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.
Do you feel like meditation just isn’t for you? You’re not alone. Meditation is often seen as a gateway to calm, clarity, and balance. But the truth is, sitting in silence can feel anything but peaceful. It’s important to understand that meditation isn’t about achieving peacefulness. It’s about learning to focus on a single thought, noticing distractions, and gently guiding your attention back.
As the calendar turns and the new year approaches, it’s easy to get swept up in the tide of resolutions and the pressure to “start fresh.” We draft lists of goals and set rigid expectations, believing that January 1st marks the start of a perfect, linear path toward self-improvement. But what if we approached the new year differently? What if, instead of rigid resolutions, we embraced curiosity, intention, and a willingness to ease into this next chapter with grace?
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.
Have you ever been in a situation where you had low energy and felt rejuvenated by being in nature? According to yoga, nature provides us with a subtle form of energy, called prana. Prana is the life force that animates consciousness. It is similar to the Chinese concept of qi. As we breathe, we take in oxygen from the air and with it the subtle energy of prana.
Service promotes togetherness and builds a strong community. That’s why service is one of the five components of resiliency. Service along with mindful movement, stretching, humor, and pranayama offer a roadmap to thriving when faced with adversity. Doing something good for others is an antidote to isolation. Studies have shown that between 2020 and 2021 there was an increased rate of depressive symptoms. Isolation contributes to poor health such as heart disease, depression, and premature death. In stark contrast, studies have found a correlation between those who help others and reduced mortality.
Resiliency is a practice. It is not like one moment you don’t have it and the next you do. You can’t fake resiliency, but the aphorism “fake it till you make it” holds true for humor. Laughter and smiles are contagious. The physical act of smiling releases molecules that promote feeling good: serotonin and endorphins. Even if you are in a bad mood, when you start laughing your mindset automatically changes. After forcing yourself to smile, you suddenly want to smile because of the feel good molecules that have been released.
According to Tom Myers, from Anatomy trains, the key to building resilience is a 5 pronged full body approach. Resiliency includes mindful movement, stretching, humor, service and pranayama!
It is important to stretch regularly. Stretching allows the fascia to maintain fluidity which will keep the joints functioning properly. A Harvard Health article explains the physical benefits of stretching. Another response to elastic fascia is healthy functioning organs. A study has shown that when you passively stretch you maintain a healthy heart.
Resiliency includes mindful movement, stretching, humor, service and pranayama!
What exactly is mindful movement? And why does Dogwood Studio have a class called Mindful Movement and Yoga? We see the word mindfulness thrown around when referring to meditation, yoga, tai chi and qi gong. It has been part of popular culture for meditation, but the nuances of what a mindful practice entails is often overlooked. Mindfulness is the English translation of the Pali (ancient language from the Indian subcontinent used to write some of the oldest Buddhist scriptures) word sati.
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.
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.
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.
