Tag: online yoga

A new livestream session – BREATHWORK 101 starts Wed Feb 15!

It is easy to take the breath for granted: it happens automatically, plus we are quite busy tackling other challenges in life, thank you very much. At the same time, it is a powerful tool – if we so choose to explore its benefits. By learning how to properly breathe, we can gain an accessible method to modulate our stress levels, manage pain and discomfort, boost recovery and our ability to rest, and even improve our posture.

Each week’s class will build on the last. We will:

  • Cover the basics of human anatomy pertaining to breath i.e. get acquainted with our “equipment”
  • Learn different breathwork practices that are simple and effective
  • Talk about how to set up a home practice so that you can continue your journey
  • Definitely cultivate a deeper respect and appreciation of the human body’s beautiful intelligence.

All you’ll need for this practice is a yoga mat, a blanket, and a chair. If you happen to have a meditation cushion or yoga block, please have those handy as well. While most of practice will be done seated or lying down, there will also be some occasional gentle movement.

BREATHWORK 101
Wednesdays 5:30-6:30 pm CT
Feb 15, 22 & Mar 1, 8
4 weeks
$50 (includes 7-day replay)

Each day of class, you will be emailed a unique Zoom link to gain access. Feel free to hop onto the Zoom 5 minutes early to say hi and chat!

Shortly after each class, a link to the recording will be sent out, which will be available for 7 days.

Registration closes at 4 pm CT on Feb 15th. Also note: unlike the yoga livestream sessions on Mondays, I do not plan to run this session repeatedly (unless you really, really want it) so if this is something you’re interested in, sign up now!

NOTE: REGISTRATION FOR THIS SESSION IS NOW CLOSED. To get notified about upcoming sessions, please sign up for my newsletter here.

breathwork 101 livestream session

February livestream yoga session – starts Feb 6

While the darkest days of winter are behind us, true spring is still beyond the bend. As the ground sleeps, we continue to steep ourselves in the restful energy of the season. Staying steady on the path, we quietly cultivate our patience and resilience. We step the left foot, we step the right foot. We keep going.

LEFT FOOT, RIGHT FOOT: YIN & YANG YOGA
Mondays 5:30-6:30 pm CT
Feb 6, 13, 20 & 27
4 weeks
$50 (includes 7-day replay)

Each day of class, you will be emailed a unique Zoom link to gain access. Feel free to hop onto the Zoom 5 minutes early to say hi and chat!

Shortly after each class, a link to the recording will be sent out, which will be available for 7 days.

NOTE: REGISTRATION FOR THIS SESSION IS NOW CLOSED. To get notified about upcoming sessions, please sign up for my newsletter here.

January livestream yoga session – starts Jan 9

It is the beginning of another year, and while the Gregorian calendar can sometimes feel arbitrary, it can be useful to have a reason to start again.

As we take the opportunity to reset, how do we want to go about it? How can the ground we stand on be a source of stability, and thus sanctuary? Practice gives us a chance to learn how to engage in each moment with a sense of curiosity, of not-knowing. Can we shed the stories of the past, and be available to what arises?

There is potency in slowing down and planting one’s feet into the yoga mat / earth; through this, may we learn to create safety in our inner landscapes.

THIS GROUND, THIS SANCTUARY: YIN & YANG YOGA
Mondays 5:30-6:30 pm CT
Jan 9, 16, 23 & 30
4 weeks
$50 (includes 7-day replay)

Each day of class, you will be emailed a unique Zoom link to gain access. Feel free to hop onto the Zoom 5 minutes early to say hi and chat!

Shortly after each class, a link to the recording will be sent out, which will be available for 7 days.

Note that registration closes at 4 pm CT on Jan 9th.

NOTE: REGISTRATION FOR THIS SESSION IS NOW CLOSED. To get notified about upcoming sessions, please sign up for my newsletter here.

January livestream yoga session Adrienne Shum

Safety first, middle, and last.

As we come to the end of another year, it feels fitting to sum things up with a few wise words that bring closure to what has passed, and to spark hope about the advent of a new chapter. Here’s what I got:

Goodbye, 2022! You were weird and I’m still digesting what happened!!!!
Hi, 2023! Please be merciful, thanksss

To be clear: I am incredibly grateful for the blessings I’ve received (and worked hard for, dammit) over the past 12 months. But I’ve been doing this *gestures wildly* long enough to know that the deepest growth / learning comes from struggle. Having accepted this, it has become a tenet I ascribe to – if not in practice, then at least in theory.

And after an experience / period of hardship, I look for closure. Like any of us, I strive to draw lines in the sand: this is over. It’s done. I am letting go.

But: like actual lines drawn in actual sand, these demarcations get washed away by the tide (wow, this analogy is so fun, it’s getting a bit out of hand). When new experiences come up, they tug on past memories, and we might find ourselves back in the same emotional / mental spaces we had worked so hard to distance ourselves from.

Old wounds reopen, and the turbulence of present and past mashing together can feel like we are being tossed in the waves (yup, analogy has definitely gotten out of hand). We have to begin the work of acceptance all over again.

waves as an analogy for emotional distress

The work of acceptance has prerequisites. First, we need awareness. Can you feel the experience in your physical and emotional bodies? Can you track your thoughts and urges to react?

Awareness also has prerequisites. We must be willing to slow down and ground into the present moment to have even a furtive glance at ourselves.

And for that, we need some semblance of safety.

Safety is a human right. It’s not even a question of deserving it; it is a need. It is the bedrock of healing deep wounds, for being able to sustain the work of healing, and for holding space for others to do the same.

It is our tragedy and our work to create this safety, in an ongoing and emergent way. How can we touch on a feeling of safety, even if for a moment? How can we gift this to others?

When we are caught in the wind of upheaval, or fallen deep into the cave of despair, safety feels impossible. In these moments, words can seem inadequate for describing what we feel – and thus make it difficult to ask for help.

As you may or may not have noticed, when we move our bodies in yoga or sit / lie down in meditation, we don’t talk much. Instead, we are grounding into ourselves, learning to create stability. We are turning inwards, in order to feel what is non-verbal, and to hold space for it.

We do this with curiosity, in an effort to drop our stories and preferences. We make ourselves available to ourselves.

We do this slowly, so it can feel as safe as possible.

As we step forward into the future, the past comes with us. How would we like to carry it?

May we learn to feel safe in our bodies and minds. May we learn to create this safety for others. It may never be perfect, but maybe it can be good enough. We may never be fully healed, but we can still be here for eachother in a meaningful way.

P.S. I’ve been doing some “light” reading / listening on the topic of trauma (can you tell?!), and if you are interested, please go here to see a list of some resources I’ve found useful on the subject.