Cape Yoga

Yoga For Insomnia - try this tonight!

 Yoga For Insomnia

The practice of yoga can be a bridge to a deep and restful sleep. Breathing, relaxation, and stretching can help you prepare to sleep.

Try these 4  yoga practices:

• 1. Sun Breath: Sit comfortably on the edge of your bed, feet on floor, spine elongated, shoulders relaxed. Bring your palms together in front of your heart (like prayer) and reach arms straight up, keeping the palms together as you inhale, then stretch out and around as if describing a circle as you exhale. Repeat this breathing deeply and slowly 3x.
• 2. Seated Twist: Still sitting in the same position, spine tall, feet on floor: Press your right hand against left knee and gently twist to your left. Take a couple of long slow breaths and then twist to the opposite side. Repeat this 3x both sides. This literally wrings out your spine in a soothing way.
• 3. Knees to chest: Stretch out in bed and then draw the knees in to the chest. Hug the arms around the knees, hold for about a minute and then stretch out completely. This relaxes your lower back.
• 4. Full Relaxation: As you stretch out, focus on the natural weight of your legs and arms as you relax. Breathe slowly and focus your mind on the breath coming in and out - you might imagine breathing in a sense of calm or peacefulness. 

Sweet Dreams!   Diane

www.kindyoga.com

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Yoga Yin Style

Jack:

Yin Yoga had me at hello!  I was in love with this style of Yoga by the time I'd finished taking my very first Yin class.  Over time, adding this complimentary style to the range of Yoga that I practice, I have experienced more freedom in my body, increased energy, and a better understanding of how to take care of myself.   As a result of my delight with Yin,  I've studied with the leading Yin teachers in the country, Paul Grilley and Sarah Powers. If you would like a good summer beach read - Yin Yoga by Paul Grilley or Insight Yoga by Sarah Powers will give you more than enough info to start your own practice.

It is important to state right up front that Yin Yoga is not another style of Yoga such as the many popular Hatha styles including Bikram, Iyengar, Ashtanga, and so forth.  Yin Yoga is rather a complementary style, it would make no sense to just do Yin Yoga.  You might do Yin one day and then Vinyasa the next, for example.

On the physical level, Yin Yoga addresses the deeper tissues surrounding the joints.  The deep tissues are thought of as Yin tissues, while muscle tissue is thought of as Yang tissue.  In a Yin practice, a pose is taken to its appropriate edge (meaning some discomfort is involved, just as there is in working out), the muscles are relaxed, and the pose is held typically for 3-5 minutes.  The process results in stimulating the deep connective tissue surrounding the joints rather than the muscles. 

The experience of many Yin practitioners is greater flexibility over time, and I've found, for example I can go into a lunge (called the Dragon in a Yin class) for 5 minutes with a fair amount of ease.  This is very different from the high degree of increased sensation (aka discomfort) experienced when I first began!

On an energetic level, theory holds that the Yin tissues are part of the pathway of the major meridians the channels of energy that are addressed using acupuncture and acupressure.  A Yin practice stimulates the flow and balancing of the meridians.  While I dont feel meridians, I have a passion for energy which started when I was 19 and had a cool experience of the connection between light and matter.  This experience has caused me to study electrical engineering, physics and yoga for the last 30 years.  After a Yin practice I often experience both a sense of peacefulness combined with increased energy.  

I love teaching Yin yoga, and have taught the Yin class Sunday nights 6pm at Centerville Yoga for about a year.  It is very heartwarming to have folks experience similar benefits as I have during and after a Yin class.  Jack

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Yoga Classes and Studios on Cape Cod - Tell us your favorites!

Folks have asked for a comprehensive list of classes including beach yoga - any input is welcome!

Jack and Diane

www.yogacapecod.com
Hatha yoga in Centerville
tues eves beg, thurs eves moderate
with D. Kovanda
508-428-8635

Centerville Yoga & Wellness
www.centervilleyoga.com
Bell Tower Mall (Rt. 28)
Centerville
(508) 775-1422

Sasha's Yoga & Massage Studio
http://www.zenyogaandmassage.com/
23 Route 134
Cobblestone Court II
South Dennis, MA
(508) 760-5339

Kind Yoga Teacher Training & Certification
Starts Sept. 8, 09,
200 hour, 5 months
Yoga Alliance registered
www.KindYoga.com

Yin Yoga with Jack Adams
Sunday nights in centerville
www.Myspace.com/jacksyoga

Falmouth and Sandwich
Brandon Mcolloch
live drumming
www.frogyoga.com

The Yoga Center of Cape Cod
Players Plaza
1604 Main Street (Route 6A)
East Dennis MA 02641
(508)385-8034
www.yogacenterofcapecod.com


