Stephanie Spence's Blog, page 9

Chair Yoga by Kristin McGee Book Review

 

We are designed for movement, yet most people sit most of the day. Healing from a sports injury, and confined to a knee brace, I was in an unusual position of being forced to sit most of the day. To continue my yoga practice, I picked up a copy of Kristin McGee’s book, Chair Yoga.

I had assumed that chair yoga was only for older people. Kristen eloquently teaches that some people go from sitting at their breakfast table to sitting on a train and/or plane for a commute to an office chair then home again to sit at their dinner table before moving to the couch to relax. That’s a lot of sitting, and it’s the norm. Whether a busy working person or mobility challenged McGee’s book is easy to understand and upbeat. It’s clutter free but packed with wisdom.

In addition to the simple to follow instructions, I especially like the “Try this” and “Works for…” as a quick reference guide (which also saves time for the chair bound and time crunched). Great for a short flight or subway commute. Kristen conveys the information in a way that shows she’s a seasoned yoga instructor, but peppers in light moments to keep it fun and interesting.

I really loved the torso section, was shocked and inspired by the challenging hip section. I was surprised at my ignorance as to how much you could do seated and then lo and behold – standing poses with the chair. Nice inclusion. Little did I realize I’d been doing chair pose pigeon at my kitchen counter top for years.

Make sure and check out the 5 and 10 minute sequences.

This self-help wellness book is a great gift for someone you know who is sitting too much but wants to try yoga. Of course it’s also great for older people, but now I’m educated in the methods as to how it could be an ageless practice.

Kristin McGee is a yoga and Pilates instructor in New York City. She’s also a mom to her son Timothy, a contributing editor at Health, a brand ambassador for C9 by Target, and has appeared frequently on television:Today Show, Good Morning America, Early Show, CNN, Fox News, among other programs. Whether working privately, watching her DVD, or working out in one of her classes, she helps you get in shape and have fun while doing it. Kristin aims to make her programs fun and accessible to all…beginner yogis included.Tweet

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Festival of Yoga 2018, San Diego, California

 

Come celebrate United Nations International Day of Yoga in San Diego. Mark your calendar for June 24th!

I caught up with Joe Schwab, the Executive Director:

SS: Joe, What is the United Nations Int’l Day connection?

“The International Day of Yoga is celebrated on June 21st (the longest day of the year) since its inception in 2015 by the United Nations. We’ve offered our festival since 2016 and come as close as we can to the actual date in order to honor this proclamation.”


SS: Is this for beginners?
 
“Absolutely! And ALL levels of yoga! We will have two large Community Classes for all levels and 20 breakout sessions focusing on beginner as well as advanced topics. There will also be music, food and vendor booths with fantastic merchandise!”




SS: How is this yoga festival different from other yoga festivals?
 
“First of all, it’s FREE for everyone. You only need to register online and show up!


Also, we have an enormous variety of classes, ranging from traditional yoga classes like Yoga 101, hips and low back and arm balances to kids yoga, sound immersion, meditation, yin yoga and yoga philosophy. We are also partnering with non-profit OG Yoga, whose mission is to bring yoga to populations that normally can’t attend studio classes.“



SS: How did you become involved?


“I guess it was in the cards! My role at the yoga studio is project manager. Someone else at the studio came up with the idea of a yoga festival honoring the Int’l Day of Yoga, then they left for another job. The festival then fell into my lap and has been there ever since!

Joe Schwab

 
My yoga practice has taught me so much about being in tune with my body and breath. It has made me a more patient and caring person. My teacher training was a life changing experience at a time in my life when I really needed it. My involvement with the yoga community has provided me with lasting relationships and given me opportunities to explore my various interests.”


Come celebrate with us! See you there ~ Namaste

For more info click HERE

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Fiscal Yoga, Meet Meadow DeVor

A lesson I learned (the hard way) was to be in control of my financial future. With a life enhancing plan, I hired a financial coach during a period of incredible growth. I’ve found someone recently I believe can start you on a new path to wellness.

As well as a healthy body, mind and spirit we also deserve a healthy financial life. We need to end the taboo of talking about money. I’m excited to introduce you to Meadow DeVor. Challenging us to investigate our relationship to our self-worth, Meadow DeVor gives us an “invitation to live as though you deserve your own attention and respect.” I contacted Meadow to allow you to consider if you do.

SS: Tell me what you mean by “owning your own worth” and how that affects your financial life.

Meadow: I believe that our relationship to money is an exact reflection of our deepest held beliefs about our own worth and that our relationship to money relates to deeply personal and spiritual issues that go far beyond spending, earning and debt.

I use the unexpected subject of money because it is an excellent teacher and it always tells the truth. It’s an invitation to get to know yourself, your understanding of how to be human, what love really means and how to show up more fully in the world. It’s an invitation to remember that you are worthy and to live as if you believe it.

SS: What does this have to do with yoga?

Meadow: Whether I am teaching money, worthiness, recovery, boundaries or yoga — all of my work centers on what I call The Four Voices: Mind, Heart, Body and Soul. To fully own our worth, I believe that we must integrate each of the Four Voices. Yoga connects us and helps us be present with the body and because of this, we begin to open our hearts and experience a greater capacity for emotion; we begin to open our minds creating flexibility in our previously rigid belief systems, and in turn, we awaken our souls opening us up to a longing for a sense of purpose and service.

Coaching is primarily a tool for the mind and heart and yoga primarily focuses on the body and soul. Through inquiry, we can blend the best tools from each of these camps, the laser focused mind work, the heart-opening emotional work, the history-healing body work and the divine work of the soul. Yoga means union. And this work does exactly that, it unifies the Four Voices, eradicating confusion, doubt and contradiction so that you can hear only one clear voice inside, the voice of your true self.

Eradicate on!

Meadow is an internationally recognized inquiry and yoga teacher with a modern approach to spirituality, money and personal leadership. Since 2007, she has led teacher trainings, inquiry classes and retreats both online and throughout the United States. She’s the author of Money Love: A Guide to Changing the Way You Think About Money. She publishes a popular inspirational blog and podcast on her website. Meadow has been published in Women’s Day Magazine, and has been published on many renowned blows including RebelleSociety, Teach.Yoga, Enemy of Debt, and has had the pleasure of being a guest on the Oprah Winfrey Show.

She lives with her daughter in the quiet countryside of California’s Central Coast.Tweet

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