favorite sequencing for Restorative, but it was a sweet class. I will definitely go back for more classes with her.

Oh, and they were celebrating Valentine’s week, so the students were walking in with plastic cups of wine. One student gave me a bit of a hard time for not getting a glass, but I smiled my way through it and said “maybe after class.”

I will definitely return to this Center and try more classes. I do not need wine with class, when yoga gives me such a relaxed natural “high,” but I am glad that they were all friendly and having fun.

I even made it to a second class at another Yoga Center that week, which was equally rewarding.  I was venturing out of my comfort zone. Away from my Studio and my Style. I pushed through my fear of trying something new and look forward to returning to these classes again.

At our Center, A Gentle Way, each week when new students walk into our doors, and try a class with me, I smile deeply inside, and always try to remember to thank them for showing up. I know it takes courage for some of us to just get, up, and then show up anywhere each day. To show up somewhere new takes even more courage.

I think that is why our monthly Beginning Yoga for Newcomers’ Workshop is always full and successful, because these students know they will not be the only new ones walking through our doors. They always tell me the workshop was a lot of fun and they like having new “yoga buddies” to attend classes with that met at the workshop.

For those of you who have a hard time trying something new, wondering if you will be able to fit in, or practice yoga safely, I understand. I appreciate and honor you!

Written in Feb. 2017

Holiday Season – The Most Important Time To Take Care Of You – It’s The Best Present

Being Present is the Best Present

During this season of giving, many people rush around creating more stress on their body and finances than any other time of the year.

They say they don’t have the time nor the money to take care of themselves because they feel they must give to everyone else.

This makes them miserable, stressed, and many times, physically ill. I hope that is not you! (Or – don’t let this be you!)

Yoga teaches us that when we are always giving to others, and our cup is not full, what we are truly giving is merely an illusion.

Your daughter or wife, husband, grandchild or friend will not remember that sweater you gave them 20 years from now, but they will remember your laughter – you being fully present with them while they told you their latest adventure, and how your eyes joyfully lit up whenever they walked into the room. Memories of the heart!

So, we must continue to ask ourselves – are we keeping ourselves peaceful and healthy so that we are fully present with our loved ones? Fully present in this day? Fully present on this precious planet?

Thich Nhat Hanh, beloved Vietnamese Monk, reminds us of our most precious gift in his book Collections:

“Every morning, when we wake up, we have twenty-four brand new hours to live.  What a precious gift!  We have the capacity to live in a way that these twenty-four hours will bring peace, joy, and happiness to ourselves and others.”

There have been many great teachers in my life. They seem to continue to keep bringing me back – over and over again to these main truths:

What I think about
What I focus on (how I spend my time)
How I view and spend money
How I choose to create my life

My long ago mentor, Marguerite Close got me past my first excuse I always used to not take care of myself, the:

“I don’t have the money for exercise, yoga, a massage or healthy food” excuse.

Marguerite made me track every penny I spent for 30 days, and even though I made very little income, it was life-changing to see how much I was spending on food that did not love my body, toys for my kids that they rarely used, and clothes for my body that I quickly grew tired of.

She opened my eyes to help me see what was happening in my low income neighborhood; that mothers and fathers were spending and wasting loads of money on toys for their children, cigarettes for themselves, and new shiny cars, all out of guilt for what they felt they didn’t have and couldn’t give to their families, or, as an illusion to appear to be something they were not.

When I began to live consciously and see what I was doing to myself with my thoughts and my actions, I began to choose healthier ways to spend my time and money.

When I began to choose differently, the Universe stepped up to help me in ways that I could have never imaged, and continues to bless me with miracles each day. This makes life much more peaceful, despite any physical, emotional, or material challenges I still work with.

Peace cannot be bought.

Peace is not something you have to go out and search outside yourself for.

“Peace is present right here and now,” says Thich Nhat Hanh,“in ourselves and everything we do and see.

The question is whether or not we are in touch with peace?

We don’t have to travel far away to enjoy the blue sky. We don’t have to leave our city or even our neighborhood to enjoy the eyes of a beautiful child. Even the air we breathe can be a source of joy.”

