Happy Hips, Strong Shoulders yoga workshop

If you'd like to walk more easily, move with more freedom in your hips, and feel stronger in your shoulders, this is the workshop for you. The body tends to collect tension in the hips and shoulders, so to encourage flexibility and strength in these ball-and-socket joints, we'll practice focused breathing and asana work to help loosen, lengthen, and strengthen the surrounding muscles. You'll walk out feeling lighter in spirit and more graceful in your body.

I hope you'll join me! Sunday, November 15, 1:30pm-3:30pm, $20.
You can sign up at the studio or online at http://athensfivepointsyoga.com/events.htm

May You Walk in Beauty!

Namaste,
Jenni Derryberry Mann

Happy Hips, Strong Shoulders

"a yoga workshop that will leave you feeling light + graceful."

This event is planned to start at 1:30 pm on Nov 15, 2009 at Athens Five Points Yoga.

Intro to Prenatal Yoga workshop

Pregnant and thinking about trying yoga for the first time?

Tried yoga before, and wondering how it will help your pregnancy?

Then this workshop is for you! (Current students who want to review prenatal basics and ask questions about their prenatal practice are welcome, too!)

Join Jennifer Derryberry Mann to learn about the basics of prenatal yoga, learn pose names, and find out how prenatal yoga can help you during pregnancy, birth, and beyond.

Sunday, October 18, 2009
Noon-2pm, $20.
Please pre-register at 706-355-3114 or http://athensfivepointsyoga.com/events.htm

Couples Prenatal Yoga Workshop

Parents-to-be, share an afternoon of yoga to deepen your connection to each other and to celebrate the soon-to-be-birth of your new family. Partners will gain an appreciation for the yoga practice that mamas-to-be do each week to prepare for birth and beyond. Mamas-to-be will love the comfort measures and partner poses that we'll practice.

Saturday, October 10, 2009
1:30pm-3:15pm
$25/couple
Led by Jenni Derryberry Mann
Please sign up in advance: 706-355-3114 or http://athensfivepointsyoga.com/events.htm

Labor Day Weekend Schedule

Hi there Five Points Yogis,
Here's what you'll find at the studio this holiday weekend:

• Beginning Yoga Series with Shannon
  Saturdays, 7.30-8.45 a.m.
  Sept. 5, 12 & 17
  all three classes for $35-sign up online at www.athensfivepointsyoga.com/events.htm

• Bellydancing for Every Body with Kristy Fricks
  Saturday, Sept. 5th, 1.30-3.30 p.m.
  $20 register at the studio, or at www.athensfivepointsyoga.com/events.htm
  
  
• No prenatal class on Sunday, September 6.
  Mamas, we'll see you on Sunday, September 13th!
  

• 90 Minute Labor Day Class with Debi and Shannon! $10 for the flow of Anusara and Vinyasa Yoga, 5-6.30 p.m.. Sign up at the studio, call 706-355-3114 or email info @ 5pointsyoga.com. (All other Monday classes canceled on Sept. 8th, except for this special backbending class).

Are these your flamingos?

We're gathering quite a collection of items in the studio's lost and found box. Check to see if we've got your water bottle, sunglasses, flamingo tumbler, fleece jacket, and more...

Q: Why sign up for MindBody BootCamp?

A: Free massage!

Our good neighbors at Urban Sanctuary Spa are part of the MindBody Care Package that accompanies your BootCamp participation. Get a free 15-minute massage at Urban Sanctuary. You can add those 15 free minutes to any service you purchase, or you can enjoy them as a quick calm-me-down treat all on their own.

That's just one great part of the MindBody BootCamp care package: Earth Fare and Two Story Coffeehouse will be providing a little TLC, too (details soon!). You also get a $5 credit toward the purchase of your next Five Points Yoga class pass.

If you haven't signed up for yoga bootcamp yet, now's the time to get your name on the list!

MindBody BootCamp: Aug. 17-28

Consider yourself personally invited to join us this month for our first yoga bootcamp. MindBody BootCamp is two weeks of early-morning practice that's intended to give you an awesome start to your day with healthy breathing, great core work, deep stretching, and strength building. To lift your spirits and enliven your senses, we'll also make time for a little chanting, meditation, and of course, a soothing savasana. By the end of the two weeks, you'll notice a difference in your core strength. Our hope is that you'll also enjoy the sense of community that comes from sharing an early-morning, daily practice with friendly yoga people.

