Mindstream Yoga Blog

Mindstream Yoga is approaching its one year anniversary on February 20th and we couldn't be more excited or grateful to you all for helping us reach this awesome milestone! In celebration, we're offering a few great new things for our members and students:

1) Members-only free guest day! Going forward, any current member may bring one guest to any one class on the Third Thursday of every month, beginning February 21st

2) Anniversary weekend (Feb 14 - 17th) free member gift: if you're currently a member on auto-pay come in and pick up your free Mindstream magnet or tumbler!

3) Anniversary deals:

-Any member who refers a new member to join during the month of February will receive 50% off their next auto deduction. That new member pays $79 for their first month and then the regular price for individual or group pricing thereafter. The new member must join during the month of February.

- Feb 14-17: 10 pack for $130. One per person, up to 2 extra as gifts

If you're looking for a great gift this season, or just looking to score a great deal for yourself...come take advantage of our Holiday packages and this week's LivingSocial deal!

Available at the studio are the following deals:

• Buy any punch card, get the second one of equal or lesser value 50% off
• Buy One Month Unlimited and get an extra 2 weeks free
• Buy Three Month Unlimited and get an extra month free

Also, don't miss out on our best deal of the year through this week's LivingSocial feature! You can find details and make your purchase here...

http://www.livingsocial.com/cities/128-northern-colorado/deals/481092-10-class-yoga-punch-card

See you in class soon!

I started to take yoga in the summer of 2007. By being a Massage Therapist my body hurt, and I was afraid that I wasn't going to be able to do my career that I loved very dearly much longer. This one summer changed all of that. I was doing yoga up to 4 times a week and felt so good that I knew that if I just keep up with my practice that I will be able to continue doing what I love. I was practicing yoga for 3 months when I started really thinking about the Teacher Training. I was in the middle of taking a yoga class when all of a sudden I thought you could totally teach yoga. I looked more into it and found out that the training started on my birthday and I just knew it was a sign so, I jumped into it with both feet and my life hasn't been the same sense.

All the teachers that lead my training inspired me then and now to trust myself. Be true to myself 100% and you will be successful. Before yoga there was no way that I could picture myself as a teacher of anything. I used to think that there is nothing that I could teach to others. The training helped me find my inner teacher and by just being myself and true to my passion I could inspire others through yoga. My own practice & teaching has made me the person that I am today. The teachers through the training really helped me understand why I love yoga.

So if you love yoga and what it brings to your life, why not learn more about it? Take some time to understand what it means to you. The Teacher Training trains you on some history of the poses and the meanings behind the names. It also trains you to understand your own body and what your practice is. The training goes into so much more depth then you could ever get in a one hour class. Even if teaching isn't what you want to do just keep a open mind and see what inspires. Taking yoga and teaching yoga are two very different ways of expressing your practice. Your practice is for you, but teaching yoga is to share your practice with others. Both of these make me feel the most alive and human which in the end helps me make better decisions and have more control over of my life.

Take time to think about your mind, body & spirit and how you can inspire others with your practice. Of all the studios that I have taught at Mindstream is the one place where I have the freedom to be myself. They encourage us to bring creativity to our own style of teaching. If you're considering studying here you will for sure have a  unique experience in a great atmosphere with this beautiful studio. You will also be part of Mindstream's history by being our first teachers that were trained here!

Support your Local Business

-Joanna

"The teacher in me honors and recognizes the teacher in you because we all have something to teach." Namaste`

Simply put, teacher training changed my life and how I live in this world. I knew I wanted to teach once I was finished, but I didn't know how much. There is truly something magical about yoga, the connections you make with people, the community you become a part of and how the true meaning keeps unfolding everyday. I knew that it was a path, meaning, it opens up so many doors for the student. If there is a point of interest that comes up in the training that is "your thing" or even after you start teaching, that path changes can evolve in many different ways. It is a gift to teach and a gift to practice, with teacher training, you get to do both and learn a deeper respect for the practice itself.

- Jill

“May we always approach our physical practice with this deep appreciation- to be in these bodies, to move, to breathe, to feel, to sweat,  what a gift”- Beth Shaw.

Working in the Fitness Industry for 8 ½ years, guiding Yoga students for 4 years, I feel this quote from Beth Shaw truly embodies who I am. Going through Teacher Training was an incredible experience. Being a certified Personal Trainer and Group Exercise Instructor, Yoga Teacher Training is in a completely different league. It is not just the physical aspect of health and wellness, but the emotional, spiritual aspect of living your life the best way you can.

Yoga has claimed me, has deepened my perspective, and it has made it my goal to help my students, clients, community and loved ones. As a mother of twin girls, Yoga is my time to be at peace, to have time for myself, to try new things and create new goals. I have been practicing Yoga for 4 years and it was not until my daughters were born that I truly understood what Yoga truly means. I walked into a Yoga class 3 months postpartum with twin girls, exhausted, living second by second and existing in a body that was no longer mine. It was that class that I had to completely surrender, breathe and let down all walls.

