July 17, 2020

Distant Reiki Healing

Reiki (Universal Life Force Energy) teaches us that we are more than just our physical bodies and that Reiki surrounds us as an energy body. Reiki energy connects on our spiritual and energetic levels. Distant Reiki sessions work because energy is not limited by distance. Distance is only a physical limitation, so sessions can be done without clients being physically present. We are all connected, as we are all energy matter and part of a larger whole.

A distant healing session can be done in a number of ways. The practitioner can use a proxy, use visualization, or use a projection of Reiki to send Reiki energy to someone else. The distant Reiki symbol joins the Reiki practitioner and the client together in a sacred healing space.

To receive distant Reiki healing you don’t have to do anything special, but it’s best to lie down and be still if possible. The recipient and healer can agree on a time beforehand and the person receiving simply needs to sit or lie down for the specified amount of time (typically a half hour or so). The effects of distant healing are virtually no different than hands-on healing. An experienced Reiki healer (level II or higher) can send healing energy to a person anywhere in the world no matter how far away from the healer they are.  The energy transmissions in a remote session are just as strong as if they were delivered in person directly with the hands. Distant healings are ideal for those who don’t live in a reasonable distance from a practitioner, people who don’t have the means to travel to and from a healers office, or if you don’t particularly like someone touching you, a distance healer can provide the same benefit without the need to physically touch. Those who are interested in receiving a Reiki healing session do not have to be suffering from any type of illness to benefit from a session. Sessions can help keep the energy channels open, decreasing the likelihood of illness due to blocked Chakras. Sessions are affordable and keep your privacy intact. You can also order distant healing for your loved ones.  While it is best if they are aware they are receiving a remote Reiki treatment so they can be open to receiving the most benefit, even if they aren’t aware the practitioner can send Reiki with the intention that they receive based on their own free will, asking their spirit guide (energy guide) to make the connection and ask permission.

Try a remote Reiki Session for yourself and experience the benefits. Don’t be surprised if it becomes your preferred method of healing!

– Renee, renee@greenrenee.com

July 15, 2020

On the Beach with Yoga Upstairs

 

Images from Sri’s beach class. One photo shows a dolphin from a pod that stayed close to shore all throughout the practice. The class did Dolphin pose to salute them.

 


 

Dolphins were gliding up and back a small stretch of the Pacific Coast near Point Dume in Malibu when I joined the two-leggeds in the sandy foreground for Yoga On The Beach with Sri Hari Moss. This would be an experiment of a group activity in COVID times.

A couple dozen masked people were unfurling their mats and towels at least six feet apart from each other. The morning mist and ocean breezes kept the fresh air gently moving.  Nature’s big studio gave us room to stretch and connect without touching.

Sri’s voice was sometimes muffled because of his mask, but he led by visual example, and his soothing voice was usually heard for verbal guidance as we stretched to warm up.  He had us do poses in connection with the ocean we could hear and see—Boat Pose, Dolphin Pose, and Fish Pose. He adapted his routine to the advantages of forgiving sand, not counting on a fixed foundation.

He let us all feel comfortable stepping out to avoid poses we weren’t ready for or to enjoy the dolphins. But he didn’t bore those who wanted to do headstands and be warriors in the winds.

It was luscious at the end, lying in the sand on our backs, eyes closed with the music of the sea and feeling coddled by sand.

From the beginning of humankind, the world has been full of disease — of the body, mind, and soul.  And so much of our lives in modern times is full of the stresses of dis-ease. For centuries, “disease” meant lack of ease, before becoming a medical term.

Yoga is a beautiful opportunity to find ease and to feel ease. Kinks and cricks in the body can dissolve. Unconsciously clenched jaws and knotted muscles can relax. Persevering worries that can poison seem to evaporate. And with the right community, there is a gentle joy in being with others who want ease, not disease; “Namaste,” not negativity. Taking good care of self, deep breathing, meditation, connecting in spirit to nature, to others, to divinity can all ease the mind and spirit.

Many people remained after the outdoor class, talking about how good it felt to move, and enjoying seeing human beings against a real backdrop of nature’s beauty, not one of the imposed ones on visual conferencing programs.

