Workshops and Special Classes at the Body Mind Awareness Yoga Studio

Workshop and Special Class Descriptions


Following are descriptions of workshops and special classes held at the Body Mind Awareness Yoga Studio over the last 20 years.
Athletes Sustaining a Healthy Body Through Yoga This workshop is for people with any amount of yoga experience, beginners to advanced, who want to sharpen their athletic skills. You will learn how to incorporate yoga into your workouts to move in alignment, build strength, and prevent injuries. You will practice mindfulness to improve how to move and focus attention. And you will learn specific poses for people who practice running, swimming, skiing, volleyball, tennis, and golf.

Children's Yoga (ages 8 and Up) Children are natural yogis. This workshop introduces children ages 8 and up to yoga poses and breathing practices, developing awareness within themselves and for others. In this workshop, we will tap into the inherent creativity that children possess by incorporating yoga games into our practice. We will learn focused breathing techniques that give children tools for self-calming strategies. Skills learned in this class will encourage and develop flexibility, strength, confidence, and awareness. Instructor: Cara York

Couples Yoga Share yoga and explore poses together with a partner or a friend. In this workshop, you and your partner will support each other to stretch further, hold poses longer, and concentrate more deeply while feeling a stronger connection with each other. Beginners are welcome.

Revealing the Power of Crystals and Stones In this two-hour workshop, Mia Foley will share with you the many uses of crystals and stones from relaxation, physical and emotional healing, attracting abundance to protection from electromagnetic smog given off by our phones and computers. Your will also experience how to intuitively connect with crystals to gain your own deeper understanding of their abilities.

Dru Yoga Dru Yoga is a gentle, meditative practice which connects to the heart and helps release energy blockages created by anger, fear, and grief. Drawing inspiration from nature, Dru Yoga's flowing movements, mudras (hand positions), affirmations, and visualizations promote serenity, compassion, joy, and healing. Beginners are welcome!

Goddess Gratitude Although each of us has a powerful feminine voice within, modern life can leave us feeling disconnected from that divine energy. Join teacher Cara York to learn how to reclaim your connection to feminine energy by awakening the goddess within. Connect to our own inherent magic and mystery by embracing your intuitive, wild, creative, fierce feminine energy.

Vinyasa (Flow) Yoga Vinyasa (flow) yoga can be an invigorating, exhilarating, and fun way of doing yoga. In this workshop we will start with a floor warming up sequence and end with some seated poses, followed by a restful savasana. The standing sequences will allow us to focus on moving through postures with grace, slowly flowing from one to another, without holding any given posture for any length of time. It is a great class for level-2 level-3 students.

Exploring the Chakras From a yogic perspective, life is energy. Chakras are energy centers of vital life force (prana). Come learn more about yourself from the incredible viewpoint of your energy body. We will visit each of the 7 major chakras through imagery, physical postures, and breathing practices, and learn how to bring them into balance

Good Bye My Aching Back This two-hour workshop will help you rehabilitate your lower back by focusing on increased stability and core strength as well as increased flexibility and mobility so that you can move without pain. Our emphasis will be on a safe and effective yoga practice with particular attention given to understanding proper alignment and posture. We will also include traditional yoga poses that are modified to be back friendly. People suffering from sciatica; bulging, herniated or degenerated discs; scoliosis or other low back problems will benefit from this workshop.

Heart-Centered Meditation (HCM) Heart Centered Meditation is a very simple approach to sensing the energy of our heart in meditation and helping us move from the intellect of the mind to the wisdom of the heart. Through our practice, we become so connected to our heart and to our inner self that our heart truly becomes our inner teacher. We begin living more fully from our true nature. Each moment of our lives becomes filled with our connection, bringing us more abundant joy. Athena Flegas has been practicing HCM with her teacher Mary White since 1998 and teaching HCM since 2005.

Malas, Mantra, and Meditation Join teacher Cara York for an introduction to meditating with malas. Malas are a beautiful tool to assist our meditation practice. The simple act of using a mala encourages meditative focus, uniting intention and action. The fingers dance across the mala, as we repeat a mantra, a sacred, vibrating word or phrase. The more we chant, the more we tune ourselves to that vibration. During this workshop we will cleanse our malas, infusing them with the vibration of the heart chakra. We will drop into a guided mediation and learn essential guidelines to create your own personal mala meditation practice. Malas and yoga props will be available or bring your own mala and/or meditation cushion.

Strung With Love: A Mala Workshop Join teacher Cara York and create your own personal Mala, a beautiful string of beads used in meditation. Cara will explore the symbolism and history of Mala beads, as well as instruction in making your Mala. She will also go deeper to explore the roles of the guru bead and the tassel. There will be instruction on holding, cleansing, and using your Mala in meditation. Supplies available for purchase or bring your own: 108 size 6-8 mm beads 18 feet of knotted cord 1 guru bead embroidery thread for tassel.

The Power of Yoga Mudras Mudras are gestures, often practiced with the hands, that awaken the subtle body. In this workshop we will explore the power of mudras through discussion, meditation, breath work, and gentle movement, drawing the focus inward and channeling the body's energy flow. Instructor: Cara York

Power of Essential Oils Learn about the power of essential oils and how they can be used in every aspect of healing on the physical, emotional and spiritual levels. Come with your questions and testimonials, and be ready to experience a variety of oils.

