SAM Sather
The Sacrum: A Key to Spinal Health and Mobility

The sacrum, often overlooked, plays a vital role in both spinal health and overall movement. It's not just a single bone but a fusion of five vertebrae that occurs as we age, usually completing the process in our 20s. Despite this fusion, the sacrum is part of a dynamic system that requires awareness and movement to stay healthy.

The Sacrum: A Key to Spinal Health and Mobility
SAM Sather
The Convergence of Yoga and Creativity

Yoga and creativity share a special connection. Both require us to move beyond the confines of the familiar, to explore the unknown, and to embrace the perspective of a beginner—a fresh lens through which we see the world. This convergence of yoga and creativity is a catalyst for inspiration, opening doors to new ideas, perspectives, and ways of being.

The Convergence of Yoga and Creativity
Amanda Dzengeleski
Why we are a Yoga Therapy Studio. Plus, ...

Yoga therapy is fundamentally about empowering you to take an active approach to self-care through the tailored application of yoga. Unlike general group classes, which aim to benefit a wide range of participants, yoga therapy offers a personalized and evolving practice that addresses specific health challenges and promotes overall well-being.

Why we are a Yoga Therapy Studio. Plus, Nourishing Opportunities to Practice.
SAM Sather
NEW Studio Announcements: Introducing our ...

We have made new updates to our class schedule and an exciting addition to our team!

SAM Sather
iRest: Active Resting That Heals

iRest Yoga Nidra can be perceived as resting, especially since rest is in the name, and we all are not people who rest. Resting can even be a bit scary. It is easy to wonder: Will everything be OK if I slow down and rest? What if I told you that iRest Yoga Nidra is active resting? You are doing something. You are actively listening to a voice, following the prompts, re-wiring your brain, and improving your health.

Yoga In Person

Yoga maintains flexibility in spirit, mind and body.

Yoga maintains flexibility in spirit, mind and body.

I have been volunteering to bring yoga to children while at school. In the middle school classes, there typically is a child who gets to a mat and immediately starts doing backbends. The other kids watch with a sense of disappointment because they fear that they won’t ever be good at yoga. However, yoga isn’t about folding the body into shapes. Yoga is an integration of the body, mind and spirit. Yoga allows you to have a flexible spirit, mind and body. This flexibility isn’t bending the body into various shapes, it is embracing the ability to adapt and change. 

Dogwood Studios is excited for the return of Yin Yoga.

Dogwood Studios is excited for the return of Yin Yoga.

We are bringing Yin back for Service Week benefiting Healing Pines Respite! Service Week will include 2 Yin classes: Friday Evening Yin with Sam and on Saturday Evening Leesann will be teaching Restorative Yin and Yoga Nidra. We will continue to offer Yin Yoga the first Friday of the month at 6:15 pm with an In Person and an Online option for attendance.

Balancing Emotional Energy

Balancing Emotional Energy

Emotion is the experience of energy moving through the body, according to social psychologist Barbara Frederickson, Ph.D. In its essence, energy is fluid and is meant to be felt and released; the same is true for emotions. Emotion is not inherently good or bad, rather it’s our physiological response to emotion that is perceived as positive or negative. Emotion is felt as a sensation that often manifests as contraction or expansion in both the physical and subtle bodies.

Creating new pathways through movement

Creating new pathways through movement

As I was putting away mats and chairs after Jacob’s Optimizing Your Movement Workshop, I noticed a new sensation in my left hip. The awareness of new muscle fatigue made me laugh. During the workshop we spent focused time experiencing slow body movements connected to how the spine moves. This awakened stabilizing muscles of my hips and brought more awareness of how I avoid specific positions of my hips.

Yama, a Yoga Practice for Interacting with Others

Yama, a Yoga Practice for Interacting with Others

Yoga is a practice. You might be practicing your balance, flexibility, strength or perhaps it is mindfulness. Yoga is not a single practice. The more you practice yoga, the more you recognize the universality in life.

Harmonizing your mind, implies that you learn how you think. You explore how you interact with the world and yourself and how those interactions shape your emotions. In yoga terms, you cultivate Yama. Yama is narrowly translated as ethical guidelines or restraints. In reality, they are a set of universal practices that are fundamental habits of the mind. The 5 principles are a means to be aware of the instinctive patterns of the mind and to move them towards compassion.

New Class Series: Herbal Yoga

New Class Series: Herbal Yoga

Whether we know it or not, we interact with plants on a daily basis. From the food that we eat, to the air that we breathe, to the beautiful blooms along the road, plants permeate our lives and, if we are open to it, our hearts. We can work with plants to cultivate a connection with the natural world and improve our overall wellness in body, mind, heart, and spirit. In this class series, we will bridge the connection between yoga and herbal medicine, two healing modalities rooted in ancient wisdom.