You could see people’s eyes crinkled in the corners and knew that underneath those masks were some lovely smiles… smiles being one of the best beach poses for ease, not disease.

To wellness and wellbeing amidst the wonders.    Lisa Sonne

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Sri is one of the great teachers at YogaUpstairs.com in Agoura Hills, now offering classes online.  You can see more of Lisa Sonne’s writing at LisaSonne.com

May 26, 2020

Eating with the Seasons: Spring Delights

Seasonal Herbed Salad Yoga Benefits

by Allie Beckemeyer, MSc, Holistic Nutritionist

Herbed salad with Spring greens from the farmers market! Learn more about the benefits of eating seasonally and get this delicious herbed salad recipe by Holistic Nutritionist Allie Beckemeyer of Allume Wellness.

 

The gorgeous blooms and warmer days kissed with sunshine mark the arrival of spring! With spring comes the arrival of a new crop of seasonal produce in the markets: the verdant green of pea shoots, deep red of sweet strawberries, and delicate fragrance of dill. This transition in produce and frequency of warmer days marks the easy slip from the warming, cooked comfort dishes of winter into more raw dishes, bursting with earthy, bright, herbaceous flavors.

The best way to keep track of what is in “season” is to make a trip to your local farmers market. Chat with the farmers to see what they recommend – follow your nose, your eyes, and their passions to get the pulse on the best market buys. If they can’t stop talking about the lettuce they have this week, it might be worth trying! Expand your produce knowledge by reaching for unfamiliar varietals and asking the farmers how they might prepare them. Making the most of your trips to the farmers market will help you develop relationships with the farmers, too – they may start saving the best of the bunch for you!

One of my favorite (and easy) springtime side dishes is an herbed salad. Now, in some minds, the word “salad” may evoke images of stale salad bars with wilted iceberg lettuce and cold bacon bits, failed dieting attempts, or tasteless, boring workday lunches. If this is you, prepare to be amazed! The key to a salad done correctly, besides the dressing of course, is the combination of leaves and herbs. You can layer flavors of peppery, bitter, light and crunchy, and that is just with the leaves. Not only does a combination like this taste better, it also allows for the incorporation of a variety of nutrients. Mixed green salads have fiber that aids in digestion and detoxification, as well as key minerals like phosphorous, potassium, copper, iron, and magnesium. Watercress, for instance, has the important blood-clotting vitamin K (and the olive oil in the dressing helps the body absorb it!). Bitter leaves like arugula and dandelion stimulate the liver, increasing bile production, fat digestion, and more efficient absorption of fat-soluble vitamins (like the vitamin K from the watercress and vitamin A in the butter lettuce!). Cilantro helps the body detoxify heavy metals, and dill has the collagen-boosting vitamin C and folate, which supports red blood cell and DNA production. Mix your greens and herbs to enjoy a variety of health benefits in addition to greater flavor complexity.

One of my favorite salad combinations consists of butter lettuces, watercress, dandelion, cilantro, dill, and mint leaves. With a little lemon vinaigrette, this mixture is delicious, gorgeous, light and incredibly healthy! Store your herbs in glasses of water in the fridge, and keep the leaves in a plastic bag or container with plenty of air. Get creative with your herb and lettuce combinations – taste each on its own first and then create a stunning salad “bouquet”. Check out the recipe below and enjoy experimenting with your farmers markets finds!

Herbed Salad Recipe

Ingredients (serves 1):

  • 2 cups total, mixture of lettuces. Aim to vary colors, textures, and flavors.
    • Peppery: Arugula, watercress
    • Sweet/crisp: Spinach, romaine, butter lettuce
    • Bitter: Radicchio, treviso, dandelion
  • 1/2 cup of each, fresh: mint, dill, cilantro, & parsley
  • 2 tbsp French lemon vinaigrette (whisk all ingredients until incorporated)
    • 4 tsp fresh lemon juice
    • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oils
    • 1 tsp of Dijon mustard
    • 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
    • Dollop of raw honey
    • Pinch of salt
    • Pinch of herbs de Provence
    • Optional: 1/2 of a finely chopped shallot
  • 1/8 tsp kosher salt
  • Few cracks of fresh pepper
  • Optional: freshly sliced avocado

Directions: Mix all ingredients in bowl & serve with a sandwich, vegetable omelet, or grilled fish!

