New classes added to the Joy Yoga schedule, beginning Tuesday, Jan. 19th!

With the start of the new year and the fast-approaching Texas Yoga Conference and Two-Steppin' with Texas Yoga Tour, there is lots of excitement at Joy Yoga Center! Here's a summary of some new classes we're adding!

New classes:
Tuesdays and Thursdays, 9:00-10:15am - Beginner class, followed by a free meditation class from 10:15-10:30am. Both will be led by Stacey Ramsower. Come for class and stay for a lovely guided meditation! This class begins Jan. 19th.

Fridays, 6:00-7:00pm - All Levels class, led by Emery Meadows. This class begins Jan. 22nd.

About the yoga guides:

Stacey Ramsower

Stacey has been a mover and a shaker since the age of three when she started dancing. From there, she explored various sports, eventually trying yoga at the tender age of fourteen. After practicing on her own for a few years, Stacey moved to Los Angeles to attend college and had the privilege of studying yoga with many great teachers, including Shiva Rea, Annie Carpenter, Lisa Walford, Micheline Berry and Hala Khouri, whom she counts as her mentor. Thrown into the mix of Stacey's training is modern dance, martial arts, belly dance, capoeira, samba and afro-brazilian dance. All these creative forms of movement inspire her teaching and music selection. Stacey has adopted Houston as home and is thrilled to join the talented line-up of teachers and yoga lovers at Joy Yoga Center.

Emery Meadows

Emery began experimenting with different forms of yoga in 2001. Yet it wasn't until she tried vinyasa yoga that she felt that "Aha!" sensation and knew that this was the style of yoga she would like to integrate into her daily life. Emery is now a certified yoga instructor through the yoga teacher training program at Joy Yoga Center.

Emery brings more than twenty years of dance training and a Bachelor's degree in Ritual Theatre to her yoga teaching and practice. She has worked as a professional massage therapist for eight years and also practices energy therapy as a Reiki Master and Oneness Blessing Facilitator.

For Emery, yoga is about learning to accept yourself where you are while also challenging yourself to grow. It is about using movement, breath and meditation to peel away the layers of self-criticism and doubt, while opening to the true strength, joy, wisdom and peace within you. Emery looks forward to a lifetime of learning through yoga practice and hopes that you will join her in sharing the power and beauty of vinyasa yoga. - Namaste

Tiki here again with a little inspiration and insight! Over the past few weeks, I've been watching you do all those crazy poses in yoga class, and it looks like those postures can get pretty challenging. Yet most of the time, you manage to look pretty calm. This is amazing to me because when I start to feel stressed out, like when my mommy takes me to get my shots, I try to run away from the vet, or better yet, try to bite him. So I started wondering how you guys can do this - stay relaxed and not run away from those Planks and Warrior poses. You don't even growl (well, most of you don't, at least!).

I'm realizing that you're using those poses to teach yourself how to better deal with any stress in your life. By breathing, staying present, and fully experiencing the sensations of that challenging pose without judgment, you start to realize that the pose is a tool for your growth, not just something to be avoided. This starts to carry over into every aspect of your life, and before you know it, you're realizing that you can grow because of that traffic jam or that deadline at work, rather than just stressing out over it. You can view any challenge in life as an opportunity for growth, and rather than just enduring it, you can even begin to appreciate it for that growth opportunity. This is the way that we can charge ahead fearlessly into a life that is full of joy and exuberance.

The more you practice and face those Warrior poses head-on, the more you feel how the yoga practice teaches you to appreciate every part of your life. Rather than shying away from the difficult parts of your practice and of your life, you teach yourself instead to face them with peace, focus, and hopefully even a sense of humor. Who knows, if I practice a few more Chaturangas, maybe even I can realize that the stress of getting a shot is really meant to keep me healthy and won't bite the vet next time!

Namaste,
Tiki

If I've learned one thing from sitting in my doggie-house watching my mommy teach you how to do all those crazy poses, it's that breathing is the most important tool we have for relieving stress (I know it certainly helps me to de-stress whenever I see some cheeky cat walk by my window!).

Remember that the breath is the most powerful tool we have for changing how we react to situations. If we are holding our breath, or breathing a shallow, inverted breath, we are sending the message to our brains and therefore to our bodies that we are in "fight or flight" mode. When your brain and body are in this stressed-out mode, you are not in a position to think in a clear and focused manner. Your brain is just sending the necessary messages to your body to help you survive for the short term.

When we fail to breathe and live in a constant state of stress, we actually become less productive because we don't have the ability to focus. In addition, staying for prolonged periods of time in this stressed-out mode taxes your immune system, and actually deprives all the organs of your body of oxygen and vital nutrients. So the next time you're stuck in traffic or in line at the grocery store, don't be frustrated, just take a deep breath!