Prenatal and Postpartum Yoga Maintain physical and mental well being during pregnancy with the gentle practice of yoga. Simple stretching and breathing designed to keep the expectant and new mother healthy. Relieve pregnancy discomforts, prepare for delivery, and regain physical and mental balance after your baby is born. Mothers can bring their newborns. Beginners welcome. Start at any time during your pregnancy.

Restorative Yoga Restorative Yoga is a great practice to help you stay healthy through the winter and centered as you deal with daily stress. In this workshop you will learn gentle yoga stretches, passive restorative yoga poses, and breathing practices to energize and calm your body, mind, and spirit. This is also an excellent workshop for those recovering from illness, injury, or surgery because these poses will help to boost your immune system. So come and restore your physical, mental and emotional health. No experience necessary, and all ages are welcome.

Summer Solstice Celebration The summer solstice had been celebrated for thousands of years all over the world. It is the longest day of the year and falls on June 21st in the northern hemisphere. It is a celebration of light and the power of the sum. It is a celebration of fertility, bountiful crops, and living with joy and ease. Join Maggie Vineburgh to celebrate this blessed day with music and dance, creating mud mandalas, and weaving flower crowns. Bring just yourself or come with a friend to join us in the celebration of the light! This workshop will be held outside, so dress appropriately.

Tantric Numerology Tantric Numerology has its roots in ancient yogic teachings. It was developed to illuminate the path, skills, and nature of a human soul. Tantric Numerology provides a way to align with our higher self. Join Maggie Vineburgh in exploring your Tantric Numerology. Discover more about your soul's purpose. Gain a better understanding of your karma and what is next. Learn what your gift is. Find out about your destiny.

Women's Yoga for our Changing Bodies - Midlife and Beyond Support for osteoporosis, insomnia, joint pain, power surges, brain function, balance, weight gain, and heart issues. Come join Athena Flegas who has experienced all of these midlife challenges and has found great support from her yoga practice as she moves gracefully through her 60s. She will gently guide you through yoga poses and help you find the best way to do them for your body. This is a great workshop for peri-menopause, menopause, and post-menopause ages 30–90. Some yoga experience is necessary.

Yin Meditation-Dance Let your body move to the rhythms of the music. Let your soul sing its inner song. This class will inspire fun, creativity and imagination as you move in ways you have never imagined and connect with your Yin essence - your deep feminine nature. Each dance will begin with a Heart Centered meditation that will help us connect to our heart and from our heart connection WE DANCE!. Join us to experience how connecting to your heart in meditation and your personal dance expression of that connection can empower you to live more fully through the sacred feminine. No dance or meditation experience necessary!

Yoga for Gardeners Has all that mulching, planting, weeding, and trimming left you with a sore back, tight hamstrings, and tired shoulders and hands? Join us for a therapeutic yoga session that will focus on bringing flexibility and strength to the back, legs, arms, and hands. Learn how to use yoga to prepare for and recover from you time working in your garden.

Yoga for Kids: Ages 6–10 Breathe like bunnies, roar like lions, stretch like dogs, and be still as a tree. Learn yoga in clear, simple, safe and fun ways. We play games and explore nature through the yoga poses. We take guided adventures during the quiet time


Yoga for Stiffs: Ease Arthritic Joint Pain This two-hour workshop will help reduce your pain, stiffness and discomfort from arthritis and other joint problems by focusing on yoga poses to increase flexibility and mobility so that you can move without pain. The emphasis will be on a safe and effective yoga practice which incorporates traditional yoga poses with modifications to help you prevent flare-ups. Breathing practices, guided imagery, and some restorative poses will be included as well as simple warm-ups and gentle flows which can easily be done at home. People suffering from arthritis, lupus, and other joint problems resulting from injuries or illness may benefit from this workshop. Beginners are welcome!

Yoga for Scoliosis Come join Athena Flegas as she shares her knowledge of yoga therapy for scoliosis. Athena's research spans more than 25 years after she was first diagnosed with scoliosis in 1993. Because she has been a serious student of yoga since 1974, she immediately looked to her yoga for support. In this two-hour workshop, you will experience a yoga practice that helps balance your spinal curves with flexibility and strength, relieves pain, and encourages acceptance.

Yoga for Teens (Ages 12 and up) The Yoga for Teens workshop is designed to address the unique lives of teenagers; a time heaped in change. Yoga offers stable ground that enables teens to navigate this time in their lives with strength and flexibility. The workshop will help students build strength and flexibility in the body while practicing yoga concepts that they can use in daily life. Relaxation techniques, awareness, and breathing practices will help teens navigate this exciting time of growth.

Yoga for Winter Blues Do you find yourself struggling a little with your emotions especially during the winter? Yoga is such a great way to balance you emotions when you are feeling anxious, depressed or suffering from cabin fever. Come and learn poses to calm your emotions and lift your spirit. This workshop is sure to put you in a great frame of mind to enjoy your life to the fullest no matter what the weather is doing!