Gratitude List

Want to start off your day with powerful intent? Try a gratitude list. Most mornings before setting off I begin by sitting and for a few minutes jotting down what I  am grateful for in my life. Sometimes it's a list of large profound ideas such as personal freedom and health. There are other times when much of the list is a set of here and now joys, the immediate things that make life beautiful. We all have these regardless of who we are and the present circumstances of our lives. I have found that this practice has helped me appreciate what I have and place my life on a different perspective. Trust me in saying that I am by nature a rather critical person and it has made a difference in my perceptions. May it be the same for you.   

Yoga? Not your thing? How about a group fitness class?

Maybe yoga isn't your thing?  Check out one of my group fitness classes at the Midtown Body Renew!

Tuesday
Boot Camp 7am
Power Cycle 4:30pm

Thursday
Boot Camp 7am
Power Cycle 4:30pm

Saturday
Boot Camp 9am

New Yoga Teaching Schedule

Here is my new class schedule.  Click on the links to learn more about these locations.  Namaste!

Monday
10:30am Contemporary Vinyasa  Body Renew Eagle River
Tuesday
7pm  Contemporary Vinyasa  Body Renew Midtown
Wednesday
10:30am and 5:30pm Contemporary Vinyasa  Body Renew Eagle River
Thursday 
7pm Contemporary Vinyasa  Body Renew Midtown
Friday 
10:30am Contemporary Vinyasa  Body Renew Eagle River
5:30pm Fitness Flow Spirit Path Yoga
Saturday
2pm Hot Flow Spirit Path Yoga

Power yoga?

I often refer to myself as a power yoga teacher. Why? As I understand power yoga, it focuses on complete whole mind/body engagement for every pose and transition throughout an entire vinyasa practice. I seek to engage my students in this process so that their practice is a complete experience, one that grants them the ability to release in the final asana of corpse pose. This posture represents the goal of a successful yoga class permitting them to access the stilling of the mind described by Patanjali. Since power yoga asks the participant to travel  through this state of constant engagement of mind and body then there is a better chance for one to arrive at a true resting pose. This is my why. 

What is Hot Yoga?

I am primarily a hot yoga instructor and many of my classes fall under this style. Even though I teach these classes, I am often puzzled over how to describe exactly what this nomenclature means. What exactly is "Hot Yoga"? To answer such a question in a comprehensive way, one might be better off writing a book of many volumes. For this blog’s purpose, let me describe my personal understanding of this tradition. As I comprehend it, hot yoga takes its literal inspiration from the land of origin, India. Although a land of many geographical regions, many locations in India are both hot and humid. This is even truer for several of the regions that yoga has come from in recent times. If one has ever spent time in such an environment then one realizes the added benefit to flexibility in such a combination. Turning up the heat in a yoga room imitates this, creating an environment that promotes a persons ability to sink into and perform poses. To achieve the desired effect, the heat is turned up to at least 85 degrees and sometimes humidifiers give an extra touch of moisture to imitate an Indian environment. This sets the context; from here, it all depends upon an instructor’s lineage and choice of poses. Sometimes, it is predictable such as in an Ashtonga, Moksha or Bikrim class. Regardless, there are elements and common poses that one will find in all hot yoga sessions. If you attend one of mine, expect a heated room between 90-100 degrees, a vinyasa style flow and an awesome sweat!

Individual Sessions

How about an individual yoga session? Enjoy the personal attention and unique guidance of this one on one opportunity. I can help you discover variations and simple adjustments that will help deepen your practice. Using my experience as a certified personal trainer and registered yoga instructor, I will help you discover variations designed especially for you and your practice. Try one of these packages: One session $40 Three sessions $110 Five sessions $150 Send an email or call to let me know when we can start furthering your practice. Your mind and body will love you for this. westlake.david@gmail.com 607.262.0318

Dreaming and Goal Setting

Dream big! Set goals and achieve them! Powerful words but how does one move in such a direction. Rather than recreate the wheel let me point to some inspirational and helpful advice. Lululemon offers some fantastic tools for goal setting in one's life. Check out this link and enjoy. I found it very helpful. Namaste!