Remember that you can't always change potentially stressful situations, but you can change your patterns of adversely reacting to them, and use them as a tool for growth.

Now be sure to print this page out and display it prominently in your office or on your refrigerator so that you can be reminded to breathe and stay inspired all week long! And be on the look-out for other fun tips that I've picked up by watching you guys practice yoga - you will be amazed at just how wise a tiny little Chihuahua can be!

Namaste,
Tiki

Unleash Your Unlimited Potential for Love, Joy, & Abundance Through the Power of the Breath!

Join us for an Intro to Transformational Breathing and Full Breath Sessions, led by J.D. Thomas. Start your new year off on the right foot by releasing limiting beliefs and blockages on all levels, and experience how liberating this powerful healing technique can be!

- Joy Yoga Center will be offering an introduction to Transformational Breathing on Tuesday, Jan. 5th, from 8:30-10:30pm ($39). This session will include a breathing analysis, discussion of how and why Transformational Breathing works, and a full breath session.
- We will also be offering a full breath session on Wednesday, Jan. 6th, from 11:00am-12:30pm ($25). This session is for students who have already participated in the intro workshop.

What is Transformational Breathing?

Transformational Breathing™ is one of the fastest growing healing and self-enrichment techniques available today. As a state of the art healing and regenerative process, Transformational Breathing utilizes a specific breathing pattern that clears past repressed traumas, revitalizes the physical, and transforms emotional and mental traumas on the cellular level. Maximum physical and emotional benefits along with expanded states of awareness are the natural products of increased oxygenation that Transformational Breathing brings.

The process begins by learning how to open your breath and utilize the entire respiratory system. This results in more energy and increased brain function that leads to more enjoyable mental and emotional states. Higher frequency energies created by the breath entrains (changes) the lower frequency energy patterns stored in body and subconscious. This process results in permanent transformation of pain and denser energies in the system and enhanced feelings of clarity and lightness.

How Does It Work?
By using a deep, fully connected breathing pattern to access the subconscious mind, new path ways and greater levels of energy flow are opened within the body. Constricted breathing patterns are removed and the body becomes re-oxygenated with vital life force. This is achieved by using a combination of cyclical breathing, sacred sound, affirmations and focused intent. The method is very natural, easy, and self-fulfilling. No special skills or effort are required - beyond the personal desire to outgrow limitations and become more positively empowered.

Additional Benefits:

* More strength and power in your asanas
* Better circulation and energy to the muscles
* Clearer mind for your yoga practice
* An awareness of the movement of prana in the body

When: Tuesday, January 5th, from 8:30-10:30pm, and
Wednesday, January 6th, from 11:00am-12:30pm.

Where: The Joy Yoga Center
4500 Washington Avenue, Suite 900, 77007

Investment:$39 for the Tuesday night session (intro and full breath session), and $25 for Wednesday's full breath session.

Call 713-868-YOGA (9642) or visit www.JoyYogaCenter.com to register for this exciting and transformational experience today!
For more on Transformational Breathing, visit JustgoBreathe.com

It’s Tiki, the Yoga Dog, here to wish you a very happy 2010! I’m so excited to be back in the swing of things after a very fun and restful holiday season, and now I’m looking forward to a great year of yoga with all of you.

One thing I’ve learned from my own doggie yoga experience is how to sit back and enjoy watching the wonders of life unfold, without trying to force things into place. When I’m practicing my yoga, I find it to be a much more pleasant experience when I just enjoy my Downward Dog without trying to force my little heels to the floor or force myself into how the pose is “supposed” to look. And when my practice is a pleasant experience for me, I can feel my little Chihuahua body letting go of some tension, which allows me to move more effortlessly through my poses. By letting go of that stress and tension, I’m allowing the wonders of my yoga practice to unfold, and I sometimes even surprise myself with what I can do.

From what I’ve observed, this doesn’t occur only in yoga either. I know when I try to control things and use every trick in my repertoire to coerce my mommy into giving me more treats, it feels like a constant battle. But this battle becomes really tiring, so inevitably I end up giving up the treat-fight and just go snuggle with my mommy on the sofa. Almost every time, I’m so happy to be snuggling with her that I totally forget about the treat (and the other times she gives me one anyway!).

So, at the beginning of the year, it’s always really exciting for me to think about all the great stuff that’s heading my way this year. And it’s also so comforting to remember that I don’t have to force it to come to me; I just get to relax and enjoy watching it all unfold. I look forward to a great year with all of you, and I’m watching with anticipation to see the wonders that unfold for each of us!

Namaste,
Tiki