HAPPY HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Greetings!

Welcome to Mai Town Yoga's January 2013 newsletter. 

We hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas & New Year Holiday Season! 

As we start 2013 it's been wonderful to meet so many new students so dedicated to themselves & their yoga practice. I know personally what a struggle the holiday months can be. Often with me a new year means a new start. I catch strong feelings of renewed energy & excitement towards many "things" in my life I may have been looking at pessimistically.

For myself personally what this often means more than anything is I have not kept up with one or some of my practices I have developed to keep myself from pessimism. Such as my yoga or meditation practice for instance. This is one of many reasons I'm so proud we are offering our first workshop February 9th on "Introduction to Meditation". 

I'm very excited we have added two new instructors to our awesome teaching staff. We are so grateful & proud to have the amazing Chris Engebretsen & Jessica Morgan joining the Mai Town Yoga team. The talent of the teachers we have assembled at Mai Town is really fantastic. I love what a student told me the other day; "I've not had a bad class here". All of us on the Mai Town Team; Tida, Mary, Catalina, Chris, Jessica & myself are completely dedicated to ensuring you have the best yoga experience possible.

As I mentioned above we are very happy to present our first workshop February 9th at 1:30pm on "Introduction to Meditation" taught by Tida Chambers. Below is the write-up for this special workshop we are proud to offer. 

"Meditation is considered an essential practice for those who seek self-knowledge and self-mastery. Why? Basically, meditation brings awareness of how our minds work. Over time, we become watchers, able to detach from the thoughts and emotions that play out in our minds.

With this detachment, we gain the freedom to choose whether or not to act on our thoughts and emotions. We learn to distinguish between objective reality and our mental and emotional dramas.

This workshop will introduce those interested in learning how to meditate to basic meditation techniques. In this workshop, you will learn about sitting and walking meditation. You will learn the proper alignment for sitting on a cushion/blanket and for sitting in a chair. Once your body is comfortable, then it no longer will distract the mind. You will get to experience different techniques such as focusing on the breath, counting and using visualization . We will discuss what to do about the mind wandering around, hopping from one thing to the next. Then, we will practice it. We will sit and also walk in short intervals.

By the time you leave, you will have a basic meditation practice you can use at home...and you will feel more calm and relaxed.

Let your meditation practice influence and transform the quality of your experiences and your relationship to others and the world. Find more calm in your life by developing a consistent meditation practice.

Please wear comfortable, loose clothing or work-out clothes. You may wear socks and bring a light jacket. If you are a note taker, feel free to bring a notepad and pen. If you happen to have meditation cushions, please bring them."

I want to also be sure & mention the "Holiday Challenge". Things really got exciting at the end with 2 students tying for 1st place with 29 classes from November 15th to January 31st. Don't forget... over 15 of you signed up for the holiday challenge! Way to go everyone! The "Spring Challenge" is right around the corner!  
 
"It is only when the practice is followed for a long time, without interruptions and with a quality of positive attitude and eagerness, that it can succeed." Patanjali, Yoga-Sutras 

Namaste!

Dan Cicconi RYT 500Studio Manager

Lead Instructor

  

Mental Exercise

One of the easiest ways to get your computer to run just a little bit smoother is to clear it's cache. The cache is like the computer's short term memory, inventory of web browsing, photos and other random, mostly useless items. These tidbits of information can become a burden on the computer system and occupy too much hard drive space. That information is not necessary for optimal running of our computer system so we clear the cache and let it go. But that is just our computers.

We are all inundated with the responsibilities of life. Family, work and social responsibilities all pulling at us in different directions simultaneously- and we struggle to maintain a balance. We are also in the information age, tied to our computers, our smart phones, ipads, and fax machines and to escape from the daily stresses of this technology, we turn to our televisions. If we are running a little rough, slower perhaps and feel the need to run a little bit smoother- do we have a personal cache we can clear and if so how do we do it?

Meditation can help us clear our personal caches reboot and restart regularly. 

Meditation, simply stated, is a mind body practice. A bit of a mental exercise. 

