Yoga with Elle

“When we mistake yoga for a workout routine, reduce it to physical fitness or even practice some of the deeper practices without an eye to the whole system of liberation it offers, we rob ourselves and each other of the potential of this practice” Susanna Barkatki, Embrace Yoga’s Roots

Hello Everyone,

First off, if you’ve been talking to me recently about not receiving emails, please confirm you got this. In the advent that something changes at the last minute, I want to know that I can easily reach everyone, I’d hate to have you show up to an empty zoom channel or studio!

The plan for the next few weeks is to have class as usual this week, and then no class next week (I’m planning on a short holiday trip to see relatives in the cities), then back to practice at our usual times. The specific dates are laid out for you below.

The other thing on my mind is last Friday Shelly asked about why I wasn’t saying Namaste at the end of class and what that meant for you all. Should you say Namaste or something different? And I realized, that in a somewhat typical failing on my part, I had made a change without communicating about it well. Though I have done a great deal of soul searching, and even wrote about it several times, none of that actually reached you. My apologies!

I will explain why I made the shift in a moment, but first I want to assure you that you are not being pressured to change your ways. We all grew up on our yoga mats during a time when everyone was ending class by saying Namaste. The intention of honoring each other’s spirits or core selves is beautiful and one I hold very near and dear to my heart. And when we began practicing together, when I went through the majority of my training, I didn’t hear anyone questioning Namaste. In fact my understanding was that using it at the end of class was a way to honor yoga’s history as well as each other.

But now, our world is more interconnected, and  there’s wider variety of voices we can listen too. Teachers like Sussana Barktaki, and other Indian yoga teachers and teachers of color are educating and speaking about how we can honor the roots of yoga and be more respectful to the cultures yoga came from.

Namaste’ is a word that is still being used by the Hindi people, and they use it very differently. It’s spoken as a greeting, not an ending. And, though I understand it can be used casually (‘sup), there can also be a formality to it, and it can be used to show respect to an elder or master. Neither a casual hello, or encouraging you to treat me as a master feels quite right. Especially when I realize that the commercialization of Namaste, without an awareness of how it’s actually used in its cultural of origin is a point of contention for yoga practitioners who are themselves Hindi.

I’ve been using Om Shanti, Shanti, Shanti because it means peace. I like that it honors that we’re working towards peace within ourselves, peace in our communities, and peace in our world. I like using it as we transition from the safety of our practice into our worlds where things are more complicated. As I write this I realize I miss the feeling of “I see you, I love you” at the end of class, which was essentially how Namaste felt to me.  Maybe I’ll try saying that in English to see how it feels.  As with everything else, this is a work in progress.

I see you, I love you,

Elle

“I was beginning to learn that home is the space within us and between us where we feel safe and brave. It is not a physical space as much as it is a field of being.” ~Valarie Kaur, See No Stranger: A Memoir and Manifesto of Revolutionary Love

 

Hello Everyone,

After checking in with you all, I decided not to hold class this Friday. We will resume our normal schedule this week. Looking ahead to December, there will be no class Tuesday 12/24, and Friday 12/27. I am planning on a short trip to see family.

Thank you to everyone who reached out to Brett and I, we feel your love and support. We are sending love right back to you, as we all need it right now.

I hope whatever this holiday holds for you, however you celebrate (or not) leaves you feeling loved and rejuvenated!

So much love,

Elle

Hello Everyone,

I can’t make it to class tomorrow, but the great news is Gretchen Mulkey is subbing. Thank you Gretchen!!!

Unfortunately this means there’s no Zoom practice that day. If you can’t make it  in person, please remember the videos are there for your use. You will be missed and Zoom practice will resume next Tuesday.

Brett has been experiencing extreme light headedness which has been resulted in him fainting. This coupled with other existing symptoms, makes us suspect POTS, EDS, or another Dysautomia syndrome. We are in the midst of ruling out more life threatening options and figuring out how to get referrals to people who can help Brett find the support he needs.

We are ok. We are less scared than we have been the last few weeks as we learn more about Dysautomia syndromes and talk with people living with similar conditions.  The next few months will hold a slew of medical appointments for Brett. Right now he can’t drive, and it’s so much better to have both of us listening to information and asking questions then sending him in alone. Whenever possible, I will schedule around our practices, and/or find subs. But please watch your emails, as the only thing in my mind worse than having to unexpectedly cancel class, would be you missing the message and show up to an empty studio or a quiet Zoom channel.

