Finished YogaWorks Teacher Training

I just wrapped up my 200hr Teacher Training with YogaWorks. I am excited to find a new yoga home to share all the knowledge I gained over the last 3 months and starting to do private yoga sessions. If you know someone that would like to try a private yoga session please drop me a message

Great Yoga Ab Routine

With the weather warming you may be thinking more about abs then you have during the winter. While getting ripped abs shouldn't be the focus of your asana practice the practice is a good way to tone the body. A strong and flexible core makes for easier breathing, improved posture and digestion. So even if a bikini isn't in your future plans focusing on your abs has benefits.

This clip is from Mark Blanchard's ultimate core strengthening DVD. Filmed at the base of an energy vortex in beautiful Sedona, Arizona, The Core is an unsurpassed yoga workout for those looking to strengthen and tone your abs, inner and outer thighs, buttocks, hips, and back muscles. -

Tree Pose- A Beautiful Way to Transition Into Spring

Spring has taken it's sweet time this year and I for one can't wait for it to start. It has been a long hard winter for many and the transition into spring, the season of new life, is always one that is celebrated on my end. I think tree pose (Virksasna) signifies the upward growth that refreshes both body and mind.

The following was Adapted from The Yoga Year by Celia Toler (Storey Books, 2001)

A tree stays upright by its network of roots that spreads out and pulls downward. Similarly, the body must develop a feeling of being pulled down into the ground. The tree grows upward toward the sky, and the body, too, relies on a two-way movement at the back of the waist to maintain balance, lengthening the spine upward with the breath as the weight drops toward the feet.

In Tree Pose, everything below the waist sinks down, while the upper body lengthens up with the exhalation.

We recommend doing this pose barefoot. Feel free to use a chair to help yourself balance: directions for doing the pose this way are included.

1. Stand with your feet shoulder width apart, with your weight evenly in both feet. Now take your weight onto your left leg. Exhale and bend your right knee up, rotating your hip and placing the right foot on the upper thigh of the left leg with the heel close to the crotch and the toes pointing down. To get the foot higher, hold the ankle with your right hand and move the foot up. Allow the bent knee to press the heel in against the thigh, while the thigh is strong in return against the foot. Inhale as needed.

2. Keep the standing ankle tall and straight. The foot stays quiet, expanding against the ground, weight in the heel. When balancing, feel the vertical action of gravity drawing you straighter over your supporting leg. If the balance is difficult, place your hand on the back of a chair. Fold the knee in nearest the chair as this improves straightness and balance over the supporting leg.

3. Drop your weight down through your tailbone while lengthening your spine up to the crown of your head with each exhale.

3. Exhale and place the palms of your hands together in the prayer position a few inches from your chest. If you feel ready, raise your arms above your head. You may want to spread your hands apart and visualize them as branches. Don’t be afraid to sway a little: trees sway. Let the in-breath come easily.

4. After holding the pose for a few moments, lower your arms and foot and repeat the pose standing on the right leg.

Read more: http://www.care2.com/greenliving/simple-spring-yoga-tree-pose.html#ixzz1GzEdmACw

Basic Sun Salutation- Perfect for a Mid-Week Pick Me Up

I love a good Sun Salutation (Surya Namaskar). A Salutation is the perfect way to warm the muscles and prepare them for deeper stretching and strengthening. A sun salutation can be pretty bares bones with just a few poses or fairly lengthy with several poses or poses that are held for longer periods of time. This week we will work on a pretty basic one that will be sure to lift your spirits as we head to the middle of the week.

Basic Salutation-

1. Mountain
Begin by standing in Mountain pose, feet about hip width apart or closer, hands either by your sides, shoulders back and down. Take several deep breaths.

2. Hands up and Swan Dive
On your next inhale, in one sweeping movement, raise your arms up overhead and gently arch back as far as feels comfortable and safe.

3.Forward Fold
As you exhale, bend forward, bending the knees if necessary, and bring your hands to rest beside your feet, dangle besides the legs or to your legs for support. Inhale half way up hands on shins or thighs, flat back. Exhale forward fold.

