The Full Yoga Experience

"Yoga is just a form of exercise, right? I'm not that flexible and I've got a wrist injury so I can't do yoga."

Questions like this are often asked of us here at Balanced Rock. And we'd like to set the record straight. Because for us, rather than being a competitive sport, yoga is about creating a holistic lifestyle that embraces wellness, balance, compassion, and awareness––and anyone can do it. We pair yoga, meditation, and art with the natural world to awaken ourselves to the present moment and our own sense of empowerment.

Yoga has its roots as a 5,000-year-old tradition that seeks to create union between the mind and body. In India, monks went into seclusion with the goal of creating a disease-free body. The original intention of the exercise practice of yoga was to be able to sit in meditation without an achy body. By aligning the body, we are better able to align the mind. Rather than "push" ourselves into positions that we see others achieving, yoga is practice that is meant to mindfully place ourselves into positions that reflect our own individual edges. Besides the physical practice, the full yoga experience includes the cultivation of compassion for all living things, non-attachment, and breath awareness among many other practices.

As Balanced Rock Program Director and instructor Arin Trook M.A. puts it, "I do yoga to accept myself as I am, each day, in all my glorious and absurd imperfections. I do yoga to smooth the rough edges of my breath and body. I do yoga because it is the opposite of sugar and caffeine, and I need a little balance in my life." Read more of his blog "Why Do Yoga"

Join us this summer for the experience of yoga as a full expression of your life.

June 2011 El Portal Community Yoga Schedule

Wednesday, June 1st 6:00-7:15 pm School Play, no class

Monday, June 6th 6:00-7:15 pm Heather Sullivan
Wednesday, June 8th 6:00-7:15 pm Karma Yoga with Cynthia Ramaciotti

Monday, June 13th 6:00-7:15 pm Jennie Wheeler
Wednesday, June 15th 6:00-7:15 pm Liesa Scholze

Monday, June 20th 6:00-7:15 pm Cynthia Ramaciotti
Wednesday, June 22nd 6:00-7:15 pm Yoga Holiday, no class

Monday, June 27th 6:00-7:15 pm Arin Trook
Wednesday, June 29th 6:00-7:15 pm Liesa Scholze