weekend yoga teaching schedule

This weekend, I'm taking Ray Long's Anatomic Yoga workshop at Triangle Yoga, but will still be teaching my Kids Yoga class at 11:00am on Saturday (ages 3-6). Allegra Gulino will sub my Hatha Yoga 1 class at 12:30pm on Saturday at Triangle.
On Sunday, I have the enormous honor of subbing Allison Dennis's Veda Vinyasa class at 10:30am at Open Heart Yoga School. We'll do a creative vinyasa sequence and discuss a few selections from chapter 2 of the Bhagavad Gita.

Thanksgiving Day Yoga

I'll be offering a special donation-based class on Thanksgiving Day from 9:00-10:30am at Triangle Yoga to benefit TABLE, an awesome local organization that feeds school-age children from low-income families in Chapel Hill and Carrboro that are at risk for hunger. Come support a great cause and get your practice in before celebrating all that you're grateful for with your family and friends.

In all my Thursday classes, HULA HOOPS!

This afternoon and this evening we will continue to explore the balancing poses, supported by our breath, practicing contentment (santosha) and effort (tapas) while using the hula hoop as a tool to add playfulness and a fresh perspective to our practice. See you for Tween Yoga (4:30-5:30), Vinyasa Flow 1-2 (5:45-7:15), and/or Hatha Yoga 1 (7:30-9) at Triangle Yoga!

new weekly class schedule flier

Nicole Mark Yoga

Balancing effort (tapas) and contentment (santosha) in Hatha Yoga 1

In my Hatha Yoga 1 classes this month, we will focus on balancing effort (tapas) and contentment (santosha) by way of practicing the balancing poses. The physical postures of hatha yoga are metaphors, so whatever happens on our mat can tell us something about what is happening in our lives if we listen deeply to the quiet voice of the heart. Our efforts (tapas) to attain physical balance in our yoga asana practice help us to cultivate more balance in our lives outside of the yoga studio, off the mat. Effort is different from struggling, striving, or pushing. Effort is using our energy purposefully and mindfully to move towards a goal while being content (santosha) with where we are physically, today, at this moment. One of my teachers, Ti Harmony, often summarizes the relationship between effort and contentment by saying, “Everything is perfect, but there’s always room for improvement.” Join me for this exploration on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 7:30pm and Saturdays at 12:30pm at Triangle Yoga.

Flier for my new class, Lil Asana, which begins Oct. 3!

lilasana

Autumn's almost here!

As the new season approaches, lots of transitions and changes are happening.  My yoga practice helps me maintain my equanimity as I transition from one role to another at work, as I perform household chores and try to allocate my financial resources wisely, as I take on new yoga teaching gigs (more about those in a bit), and as I try to remember to do everything with a sincere intention to be of service.

Some highlights from recent weeks:

• The lovely Lila Donnolo taught a super fun Partner Yoga workshop at Open Heart Yoga School while she was in town teaching AcroYoga at the Flowjo.  John and I both had a blast.  We met some new people, got a great workout, and deepened our connection to each other--all at the same time!  The experience got me really excited about playful ways of experiencing movement, so I've signed up for an aerial dance class at the Flowjo beginning on Sept. 28.  
• Jonathan Safran Foer came to UNC's Memorial Hall to talk about his book, Eating Animals.  If you haven't read it, it's a wonderful examination of the American way of raising and eating animals from the days of traditional animal husbandry to the current systems of agribusiness and factory farming.  If it leaves you really inspired to change the world one plate at a time, or if you just want to try a healthier way of eating, join the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine's 21-Day Vegan Kickstart, starting tomorrow.        
• Veda Vinyasa Yoga Teacher Training is winding down, with only two weekends left!  I'm excited to be graduating, but I will miss meeting regularly with the amazing group of yogis I've been on this journey with since March.  As I work to complete the course's writing assignments and re-read my notes as I plan my yoga classes, I realize just how much I've grown during the course of the training, and how much more I want to learn.  At the end of October, during Halloween/Moogfest weekend, I'll be taking the Radiant Child training at Asheville Yoga Center between electronic music shows and frolicking about the city with John.  Another long teacher training is definitely on the horizon.  The question is, which one and when?  Maybe Jivamukti...

Yoga teaching updates:

• Caroline Kilaru and I will be co-teaching a FREE yoga class at Wilson Park in Carrboro on SUNDAYS from 8-9 am starting next Sunday, Sept. 11.
• I'll be teaching a second children's yoga class, Lil' Asana for ages 4-10, on MONDAYS from 4-5:15pm at Open Heart Yoga School in Carrboro beginning October 3.  
• I'll continue to teach Kids Yoga for ages 3-5 from 11am-noon on SATURDAYS and Hatha Yoga 1 from 12:30-2pm on SATURDAYS at Triangle Yoga during the fall session.  The new session begins on Sept. 17.  Please e-mail me at nicolelilyoga@gmail.com if you have any questions about any of the classes.    

Love to you all!

My friend Cab in tree pose, then drawing at the end of class.  So sweet!