Thank you in advance for your continued support. So much love,

Elle

Hello Everyone,

Before I get to the interesting stuff, I just want to give you a heads up that there will be no Tuesday morning class Nov. 12th. It’s my sister’s last morning here and I wanted to give us one more coffee together before she begins her long drive back to Michigan.

The good stuff: I made you a recording of the The Five Koshas practice we sometimes use in class. As the not so subtle image shows, we begin with the physical and go inward. Even if you don’t have time to check in with each layer sometimes just remembering that taking care of our physical form — because it houses a precious enlivened being (you’re the precious enlivened being) — can help our emotions regulate a bit and our stress to come down. This recording is not edited, because if I go down that road, I’ll never get this newsletter out! So you if you listen I believe you’ll be able to hear Richard Cat purring as he insisted on joining me. If you need a polished recording, I’m sure there some elsewhere online.

Lastly, a reminder about the Driftless Dance Film Tour, it’s curated by Sydney Swanson, and includes the work of Sharon Mansur, both of whom many of you met in yoga practices at Infinity. Look here for more information, there’s a showing at WAC.

xoxo

~Elle

 

Hello Everyone,

If you’re reading this, you’ve either been practicing yoga with me, or have expressed interest in doing so. And I look forward to seeing you on and off the mat this fall!

Below you’ll find our weekly schedule, please let me know if you need the zoom link or have any questions! Pricing for Dharma River Classes can be found here.

You will notice I’ve added the word “gentle” in front of the class descriptions, to honor that more and more we have been embracing the power of the subtle. Though yoga, by design, has us using muscles we don’t always use during an average day, and sometimes this will result in some, ahem… intense sensations, and we are exploring these movements in a supportive way. We will, of course, still visit strengthening postures, including Forrest Yoga style abs and shoulder care. As always we will evolve as our group evolves.

Lastly, if you haven’t heard yet about the Driftless Dance Film Tour, it’s curated by Sydney Swanson, and includes the work of Sharon Mansur, both of whom many of you met in yoga practices at Infinity. Look here for more information, there’s a showing at WAC.

xoxo

~Elle

 

I think it is healing behavior, to look at something so broken and see the possibility and wholeness in it.
― Adrienne Maree Brown, Emergent Strategy: Shaping Change, Changing Worlds

 

Hello,

As I think you all know by now, outdoor classes begin on Tuesday at the Winona Senior High School. If you haven’t done the official job of registering with Community Education here is that link. It is opened back up.

After the registration fee anything else you contribute will get passed onto Our Voices. As with all of my classes, I take the pay from the heart option quite seriously. If you are able to contribute my usual fee to Our Voices, great. If you need a break from studio prices and can just throw in a couple of bucks, also great!

If it rains on Tuesday morning we will be practicing via zoom on the same link as normal.

This Friday, July 12th, you’re invited to meet for tea and socializing. Yes you can still practice on Zoom and meet for tea if you like! Yes you can skip class altogether and still come for socialization. If it’s sunny we’ll meet at the levee and get to view the river. If it’s rainy we’ll meet at Blue Heron. Either way it will so great to have a moment to chat with you.

Please give me a heads up if you plan on attending class in person, so I know how many people to plan for.

xo

Elle

 

“Courage is only possible in community. When you find yourself afraid  and you don’t know if you can survive it: Close your eyes and breathe and remember the one who loves you. Love will make you brave.”
― Valarie Kaur

Hello Everyone,

I can hardly believe it’s the end of June, which means it’s high time I had a newsletter out talking about our Summer Schedule!

The only change is on Tuesdays. We have one more Tuesday Zoom class then our Tuesdays are moving outdoors to Winona Senior High School, July 9th- Aug 27th.

I know some of you have already registered through Winona Community Services. If not, don’t worry about it — show up the first day and you can register then. I noticed that the event is officially full in the catalogue, which is exciting, but please know there is always space for you.

Tuesday Outdoor classes are special to me. Outside of the $10 registration fee that goes towards Community Education, all of the funds collected go towards Our Voices. “Our Voices” is a community organization in Winona, Minnesota, dedicated to uplifting the voices and experiences of marginalized groups, particularly focusing on racial and social justice. The group is involved in various activities, including advocacy, education, and community-building, often centered around themes of diversity and inclusion.

