Yoga by Design

Hello Everyone,

Time for a break, huh?

I'm ready!

All Yoga By Design classes will be on hiatus till the fall.

There will be some changes to the schedule.

I will be expanding this site too.

Have fun in the sun,

Verna

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.

After I left Eugene, I looked for yoga classes that filled the same needs in my life as Verna's had. It was slow going. During that time, I still checked in with myself at times of stress, noticing where I was holding that stress, letting it go where it wasn't needed. I described the check-in to people I know, who've told me they still use it, too. It is, in fact, the only thing from yoga I've ever successfully shared. And now that I've found a new instructor who I like well enough to practice with regularly, I still bring this litany with me and find it incredibly valuable. 

I just wanted to take a moment to say thanks to Verna, since it's something I found in her classes and have never found repeated elsewhere!

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.
 
 

Growing up, I was constantly into sports (Volleyball, basketball, baseball, softball, flag football) and did not think it was necessary to workout. The sports participation would keep me in shape. I was wrong. Unfortunately, it took triple bypass surgery (changing my diet), two hip replacements (walking not running) into my 60s to finally realize working out IS necessary. I was active (treadmill, pingpong, weight machines,Tai Chi and ballroom dancing) until I was 77 years old. By that age after the activities, i would ache, have a sore lower back after sitting for long periods and jump out of bed in the middle of the night with leg cramps. A friend at DAC suggested Yoga, I said it starts too early for me and jumping around is not my thing. He said "THE USUAL", try it you will like it. KAZAM, Absolutely does the job. My aches and pains (Especially the back pains and the leg cramps) are gone. I am 78 and enjoying life to the fullest. I do complain and moan during yoga, BUT THE END RESULT IS WELL WORTH IT. I attend class 3 times a week and intend to do it at home the other 4 days. I AM HOOKED