Spring Into Action!
"The foundation of all standing poses, Mountain Pose makes a great a starting position, resting pose, or tool to improve posture." 
Poses: Mountain Pose is one of the simplest, yet most energizing asanas in yoga, and some of its benefits include improving posture, strengthening the thighs, knees, and ankles, firming the abdomen and buttocks, relieving sciatica, and reducing flat feet. It can also improve balance and self-confidence.
Best of all, it is very easy to learn and practice! Here are the condensed steps from Yoga Journal. Click on the link here to read the full steps.

Stand with the bases of your big toes touching, heels slightly apart. Lift and spread your toes and the balls of your feet, then lay them softly down on the floor. Make sure your weight is balanced evenly. Lift the arches, and engage your core. Turn the upper thighs slightly inward. Lengthen your tailbone toward the floor and lift the pubis toward the navel. Press your shoulder blades out and down and let your arms stretch down by your sides. Lift the crown slightly, and remain balancing in this position about 30 seconds to one minute.

You are now standing beautifully and courageously!
Community Spotlight:
Kendall Wesenberg: Local Olympic Athlete

Kendall Wesenberg, a Modesto native, reminds us this month to dream and not to dwell on doubts. Wesenberg saw an opportunity and sprang into action!

Right: Wesenberg at 2018 Pyeonchang Olympics.
Wesenberg's life changed after watching the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver and she became fascinated watching bobsledding. She began to research the sport online and came to find that her body type was more suited for Skeleton, a sledding sport for the solo athlete that is usually considered more intense and dangerous.
Left: Wesenberg takes home the silver in the Skeleton World Cup, 2017. Image copyright Excelle Sports.

After learning more about it and graduating the University of Colorado in 2012, she moved to Park City, Utah to start her training. There, in Park City, Wesenberg worked two jobs so that she could train at night and rent an apartment.

Wesenberg, now 27, was eligible to compete in the Olympics along with only nineteen other women. Her eligibility was based on five different races in three different tracks, and coming up in the top 45 percent. Wesenberg barrelled down the tracks at Pyeongchang and ranked 17.

Above: Wesenberg being interviewed at Pyeongchang Olympics, stating "It's loud." (Describing the sport of Skeleton). Copyright NBC.

On Wesenberg's Olympic profile, she is quoted as saying, "I made an offhand comment to my brother and sister that it [skeleton] was something I thought I could be good at and they both said I would never do it, so, in a typical sibling fashion, I went for it."

Learn more about Kendall and her Skeleton achievements on TeamUSA.org. Join SUKHA in congratulating Kendall on all her Olympic success. Way to go, Kendall!

The International Day of Happiness

March 20th, 2018 #InternationalDayOfHappiness
March 20th is newer, lesser-known international holiday, but it is a very important one: it is the International Day of Happiness.

Decreed by the United Nations in 2012 as an official holiday, it was internationally celebrated for the first time on March 20, 2013. The intent behind the day is to, in a way, change the way people think about happiness and progress. The resolution adopted by the U.N. committee calls for happiness to be given greater priority in life. According to the non-profit Action for Happiness: "People are now recognizing that 'progress' should be about increasing human happiness and well-being, not just growing the economy."

Much of the focus of the International Day of Happiness is promoting what through research and various studies have determined to be the 10 keys of happier living.
These keys follow the acronym GREAT DREAM .

In celebration of such a movement towards more positivity, connection, and intentionality, take a picture of yourself embracing one of the 10 keys of happiness and use the hashtags #InternationalDayOfHappiness and #SukhaGreatDream to tell the world what steps you're taking to create more happiness and better the world not just for yourself, but others as well.

We at SUKHA wish you happiness- on and off the mat.

Happy 10
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Spring Greens: Turn that Salad into a Wrap!
Damp day-old salad in the refrigerator isn't fun for anyone. Why is the salad wrap your last resort? Here are some tips to turn your salad into something beautiful.

  • Always have hummus on hand. There are plenty of easy make-it-yourself hummus packs, or if you just can't even, prepackaged hummus will work. Spread it on your tortilla or pita, and this will have an insulating and absorbing effect on your once-soggy salad. Much better!
  • Grill it. Does your salad have chicken in it? Good! That'll make it even better. After you've tucked your salad into its wrap, grill the whole thing. How novel!
  • There is no such thing as too much avocado. Your salad magically becomes a California Wrap! Try adding a bit of tomatoes and some bacon bits. Yum.
  • Add crisp, clean veggies like cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, shredded carrots, some sliced apple if it works with your salad's style. Nuts are good too. If you have a soggy salad, crispness is key to balance, as yin is to yang. (Yes, we snuck yoga principles in the article.)
Upcoming Workshops
Leslie Howard Presents:
Alignment is Sexy: Yoga is an Energy Management System (April 7th)

Like a car that operates most efficiently when in good alignment, the body is our vehicle for carrying us around. This workshop will focus on the foundations of poses and good architecture. The effectiveness of each pose depends on the groundwork and the alignment of that which has come before it. During this workshop, we will look at basic poses and then apply them as the foundation of more challenging and complex poses. Leslie will be conducting a Q&A and book signing before the workshop from 10:30-11am.

Leslie Howard Presents: Yoga for Cranky Hips (April 7th)

This alignment based class is a slow, methodical and safe way of working the legs to create space in and around the hip sockets. Leslie addresses how to use yoga poses and yoga props to increase space, flexibility and strength in the hips. You will find familiar yoga poses using props and done a focus on the relationship between the legs and pelvis. Pain in the hips can have many causes. But whatever the root cause, most people are sitting in chairs or cars more than ever before. Sitting with the legs at a 90 degree angle from your torso decreases the amount of space in the front of the hip sockets, brings the femurs forward in the hip socket and restricts blood flow to the pelvis. We come to yoga to undo some of our postural bad habits. However, we can actually exacerbate hip pain if we are doing our poses without mindfulness. The approach in this class is to encourage the femurs to be deeper towards the back of their sockets, and to practice the poses with a new spotlight on the hip joint.

Sign up by March 31st to take advantage of our Early Bird pricing!
Early Bird Special: $45
Cost: $50

Double the education, double the fun:
Both workshops for $90 total
Early Bird Special: $85
Astronomy Corner: March Equinox

On March 20, 2018, the daytime and nighttime are equal in their length, as the sun crosses the equator, marking the beginning of Spring in the Northern Hemisphere, and the Beginning of Autumn in the Southern Hemisphere.
Here's a cool experiment you can try on the day of the equinox from Time and Date:
  1. Find an empty space such as a park or a parking lot where you are in full view of the sun.
  2. Find your location's latitude. Subtract this number from 90. This will be the angle you will affix the stick in the ground using a protractor.
  3. Use your compass to find south and point the stick in that direction. Using the protractor fix the stick in the ground at the angle you just calculated - remember to point it in the direction opposite to the hemisphere you are on.
  4. Wait till Noon and see the shadow of the stick disappear. At Noon, the stick will have no shadow at all!
Spring Cleaning: Create Light & Cleanse Your Karma
This month, stop by the Sukha Lifestyle Boutique and buy a Karma Cleanse candle! Practice self care by lighting the candle, taking in the sweet and cleansing scent of mint, lavender, and citrus. Use the moment to reset your intentions: light the candle, breathe, and be kind. Use the promo code MarchNews to get 15% off!
209-996-YOGA    sukhastudios.com