As a yoga teacher, I have been a fortunate recipient of support from my community for my teaching. Most significantly, all of you showing up to practice week after week, year after year! You’ve been patient  with me, especially on days pain levels and/or brain fog is high. I have also had significant help funding my training and advanced training. It feels amazing to be in a place where the yoga I lead can give back to our community in such a direct way.

See you on the mat soon!

Elle

 

I think it is healing behavior, to look at something so broken and see the possibility and wholeness in it.
― Adrienne Maree Brown, Emergent Strategy: Shaping Change, Changing Worlds

 

Hello,

As I think you all know by now, outdoor classes begin on Tuesday at the Winona Senior High School. If you haven’t done the official job of registering with Community Education here is that link. It is opened back up.

After the registration fee anything else you contribute will get passed onto Our Voices. As with all of my classes, I take the pay from the heart option quite seriously. If you are able to contribute my usual fee to Our Voices, great. If you need a break from studio prices and can just throw in a couple of bucks, also great!

If it rains on Tuesday morning we will be practicing via zoom on the same link as normal.

This Friday, July 12th, you’re invited to meet for tea and socializing. Yes you can still practice on Zoom and meet for tea if you like! Yes you can skip class altogether and still come for socialization. If it’s sunny we’ll meet at the levee and get to view the river. If it’s rainy we’ll meet at Blue Heron. Either way it will so great to have a moment to chat with you.

Reach out if you have any questions, or there’s anything I can do.

xo

Elle

 

You don’t need to hide anything or pretend that something’s not there. All your sadness, all your anger, all your doubt, all your frustration, all your confusion. It’s all welcome here. All of you is welcome here.
― Jessamyn Stanley, Yoke: My Yoga of Self-Acceptance

 

Hello Friends,
First, a quick reminder that Tuesday Dharma River Zoom classes begin again on January 9th 2024. Friday DR classes, and Thursday Root River Classes will continue without interruption.

As the calendar year begins, like many of you, I find myself looking back on the last year. Thinking about what inspired me, and what I remember. A lot of what I loved this past year is wrapped up in our friendship, and for some of you, our practice together. Thank you for being in my life.

In my own practice I’ve been thinking a lot about nurturing and asking myself the question, “Where do I need more nurturing in my life?” I’ve also been reflecting on Ahimsa, which translates as compassion and non-harming for all living beings.  It is a key virtue in Indian religions like Jainism, Buddism, Hinduism, and Sikhism. It’s also, as you know, a core philosophy of yoga. It is about bringing compassion to ourselves, our community, and our world. It speaks to us of interconnectedness.

If you’ve practiced with me this past month, you’ve likely held this intention with me. In our asana practice, we can narrow this focus to just ourselves, and only what happens on our own mat.

If you, like many, are thinking about resolutions and intentions for 2024, I invite you to ask yourself these same questions, widening your lens a bit to bring your practice off the mat.

What in you needs more nurturing?
What are the ways you can be compassionate with yourself? Your community? Your world?
How can you practice non-harming with yourself?  Your community? Your world?

For me, I find that this process can  start with myself and grow larger, or I can gain inspiration for what I want to share with my community and then notice what support I need for that. I find the more I practice, the more my experience of interconnectedness grows.

Happy New Year Everyone!

love,
Elle

 

In the depths of winter, I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer.
― Albert Camus 

 

Hello Friends,

I just wanted to write a quick note to say Happy Winter Solstice and to give you a heads up about Yoga offerings during the next couple of weeks.

In short we’re taking a couple of Tuesdays off, there are no other changes.

I knew for sure about the 26th last Tuesday so most of you Tuesday Zoomers are prepared. I’m also taking the 2nd off. I offered to help clean up after a gathering on the 1st and am giving myself some gentleness the next morning. So Tuesday classes will resume Jan 9th, 2024. Thank you in advance for your understanding.

Love,

Elle

 

“The quest to acquire and maintain balance is ongoing, deeply personal, and usually imperfect. It requires a commitment to monitor your body, mind, psyche, and spirit.”
―Mark Taylor

 

Hello Everyone,

I am writing to let you know this week I’m sharing some meditations and intentions designed to help us regulate our nervous systems. I’ll be sharing a practice based on one I learned from Susanna Barkataki to balance our Koshas, and also variations of a practice Mark Taylor presents in his article, “Accessing the Wisdom of Your Body: Balancing the Three Brains.”