Meditation can give you a sense of calm, peace and balance that can benefit your overall well being. While meditating you can clear away the informational overload that has built up in your personal cache- freeing up some of your personal hard drive space, allowing you to run at a more optimal level- You 2.0. The emotional benefits of meditation may help you manage your stress, increase your awareness of self, focus on the here and now, and reduce negative emotions. The practice of meditation may also help you alleviate some medical conditions, specifically those made worse by stress. According to the Mayo Clinic, meditation may help some conditions such as anxiety, allergies, asthma, cancer, depression, heart disease, high blood pressure, chronic pain, sleep disorders and substance abuse. 

How does it work? 

It works differently for everyone. Meditation works as an internal practice for relaxing the body and the mind. We can think of meditation as giving our mind and body a break. Sleeping can induce respite but often our minds and bodies are so agitated we cannot get adequate rest. 

Meditation can go right into the unpleasant areas of the mind and body and change our mental attitude towards them. Many who practice meditation experience a fall in metabolic rate and decreased blood pressure as the act of meditation decrease nervous system activity.

An article from U.S. News reported, "A mindfulness meditation program can trigger measurable changes in brain areas associated with awareness, empathy and sense of self within eight weeks" (2011, HealthDay News). Other studies have shown that a regular practice of meditation increased gray matter density in the learning and memory centers of the brain. Different types of 'mental exercises' create different changes in the brain, but all have similar effects. Neuroplasticity is a term that is used to describe the brain changes that occur in response to experience. There are many different mechanisms of neuroplasticity ranging from the growth of new connections to the creation of new neurons. Research suggests that meditation can harness the brain's ability to change through relaxation and attention training. When the framework of neuroplasticity is applied to meditation, it is suggested that the mental exercise of the practice of meditation is no different from any other form of skill acquisition that can bring about changes in the brain. 

Meditation is an excellent antidote to help us regain the balance against the constant push pull of our lives. Meditation can offer us a way to create new neurons, inducing relaxation; alleviate stressors and complications due to illnesses, and a multitude of other benefits and on top of that, there is no special equipment to use and you can meditate in the sanctuary of your own home. 

Want to learn more? 

Be sure to sign up at the counter for the meditation workshop conducted by Tida Chambers happening next month where Tida will explain in detail specific techniques you can incorporate meditation into your yoga practice and to daily life.

Mary Gatmaitan 


HOUSEKEEPING, New Class Offering & Schedule Changes

Schedule changes effective March 1st will be as follows. Starting Wednesday March 6th Mai Town is proud to introduce our new "Warrior Basics" class. Warrior Basics will be an alignment, modification based class that will be awesome for beginners & individuals with serious injuries. This will also will be a donation based class with the proceeds going to a local Red Oak charity. This class will take place at 6:30pm Wednesday evenings moving "Warrior Core"  to 5pm. 

   

Don't forget about Fit For Life. Fit For Life is Mai Town Yoga's wellness partner. Anything concerning your overall health, nutrition & weight loss including 1 on 1 personal training sessions in our downstairs gym. Become an auto debit member with Mai Town Yoga & receive discounted services from Fit For Life. Fit For Life brochures are at our front counter. 

   

Remember to get the most out of your practice here are a few tips we ask you to consider.

For your convenience class descriptions, tuition rates and our schedule can always be found at maitownyoga.com

Please arrive 5-10 minutes before the class starts to give yourself time to get into the room, lay your mat down and prepare yourself for class. 

Please be mindful of other students who might be meditating, in savassana (laying down) or child's pose and keep talking & noise to a minimum. One reason many come to practice yoga is to stop the everyday stories & dramas in their minds for at least the one hour they are here.

Please leave all CELL PHONES, shoes & personal items in cubby's set up in lobby.

Hot Yoga is a work out. We want to remind you to make sure and drink plenty of water before, during and after your classes. Hydration is important and we have vending machines filled with water, coconut water, and Gatorade for your convenience.