Other Spring Produce

Asparagus • Artichokes • Avocados • Blueberries • Celery • Chives • Dill • Grapefruit • Green garlic • Lemons • Lettuces • Loquats • Microgreens • Oregano • Parsley • Pea shoots • Sage • Strawberries • Thyme

April 6, 2018

The Animal & Higher Spirit Within

Yoga allows us to enjoy both the animal spirit and the higher spirit with-in.

ANIMAL

Look at most animals on the planet. If they aren’t sleeping or eating, they are usually moving, and stretching. Hunting, gathering, migrating, playing, bathing—it’s all movement. Most of us in modern life spend the largest percentage of our waking hours sitting- often with posture that is detrimental to our bodies.

Yoga gives us a chance to stretch like cats as they transform from slumber to wakefulness, or like dogs as they stretch out their muscles before getting ready to wag their tales and plunge into their puppy ways.

Even the dolphin pose in yoga allows us to recall the fluidity of our marine cousins.

Standing on one leg and bending the other into a sideways V may be called the Tree Pose but when I get my balance right and spread my arms like wings, I feel like a grand bird that could fly at any moment.

Paleo-diets were a big rage in modern times, but we may want to take an evolutionary look at those nomadic ancestors for more than food. They didn’t need to schedule walk dates or pick-up games with their buddies to make sure their bodies moved. Even more recently in human evolution, what pioneers needed exercise pals or classes?

Humans are animals too and posing like cats, dogs and warriors can remind us of the value of flexibility and strength. 

HIGHER SPIRIT

Granted most animals had to keep moving or they would get eaten. If they sat around too much they would be prey, not predator. I am grateful we have evolved so that we can sit and pray (or chant) and be safe from predation.

We can pose in a place where we are safe to dream, float leave our sense of corporeal being or really connect to our bodies to help them. We can do all kinds of animal poses and poses with beautiful Sanskrit names, and then “die” for a bit, lying in safety in corpse pose….. to then resurrect ourselves with deeper stillness and more graceful movement in our daily lives. .

Whether we want to take a spiritual approach about connecting with the divine whole for peace, or the medical perspective of how yoga can release “feel good” chemicals that flow in us, yoga balances past and future with true presence.

Yoga can leave us feeling more peace-full and whole, instead of feeling like we are full of pieces and holes.

Yoga can help us move more like animals, and move our hearts and souls well so we can be well ---- and be the highest beings we can be.


Namaste
Lisa Sonne

February 15, 2018

Magic Bag Yoga

We could all use a magic bag sometimes to pull out solutions and pleasures.

yoga isn't magic

Remember Mary Poppins’ carpet bag? Would you like to have a Felix the Cat’s “bag of tricks”? (Read on for video links, whether you want to nostalgically re-visit two classics or you want to be introduced to and entertained by some 20th century cultural icons.)

For me, doing yoga with a group of people I like can be a bit like a magic bag I can reach into and pull out something I need! More clarity? More flexibility? More strength?

Walk past the piano and go upstairs at Suite K on 5308 Derry Avenue in Agoura Hills, and there is a small peaceful studio with a view of oak branches reaching out, a room often filled with yoga mats and smiles. 

To get a better idea of why yoga there can be a bit like a magic bag, take a couple of minutes to enjoy seeing what Mary Poppins pulls out of her bag in the classic movie. 

In this charming scene, Mary Poppins pulls out of her carpet bag a hat stand, a particular mirror, a plant, and a big lamp — all lovely metaphors for a nanny about to help some irascible children learn about themselves. She adds insights like, “Never judge things by their appearance (even carpet bags),” and “a thing of beauty is a joy forever.” And “a little more light please.” Good yoga aphorisms, too!

She next pulls out a tape measure, but like yoga, it doesn’t care about measuring size or describing things in numbers. This tape is about “taking measure” of one’s character as it is at the moment, with kind intentions to improve.