We will have a gentle practice on Tuesday (tomorrow) and I will see about Friday. I came off a step wrong last week and tweaked my knee. Though it is healing fine and already much less sore, I need to take it a bit easy.

We will also not be having Root River Yoga class on Thursday morning. If you are a part of Root River and you’d like to attend the Friday morning class instead, please just let me know.

Om Shanti,

Elle

 

“To learn to play seriously is one of the great secrets of spiritual exploration.”
―Rachel Pollack The Forest of Souls

Hello Everyone,

I reached out to the Zoom regulars, but wanted to make sure everyone knows there’s no Tuesday class this week. I’ll miss you and look forward to practicing on Thursday!

Please feel free to make use of the many videos you all funded, and/or attend Gretchen Cohenour’s SomaNest Yoga, information on that is below.

See you on your mat soon!

~Elle

 

“Now I am going to reveal to you something which is very pure, a totally white thought. It is always in my heart; it blooms at each of my steps… The Dance is love, it is only love, it alone, and that is enough… I, then, it is amorously that I dance: to poems, to music but now I would like to no longer dance to anything but the rhythm of my soul.”
― Isadora Duncan

 

Hello Everyone!

I wanted to get back into the rhythm of writing early in the week, or at least before our class on Tuesday. As always if you have any questions, please reach out.

A few of you asked me about the Somanest yoga classes Gretchen Cohenour offers online on Wednesday evenings. You will find that information below. Brett and I have been joining when we can and I highly recommend them.

Looking forward to seeing you all on the mat soon!

~Elle

Weekly Schedule

Contact me with any questions!

Tuesdays

• 8:15 am- 9:15am Forrest Inspired Vinyasa – Dharma River Zoom only.
  • Contact me if you don’t already have the Zoom Link.
  • Read here for more pricing info.

Thursdays

• 7:15am- 8:15am Forrest Inspired Vinyasa – Root River Zoom

Fridays

• 8:15 am- 9:15am Forrest Inspired Vinyasa – Dharma River In person and Zoom
  • Space is limited, please make sure I know if you’re attending in person.
  • Contact me if you don’t already have the Zoom Link.
  • Read here for more pricing info.

SomaNest Yoga with Gretchen Cohenour

The following is an email I received from Gretchen, shared with her permission. 

We’ll start a new Fall session on W. Sept. 6 at 5:30- 6:45 pm and continue every Wednesday for 8 consecutive weeks through W. Oct.25.  You are welcome to attend all or feel free to drop in for a single class any Wednesday as your schedule allows.

Practicing together is a wonderful way to move, relax, and re-awaken somatic awareness.  I look forward to sharing Body Mind Centering® applications in our SomaNest yoga practice sessions that continue to explore new themes.  Click and visit the zoom registration link below for details about this practice and what to expect in class.  Please feel free to email me with any questions you may have.

Fall 2023 SomaNest Yoga Zoom registration link:

Register in advance for this meeting:

https://minnstate.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJYkcuCvpjgtGdSXUWKN6SWQAG1pGNzZSHL_

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. 

These classes are freely offered and available to anyone who might benefit, regardless of ability to pay.

Suggested donation for the 8-class session is $80 ($10 per class).  Please Venmo payment (@Gretchen-Cohenour) or mail any ‘pay from the heart’ donation for this series or for a single class experience.

*I omitted Gretchen’s address since a version of this email goes online, reach out to me if you need a way to contact Gretchen directly. 

“Everything in the universe has a rhythm, everything dances.” ~Maya Angelou  

Before I tell you about what I’m up to at Squash Blossom Farms this weekend, I wanted to give you a heads up about this Friday’s class. I will need to end a few minutes early as I have to get to an appointment. Thanks in advance for your understanding!

I have shared with some of you that I’ve been playing hand percussion again after decades without even putting my hand on a drum. It has been such a joy to play music again in a group.

And our group is playing African rhythm’s at Squash Blossom Farm this Sunday at noon as part of their fall festival event. Here’s a link to more information about the event in general. 

And here’s a link to their website for more information about the farm.

