Newsletter week of March 1st

Meditation and mindfulness are about paying attention to what is happening in the present moment, with a sense of curiosity and compassion. Knitting offers that perfect present-moment focal point. Sometimes my pattern is very simple and I am able to “zen out,” just focusing on the rhythm of the movement—making knitting feel like a meditation in motion. Other times, the pattern is very complex, requiring all of my focused attention to count stitches and toggle between techniques.

The Yoga of Knitting: Peace in Every Stitch by Michelle Dalbec

 

kitten on yoga mat covered in yarn that used to be a ball.

Hello Loves,

When you look at the schedule below you’ll notice we’re back to our regularly scheduled programing with a week full of Forrest Inspired Vinyasa classes and a Back to Basics class on Wednesday morning. I heard from a number of you that you enjoyed the gentle variation so I’m thinking of weaving in a few gentle classes here and there.

Heads up, this week classes through Root River Yoga are free to all new students. Check out the FB event for more information. 

I also have some personal news to share: on March 5th I’ll begin working part-time at Yarnology! Many of you know that I learned to knit and crochet while I was recovering from Lyme and it’s become a passion of mine. The prospect of spending hours surrounded by gorgeous yarn alone would be enough to tempt me! However, after meeting with owners Gaby and Kelly, I realized I’d want to work for them even if they were selling barbed wire. Their compassion, creativity, and clarity let me know I’ve landed in the right place.

I am still working at HCO on Mondays and now that it’s a bit warmer will be once again taking individuals for outings that primarily consist of driving around and listening to music. If you are interested in us stopping by for a quick, masked wave and hello let me know. For those of you who were already a part of this, thank you! Small gestures can indeed make a huge difference.

Lastly, no yarn or kittens were harmed in the image above.

xoxo

Elle

Schedule for Week of March 1st

Contact me with any questions!

Nobody (Bod) Owens Newman Terpstra

Monday

8:15 am Forrest Inspired Vinyasa – Infinity Yoga

  • Register Here
  • In-person class is full, let me know if you want to be on the waiting list.

Wednesday

7:45am Back to Basics Zoom Class

  • Register Here
  • Donate here.
    • If you’re wondering what to contribute, consider paying the same amount you’d pay if this class were at your usual studio. As always, these classes are offered on a pay what you can, if you can basis.

6pm Forrest Inspired Vinyasa  – Root River Zoom

Thursday

7:15am Forrest Inspired Vinyasa – Root River Zoom

Friday

7:45 am Forrest Inspired Vinyasa – Infinity Yoga

  • Register Here
  • In-person class is full, let me know if you want to be on the waiting list.

Yoga Videos and Meditation

As always, these are shared with you under the category “pay what you can, if you can.” Here’s the link to PayPal your support: https://www.paypal.me/ElleNewman11

 

Root River Yoga on Zoom

Consider joining me and a great group of students for a Root River class and support an amazing studio that serves rural SE MN. Register for classes and learn more about Root River Yoga here.

Wednesday

6:00-7:00pm All Levels

Thursday

7:15-8:15am All Levels
*You’re invited to stay online after class for coffee/tea and a chat.

Ways to Keep Connected

Cat hugging dog
Yeti comforting Emma

Newsletter for week of Feb 22nd

“Oh, that gentleness! How far more potent is it than force!”

― Charlotte Brontë, Jaye Eyre 

 

My Dear Yogis,

This week we’ll have several opportunities to be gentle with ourselves through Gentle Yoga, Yin Yoga, and Myofascial Release offerings. Please check out the schedule below for more information and let me know if you have any questions. We’ll be back to our normal flow of classes next week.

xoxo

Elle

Schedule for Week of Feb 22nd

Contact me with any questions!

Nobody (Bod) Owens Newman Terpstra

Monday

8:15 am All Levels – Infinity Yoga

  • Register Here
  • In-person class is full, let me know if you want to be on the waiting list.

Wednesday

7:45am Gentle Yoga with Elle Zoom Class

  • Register Here
  • Donate here.
    • If you’re wondering what to contribute, consider paying the same amount you’d pay if this class were at your usual studio. As always, these classes are offered on a pay what you can, if you can basis.

6pm Myofascial Release and Gentle Yoga  – Root River Zoom

Thursday

7:15am Yin Yoga- Root River Zoom

Friday

7:45 am Gentle Flow – Infinity Yoga

Yoga Videos and Meditation

As always, these are shared with you under the category “pay what you can, if you can.” Here’s the link to PayPal your support: https://www.paypal.me/ElleNewman11

 

Root River Yoga on Zoom

Consider joining me and a great group of students for a Root River class and support an amazing studio that serves rural SE MN. Register for classes and learn more about Root River Yoga here.

Wednesday

6:00-7:00pm All Levels

Thursday

7:15-8:15am All Levels
*You’re invited to stay online after class for coffee/tea and a chat.

Ways to Keep Connected

Cat hugging dog
Yeti comforting Emma

Newsletter Week of Feb. 15th

Revolutionary love is a well-spring of care, an awakening to the inherent dignity and beauty of others and the earth, a quieting of the ego, a way of moving through the world in relationship, asking: ‘What is your story? What is at stake? What is my part in your flourishing?’ Loving others, even our opponents, in this way has the power to sustain political, social and moral transformation. This is how love changes the world.”

