Amanda Dzengeleski
Yoga, Resilience, and the Wisdom of the Nervous ...

Research in neuroplasticity shows that the brain and nervous system are continually shaped by repeated experiences. Just as chronic stress can strengthen pathways associated with survival responses, repeated experiences of safety and regulation can strengthen pathways associated with resilience.

Yoga, Resilience, and the Wisdom of the Nervous System
Amanda Dzengeleski
A Deep Bow of Gratitude

In yoga, we speak of Sangha, a gathering of people who walk a shared path, who choose again and again to practice in a way that uplifts not only themselves but the collective whole. A Sangha is not defined by walls or geography; it’s defined by the steady presence of individuals who show up with curiosity, courage, tenderness, and a willingness to grow.

A Deep Bow of Gratitude
Amanda Dzengeleski
NEW Workshop Series: Exploring the Fascial ...

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.

NEW Workshop Series: Exploring the Fascial Archetypes - Let’s Make This Yoga for Your Body.
Amanda Dzengeleski
Interoception: Our Body's Sixth Sense

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.

Interoception: Our Body's Sixth Sense
Amanda Dzengeleski
The Season of Expansion + Summer Class ...

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.”

The Season of Expansion + Summer Class Announcements

5 Practices to Cultivate Resilience

5 Practices to Cultivate Resilience

Resilience is the ability of a substance or object to spring back into shape; elasticity. It is a term used to gauge a person’s capacity to recover, to cope, from stressful and traumatic experiences. Resiliency is not a static state of being nor is it a personality trait that only some people possess. The development of resilience is a process to be cultivated and practiced.

Tom Myers, of Anatomy Trains and a beloved teacher of the Dogwood team, approaches resilience in a straightforward and practical manner that resonates deeply with us. According to Tom Myers, the key to building resilience is a 5 pronged full body approach. Resiliency includes mindful movement, stretching, humor, service and pranayama.

Invest in healthy bones. Learn how to move safely with Dogwood’s Osteoporosis and Yoga Workshop

Invest in healthy bones. Learn how to move safely with Dogwood’s Osteoporosis and Yoga Workshop

In every yoga class that we teach at Dogwood Studios, we mention the importance of keeping our spine healthy. Osteoporosis is a silent disease. You can not feel when your bones get weaker. So much so that people often don’t realize they have low bone mineral density (BMD) until a bone breaks. The National Osteoporosis Foundation reports that the disease is responsible for an estimated two million broken bones per year. One in two women and up to one in four men over age 50 will break a bone due to osteoporosis.

Coming Soon: Osteoporosis and Yoga Workshop!

Coming Soon: Osteoporosis and Yoga Workshop!

Not all yoga practices are equal. There are special considerations to take into account when dealing with osteoporosis. SAM Sather, a certified yoga therapist and RN, is teaching an osteoporosis and yoga workshop for you to learn how to practice or teach yoga for those at risk for fractures from osteoporosis. Having osteoporosis does not mean you should not do yoga, but empowering a student about how to keep theirself safe is essential.

Yoga May Benefit Respiratory Function

Yoga May Benefit Respiratory Function

I remember the first time I recognized how much yoga changed my breathing. I was teaching a biology unit on respiration and wanted to demonstrate how much carbon dioxide was in our exhale. I started to exhale into a beaker of water with a universal indicator and made bubbles for about a minute until the water turned green (I had exhaled enough water to make the water acidic). The students were amazed - not about the color change but that I was blowing bubbles for an entire minute! Many students asked to try it themselves. None of the students could exhale long enough to make the water change color. Although it appeared like I had magical lungs, in reality yoga helped me strengthen my diaphragm and intercostal muscles so I could access my full lung capacity.

Yoga Supports A Healthy Circulation System

Yoga Supports A Healthy Circulation System

Before yoga as exercise was mainstream, Dr. Dean Ornish began researching how lifestyle changes can impact one's health. In the 1983 Pilot study Dr. Dean Ornish showed that even severe heart disease could be reversed by the Ornish Program, as demonstrated by improved blood flow to the heart after only 30 days. With 37 years of scientific evidence, the Ornish program shows that changes in diet and lifestyle can make a powerful difference in your heart function and overall well-being. The Ornish program is not a yoga program, but it mirrors the themes of yoga and offers participants opportunities to practice yoga. The rigorous program has you look at four important areas of your life: how you manage stress, how much love and support you have, how much you move and what you eat.

Dogwood Studio’s first Service Class supports Healing Pines Respite

Dogwood Studio’s first Service Class supports Healing Pines Respite

Dogwood Studio is proud to start our pay what you can Karma Classes by supporting Healing Pines Respite. Healing Pines Respite is a 501(c)3 nonprofit that provides respites for women throughout North Carolina currently in cancer treatment and up to two years post-treatment. They grant space to tune into their healing journey with rest, connection and nature. They promote shifting the priority from merely surviving to living well so women with cancer can heal mind, body, and spirit. When women thrive, it has a ripple effect on their families and communities.

Dogwood Studios is committed to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Dogwood Studios is committed to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Dogwood Studios has been working on our level of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. We recognize that we need to do more and be better. We are committed to having courageous conversations and taking active steps to promote diversity, equity and inclusion. In the last few months, our team has come together to put what we think is important about Diversity, Equity and Inclusion into words. Creating a DE&I statement is the first step in transforming our ideas about diversity, equity and inclusion into action and results. We hope you can join us in this process of learning and growing.