For students who have attended at least one of our Osteoporosis and Yoga workshops, we’re excited to offer a unique 7-session experiential workshop that blend Yin/Yang poses and movements designed to target specific fascial lines in the body.
In many ways, interoception is the bridge between our body and our mind. It allows us to notice sensations that signal our emotional states, physiological needs, and overall wellbeing. When our interoceptive awareness is well-developed, we’re more attuned to what our body is telling us, which can guide us toward healthier choices, emotional regulation, and even pain reduction.
Summer is a season of expansion - longer days, warmer nights, and a chance to open ourselves to the full and abundant energy. Summer invites us to embrace the vibrant qualities of the season: growth, activity, and celebration. Yet with all this outward energy, it’s easy to get caught in the busyness of “doing” and forget the value of “being.”
Imagine practicing yoga surrounded by the delicate beauty of spring—wildflowers nodding gently in the breeze, the scent of fresh herbs and tea leaves in the air. This is the magic of the Tea House, where nature and mindfulness intertwine to create a space for deep connection. We invite you to embrace the season’s rising energy in our April yoga series.
Meditation is not a linear journey. It’s not about achieving a specific state or reaching a final destination. Instead, it’s a variable practice that shifts and evolves. This fluidity makes meditation an opportunity for exploration rather than a pursuit of perfection. It invites us to let go of binary perspectives such as good or bad, right or wrong, failure or success.
As the season has started to shift from hot and humid to wet and windy, nature reminds us that times of transition are very important. Each season is critical to sustaining life, and we should embrace each with equanimity. We might find ourselves irritated with the endless summer heat, but in a blink of the eye the days get shorter and the next phase of capricious weather arrives. Welcome changes in nature and embrace what is in store for us right now.
According to Ayurveda (literally meaning life science), digestion is the seed of health. Food is life. It nourishes our mind, body and soul. But we need to be able to digest well in order to obtain the nutrients the body needs. When we are out of balance, we do not digest well and disease manifests. Therefore, as we look to maintain health, we need to explore how we digest. Ayurveda suggests that the biggest impact on our digestion is how we eat, not what we eat. Read more about the importance of healthy digestion from an Ayurvedic perspective.
Outdoor yoga continues at the Botanic Gardens this fall. Aviva will teach one more class on August 31st. Participants will meet at 9:30am, in the Perennial circle and then move to a shaded area nearby. Sam will return to teaching at the Botanic Gardens, Tuesdays at 9:30am starting September 7th at a new location: in the meadow along the Streamside Trail. The new field is in the forest behind the Children’s Wonder garden through the gates towards the Piedmont Nature Trails. Sam will teach in the spacious and shaded outdoor space in September and October.
Jessica Booth, from Cognitive Psychiatry of Chapel Hill in Chapel Hill, NC, describes people’s difficulty with Jennifer from Dogwood Studio. “A lot of times people struggle with the feeling of disconnect between the mind and body; that they might be conflicting with one another or that they have different priorities from one another. It is hard to get them in sync. Yoga is one of those aspects that promotes you being in sync with your body and mind together fulfilling one purpose.”
We care about ourselves. We eat things that we like and do things that we enjoy. But do we take the time to cultivate a true appreciation of ourselves; to recognize that no matter the circumstance we are human and deserve our own unconditional love? We can develop understanding, support, care and comfort for ourselves with self-compassion.
Eleven years ago, my abdomen was in constant pain. I would either be in pain because I was hungry or in pain because I had just eaten. I was almost always bloated and never knew how my body would react to the food I had eaten. I didn’t know what was wrong with my digestion, and I thought I was the only person in the world who had to restrict their diet to plain white rice and chicken breast. When I finally went to the doctor, he pressed on my abdomen and diagnosed me with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS).
Dogwood Studio is switching to a new and improved scheduling platform with a fresh new look!
Starting July 24th, you will purchase and sign up for classes, memberships (soon to be called subscriptions), privates, and events using the new system. The system, called Ribbon, will also host the new, easier to navigate Video Library.
There are many options this summer to keep up with your practice. Our schedule has been updated through September for online and in person classes. Challenge yourself to something new, whether it is taking a class at a different time or checking out one of our wonderful subs. We are here to support you.
Exercise is good for your health and well being. When you exercise, You increase your circulation and release endorphins so you feel better. It helps your immune system. Studies show that moderate activity has a positive effect on cholesterol because during exercise, our body metabolizes triglycerides which then promotes the movement of LDL and HDL into the liver.