Are we seeing the peace that is always available to us, the peace that is always there?

Thich Nhat Hanh continues,  “We can smile, breathe, walk, and eat our meals in a way that allows us to be in touch with the abundance of happiness that is available.

We know how to sacrifice ten years for a diploma, and we are willing to work very hard to get a job, a car, a house, and so on. But we have difficulty remembering that we are alive in the present moment, the only moment there is for us to be alive.  Every breath we take, every step we make, can be filled with peace, joy, abundance, and serenity.  We only need to be awake and alive in the present moment.”

Yoga slows us down so that we can be fully present in the moment.
Yoga tunes us into our breath. The breath connects us to the peace that is there, in this present moment.

There is no better time to practice Gentle Yoga than during the Holiday Season.

Taking time to slow down and breathe will help you accomplish more in less time, and help you make more appropriate decisions.

Taking an hour out of your day for yoga will help keep your stress levels down, which will strengthen your immune system, and actually help you accomplish more.

Breathing mindfully will help you to be more fully present for the people that love you.

During this season, make the time to practice more yoga, to put your self-care at the top of your gift list, and watch your life become more peaceful.

Quotes used from the book Collections, by Thich Nhat Hanh, beloved Vietnamese Monk.
Thich Nhat Hanh writes, lectures and hosts retreats throughout the World

Committing To Self Care Through A Dedicated Yoga Practice

Where will you be ten years from now if you don’t take care of yourself today?

September is upon us! And while it is still one of San Diego’s warmest months – most vacations are over, school has begun – September is the perfect time to get back to a loving commitment to yourself with a dedicated yoga practice. (And – September is also National Yoga Month!)

Yoga once a week changes your mind.
Yoga twice a week changes your body.
Yoga three times a week changes your life.

I come from a family that does not have a history of “aging well,” so as much as my body does not want to move sometimes, I am grateful to the friends who get me out of the house to yoga classes or other fun forms of movement.

Although you may not have attended a yoga class for awhile, please know that if you practiced at our Center for any length of time, you are always in my grateful heart.

One of my favorite students walked back into our Center in May, after five years of not showing up! She was hard to forget because she was always happy, and had the cutest Texas accent.

When I saw her in the hallway she came up and gave me a big hug and said: “It was your voice that kept whispering in my ear Lanita, saying – ‘Where will you be 10 years from now if you don’t take care of yourself today?’ You would email me and remind me that if I waited ‘til I had the time, or ‘til I retire to take care of my body, I might not be healthy enough to move or enjoy my retirement. It was your voice, your words, that brought me back.”

These are the moments that remind me why I still keep this Studio open, why you may occasionally get an email or phone call from me inviting you back now. These are the times I am so grateful for all the students who have supported us over the years – so that this returning student had open doors to walk through, and open arms excited to see her again.

How can I support you in your regular practice of loving yourself with yoga?

Lanita Varshell

Chair Yoga The Experience Of Sitting Strong

Chair yoga is an excellent way to experience the benefits of yoga without the fear of losing your balance and risking injury.

As our bodies age, our muscles naturally lose their elasticity, making us more prone to accidents and injury. Aches and pains start to surface from inactivity making day-to-day activities more difficult.  As we age, our joints need lubrication for ease of movement and our bones need to be strengthened. Luckily we have the practice of yoga to show us how.

Yoga can greatly improve your flexibility and range of motion and provide many other health benefits for our minds, bodies and spirits.  With chair yoga, you can enhance your balance, improve posture and circulation, relieve pain and stress, and prevent injuries. Come explore yoga, have fun, and learn to age actively!

Sitting on these “buts” can get you there!

• But I’m too old

• But I’m too tired

• But I can’t get down to the floor

Sit with us in our chair yoga class and

• Get calm

• Get energized

• Get healthy

Seva Practice With Diane AmbrosiniYoga Instructor And Author Of Instructing Hatha Yoga

As part of my Seva practice – giving back to this fabulous community of yoga practitioners – I randomly select one of my students (at random times throughout the year, of course), as a recipient of a free private session.