Yoga is to help us seek alignment, balance and it brings us back to our own self. With the ups and downs, goals, accomplishments, falls, first times, heart aches, and everything else life throws at us, Yoga is a place to find your own union, to be in your own heart beat, to take care of yourself the way you deserve, to be the best you. Teacher Training was just that, to be completely engaged and showered in the word YOGA, it is a time in your life that you will never forget, you will learn more about yourself, others and it will lead you to places you never knew existed.

-Julia Tompkins, CYT

When I first thought about teacher training my initial concern was that I just hadn't practiced yoga very much. So I thought that I wouldn't be a good candidate because I didn't come to yoga classes very often. I definitely did not want to stand out in the teacher training as the only person who didn't know what the different postures were called and how to move my body into them. So I put off the decision.

But I kept thinking about teacher training. I wasn't sure whether or not I wanted to be a yoga teacher, but I knew I wanted the opportunity to become educated about yoga. My knowledge about yoga was as limited as my yoga practice. So while I was uneasy because I was such a novice, it also concerned me that the time commitment was so extreme. Every weekend for two months plus one week night each week, ouch. I worked a full time job and had a 3 year old son who deserved my attention. What would my husband think? Mommy guilt coupled with lack of time forced me to put off my decision again.

But I kept thinking about teacher training. So I decided to meet with the lead teacher and just see what she had to say. I asked her as many questions as I could think of and finally just asked myself, "if I don't do it now, will I ever do it?" 

In retrospect, every single one of those concerns was my mind giving me excuses not my heart encouraging me to follow something that peaked my curiosity. There will always a be reason why NOT to do something. It's mustering the courage to actually go for it that is challenging.  So I decided to go ahead and do it.

My experience with teacher training evolved from expecting to learn all about yoga to an exploration and discovery of myself. It was an internal revelation into my own spirit that manifested into an external desire to teach yoga. Like anything, you get out of an experience what you put into it. By finally placing my excuses and fears aside, I offered myself an opportunity to grow. That growth has flourished in many different facets of my life.  I dismissed my excuses. I overcame a fear. Now I teach. But more importantly, I continue to learn every single day. The training prepares you to teach, but teaching is when your learning begins.

If you've never experienced a yoga conference or retreat then you can't miss the Yoga Journal Conference hosted annually in beautiful Estes Park, CO. This year, Yoga Journal Conferences returns to Estes Park, CO for their 17^th Yoga Journal Conference: Colorado, Sept 30-Oct 7. With the expansive mountain-scape as your backdrop, you’ll evolve your practice with 40 master instructors in All-Day Intensives,Main Conference class sessions, through discussion, meditation, and film. This year’s 3-Day Immersion will highlight Tantra yoga and its ability to help you prosper in every area of life.  Our Yoga Marketplace and special events throughout the week round out this rich conference experience. Use discount code EP14 and save $50 off the Main Conference! Register before August 17 and combine this code with discounted Early Bird pricing for additional savings. www.yjevents.com/ep

For those of you who haven't seen it yet this week, we're running a One Month Unlimited special on Groupon that ends tonight at midnight. Its a great way to try out the studio at a great price! Just follow the link below and purchase through Groupon.

We'll see you soon!

 http://www.groupon.com/deals/mindstream-yoga

Tonight was our last meeting of the Reset Detox program...we made it through the 10 days pretty well if I may say so myself! For the most part, each of us had a very positive experience and are feeling great now! It's truly amazing what 10 days of mindfulness and detox does for every aspect of our lives.

We spent some time tonight before our yoga class talking about re-entry into more normal eating. Dr. Barker wants us to add back in the usual offenders (wheat, dairy, egg) moderately over the next week so we can observe our body's reaction. Now that we've detoxed, our bodies will be more sensitive to these things and we should be able to tell if a true food sensitivity or allergy exists. No going out and eating a big hamburger tomorrow...unfortunately ;)

Many of us talked tonight about longer term changes to our diets because of how good we feel on the detox. I am committed to being gluten free as much as I can be, as well as limiting dairy, since I know both those things cause digestive troubles for me. Several of the other detoxers had made similar decisions about their revised eating plans going forward. Seems like everyone discovered something new about their bodies and their eating habits over the last 10 days...mission accomplished!

Cara then led us through an amazing "find your balance" yoga class...complemented perfectly by a thunderstorm passing by. Totally cool! I definitely had a better connection to my physical balance tonight as a result, I think, of being in better balance due to the detox. Love that!

After class we wrapped up with some Vosges Haut Chocolat in some exotic yummy flavors. If you've never had this chocolate you MUST try it. Like must must must. Its absolutely incredible. They even make one with bacon in it, which I resisted buying for the group...didn't think salty pork in chocolate would be the best "we just finished our detox" celebration food! Though as I write this some bacon sounds dang good. Maybe for brunch this weekend...mmmm.

Anyway, the Reset Detox - Inaugural Edition was a complete success! If you missed it, that's ok...join us for version 2.0 in September! You want to feel this good, I promise...its worth it. We'll see you then!