You can sign up online, by phone, or in person at the studio. Please try to register by August 12. BootCamp begins Monday, August 17. Here are the details:

• MindBody BootCamp
• at Athens Five Points Yoga (on Lumpkin, next to Earth Fare)
• weekdays, Monday through Friday
• two-week session is August 17-28
• 5:30am-6:30am
• $135
• registration required: online at athensfivepointsyoga.com/events.htm, by phone at 706.355.3114, or in person at the studio.
  
• Each class includes: chanting, pranayama, core, asana, meditation, savasana
• Your session fee includes the 10 classes and the MindBody Care Package: a $5 discount on a future class pass purchase at Five Points Yoga, daily email support (with info, inspiration, and notes from the morning's class), and a little TLC from EarthFare and Two Story Coffehouse

The class is led by Jenni Derryberry Mann (that's me, your friendly 5PY blogger :). I'm especially looking forward to yoga bootcamp because of the emphasis on core work and for how great I know I'm going to feel starting each day with some proper breathing. Not to mention how awesome it will be to see happy faces at 5:30am (well, at least by 6:30am!) in Five Points!

Join us!

New to yoga? We've got the class for you!

Too often, we hear from people who think they can't come to yoga because they aren't flexible enough or because they're worried they don't know what to do. To which we yoga teachers love to point out: That's why it's called "practice."

But we get what you're saying, so studio co-owner Shannon Frank is introducing a Beginning Yoga Series. If you've never been to a yoga class, or you've just done a few videos at home, or you want to build your confidence by revisiting the basics, this class is for you.

• The series is $35 for three classes.
• Class meets Saturday mornings, August 8, 15 & 22
• 7.30-8.45 a.m.
• For more info, email Shannon.

The Beginning Yoga Series is designed to introduce beginning students to the practice of yoga in a safe, fun, and empowering atmosphere. Join with other new students and learn how to practice yoga safely and effectively. This class is appropriate for all ages and fitness levels, and we can't say it clearly or often enough: No yoga experience necessary!

Regular yoga practice can decrease your stress levels, improve your strengths and enhance your concentration. All you have to do is begin.

No Yin/Yang this weekend

There's no Yin/Yang class this weekend only, Sunday, July 19, at 9am. Embrace the opportunity to do your own practice at home or outside in the gorgeous sunshine!

Get the best in relaxation

Join us for an afternoon session of Yoga Nidra, yoga's deepest form of relaxation

Saturday, July 25th
3.30-5 p.m., $15 with Carla
register online or in studio
Pre-registration is required.

In this workshop, we will explore the deep healing power of yoga nidra (deep relaxation). The workshop will consist of a 1-hour, verbally guided, deep relaxation. This workshop is appropriate for students of all levels, even yoga first-timers. The practice of yoga nidra is especially beneficial for those who are working toward letting go of old patterns and addictions as well as those who find it difficult to relax or to fall asleep. Yoga nidra works with the subconscious mind and incorporates a systematic relaxation of each part of the body, a meditation focusing on the breath, and a series of visualizations.

You will feel a-ma-zing when you leave the studio!

July at 5PY

Happy Fourth, y'all. Here's what our holiday schedule looks like:

Saturday, July 4
-We will have class at 9 a.m. with Charlotte
-No Bodyrolling or Pilates

Sunday, July 5
-Yin/Yang (9 a.m.) and Prenatal Yoga (10.30 a.m.) are cancelled
-We will have 4 p.m., Vinyasa with Henry

Later this month...
Special Event: Yoga Nidra, Saturday, July 25th, 3.30-5 p.m., $15

We haven't seen you in awhile...

I'm at the studio at least twice a week to teach my classes, and most weeks, I am there a couple more times to practice. My favorite weeks are those when I get to a class daily. That rare treat is bliss!

Today I had the strange experience of coming back to the studio after a bit of a hiatus. I've been dealing with acute tendonitis in my knees, so I cut back on all physical activity for a week or so. I was so needing Shannon's class when I walked in the door (and of course, she delivered. Thanks, Shan!). What really stunned me though was that when I signed in, I noticed that my class card indicated the last time I came to a practice was 20 days ago. TWENTY! No wonder I've been so off!

So, check your calendar. When was the last time you were at Five Points Yoga? Please come see us. We've been missing you!

