Yoga by Design

Welcome back to the mat, everybody!

Classes begin on Tuesday and Thursday, week of October 11th and 13th.

The session runs for six weeks, a week off over the Thanksgiving Holiday, then, another two weeks.  That's eight classes over a nine week period.  Time off to enjoy the holiday season.

Please plan to commit to the whole session.  I am giving priority to those who really want to work.  Class space limited to 16.  Drop- ins will be given second priority.

TUESDAYS~  5:30-7pm                                                   
THURSDAYS~  5:45-7:15pm

Address:  2274 Onyx St., just a few blocks SE of UO.

$8. - $12. per class, sliding scale.  

No classes Thanksgiving week.       

Bring your own mat.

If you would like more information, call Verna @ 541.343.3198

It's been a couple of years since I've had the chance to work with Verna, long enough for me to know the most important lesson I took away from her classes, although there were many. As we used to do various postures, she would ask us to unhinge our jaws, which prevented me, at least, from clenching my teeth. She'd ask us to notice what our tongue was doing and to move it away from the roof of the mouth. She'd have us take inventory of the temples, the brow, the eyes, and see if we held any tension that could be released, all accompanied with mindful breathing.

It's humbling to come to class a little more stiff than usual, but invigorating to realize that on those days, I seem to feel the process of inviting the breath into all the tight places more intensely. When the stiffness is there, in the shoulders for example as it was for me today, the stretching of a twist feels keen and sharp, so my mind wanders less. I focus on the breathing more, and the combination brings that unexpected sensation when the shoulder follows the breathing, relaxes, and everything that was held by the tension flows freely again.