Written by Ainslee Cunningham
Candlelight Yin Yoga and Yoga Nidra continues this week and every Wednesday at 6:15pm either In Person at the Parlour or Online.
One more Fall Yoga in the Garden. Join us for the last class of the series this Thursday at 5:45pm at the NC Botanical Garden.
Friday Night Yin returns October 6th, In Person at the Yoga Shala in Carrboro and Online via Zoom.
In October, Lunchtime Learning will focus on Peace.
Sign up for these offerings along with our weekly group yoga classes on our Class Sign Up Page.
Join the Dogwood Team on Saturday October 14th from 8:30am-3:30pm for our biannual Art and Yoga Retreat: Heart of Peace at the NC Botanical Garden in Chapel Hill. We will be collaborating with artist Beverly Dyer to deliver another wonderful day of creative art journaling and mindful movement practices in the lovely setting of the Garden.
Last March, we had the honor of hosting the first “Heart Of” retreat at the Garden and it was a beautiful day of uncovering and expressing HOPE. Going into Spring 2023 after a 3 year long Covid winter, creating space for self inquiry on HOPE was nourishing and empowering. This fall, we seek to create a space for exploring and defining PEACE.
Fall is a season of transition, of shifting from the overjoyous and possibly overwhelming abundance of summer into the slower, introspective time of winter. Look around the natural landscape and you will see the trees slowly letting go of their leaves to create winter homes for the pollinators, the perennial flowers letting go of their blooms as they transition to seed heads for the birds, and the sun letting go of its time in the sky to make longer nights.
Around the world, traditions abound that mark this transition and seek to create more light as we enter the darker part of the year: Diwali, Hanukkah, the tradition of Christmas lights, Lantern festivals. These traditions and celebrations seek to cultivate a kernel of light, of connection, of peace to carry with us through the winter.
What does Peace mean to you? What does it feel like, sound like, look like?
In our yoga practice, we can cultivate peace in our minds and body by practicing being in the present moment, by letting go of attachment to outcome, by gathering with wise friends who can support us along the way. Peace is a resonance that is accessible outside of emotion: whether we are happy or upset, the well of peace and stillness that is our true nature resides within us. It is a matter of cultivating awareness and connection to this true nature. It is a practice: meditation, asana, walking in nature, creating art, breathing, being.
We invite you to explore the Heart of Peace this October, and deepen the practice of connecting to your own true nature in community in the beautiful Botanical Garden.
Sign up is through the NC Botanical Garden. Click here to join us on October 14.
Sandra (Sam) Sather, founder of Dogwood Studios, is a nurse and certified yoga therapist (C-IAYT). Sam is an InSight Yoga Institute Endorsed Teacher. Sam uses the components of yoga and advanced training in functional movement and mindfulness to help individuals find “their yoga” with a focus on finding calm and improving health. She offers private sessions so clients can focus on their needs one-on-one. Sam also teaches several live, online and in person yoga classes and Dogwood offers a video library to support learning and practice on your time.
Beverly Dyer is a nurse and artist who writes the Art Prescription: A Dose of Art and Haiku. Beverly completed her master’s degree in nursing in 1994 where she studied the healing capacity of art. In 2010 she completed a certificate in Botanical Illustration at the North Carolina Botanical Garden. The mission of the Art Prescription is to encourage others to live a creative life for wellness. Beverly says, “everyone is an artist,” and there is a growing body of evidence to support the health benefits of art! When not in her studio, Bev can be found hiking and sketching in the woods, or riding her horse, Finn.
Ainslee Cunningham is a 200-hour registered yoga teacher (RYT) who is deeply inspired and influenced by nature. Ainslee aspires to support people with the mind-body connection of yoga, especially those affected by addiction and trauma. She is committed to exploring how we embody the elements of the natural world and how we can deepen our connection to the Earth’s natural rhythms.
Amanda Dzengeleski is a 200-hour registered yoga teacher (RYT), lifelong student, and lover of movement. She first discovered yoga as a form of mind-body medicine that cultivated a deeper state of self-awareness and personal growth. Using a trauma-informed approach, Amanda empowers her students to move freely and intentionally in celebration of body, mind, and soul.
Aviva Chaye Tulasi is a certified yoga therapist (CIAYT) and studio coordinator at Dogwood Studios. Aviva applies the teachings of classical yoga (movement, focused breathing & meditation) to nourish the nervous system. Aviva’s classes empower students to explore their thought habits in order to promote greater wellbeing both on and off the mat.