Great Core Practice

Check out the August 2009 issue of Yoga Journal for an efficient core-focused home practice. Strong abs help support your entire body, stabilize your spine, ease back pain, and help you explore new edges in your yoga practice. The Hooray for Monday! yoga class will be working with this ab sequence for the next few weeks. Join us!

Dawg Discount!

UGA Alumni Association members, you can save $5 off your next class card. Just show us your current UGAAA membership card!

• 10-class pass for $85 ($80 with your Dawg Discount)
• 5-class pass for $45 ($40 with your Dawg Discount)

Two weeks of construction

Lumpkin St. construction begins in front of the studio today at 2pm and lasts for 2 weeks. This means you may have to find different parking. One idea: park a block away on Milledge Terrace, on the street just past the Hodgson building. It's a super-fast walk (about 1 minute!) down the short alley that runs right between Earthfare and Five Points Yoga. Quick and Easy!

Let us know if you find other great places to park for the next coupla weeks!

Are you getting our messages on Facebook?

Hi there Five Points Yogis! To keep up with the latest news, announcements, and general good vibe of 5PY, be sure to add us to your Facebook News Feed!

~~ Scroll waaaaay to the bottom of your News Feed (that's what typically shows up on your Facebook home page.) and click "Edit Options."
~~ Click "Public Profiles" and find Five Points Yoga.
~~ Click "Add to News Feed" and, ta-da! You should start seeing our status updates in your Newsfeed.

And, if you're not already connected to our Facebook Fan Page, please join us: http://tinyurl.com/fivepointsyoga

Hope to see you at the studio soon!

$5 Yoga!

Debi's Lunchtime Express Yoga on Wednesdays saves you enough dough to get a sandwich after class: Just $5 for 45 minutes that leaves your neck, shoulders, back, and wrists feeling happy!

Join us for the mid-day bliss from 12:15pm-1pm, every Wednesday.

Special prenatal time this Sunday

Mamas-to-be, because of the workshop taking place this weekend, our prenatal class will be at a special time on Sunday. Join us at 2:45pm, this weekend only. See you there!

New Classes in June

Check out our new June classes & highlights:

• Saturday afternoons are no longer just for lounging: Get your pilates fix first! Jenni G.'s new class goes from noon-1. You can rest after that ;-)
• Shannon's teaching another one of her awesome Anusara-Inspired classes on Mondays at 4:30pm.
• Welcome Steve Ball to the schedule. He's teaching a yang/yin practice on Sunday mornings, 9am-10:15am. Start with some flowing poses, then settle in for good, long stretches during the second part of class.
• And for our mamas-to-be: Don't miss the special prenatal class time on Sunday, June 7 ... there's a workshop going on in the morning, but Jenni expects to see you in class at 2:45pm!

A note from this weekend's visiting Yogini

June 5, 6, and 7 (yep, this Friday, Saturday, and Sunday!), Heather Tiddens is in town to share her yoga with us. She's teaching 4 sessions over the weekend, and you can come to any or all of them! Never been to a workshop before? Worried that you aren't "good enough" at yoga yet? Nonsense! The workshop is for all levels, and if you've never been to a workshop before, Heather is a compassionate, experienced, and skilled teacher who will make you feel welcome. Here's a note from Heather about her experience and her plans for the weekend. See you there!

I'm writing to invite you to join us at 5 Points this weekend for the Yin & Yang Yoga workshop. Bringing these two styles of practice together in my own life has had profound effects on my asana practice, as well as creating more balance off the mat.

My first 10 years or so of asana practice was in strong yang style (Ashtanga, Forrest Yoga, Power Flow...). I really value that time of having this style of practice help me into a very intense healing process, and exploring new territory of my physical, mental and emotional edges. I also am very physically active with surfing, running, hiking, etc.

About 8 years ago, I took a Yin yoga class with Paul Grilley - I hated it. But...I think because of my strong reaction to it, I realized there was something here for me. I had also been meditating for about a year at that point. I began to realize that my physical life (my yoga practice, surfing and all the other physical activities) was really really yang, and out of balance. I was exhausted all the time. Also, the way I approached practice and life, how I worked with my edges, how I used my breath, what I was asking my body to do, how I was in relationship with others and myself was way out on the yang end of the spectrum.

Enter Yin. These words we use to describe yin practice: surrender, receptivity, acceptance, letting go...had always had such negative connotations for me. I associated these words with weakness and victimhood, so I had a lot of negative judgment about the practice. But I did come back to it every day, studied with Paul Grilley and Sarah Powers, and the past 5 or 6 years, I have been doing Yin before my yang practice.