― Valarie Kaur

Happy Valentines Day!

Jen Bayer began the tradition of putting up sheets of paper in our studio during February that simply said “Love Your _________” leaving it up to all of us to fill in the blank. As we practice being loving in our families, our communities, and the world, a good place to begin is with ourselves. What do we easily love about ourselves? What have we learned to love through hard work? What is hard to love about ourselves? What have we never considered loving before? While these are good questions to ask ourselves anytime of the year, the emphasis on hearts this time of year can serve as reminders for us to do this work.

Root River Yogis, it’s time to register for our next session. Be kind to Amanda and all of us teachers and do this quickly so no one has to lose sleep over if there are enough to keep going. And now is an especially good time to think of those friends and family members who might benefit from Root River Zoom Yoga as new students attend for free the first week in March.

For everyone practicing yoga right now, remember that our body’s natural response to continued cold is to narrow our blood vessels in our limbs to divert more circulation to our organs in a process called vasoconstriction. The result is that we may feel stiffer. Basically, you’re not losing ground if you could almost touch your toes last month and now they seem like a long way away. Just be patient with yourself; you are still getting all the benefits of yoga practicing with this February range of motion, I promise.

Much Love,

~Elle

Schedule for Week of Feb 15th

Contact me with any questions!

Nobody (Bod) Owens Newman Terpstra

Monday

8:15 am All Levels – Infinity Yoga

  • Register Here
  • In-person class is full, let me know if you want to be on the waiting list.

Wednesday

7:45am Yoga with Elle Zoom Class

  • Register Here
  • Donate here.
    • If you’re wondering what to contribute, consider paying the same amount you’d pay if this class were at your usual studio. As always, these classes are offered on a pay what you can, if you can basis.

6pm All Levels – Root River Zoom

Thursday

7:15am All Levels Forrest Yoga- Root River Zoom

Friday

7:45 am All Levels – Infinity Yoga

  • Register Here
  • In-person class is full, let me know if you want to be on the waiting list.

Yoga Videos and Meditation

As always, these are shared with you under the category “pay what you can, if you can.” Here’s the link to PayPal your support: https://www.paypal.me/ElleNewman11

 

Root River Yoga on Zoom

Consider joining me and a great group of students for a Root River class and support an amazing studio that serves rural SE MN. Register for classes and learn more about Root River Yoga here.

Wednesday

6:00-7:00pm All Levels

Thursday

7:15-8:15am All Levels
*You’re invited to stay online after class for coffee/tea and a chat.

Ways to Keep Connected

Cat hugging dog
Yeti comforting Emma

Newsletter for week of Feb 7th

“What is easy is sustainable. Birds coast when they can.”

Adrienne Maree Brown, Emergent Strategy: Shaping Change, Changing Worlds

 

Hello,

If this quote is familiar to you, it could very well be from a past newsletter. It may seem that I’m just being lazy, or perhaps playing out the sentiment within the quote by making things easy on myself… and come to think of it, that is true! However, this quote has been on my mind this week, partly because Heather announced we get to use blocks again in the studio, thus making things easier on our bodies, and lowering my stress level a great deal!

When it gets cold — below zero cold — things just seem harder. I don’t want to move, I just want to stay under a blanket. I feel stiff and sore. We’ve also been dealing with a pandemic for a year now, and though we have much to be hopeful for, we are a long way from “back to normal”. The conundrum I face is that when I need my practice the most, it can be the most difficult to motivate myself to get on the mat.

Hence, remembering this quote. How can we make our path to our mat easier? How can we make our practice more enticing? These answers will likely be different for each of us, but here are a few ideas.

  • If you are practicing at home and you miss music, play some! If there is favorite music that I play contact me, I’m more than happy to share play lists.
  • Set up practice space ahead of time so all you have to do is show up.
  • Find ways to make your space enticing, such as pillows, blankets, candles, more pets, less pets, etc. Be creative!
  • Let me or your yoga friends know you’re coming. Adding in some gentle accountability can be a huge help.

See you on the mat!

~Elle

Schedule for Week of Feb 7th

Contact me with any questions!

Nobody (Bod) Owens Newman Terpstra

Monday

8:15 am All Levels – Infinity Yoga

  • Register Here
  • In-person class is full, let me know if you want to be on the waiting list.

Wednesday

7:45am Yoga with Elle Zoom Class

  • Register Here
  • Donate here.
    • If you’re wondering what to contribute, consider paying the same amount you’d pay if this class were at your usual studio. As always, these classes are offered on a pay what you can, if you can basis.

6pm All Levels – Root River Zoom

Thursday

7:15am All Levels Forrest Yoga- Root River Zoom

Friday

7:45 am All Levels – Infinity Yoga

Yoga Videos and Meditation

As always, these are shared with you under the category “pay what you can, if you can.” Here’s the link to PayPal your support: https://www.paypal.me/ElleNewman11

 

Root River Yoga on Zoom

Consider joining me and a great group of students for a Root River class and support an amazing studio that serves rural SE MN. Register for classes and learn more about Root River Yoga here.

Wednesday

6:00-7:00pm All Levels

Thursday

7:15-8:15am All Levels
*You’re invited to stay online after class for coffee/tea and a chat.

Ways to Keep Connected

Cat hugging dog
Yeti comforting Emma