Mat and towel rentals are $1 each. Forget to bring your own? No worries, we have them here to rent. At this time Mai Town Yoga is not offering free mat and towel service with any of it's memberships- however if you check in at Mai Town on Facebook, we will waive the mat or towel rental for that class.

Towel Monogramming is available for those who wish to personalize their Hot Yoga towels. We have partnered with a local embroiderer to personalize these for us and we will offer free laundry service for monogrammed towels. Leave your monogrammed towel with us and it will be clean and ready for your next class.



2013 is going to be an amazing year. We have many wonderful things planned for the year! Stay tuned. & remember all of us here on the Mai Town are here for you. Come & see us. 

Namaste,

 
Dan Cicconi
(469) 218 0691
dan@maitownyoga.com
www.maitownyoga.com


MAI TOWN YOGA IS STRONG MEDICINE


Mai Town Yoga | dan@maitownyoga.com | http://www.maitownyoga.com
303 E. Ovilla Road
Suite 100
Red Oak, TX 75154

NEWSLETTER DECEMBER
2012

FROM OUR HEARTS, THANK YOU SO MUCH!

Greetings!

Welcome to Mai Town Yoga's December 2012 newsletter. As stated in our November addition it's our our goal to send out a newsletter on a monthly basis to keep you updated on everything Mai Town. 

As we head into the Christmas holiday & the 2013 new year we can all celebrate Mai Town Yoga has now been opened 4 months. The teachers & I from our HEARTS would like to thank you so very much. Tida, Catalina, Mary & myself have been honored to be a part of your lives. Those of you that have stayed have all seen significant & in some instances amazing life changing if not life saving results. Your feedback has been at times overwhelmingly appreciative. The collective experience for all of us I feel can best be summed up with one word... GROWTH. 

"You're never too old, never too bad, never too late and never too sick to start from the scratch once again." 
Bikram Choudhury

Over 15 of you signed up for the holiday challenge! It's coming down to the wire & will end New Years Eve! You still have plenty of time to get classes in! 

Don't forget winners get free BMI assessments from Mindy with Fit For Life. Fit For Life is Mai Town Yoga's wellness partner. Anything concerning your overall health, nutrition & weight loss including 1 on 1 personal training sessions in our downstairs gym. Become an auto debit member with Mai Town Yoga & receive discounted services from Fit For Life. 

Everyone that practices yoga is doing it for their own particular reasons. We are very pleased our yoga class offerings cast such a huge net. We always need & want your feedback. It's always needed & desired as it's our intention toensure that we continue to offer you the best possible yoga experience.We have worked tirelessly in an attempt to bring you the highest quality & fairest priced hot yoga offering in the DFW area, & I believe we have done this. 

"Realizing that our minds control our bodies while our bodies reflect our minds amounts to understanding the most fundamental aspects of ourselves. It further equals a comprehension of the relationship between our "tools." And since the mind and body are interrelated, this understanding makes it easier to see why coordinating them is a practical way of using these tools to greatest effect-a way of using the mind and body to live our lives as art." 
H.E. Davey, Japanese Yoga: The Way of Dynamic Meditation

Dan Cicconi RYT 500

Studio Manager

Lead Instructor

Do yoga to beat holiday stress

Do you still have millions of things to do before Christmas? Join the club. This is Crunch Week for many of us. There are gifts to buy, parties to attend, goodies to bake, packages to ship, and cards to send. And then just when you think you've got it all under control, you wake up in the middle of the night and remember something else. That office gift exchange. The flowers you need to order for Christmas dinner. What else were you supposed to bring? You worry about getting it all done, if you'll eat your way into a new jeans size, and how much all of this is going to cost. It can be overwhelming, to say the least. And it makes it easy to forget that the holiday season is all about compassion, love and giving. So if you're finding yourself coming down with a case of the Humbugs, or just needing a little break in the midst of the madness, why not head up to Mai Town Yoga for a class & chill out?

Yoga is an excellent stress reducer. And you don't have to be "good at it" for it to be effective. It can also help relieve pain that can result from stressful activities. If you need a gentle reminder that your shoulders naturally sit somewhere below your neck, not hovering around your ears, yoga can do wonders. It can also help you get better sleep, stand a little taller so you'll look great in your New Year's Eve outfit, and even aid digestion. Another stress-reducing factor of yoga is that it requires you to pay attention to your breathing, and that can make all your worries float away.

