September 2009 Newsletter

Fall is quickly approaching, and schools have started back up. I am especially excited this fall, as I am finally getting my chance to pursue my dream of studying kinesiology at the University of Wisconsin. Thankfully, our yoga class schedule has remained mostly unchanged. For the most up-to-date schedule, check out the schedule on the webpage.

Now that September has started, we have started our regular pricing. We are also offering discounted rates to full-time students, teachers, non-profit employees as well as active duty military members and immediate families and veterans.

Intro to Yoga Workshops

Our first Intro to Yoga Workshop was on August 15th was a success, with our next workshop, scheduled this Saturday, already fully booked! The workshop covers the basics of Yoga, pranayama (breath), asana (poses), and touching upon philosophy. Our next workshop is tentatively planned for October 10th. If you know someone who is interested in starting yoga, this is a great introduction.

Picking a good yoga mat

I bought my first yoga mat over 7 years ago at sports depot. It is your generic run of the mill purple plastic mat. When I started practicing I found I was slipping and sliding all over, so on the recommendation of my yoga teacher I bought a yogi toes mat blanket. I used this without fail for years, and as I practiced more, I stopped sweating as much, learned how to push into the mat with my hands, and can now comfortably practice on almost anything. This worked well for me, but what are the options available?

Thickness

The thicker the mat, the more cushioning available for you when you are rolling up and down on your spine, and when are jumping up and back. But thicker mats also tend to offer more of a challenge when you are trying to balance. For reference, the mats we use (Jade Harmony) at the studio are 3/16” thick, which I have found to be a good balance between cushioning and support. Thicker mats also tend to be more expensive

Generic plastic mats

These offer the best in the way of price, but are made of non-biodegradeable PVC. They also tend to wear out after a couple of years of intense use.

Eco (Rubber) Mats

Eco mats are fairly new to the market. These mats are made from biodegradeable materials, which also cause them to wear out a little faster than other mats.

We use Jade Harmony mats at Yoga Eight: http://www.jadeyoga.com

Cloth Mats

I have seen two different variants of this, one the afore mentioned yogi toes (which even though I don’t use on a day to day basis, I still swear by). They are extremely light, and easy to clean, but are meant to be placed upon a yoga mat. The second variant is normally called a mysore rug. (Mysore is a city in India, specifically where Pattabhi Jois lived and taught ashtanga). The mysore rugs are a about the same thickness as yoga mat, but have an entirely different grip.

Yogi Toes: http://www.yogitoes.com

Manduka black mats

I include the Manduka black mat, since it seems to be in a league of its own. These mats are the most expensive ($90), heavy (about 8 pounds), and last forever. They now include a lifetime guarantee. My first ashtanga yoga teacher had a black mat, which she had used for 8 years, and it was barely worn. If you notice you are hard on your mat, this is a good mat to look into.

Manduka Mats: http://www.manduka.com

Sanskrit word of the month

Vinyasa

Vinyasa is made up of roots nyasa “to place” and vi “in a special way”, normally denoting something in the way of sequencing. At Yoga Eight, we use it to mean one of two things.

An intelligent sequencing of poses.
A sequence of poses to transition from one pose to another

The first is exemplified in the overall sequencing of our classes, starting with a simple warm up and sun salutations to warm and prepare the body, moving through a standing series to strengthen, a seated series to stretch, and a finishing series to cool the body.

The second, is seen when we move through chatturanga dandasana (push up), upward facing dog, and downward dog. This is also a vinyasa, used to refresh the body. Just like a teacher erases a chalkboard between taught concepts, this sequence “resets” the body, readying it for the next pose.

I also like to sometimes humorously use the term vinyasa to mean moving past something. In San Francisco, I would sometimes get caught on something an my teacher, Larry Schultz, would say “vinyasa” meaning drop it and move on, much the same way we move between poses.

So the next time while driving and some cuts you off, say “vinyasa”, smile and keep driving.

Yoga Eight

Someone asked me why we named our studio Yoga Eight

After deciding that we were starting a yoga studio, Akemi and I spent many days and nights brain storming names for the yoga studio. We wanted something that had meaning to us. Ashtanga (which brought both Akemi and I deeper into our yoga practices) is translated as “Eight Limbs” (Ashta: Eight, Anga: Limb). So to honor the path with brought us here, we decided upon the name Yoga Eight.

Closing Thoughts

August turned out to be a memorable month, and September has definitely started out with a bang for us. We have a new sign up on the awning, and we are finishing our work on adding a little more sound proofing to our doors. Life is starting to become a little more regimented after last of summer vacations end. I hope everyone is getting ample time to enjoy the wonderful weather that Wisconsin affords us before days start shortening faster and temperatures start to dip. Thank you for your time, and have a wonderful month!