It’s an hour away just north of Rochester, which if you love a drive could just add to the fun. Especially if some of us carpooled. If you don’t like to drive, then of course consider another option that weekend!

Love you all,

Elle

“Do you already know that your existence–who and how you are–is in and of itself a contribution to the people and place around you? Not after or because you do some particular thing, but simply the miracle of your life.” ~Adrienne Maree Brown, Emergent Strategy

I have written all of you that practice with me in person at Dharma River personally to make sure you have the information you need, but wanted to make a more public announcement as well that the question of a second Dharma River class has been answered! Thank you all for you input! I so appreciate your support and caring.

This fall we are going to stick with Tuesday and Friday classes at 8:15am. Since there isn’t room in the studio at that time on Tuesdays, for now Tuesdays will be Zoom only. Fridays of course will be in person as well as over Zoom.

These are still both Dharma River classes so that I can use the Dharma River insurance to cover them both. Thank you Paul and Trish! Since I’ll only be paying rent on Fridays because that’s when we’re using the studio space, this gives us a bit of time to increase numbers to make sure our group can easily support rent on 2 days.

love,

Elle

“What should young people do with their lives today? Many things, obviously. But the most daring thing is to create stable communities in which the terrible disease of loneliness can be cured.”~Kurt Vonnegut

See you on the mat soon!

 

“…Looking forward to things is half the pleasure of them.”~L.M. Montgomery

 

“We crave and need challenge, adventure, and a daily diet of delight.”
~Ana Forrest

““We crave and need challenge, adventure, and a daily diet of delight.” ~Ana Forrest

“At the time I did not know that stories of life are often more like rivers than books.”
~Norman Maclean, A River Runs Through It

Hi Friends,

I wanted to let you in on a part of my life I’ve been fairly private about until now. As many of you know, I have been playing the game that so many of us middle aged, chronically ill people play: unpacking which symptoms are actually illness and which are just parts of myself I’m no longer able to ignore. For me a large part of this mystery was solved with a realization of autism followed by an official autism spectrum disorder (ASD) diagnosis in 2021.

I have written a version of this letter about 500 times over the past couple of years. If I shared everything in my heart, this would be a book rather than a newsletter. So let’s just consider this a place to start the conversation.

First please know, I haven’t been intentionally secretive, I just needed time to process and learn about what this means for me. For some, like myself who was/are largely unaware of what autism looks like in adults highly skilled in masking their traits, this is a surprise. For others who are more knowledgeable about autism, this all makes perfect sense.

Please also know this isn’t a sad thing I’m sharing, this realization has been one of the best things that has ever happened to me because it explains so much! The bouts of non-functioning exhaustion I’ve experienced and felt so much shame over are actually very understandable and predictable autistic burnout due to me not knowing how to take care of myself.

The love of and reliance upon repetition, ritual, and routine aren’t annoying traits, but actually reasonable, necessary ways for me to give my very busy brain a rest.

The seemingly conflicting strong need for connection and community, coupled with needing lots of alone time to recover from social situations, is actually a common struggle for autistic people, and completely understandable when taking into account that social interaction doesn’t come intuitively to an autistic brain.

Sensitivities and executive functioning issues just have to do with how my nervous system is organized. The tendency to invert words, or have trouble talking at all when I’m exhausted. The list goes on and on. I am finding new ways to accept and love myself daily, which is what I wish for us all.

There is nothing  you need to do differently to meet my needs. In fact I am quite grateful for how you, have held me through illness, injury, and severe autism burnout. During most of this time I didn’t yet know what was going on with me, so I could not even ask for what I needed. And somehow your support came through anyway. You’re amazing. Tears come to my eyes when I think of how lucky I am to have you.

Below I included a graphic and a link that are meaningful to me, and helpful as I began to learn about autism. The graphic shows the difference between how we’ve historically understood autism and what current research, taking into account autistic experience, tells us. We are learning the autism spectrum isn’t a straight line representing more or less autistic with Asperger’s syndrome on one end and severely autistic on the other. As a point of interest, Asperger’s syndrome was retired from DSM-5 in 2013. Rather the Autism Spectrum is a circle representing individuals on the spectrum’s talents and struggles.

See you on the mat soon, as we continue to get to know ourselves and each other!

Love,

Elle

Nick Walker, PhD.’s definition of autism.