Taking time for yourself in the midst of the chaos for a yoga class can make all the difference in the world. Yoga allows us to stop, focus and become much more aware of what is happening in the "now" as opposed to the past and the future. It helps us realize that most things are outside of our control, but we can control our own reactions to the events happening around us. In my experience as a yoga teacher, most stress is caused by over-thinking, or what I like to call "analysis paralysis." It's easy to get overwhelmed when we feel like there is so much to do and not enough time to get it done, and also when we feel that others have expectations of us that we are not sure we can fulfill. This is a recipe for accumulated stress in the body which manifests as tightness, sore muscles, fatigue and lack of sleep.  

If we don't take the time for ourselves to reconnect to what is truly going on inside, we can end up making ourselves sick, and then we certainly cannot enjoy all the blessings of being with family and friends. 

 "Blessed are the flexible, for they shall not be bent out of shape." Unknown

HOUSEKEEPING &
Schedule Changes

Schedule changes effective January 1st will be as follows. We will be phasing out Friday nights 6PM Candlelight Warrior class. Thursday 9AM dancer will switch to warrior core. Monday & Wednesday 4:30pm classes will move to 5pm & those class offerings will not change. Monday & Wednesday 630pm classes will remain in their times slots however Wednesday nights 630pm class will switch from warrior to warrior core allowing for evening students to benefit from the core series. Tuesday & Thursday 430pm classes will move to 530pm while the 630pm classes will move to 7pm. Tuesday & Thursday evening class offerings will not change. Please remember as we continue to study our attendance trends to serve you best we will be altering our schedule more in the future. Our schedule should always be considered in a state of flux as you the students will dictate our class times. Thank you so very much!

Our Christmas & New Year Holiday Schedule is as follows. We will have no classes on Christmas & New Years day. Both Christmas & New Years Eve's we will have 530am, 9am & 12pm classes. The day after Christmas & New Years Day only the 530am classes are cancelled.  

We now have an interest sign up sheet at the front counter for the meditation workshop. Meditation workshop is a 2 to 3 hour class & will be taught by Tida most likely on a Saturday afternoon. We will continue to expand our workshop offerings as your different interests in all forms of yoga continue to grow.  

Remember to get the most out of your practice here are a few tips we ask you to consider.

For your convenience class descriptions, tuition rates and our schedule can always be found at maitownyoga.com

Please arrive 5-10 minutes before the class starts to give yourself time to get into the room, lay your mat down and prepare yourself for class. 

Please be mindful of other students who might be meditating, in savassana (laying down) or child's pose and keep talking & noise to a minimum. One reason many come to practice yoga is to stop the everyday stories & dramas in their minds for at least the one hour they are here.

Please leave all CELL PHONES, shoes & personal items in cubby's set up in lobby.

Hot Yoga is a work out. We want to remind you to make sure and drink plenty of water before, during and after your classes. Hydration is important and we have vending machines filled with water, coconut water, and Gatorade for your convenience.

Blankets for your Restorative classes are available at the studio. These blankets give just the right amount of padding for your shoulders, knees, and hips during the longer hold times in these classes.

Mat and towel rentals are $1 each. Forget to bring your own? No worries, we have them here to rent. At this time Mai Town Yoga is not offering free mat and towel service with any of it's memberships- however if you check in at Mai Town on Facebook, we will waive the mat or towel rental for that class.

Towel Monogramming is available for those who wish to personalize their Hot Yoga towels. We have partnered with a local embroiderer to personalize these for us and we will offer free laundry service for monogrammed towels. Leave your monogrammed towel with us and it will be clean and ready for your next class.

Please take to HEART as we head into the new year don't let yourself lose any momentum with your health & fitness. Producing the changes we want can be met with difficult challenges so we must be vigilant in honoring & loving ourselves. The Mai Town Team consisting of Tida Chambers, Catalina Oranday, Mary Gatmaitan & myself will be here for you. Come & see us. 