4.Low Lunge
Inhale and step the right leg back

5. Plank
Exhale and step the left leg back into plank position. Hold the position and inhale.

6. Lower down either all the way with elbows touching ribs or coming down into Four Limbed Staff Pose. Which is exhaling and lowering yourself as if coming down from a pushup. Only your hands and feet should touch the floor.

7. Upward Dog (or cobra or sphinx)
Inhale and stretch forward and up, bending at the waist. Use your arms to lift your torso, but only bend back as far as feels comfortable and safe. As you lift the chest through the arms roll the thighs out. No compression in your lower back. Shoulders back and down. Push the top of the feet into the floor (shoelaces). As you become more comfortable you can work to lifting your legs up so that only the tops of your feet and your hands touch the floor.

OPTION TIME-

8.Extended Child's pose
Hips back towards heels, knees as wide as mat, chest heavy between thighs and arms stay extended.

or

8. Downward dog
Exhale, lift from the hips and push back and up.

9.Low Lunge
Inhale and step the right foot forward.

10.Exhale, bring the left foot forward and step into forward fold at the top of the mat. Inhale half way up into half forward fold and exhale back into forward fold.

11. Inhale Reverse Swan Dive. Hands up

12. Exhale hands together hands to heart center. Repeat 1-12 times a day. :)

Weekly Pose Spotlight- Anjaneyasana (Low Lunge)

As we start March this week I wanted to put the spotlight on one of the poses I love to teach - Anjaneyasana (Low Lunge.) The reason I love teaching this pose is because as you work on your alignment throughout the body here you can feel the pose working deeper into typically tight areas all at once. The shoulders, the hips, the thighs, the groin. Low Lunge requires you to focus on alignment and breath in a dynamic way. And students find great opening and release when they work on this pose. Follow these instructions borrowed from yogajournal.com to create a powerful Low Lunge.

Step by Step-

From Downward-Facing Dog, exhale and step your right foot forward between your hands, aligning the right knee over the heel. Then lower your left knee to the floor and, keeping the right knee fixed in place, slide the left back until you feel a comfortable stretch in the left front thigh and groin. Turn the top of your left foot to the floor.

Inhale and lift your torso to upright. As you do, sweep your arms out to the sides and up, perpendicular to the floor. Draw the tailbone down toward the floor and lift your pubic bone toward your navel. Lift your chest from the firmness of your shoulder blades against the back torso.

Take your head back and look up, being careful not to jam the back of your neck. Reach your pinkies toward the ceiling. Hold for a minute, exhale your torso back to the right thigh and your hands to the floor, and turn your back toes under. With another exhale, lift your left knee off the floor and step back to Downdog. Repeat with the left foot forward for the same length of time.

HEY PILATES FOLKS

So I decided to create a blog seperately for my Pilates fans. Check out-

nicolespilates.blogspot.com

Same idea just for pilates.

Stay Tuned

I have ignored the blog for awhile but as I get ready to leave Michigan and head to NY I decided to breath some life back into this blog.

If you check back soon I am hoping to add some tips, poses and once I get settled videos. Be patient with me but stick around and I hope to make it worth your while.

I will be doing pilates on here as well until I start another page for that.

Thank you so much. I truly appreciate what you all have given to me. It's been an amazing journey that I hope continues with the blog. Leave messages any time you want with questions, comments or just to say hi!

Yoga Schedule 2010

I hope 2009 was wonderful. As we near 2010 I hope you can take some time to be reflective of your journey this far and be appreciative of the wonderful experiences, things and people you have encountered along your path.

