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Spring Quarterly Newsletter
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The 8-week spring term begins the week of April 3. Call now to sign up. Many classes are already full, so have options ready. 503.223.8157
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Herndon, VA
April 1- 2, 2017
Bellingham, WA
April 21 - 23, 2017
London, ENGLAND
May 31 - June 4
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We are offering 2 continuing education classes for yoga teachers this spring: Yoga Feet on Sunday, April 9 and Healthy Knees in Yoga on Sunday, May 7. CE Credits are available.
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We are offering lots of good topics this term. Topics are: 12 Minutes of Yoga for Bone Health, Home Practice, Yoga for Gardeners, Healthy Breathing, 4-week Pranayama Series, Stabilizing Your SI Joints and Foam Rollers. Sign up soon as they are filling fast.
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This week-long class series taught by Julie Gudmestad will take place July 31 through August 4, 2017. It is a great way to deepen your personal practice or inform your teaching. Register early to secure your space.
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Join Stuart for his 11th annual Tuscan retreat, May 11 - 18, 2017. The retreat takes place outside the town of Castelfiorentino, Italy.
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A Note from Julie Gudmestad
I'm pleased-and a bit surprised-to tell you that this year is the 40th anniversary of my graduation from physical therapy school. I started PT school in the fall of 1974 at Pacific University in Forest Grove, and graduated spring of '77. Remember the 70's? Big shoulders on our blouses and jackets, long hair, and the Bee Gees. A lot has changed since then!
Besides the hair and clothing styles, much has changed in medicine as well. Health care providers know now that lifestyle choices greatly influence our health, and yoga is one of the tools that can help us heal from disease and injury, improve vitality, and enjoy some peace in our lives. I was already practicing and teaching yoga when I started PT school, but let me tell you that yoga was not utilized in physical therapy in the 70's. I've been working for these 40 years to integrate yoga into physical therapy, and use our physical therapist's knowledge of how the body works to inform our yoga teaching.
Here at Gudmestad Yoga, our mission has always been to make yoga accessible to students of all levels and abilities. I believe that everyone can benefit from the healing powers of yoga, whether you can do a headstand or not. Some of our students have been studying here for 20 years or more, practicing at just the right level for them. We are so thankful for all of our students, whether beginners or experienced, who are here to learn, grow, and improve their health. Let's look forward to many more years of working together!
As always, if you have any questions, comments or suggestions, feel free to contact us.
Namaste,
Julie Gudmestad
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Hand Alignment
We often pay attention to the alignment of our feet while practicing standing poses, but what about hand alignment when we're bearing weight on our arms? After all, our hands form the foundation from which we lift up in Downward Dog, Plank, Handstand, and other poses. Our finger joints spend most of their time flexed and compressed together-picture your grip on a steering wheel, or your fingers curved over a keyboard-and it's very refreshing to stretch and open your hands and fingers.
The first thing I like to do is practice spreading your fingers apart, so that you have the same distance between all 4 fingers of each hand. Place your hand flat on a table, stretch the fingers apart, ground each knuckle where the finger joins the palm, and then stretch the finger out from that knuckle toward the finger tip. These actions will give you a broad base of support for weight bearing, which is especially important in balance poses like handstand.
Now, go to hands and knees on the floor and recreate this hand. As you press each knuckle down, imagine a horseshoe shape, from the base of the thumb, through the knuckles to the little finger side of the heel of the hand. Within the horseshoe, the palm of the hand forms an arch, related to the arch of the foot, from which you lift up. Imagine you're creating space and uncompressing the wrist, elbow and shoulder as you lift from hand to ribcage.
Go on with your practice, and apply this knowledge as you bear weight on your arms in a variety of poses. You'll be utilizing this grounded, but light foundation for your pose and bringing fresh awareness of your hands into the overall structure of your pose.
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Are you interested in becoming a 200-hour registered yoga teacher or interested in deepening your yoga practice through an intense study of asana, anatomy and philosophy? If so, we have the perfect program for you. Rachel Lundberg will be offering her 200-hr Yoga Teacher Training program again this year beginning in June. Click
here for more information and to see what graduates are saying about the program.
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For Yoga Teachers and Teachers in Training
Check out our offerings for Continuing Ed workshops this spring term. Yoga Feet: Grounding and Lifting is coming up Sunday, April 9 from 3:00 pm - 6:00 pm and Healthy Knees in Yoga is on Sunday, May 7 from 3:00 pm - 6:00 pm. CE credits are available.
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As a way to say "Thank You" for the past 30 years of classes at Gudmestad Yoga, Pat Lidrich has generously donated money to a Gudmestad Yoga Scholarship Fund. This money will subsidize students who may not otherwise be able to afford to take classes. Pat feels so fortunate to have had love and support along her yoga journey and now wants to pay it forward.
Pat shares that yoga has benefited her life in many ways; She has an increased body awareness that has served her well in handling back pain and discomfort. Learning to breathe her way through stressful times has proven to be a priceless skill. Pat loves the integration in yoga of body, mind and spirit and feels it has helped her throughout her life. Being introduced to meditation through yoga has also been a great asset to Pat on her yogic journey.
We at Gudmestad Yoga want to thank Pat for her generous contribution and for her dedication to the studio and her practice! Happy 30 Year Anniversary Pat!
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Winter has been so soggy this year. We are all ready and yearning for the hints of spring and the hope of more sunshine coming, along with the increased light. Please hurry!
See you soon!
Janice Gega
Gudmestad Yoga
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