Weekly Practice Schedule

Tuesday

8:15 am Forrest Inspired Vinyasa – Studio HALO and Zoom

• Register for Studio HALO classes here.

Thursdays

7:15am Forrest Inspired Vinyasa – Root River Zoom

Fridays

8:15 am Forrest Inspired Vinyasa – Infinity and Zoom

• Register for Studio HALO classes here.

 

“There’s another reason why we breathe with out-breaths first, and then in-breaths. The first breath we ever took, as we came out of our mother’s womb, was an in-breath. And the last breath that people take, lying on their deathbed, is an out-breath. Yoga, as it was meant to be by the ancient masters of India and Tibet, is a protest against this normal way of things. We don’t need to get old the way we do, they say. We were meant for life and not for death. Let the last breath out come first and then let us breathe in—let us live.”

The Tibetan Book of Yoga: Ancient Buddhist Teachings on the Philosophy and Practice of Yoga. ~ Geshe Michael Roach.

My Friends,

Let me be honest, this newsletter is all letter and no news. Our classes are as they have been, there’s nothing you need to know that the owners of the studios where you practice haven’t told you. These are just some things on my mind.

To give the Root River folks context, Heather Lorenz, the recent manager of Infinity Yoga Studio, recently purchased it, and as of June 1st we are now Studio HALO. This is good news, our studio needs someone to devote the time, energy, and resources needed for it to thrive.

As we mark the beginning of Studio HALO we are also marking the end of Infinity Studio. I am not meaning to be overly dramatic. We are meeting in the same space, and Heather has assured us that right now all she is thinking about changing is the name and the aesthetics like paint and props. So we are perhaps saying goodbye to a concept, or a feeling more than anything else.

Part of how I’m put together emotionally means that before I can legitimately get excited about what’s to come, I need to honor the moment we’re in right now. One could call it SHIFT~ (Sharon Mansur), one could simply call it transition. For me what it feels like is a deep exhale. Though we know our lungs will soon be full of fresh air, right this moment we are letting go of a bit of what has been sustaining us. I’m writing because perhaps I’m not alone in this sigh.

I keep thinking of the way of breathing I learned from reading Roach, Geshe Michael who in turn learned this from the Dalia Llama. I love it, so we have all practiced it together many times. We turn our perception of the breath around. To think of the exhale first, and then let the inhale follow. The quote above explains this more eloquently than I can.

As we prepare for a new look it feels appropriate to tell the stories of what exists around us as now. Love it or tolerate it, Infinity Studio had a specific look and feel which was created by the very community who gathered, and in many cases, still gather here.

Perhaps, most striking, are the murals on the wall which were created by Lynn Carlson, our beloved Qigong instructor. Whether Heather is planning on keeping them or if they will be covered, I’m not certain, but either way they deserve a moment of our attention.

The murals we’ve had the pleasure of practicing under for the past many years represent weeks, probably months, of Lynn’s research, meditation and creative energy. Before they existed on our walls they existed in her mind and in her dreams. Those of us who had the excitement of seeing them grow from one week to the next, have a feeling for how much time and skill it took to create them even once they were designed. Thank you Lynn. Your work has brought depth to all of our experience.

Speaking of painting, the colors on the walls were chosen by Dr. Kristin Noble, representing her family’s Greek roots. Specifically the brilliant blue waves and white sand where she feels so at home. For what it’s worth Dr. Noble is not the only woman I know who has had healing experiences basking in the sun on Greek beaches!

The walls were actually painted by Kristin and I, and a group of Infinity teachers and friends. It was a long night of laughter and music and stories. Including the story of how one of the painters was actually responsible for the body sized hole that had obviously been repaired in the wall behind where I usually teach. Apparently when the space was a martial arts studio either he threw someone through it, or he himself was thrown…. the details are blurry but the history remains.

We can’t leave out the amazing window displays created by Gretchen Mulkey. Is there anything this woman can’t do? Seriously, yet another wonder we’re lucky to have in our midst.

Our mismatched array of props are full of stories. Perhaps the most meaningful are the wooden blocks on long term loan from Shellie Nelson, they were created by her father before he passed away because Shellie and her friends wanted sturdier support in some of the standing poses than our foam blocks allowed. I don’t know how her father felt about yoga in general, but he certainly supports our practice in a beautiful way.

