14 W. Main Street, Middletown, Maryland 21769 aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaA June 1, 2020
Empowering you to create greater health & well-being through Yoga!
Life is unpredictable...
how do you maintain balance?

Cycling along the Western Maryland Rail Trail today we came upon this boulder that had dislodged itself from the steep mountainside above and landed at the edge of the trail. This one has been here long enough for other cyclists and walkers to build balance cairns along its spine... offerings to the power of Nature, to the inevitability of rocks to roll downhill, for peace, or perhaps in gratitude that they missed its descent!

A short distance further, we came to this fallen tree arched above the trail, its downhill end balanced precariously on the fence it crashed through as it slid down the same hillside as the boulder. This mountain has a notoriously unstable face of limestone, clay and sandstone, so there are often trees and boulders to be found along the bike path - an apt reminder that Nature is always in flux, that her forces are constantly moving and reforming the earth.
Similar shifting patterns are reflected in our lives - on a daily basis and over time. Aspects of our lives change like a kaleidescope, constantly turning to create new patterns. Transformation comes when we realize the beauty of light and color and form in the new design that the process of change revealed, and choose to release the old form to embrace the new.

These past several weeks have been filled with momentous changes in our lives, challenging us to create new ways to stay present, adapt to restrictive ways of living, and offer our new life to the world for the health and welfare of other people. In the midst of this upheaval, how do we maintain our balance? Breathe, ride the waves of emotions, tend to daily chores, love our families, and find delight in the small parts of our lives. Just as in standing balance poses, we must set our roots, draw energy and strength from that vast reservoir up into our selves as we reach for the sun and fill with its light radiance. Balance is not static, it's a dance of movement and stillness, of focused awareness and seeing broadly at the same time, of staying present ... moment by moment. As we prepare for yet another shift towards reemerging back into the larger world around us, remember to create sustainable ways to maintain your inner balance.

May we all be kind, May we all be healthy, May we all know peace of heart and mind.

Sending an abundance of light and love,
Carla
Online June Session Starts Today!
June 1 - 26

Join us for another 4 weeks of online video classes to help keep you strong, centered, and prepared to venture back into the world when you are ready. The studio is still closed for in-person classes, so take advantage of these opportunities for practicing with us at MSY online.

June Schedule - Week 1
Monday
Chair Yoga - with Audra (alternates with Carla)

Tuesday
Moderate Plus Yoga - Exploring Balance - with Carla - (Moderate class with Vigorous options)
see description of this new series below

Wednesday
Moderate Yoga - with Carla (alternates with Audra)

Thursday
Gentle Yoga - Stress Relief for Modern Life - with Audra
see description of this new series below

Friday
Yoga and Pilates for Bone Strength - with Mary
Friday Surprise Yoga! - Back Care Revisited - Strength to the Rescue! Lower Body - with Carla
see description of this class below

Visit the MSY website here to purchase your June Week 1 videos!
New Class Series
Moderate Plus Yoga - Exploring Balance
Join Carla to explore the interplay of movement and stillness, of focused and widespread physical awareness, and how to use them to establish balance through yoga. We will build standing balance pose series over the 4 weeks, using the principles of grounding, rising and expanding; as well as determine how breath, mudras, and affirmations affect our emotional and mental balance
Gentle Yoga - Stress Relief Series
Join Audra for various practices to release stress in our bodies in gentle practices of stretching, movement, breathing, and stillness. Releasing stress in our bodies positively affects our physical functioning and calms our mind and emotions. Week 1 - Based on a series from Cyndi Lee, Audra will guide you through a 6 poses featuring Bridge Pose and Gate Pose as well as some gentle twists and forward folds. 

Create Bone Strength
This whole body fitness program utilizes balance exercises, weight bearing routines, and low impact movements to help maintain and stimulate bone health in a safe way. Come strengthen your whole body and improve balance! Chair and floor options will be given for all movements.
Friday Surprise Yoga!
Join us every week for a surprise instructor and topic!

Week 1 and Week 2 - Back Care Revisited - Strength to the Rescue!
Join Carla to learn the importance of strengthening opposing muscle groups of the body to balance the opening and releasing of tight places. Without strength-building, the effects of releasing tension patterns is short-lived and less effective.
Week 1 - Lower Body Strength
Week 2 - Upper and Whole Body Strength

Tai Chi
Current Tai Chi Students - More videos coming your way this week, courtesy of Cain! Be sure to purchase the June Tai Chi Pass to continue receiving videos.
Video Delivery Change for June!
Exciting News!

Due to a new feature in our registration system, your video link will now appear on your purchase receipt! That means that you can begin practicing as soon as you buy your video!

How does it work? Like a dream!
When you complete the transaction to order a video from the MSY website, either by using a class pass or paying through PayPal, our system generates a receipt and sends it to you.

Your receipt will now have the YouTube link for your video embedded beneath each video you order. If you order more than one video, be sure to look for the link after each video . See the red circle below for where to find your link!
Logistics
Passes
  • 5 Class Pass - the best way to purchase videos - $75; Senior classes $45
  • Per Class Purchase - for buying one video at a time - $16; Senior Classes $10
  • Unlimited Pass - for the 4 week session - $125
  • 10 Class Pass - use your remaining credits, then buy a 5 Class Pass
  • Yearly Unlimited Pass - you are good to go!
  • Tai Chi Pass - for 4 videos in June $50

Timing
  • The OnlineJune Session is begins today! Purchase your new pass today!
  • Each week's schedule will be posted on our website on the Sunday night before the week begins.

Classes Available for Purchasing
  • Exciting new June classes
  • May Session and Spring Session, in case you missed a class you wanted to try!
How do I register for classes?
For the answer to this and any other questions you have about our new online registration system, please: Visit the MSY website for detailed instructions, complete with multiple screenshots, in the "Registration FAQs" blog here .
yoga mats
Support your Home Practice
Tricky practicing without a block? Your dog ate your peanut?

There is a small stock of props available from the studio.
Contact us to purchase them from the Virtual MSY Marketplace.
Weekly View from the Studio Garden
BREATHE * RELEASE FEAR * BE PRESENT * SMILE!
Come experience why Mountain Spirit Yoga has been a Top Finalist for Best Yoga Studio in Frederick County for the past 5 years!

Classes, workshops, Private Yoga Therapy to serve the needs of all our students through Yoga, Pilates, and Tai Chi.