Felix the Cat, with his Magic Bag of Tricks, was able to reach in and turn his bag into anything he needed – a submarine, a can-opener, or escalator – “to save the day.” In absurd escapades, he triumphed over caricature evil. Felix, with his bag, is credited with being (possibly) the first animated character to be known worldwide. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=amGbBFsiuzc

Yoga is not always quite so instantly transformative, but like Felix asking his bag to change, you can “set your intention” at the beginning of a class. Do you want to de-stress? Strengthen your muscles? Gain flexibility? Have an insight? Find beauty? Grow character? Connect to the infinite?

These things are hardly all on the same shelf at any store, but they might be available on your yoga floor.


I may not leave the studio every time feeling like I have an instant lamp or an escalator to the exact place I want to go, but like Mary Poppins or Felix the Cat reaching into their bags, after I reach inside- things are better than they were before. 

And that is worth blogging about !
-Lisa Sonne, a member of the Yoga Upstairs community www.LisaSonne.com

January 2, 2018

How Yoga Will Make Your Best Year

Are you looking for ways to make your everyday life better? Incorporating yoga into your routine is a great way to do so. Yoga offers many benefits to individuals of all ages and lifestyles. Today, we'll share with you five ways in which regular yoga practice can make your life better:

1. Reduce Anxiety and Stress

Having anxiety is quite common, but you can take steps to lessen the anxiety that you feel. You can even fight anxiety naturally, and yoga is one exercise that can help you do just that. Mayo Clinic suggests that yoga can reduce stress and anxiety, and even help those with chronic anxiety or depression. Taking part in yoga can allow you to live a more comfortable and happy life.

2. Increase Muscle Strength and Tone

Are you looking to make positive physical changes to your body? Yoga does a lot more than increase flexibility. With repeated practice, you can improve muscle strength and tone throughout your body. This can make you stronger, but can also make you look better, too!

3. Improve Your Sleep

If you're struggling to fall asleep or feel you don't get enough sleep, you may be looking for a natural solution. Once you get into a regular yoga routine, your sleep can improve greatly. The National Yoga Foundation notes that yoga can help you fall asleep faster, sleep for longer time periods and even fall asleep more quickly after waking up in the middle of the night.

4. Improve Your Heart Health

Yoga can also benefit your heart, as your blood pressure and heart rate can be lowered with regular practice. Johns Hopkins Medicine notes that yoga can help to prevent or manage heart disease. If you have a history of heart disease, it may be worth talking to a doctor about incorporating yoga into your routine.

5. Improve Self-Esteem

If you're particularly hard on yourself, your negative self-thinking can carry through different parts of your life. Making changes that allow you to treat yourself well can give you a better look at life and allow you to feel more at ease. Yoga Journal suggests that yoga practice can allow you to have less judgment about your body.

Ready to start a Yoga Program?  We offer an awesome special of 30 Days of Yoga for $45! Join Us Today and Make Your 2018 Amazing!

February 22, 2016

Yoga Upstairs Retreat: Moving into Spring

mountspaSpring brings longer days, light and a new energy. You’re invited to flow with nature through a weekend of seasonal transition and inspired transformation.

Please join Cara and Stephanie as we move into Spring with a 3-day retreat in the serene Desert Hot Springs, March 31st – April 3rd, 2016.

Nestled against the magnificent San Jacinto and San Gorgonio mountains of California, we’ll step back from our daily routines and into the Nurturing Nest— a Zen-inspired, tranquil hideaway to relax, reflect and recharge. The Nest mineral retreat is just minutes away from Palm Springs, Morongo Bird Sanctuary and Joshua Tree National Park.

Strengthen and rejuvenate body and mind with an immersion filled with mindful breathing, meditation, and asana– then steep your soul in healing mineral waters to seal in your practice each day.

The Moving into Spring yoga retreat package includes:

  • Three night accommodation at the Nurturing Nest
  • Six all-level intimate yoga classes
  • Six nourishing vegetarian meals
  • Hot springs mineral soak at your leisure

21

Dig deep in the garden of your soul, and grow into Spring refreshed and delighted with us at Yoga Upstairs.

For more information, pricing, and to register for this event, please click here.

With gracious love and light,

The Yoga Upstairs Family

 

January 5, 2016

Yoga Upstairs Open House!

OH- YU

Yoga Upstairs requests the pleasure of your company for our 2016 Open House to kick start your New Year!