The gifts of bringing these two styles together into balance were unimaginable to me before. I feel more than ever, at home. At home in my body, in my mind, and with my emotions. At peace with the ever-changing relationship of strength, receptivity, control, surrender.

So with the workshop classes, my intention is to create the environment for you to explore these relationships for yourself. How you are in relationship with your body, your mind, your emotions, and how do you meet what arises in the experience of the poses? I don't view yin style as "better" than yang, or vica versa. Rather, when brought together in appropriate measure to our practice, our time on the mat can then support us in walking our life's path much more in harmony with ourselves and the world around us. I'm looking forward to sharing this yoga time with you this weekend.

In Beauty,

Heather

Schedule Changes: June 2009

June 5, 6, and 7, we're hosting a yoga workshop with Heather Tiddens, so the schedule will be a bit different:

Friday, June 5 -- the 4:30pm and 6pm classes are canceled. Join us instead for Heather's opening session, The Yin and Yang of Balance. She's teaching from 6-8:30pm. The class is $45.

Saturday, June 6 -- all regular classes are canceled. Heather will be teaching a backbend-focused class from 9pm-noon ($50) and a core-focused class from 2:30pm-5pm ($45).

Sunday, June 7 -- the morning classes are canceled for Heather's final session, which runs 9am-noon. There will be a special prenatal class time that day: mamas-to-be, join Jenni for class at 2:45pm.

Schedule: June 2009

MONDAYS

• 9:30-10:45am -- Hooray For Monday! Yoga (Level 1-2)
  Jenni Derrybery Mann
• 11am-12pm -- Postnatal Yoga Bonding with Baby
  Jenni Derryberry Mann
• 4:30-5:45pm -- Anusara-Inspired Yoga
  Shannon Frank
• 6-7:15pm -- Power Flow
  Debi Garrett
• 7:30-9:30pm -- Tai Chi for Vitality and Self Defense
  Carl Lindberg

TUESDAYS

• 9:30-10:45am -- Pilates
  Denise Posnak
• 11:15am-12:15pm -- Vinyasa Flow
  Henry Pursner
• 4:30-5:45pm -- Vinyasa Flow
  Debi Garrett
• 6-7:15pm -- Anusara-Inspired Yoga (Level 2)
  Shannon Frank
• 7:30-8:45pm -- Hatha Yoga
  Melanie Kitchens

WEDNESDAYS

• 9:30-10:45am -- Anusara-Inspired Yoga
  Shannon Frank
• 12:15-1pm -- Lunchtime Express Yoga ($5 Class!)
  Debi Garrett
• 4:30-5:45pm -- Yoga Basics (Level 1)
  Shannon Frank
• 6-7:15pm -- Power Flow
  Debi Garrett
• 7:30-8:45pm -- Pilates
  Denise Posnak
  

THURSDAYS

• 6:30-7:45am -- Hatha Yoga
  Melanie Kitchens
• 9:30-10:45am -- Yoga Basics (Level 1)
  Debi Garrett
• 11:15-12:15pm -- Vinyasa Flow
  Henry Pursner
• 4:45-5:45pm -- Pilates
  Kandy Dukes
• 6-7:15pm -- Vinyasa Flow
  Dave Drohan
• 7:30-9:30pm -- Tai Chi for Vitality and Self Defense
  Carl Lindberg

FRIDAYS

• 9:30-10:45am -- Vinyasa Flow
  Debi Garrett
• 4:30-5:45pm -- Vinyasa Flow (No Class 6/5)
  Debi Garrett
• 6-7:15pm -- Vinyasa Flow (No Class 6/5)
  Dave Drohan

SATURDAYS

• 9-10:15am -- All-levels Yoga (No Class 6/5)
  ~June 13 & 20 -- Anusara-Inspired Yoga -- Shannon Frank
  ~June 27 -- Vinyasa -- Charlotte Webb

SUNDAYS

• 9-10:15am -- Yang/Yin (No class 6/7)
  Steve Ball
• 10:30-11:45am -- Prenatal Yoga
  Jenni Derryberry Mann
  ~Note special time on 6/7 ... class is 2:45pm-3:45pm instead of 10:30am
• 4-5:30pm -- Power Flow
  Henry Pursner
• 5:40-6:40pm -- Meditation
  Athens Insights Meditation Group