While I always love teaching group classes, it is such a special pleasure to work one-on-one with someone. We get to know each other on a deeper level, and we both learn something new overall. Oh – and it’s super fun!

In addition to ‘giving back’, one of the main aspects of my seva practice is to highlight each student so that, even if you never take a class with someone, you will still get a feel for just how special each person who walks through our doors is, and how they contribute to the uniqueness of our AGW family.

If you don’t already know Monica Ulibarri, the most recent recipient of a one-on-one session, here are some interesting tidbits!

Monica found AGW a couple of years ago in her search for a studio that could address stress management, and provide gentle yoga with specialized attention, as she was healing from a back injury. As faculty at the California School of Professional Psychology at Alliant International University, she knows how important finding and keeping balance in her life is!

Due to her very busy schedule, Monica generally attends evening classes. Although, when she has a day off or takes a ‘self-care day’ (remember – she totally understands the importance of balance in life!), it’s always lovely to see her flashing smile! In addition to her yoga practices, Monica enjoys cooking and spending time with her two kids.

Eric Olsen – Long Time Student

Eric Olsen, 63 years young, was one of the first men to walk-into A Gentle Way, and he is still with us to today. He took his very first class with us 13 years ago because of a referral from his acupuncturist.

Eric was suffering from a pinched nerve from an old high school football injury; had four shoulder surgeries and a painful, hurting back from his job operating heavy equipment. Acupuncture, massage, and chiropractic care were all helping, but he needed more.

Eric knew nothing about yoga “other than it was taught by fit Barbie dolls” in a gym environment. He didn’t feel very comfortable in that type of yoga class – it seemed like all the students already knew what they were doing except for him. He was open to coming here because his acupuncturist told him it’s a different kind of yoga than what he had experienced before. When he walked in the door, he fell in love with Lanita and yoga because “everyone here is so welcoming and inclusive and because of how Lanita makes people feel.”

Practicing yoga twice a week soon became part of his routine and it didn’t take long to start noticing changes. “It’s not so much about seeing results as noticing ‘oh I can do this now.’ “Yoga is like peeling layers of an onion,” he says. “You’re just not aware of how many hidden layers there are within.”

Eric’s biggest aha moment was when he was in his car and picked something up without thinking about it, and being surprised he could do it. He says, “At first I couldn’t bend over to pick up a $100 bill. Now I can bend down to pick up a penny!”

Eric’s advice for new students, especially men, is: “Real men need gentle yoga. It is wonderful back and hip care. We need to learn how to slow down, relax, and practice breathing techniques. The inclusiveness of this studio makes everyone feel welcome. Give it time – you won’t see changes overnight, but it will sneak up on you in a good way. You always feel better and more relaxed walking out than walking in.”

You can find Eric in Purple MIMSY classes and Green Restorative classes. In addition to his at least twice weekly yoga practice, Eric helps raise his 2 ½ and 5 ½ yr. old grandsons, and enjoys chasing them around when their mommy is at work. His yoga practice allows him to stay mobile enough to keep up with them.

We are so grateful for Eric’s dedication to our studio – Not only does he continue to donate baby wipes monthly to help our feet stay clean, but he walks in a with a check every month, even when he knows he will be traveling and missing yoga. He says: “My wife tithes every month to the Catholic Church, her Spiritual Center. I give to A Gentle Way. I want you to always be around to help others like me.”

We love you, Eric!

An Interview With Gail Braverman

Native San Diegan, Gail Braverman, 71 years young, found A Gentle Way Yoga Center 14 years ago from a Massage Therapist referral. As a runner, she was always very athletic, so yoga was very different for her. She started with Lanita’s gentle classes and moved up to more active classes over time. Her favorite classes are Diane’s Brown Active classes.

Gail says, “A Gentle Way Yoga is a very warm and welcoming place with tremendous permission to listen to your own body and not do anything that isn’t right for you.” She says that attitude of acceptance, compassion, loving kindness and warmth is what makes this Center a true family.