Enjoy the FREE juicy offerings every day this week through Sunday, January 10th.

Ever talk yourself out of yoga because you’re new to the practice, or don’t have a yoga mat?

We’ve got your covered. Not only are the classes free, we provide all the yoga props you could possibly need for an enjoyable experience in our studio–blocks, blankets, bolsters, straps, mats, and even a rope wall are free to use compliments of Yoga Upstairs.

You can check our class schedule for a style your most interested in, introduce yourself to the owners and teachers, ask any questions, and let us help you find the best classes for your needs.

Revitalize your body and spirit at our dynamic, fun-filled, Open House. Tap into your intuition, release old energy, and move into creativity and awareness. Registration is required, as these free classes fill up quick in our cozy yoga space.

What’s best is, if you’re new to the studio and want to keep your yoga mojo going after our Open House is over, we offer a new student special; $45 unlimited membership for your first month!

C’mon over, and get to know Agoura Hills’ friendly little yoga studio. We promise you’ll feel a bit more healthy, a lot more happy, and breathe more easy into 2016. We hope to see your on your mat!

With great gratitude,

The Yoga Upstairs Family

December 5, 2015

Yoga Upstairs Holiday Potluck Gathering!

Please be our guest to celebrate the holidays

Saturday, December 12, 2015

image courtesy of www.modernparentsmessykids.com

image courtesy of www.modernparentsmessykids.com

Join fellow students, teachers, and the YU family at our studio between 4-6pm for an afternoon of joy, laughter, yummy yogi food, and good cheer.

Your friends and loved ones are more than welcome!

Please bring your community spirit, and a vegetarian dish to share. Due to allergic and dietary sensitivities, please also bring a card or piece of paper listing ingredients used in your dish, it’d be much appreciated.

Also, please feel free to bring games, activities, and/or talent for everyone to enjoy.

Our very own lovely founder, Cara Sorkin will also be offering a Rope Wall Workshop before the party begins between 2-4pm.

This workshop is a free gift to YU members, and $35 for non-member guests. Come hang with us! Register here now, as wall space is limited in our cozy little yoga studio.

Not only is this special event to honor you, our precious community, but also Mr. B.K.S Iyengar’s birthday!

iyengar1

image courtesy of allindiaroundup.com

Move with reverence while you use your whole being to celebrate his unique tradition of yoga. For more details, and to register your spot in the workshop, please click here.

Namasté dear one. Looking forward to seeing you and your loved ones for festive fun!

With joyous love,

The Yoga Upstairs Family

November 16, 2015

Thanks for Giving: Feed Those in Need with Yoga

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The holiday season is here! Next week, you’ll be busy preparing for one of our nation’s favorite celebrations: Thanksgiving.

We’ll soon come together to share cherished time and a more than plentiful meal with our loved ones– all in the spirit of giving, abundance, and connection.

But what about those who don’t have this kind of holiday luxury? Those who can’t see their families, much less share a special meal with them?

At Yoga Upstairs, we’re blessed to be able to share the over abundance of this holiday with those in need in a super simple way– and you can help. With every Facebook check-in at Yoga Upstairs during this month, you’ll provide a meal for a child refugee through our studio partnership with Sweat Angels.

Just by coming to your yoga classes, and checking in at Yoga Upstairs, you become a Sweat Angel– it’s that easy for you to make an instant positive difference in the world. Through November, Sweat Angels is giving to the The Hunger Site.

sweat angels nov

*Note: If you haven’t noticed it in our studio, there’s a small video kiosk letting you know which cause YU + Sweat Angels are contributing towards through your check-ins.

All month, your check-ins help bring food to the tables of displaced Burmese refugee children. These children live in boarding houses due to an ongoing civil war in the region. Parents send their kids to distant boarding schools in rural provinces of Thailand “in [an] effort to further their education and avoid the risks of unsafe child labor.”

Read more about how The Hunger Site helps to Protect & Feed Burma’s Schoolchildren, and their partnership with Sweat Angels.

Thank you for everything you do, for giving, for the difference you make to your loved ones, and the people around the world who need your help.

With supreme gratitude and love,

The Yoga Upstairs Family