Namaste,

 
Dan Cicconi
(469) 218 0691
dan@maitownyoga.com
www.maitownyoga.com

In a 2006 study, it was concluded that the subjects that lost weight and kept weight off  engaged in activities that were also mentally soothing everyday along with physical exercise everyday (http://www.ijbnpa.org/content/3/1/17).  The study's conclusions findings suggest that the subject, by thier own choice, set themselves up  a work and rewards system in order to have continued success. 
Why is this information important?  Three reasons. First, I want to point out that I was prepping you for a thought about weight loss as it relates to yoga.  Second, when adding a new activity or behavior into your daily life, you need to also add an encouraging support (work and reward for that work).  This concept is the key to continued success of any new lifestyle change. Second, to those of you who do not know the experience of yoga, yoga not only helps you to lose weight BUT it helps you have, what can be, an amazing inner (mental, reflective, or even spiritual) experience, granted you reach a class attendance of at least 4 days a week consistently (for a prolonged period of time or working toward a long committment).  Yoga is a physical practice that can bring about both weight loss and reward all in itself.  That is why the yoga community is rapidly growing.  So, try the very popular, introductory special of 10 classes for 10$ and try out yoga and see how it will benenfit your life.

Emily Kathryn Narayan, RYT

Yoga has many benefits.  So why choose Hot Yoga?  Or, more specifically, why choose hot yoga for weight loss? How does weight loss occur with Hot Yoga?
"The heat of a hot yoga class does not cause permanent weight loss. You'll lose water weight, temporarily, through sweating. When you rehydrate, however, your body will regain the water it needs to function properly, and your weight will return to normal. However, the heat raises your heart rate slightly. As you sweat, your blood volume decreases because of dehydration, and your heart must pump faster to keep the blood flowing throughout your body. In this way, the heat helps you reach and maintain your target heart rate, achieving a level that burns calories effectively."
- http://www.livestrong.com/article/401127-weight-loss-benefits-of-bikram-yoga/

Emily Kathryn Narayan, RYT

Yoga on Obstacles and Distractions (Chitta Viksepa):  The Challenge of The Human Condition

We find ourselves in soured states of being in many times in our lives. Example:  The relationship failed.  Irritation and, the behavior that ensues as a result, of small interruptions and changes out of control plague us.  We get depressed. We battle superiority and inferiority.  We run from our thoughts, feelings, past, or fear.  After we run from something we go to something else or someone else projecting the dis-ease of our life.  We, simply, are addicted to the more base components of the human experience. 

Though there is much debate concerning the truest account of yoga’s origins amongst Hindu and other religious theologists, historians, philosophers, and yogi’s and yogini’s.  The one constant in yoga, as it was intended, was to inform and assist the descendants of the human race in their journey to becoming less attached to our multiple sensory experiences in this life in order to be able to perceive and feel contentment, inner peace, connectedness, and oneness with all living things.

The Chitta Viksepa, or Causes of Modification of the Mind, is a line of thought, informational, and instructional, laid out in the Yoga Sutra’s of Pantanjali.  Some yoga experts argue that the Yoga Sutra’s are the foremost authority on yoga (others argue that the authoritative texts are the Hatha Yoga Pradipika, The Upanishads, and other texts). The Yoga Sutra’s are mostly written like a line of thought that resemble a philosophical arguments in format.  With a starting point beginning in the first sutra, the consecutive texts continue to build on the first and beginning sutra.  All sutra’s point to one thing… the attainment of a state of detachment. This is a vague term, but, you can easily come to know the context of this idea of detachment and what it means to become detached and how it is life changing. 

We are fortunate to have our many experts on yoga that have compiled the information for us and presented it to us in many different ways.  B.K.S Iyengar wrote in his book Light On Yoga in 1966 about the Obstacles and Distractions.  He outlines this easily for us in Light On Yoga.

We go deeper into the Obstacles and Distractions in our next blog.

Emily Kathryn Narayan, RYT