She credits yoga for helping her and others through times of chaos, pain, suffering and loss. “Yoga is a ritual, something predictable and dependable no matter what’s going on in your life,” she says. She became a yoga teacher to give back the wonderful teachings that have been given to her. The classes here are led with “heart and soul”, she says.

Gail is a Marriage and Family Therapist, and she teaches yoga weekly at a synagogue. She loves doing workshops about the wisdom of the second half of life. She has three daughters, and five grandkids.

Gail says the message from Lanita and A Gentle Way Yoga is “be in any shape, size or age and feel welcomed. Lanita has served as a model of inspiration – being wholly who she is in a larger body and setting that example for others. She is influential in changing the thinking of what the image of yoga is and who can access it.”

We love you Gail!

Diane’s Siva Project

Diane’s Siva Project

February 18, 2016 (Edit)

Seva is a selfless act of service offered to others; giving of oneself with no need or expectation of receiving anything in return. In nearly every spiritual or religious tradition, initiates are taught the importance of serving others as part of one’s personal path to the Divine. In yoga philosophy any act of seva is considered karma yoga, and it is believed that practicing selflessness allows one to become free from attachment and expectation.

Seva can be any heartfelt altruistic deed, from building homes for the homeless, to something as simple as giving up a seat to a stranger. In addition to being an important part of any spiritual practice, seva is also a way to encourage and develop a thriving community. Through even the humblest act of giving one opens up an equal space for receiving, and a ripple of abundance flows beyond one single person, to the greater society. When generosity abounds, everyone feels a sense of belonging and parity.

I began this year feeling a strong calling to reach out and give something more of myself. My target was our close-knit yoga community, and I actually spent considerable time pondering what acts of kindness might be appropriate for such an awe-inspiring group. I do like to think BIG – but some of my ideas were just downright silly! So, putting grandiose notions aside, I realized that the most obvious plan (duh!) was also the most logical: to randomly select from my cadre of regular students and offer free one-on-one yoga sessions.

My original intention was to pick two students every quarter throughout the year and share with them some of the observations I make during class, and additionally to provide feedback to possible questions regarding her or his overall yoga experience. However, the intention and plans didn’t mesh with my reality, and I was unable to follow through on the quarterly seva idea.

Not one to be discouraged easily, I forged ahead with my main plan, and with the help of Lanita and Michelle, two students were selected earlier this summer: Robin Theilmann and Carol Ryan. Both have since had their sessions with me, and in an effort to connect our greater yoga community together, I am sharing some information about them so that you will be able to connect faces with names when you share a class or pass each other in the studio.

Robin Theilmann

Robin is a fairly recent addition to our AGW family. She began taking group classes after her husband John had been attending classes for some time. (Disclaimer: I’ve known John and Robin for well over 20 years. Michelle picked Robin’s number for me, so it really was a random picking!)

Robin retired from her job as a dedicated speech therapist in the Santee School District a few years ago. She currently volunteers weekly at the La Mesa Library bookstore. In addition to being an altogether lovely human being, Robin is a kickass cook! Her desserts are ridiculously delicious and highly coveted! Also, her energy is delightful and is a wonderful addition to every class she attends.

Carol Ryan

For anyone who doesn’t already know Carol, as soon as you lock eyes with her you’ll never forget her! In addition to being our awesome instructor Sean’s mother (we are so grateful she shared her love of yoga with him!), she is also one of AGW’s longest standing, devoted students. And while she may not have literally attended classes here from day one, she has been a consistent student since year one. On the days she’s not on her yoga mat in one class or another, Carol has a “side job” as a hygienist at a local dentist office. Seriously – unless she’s out of town, working, or spending time with her grandkids, you can find her at the studio multiple times on any given week. Carol’s fun-loving, positive energy is absolutely contagious!

I encourage everyone to get to know these two wonderful ladies next time you’re in a class together, or recognize them out on the street. The energetic and social bonds we make and share in this, our little AGW yoga community, help us build and strengthen our connections to the world at large. And the positive sensations and overall awareness we gain as a community, remind us and those around us, that we all have a place — because we truly are all in this together! Personally, I look forward to connecting more deeply with as many students as possible, and making at least some small contribution to the greater good.

Namaste!