My 2010 schedule looks like this at this point-

Monday 8-9pm - Yoga Southfield L.A. Fitness
Tuesday 4-5pm - Private Group Session
Tuesday 6:30- 7:30pm - Pilate's Warren L.A. Fitness
Wednesdays 9:30- 10:30 am - Pilate's L.A. Fitness
Wednesdays 6:00-6:45pm - Beginning Yoga South Oakland YMCA
Thursday 8:15-9:15 - Yoga Birmingham YMCA

Feel free to check any of these out. I would love to see you. I also do private lessons and group lessons. Group lessons are great if you have people at your job that would be interested during lunch, a bunch of neighbours or friends or for a fun party! Contact me for rates at mitschnicole@hotmail.com.

Outdoor Yoga Class

I am adding an outdoor class at Veterans Memorial Park in Warren. It will be held every Tuesday from 4:30-5:30 pm for 7 weeks. Its going to be $5 drop in class so you can come to all or come to one or come to none. Veterans Memorial Park is on the corner of Campbell and Martin. Campbell runs the same way as Van Dyke and is between Van Dyke and Hoover right off of 696.

The class will start on Tuesday June 30 th and it should be a good time. They have shade but I am encouraging people to bring a mat (I have an extra one if people don't and some water).
If you know anybody else all ages welcome, that might want to come feel free to spread the word. :)

When: Tuesday 4:30-5:30
Start:June 30th
Cost $5.00 per class
Place: Veterans Memorial Park

NEW Classes Added

I am now teaching a Monday night class yoga class-

Monday Nights at Southfield L.A. Fitness 8:00- 9:00 pm

Also I am thinking about adding an outdoor yoga class on Tuesday nights in Warren Michigan's Veterans Park not to from Hoover on Martin road. This class would be a drop in class for probably 8 weeks every Tuesday night for a hour. I am still working out the details but I am thinking anywhere from 4-7. If you want to suggest a good time or if you think you might be interested let me know. It would be drop in you would only have to pay for the days you can come. It would probably be $5.00 a class. Come to one come to all. If it rains we won't meet. Again I am in the early stages of working this out but I would love to hear feedback.

My email is mitschnicole@hotmail.com

Another Schedule Change

Due to circumstances beyond my control my schedule has changed once again. The Warren LA Fitness class is on hold due to numbers in their other classes. :( But Warren ladies no need to worry she said she is trying to work something else and as soon as she knows I will let you know. And if your willing to travel I will be taking over the Monday night class at the Southfield LA Fitness in June. Here is the new schedule for right now.

Plus Family Yoga is cancelled for this session. :(


Wednesday Royal Oak YMCA - 7-8:15pm Yoga
Thursday Birmingham YMCA - 8:15-9:15 am Yoga

My email address and another week

Hey guys I just wanted to post my email address for those of you who don't have it and need to contact me with questions and/or info. It is mitschnicole@hotmail.com.

Also the Lifetime Fitness class is still not on the schedule so it won't be held this week. It should be on the schedule for next week Monday May 4th. Hope to see you there. :)

Class Time Change

L.A. Fitness class has switched from Tuesday to Monday night at 6:30 pm. So it will be from 630-7:30pm on Mondays at L.A. Fitness in Warren. Starting Monday April 27th.

Sue I hope you see this. :)

Currrent Schedule

NICOLES CURRENT SCHEDULE-

I just got hired on at L.A. Fitness in Warren. Currently I am only doing one class there but that might change in the new future. Also I hope to pick up another class in the area so keep checking back here for updates.

As it stands right now-

Tuesday Royal Oak YMCA- 6-7pm Family Yoga
Tuesday Warren L.A. Fitness- 7:45-8:45pm Yoga
Wednesday Royal Oak YMCA - 7-8:15pm Yoga
Thursday Birmingham YMCA - 8:15-9:15 am Yoga

I am also avilaible for group or individual sessions. If you can get a group of your friends together for an hour of yoga I do travel. :)

Welcome!!!

Hi. Welcome to the spot to find out all the information on where I will be teaching yoga in the Detroit Metro area. Due to the recent closing off the Warren YMCA I figured I would set up a page for all those students who would like to keep tabs on where and when I teach my regular classes, when and where I am subbing and the addition of more classes in the area. I will update with new info as I get it so be sure to check back.

Namaste.