The piles of couch throw pillows were donated by Jen Bayer, or perhaps it’s more accurate to say they were an accidental gift from the company who erroneously sent them to her along with a couch. In those days our Yin class was growing far faster than our bolster collection. So when the company refused to pay shipping for Jen to return them and suggested instead she find a use for the truckload of pillows she didn’t want, we joyfully took them off her hands. I will admit these cushions were not exactly the beautiful support I envisioned for my fellow Infinity yoga practitioners, but I could not have been more grateful for them.

The table at the front of the room, where we used to sign in is another long term loan. This is a table I grew up with our front hall. It housed a predictable bowl of keys on the top, usually accompanied by a pile of mail, and our family photo albums on the bottom shelf. If you look closely you can see teeth marks from a particularly wild puppy we raised named Sammy. I often think of my mother when I see it, and how surprised she would have been to learn her awkward, shy kid — who was allergic to exercise — became a yoga instructor!

There are more memories, more details, more gifts of  the practical, the joyful, and the ridiculous.  I don’t mean to imply they are all disappearing, or that the ones I have shared are the only important ones.

I, like you, am looking forward to much more time practicing together. The name of place where we practice, or the color of the walls, or the newness of the props aren’t what’s most important to me. You are.

Let’s finish this collective exhale and take the next breath together.

Much love to you all,

~Elle

“The three factors that seem to have the greatest influence on increasing our happiness are our ability to reframe our situation more positively, our ability to experience gratitude, and our choice to be kind and generous.”

― Dalai Lama XIV, The Book of Joy: Lasting Happiness in a Changing World

Hello Friends!

Before I get into it, make sure to check out my out-of-town schedule. Brett and I are heading to Michigan to see my sister and her kiddos! Hallie is subbing for my Root River class and Gretchen is subbing for my Infinity classes. To keep things nice and manageable for Gretchen, please note there are in-person classes only those days. Online folks, please consider joining Hallie with Root River on Thursday, or going to my website and making use of all the videos you all helped fund!

The other thing on my mind is that I’ve been revisiting the idea of inversions, specifically ones that use wall space.

For those who don’t love going upside down, let me take a moment to reassure you that one can certainly practice asana without ever attempting a hand stand or shoulder stand! It is 100% not necessary. For that matter asana is only a small piece of the wisdom that is yoga, but that is a conversation for another time. My point is, friend, there is no pressure and you won’t be left out.

The reason I’m revisiting this is that Forrest Inspired classes pre-2020 included use of walls and going upside down against them. Some of us miss it. So I have been dreaming up a way that we can have our cake (responsibly sequenced practices taking into account everyone’s needs and doing my best to be an ambassador for inclusive respectful yoga) and eat it too (upside-down playtime on walls)!

Next Tuesday, March 20th you have the option of staying after class for a few minutes and practicing some inversions on the wall. We will all have the benefit of a practice that warms us up for this, which incidentally is also great for your back, shoulders, and general well being…. so if for any reason you don’t want to go upside down, end with us at Savasana and don’t go upside down. There is no pressure and you won’t be left out of anything during our regularly-scheduled practice.

If you practice from home and want to try a few wall inversions (maybe couch inversions) but have questions about how this could work for you, please reach out and we can think through it together!

Much Love,

Elle

Class information for Elle’s trip to MI:

Tuesdays 3/28 & 4/4

8:15 am Forrest Inspired Vinyasa – Infinity Studio only with Gretchen Mulkey

• Register for Infinity classes here.

Thursday 3/30

7:15am Forrest Inspired Vinyasa with Hallie – Root River Zoom

Fridays 3/24 & 3/31

8:15 am Forrest Inspired Vinyasa – Infinity and Zoom

• Register for Infinity classes here.

Infinity Info:

Punchpass Link: https://infinityyoga.punchpass.com

Email Heather Lorenz, studio manager, with any questions or concerns at infinitywinonayoga@gmail.com

Weekly Schedule

Tuesday

8:15 am Forrest Inspired Vinyasa – Infinity Studio and Zoom

• Register for Infinity classes here.

Thursdays

7:15am Forrest Inspired Vinyasa – Root River Zoom

Fridays

8:15 am Forrest Inspired Vinyasa – Infinity and Zoom

• Register for Infinity classes here.

 

 

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.

Lets Stay Connected!