Chatham Lighthouse Beach Yoga
Valerie Twomey
www.chathamyoga.com
Chatham, MA 02633
508-945-7643

Jen's baby and Me and Toddler yoga classes:
http://home.comcast.net/~miniyogiandme/site/


Kripalu with Jennifra Norton
www.vitalityfound.com
(508) 432-5840

New Seabury, Nancy Curran
http://www.yogaonabeach.com
508-737-3211

Reaching Heart Yoga & Yoga Therapy
Melissa Heart
http://www.reachingheart.com
Certified Kripalu Instructor, Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapist
(508) 432-4465

Maureen Hammett
(508) 783-4895
The Moving Meditation with Maureen Hammett
www.themovingmeditation.com/

The Studio at 700 Main
www.thestudiocapecod.com
Hyannis, MA
(508) 471-3960

Mary Mullin
Kundalini Yoga Classes
774-313-9412
www.kundaliniyogaoncapecod.com

Martha's Vineyard Yoga & Spa Therapies
24 Cournoyer Rd
West Tisbury, MA 02575
(508) 696-7769

Dr Debra Babcock
Harmony Network
(508) 495-1300
www.harmonychiroyoga.com


The LIFECENTER for Health
47 Main Street, Orleans, MA 02653
508-255-5752

B1 YOGA
at B1 Community LLC.
www.B1Community.com
(508) 237-8799

Provincetown Massage & Yoga Therapy
(508) 487-8358

Yoga East
43 Race Point Road
Provincetown
(508) 487-0167

Yoga classes with Jennifer Hicks MFA, RYT
Tue /Thur 9 -10am
Tue 6 -7 pm.
Studio 878,
878 Main Street
Chatham, Cape Cod

QUIET MIND STUDIO
95 Commercial Street
Wellfleet, MA 02667
(508) 349-2429

Hatha Yara Center for Yoga Related Arts
923 Route 6A
Yarmouthport, MA
(508) 375-0451

www.corsoyogatherapy.com
Jacqueline Corso's Yoga Therapy


Svaroopa Style Yoga with Dawn Gaynor
AND, check out the art and healing services
The Angel Room Wellness Center
located at 35D South Street till June 30th.
After July 2nd we will be at 29 Commercial Street,
both in the South Cape Village, Mashpee
www.AngelRoomWellnessCenter.com

Cape Cod Body & Soul Day Spa
11 Route 28
Dennisport, Ma. 02639
508-760-5667
www.capecodbodyandsoul.com

Author: Ned (den) Comment: The best-kept secret apparently is behind Pate's restaurant at Jeff Nelson's Whales' Tales of Enlightenment ashram/dojo... www.yogachatham.com for schedule of classes taught by his beautiful daughter Jen, who's been training at Kripalu since the age of 13. I've been there every week since she started almost 2 years ago and can't praise these classes enough...

Paul Howard's classes: Tues, thurs, sat
Osterville Fitness 9:00 -10:30 am Hatha Yoga

also at Osterville Fitness

Tuesday: 5:00 pm Conditioning Yoga Lori Martin

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Breathe in, exhale...welcome to Cape Yoga!

Behold, the benefits of yoga!

Jack: I've loved practicing yoga for many years, now I teach it and I hope to share some of it's benefits with you through this blog.

Diane: Anxiety and my wavering health lead me to study yoga in my late teens. I read a book that said yoga could relieve asthma and reduce stress. It has done that for me and so much more. I can't imagine life without this profound  practice.

The practice of yoga has many health benefits associated with it. From lowering blood pressure to strengthening your immune system, and creating calm and relaxation, yoga can help you balance many aspects of your life, body, mind and spirit.

A calming, yet invigorating exercise

I have included a breathing practice below which is calming yet invigorating and helps you FOCUS ON THE PRESENT, you can even do it at your computer.

1. Sit up and lengthen your spine.
2. Observe your breath as you breathe in and out a couple of times through your nose.
3. Place your hands on your belly and breathe in deeply, feeling the belly expand as the lungs fill up and inflate.
4. As you exhale, feel the belly deflate, as if you are releasing the air from a balloon.
5. Take seven slow breaths this way, witnessing the breath simply coming and going.
6. When you are complete, stretch your arms upward and take one more very deep breath.

Yoga helps us to focus on the present moment, to become more aware and to help create mind body health. It opens the way to improved concentration, coordination, reaction time and memory.

Stress relief

The concentration required during yoga practice tends to focus your attention on the matter at hand, thereby reducing the emphasis you may have been putting on the stress in your life. 

Only ten weeks

Research has shown that as little as ten weeks of yoga practice can result in better concentration and more motivation. Yoga also helps to reduce the levels of the stress hormone cortisol.

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