Julie Brown, a Cleveland-area yoga instructor and Thai Yoga Massage practitioner, is setting out to bring more people to the yoga mat.
So much yoga in the U.S. these days is motion-oriented, quicker-paced in style, which is good for the cardiovascular system and muscle strengthening. But those are merely two of the many benefits of yoga, notes Julie, and movement-based yoga is simply not available to every body type or body constitution. It is unfortunately true that many people do not practice yoga yet because of the notion that the only way to practice is to be in near-constant motion.
“I believe that ANYONE in ANY BODY can practice yoga,” states Julie.
Enter PROPS (Practice Reaching our Perfect Selves), a teaching approach now being offered at Pink Lotus Yoga, which utilizes the frequent use of common yoga props to help students build strength, flexibility, great health, and to discover for themselves a benefits-rich and lifelong yoga practice. For people who find motion-oriented yoga unavailable (e.g., the overweight, seniors, those rehabilitating, the ‘inflexible’), the PROPS approach is a wonderful way to practice and receive the many riches of yoga.
On March 16, 2013, from 1:00-3:00 p.m. Julie Brown will lead Pink Lotus Yoga first PROPS to You workshop, Big Body Yoga.
It is open to persons carrying extra body weight. States Julie (herself a large body type), “Yoga can change lives in many ways. Yoga can help you work through anxiety, depression, stress, tension and more. It can also bring you a love of yourself and your body on a more connected level.”
The PROPS approach contends that when we align our bodies with props, we make space in our bodies for breath and spirit, the realm of our perfect selves. In addition, when our bodies are aligned, we benefit greatly: Among its many proven benefits, yoga lowers blood pressure, cleanses the body of toxins, improves breathing, and brings emotional and mental balance. One does not need to be in flowing movement yoga class to receive these benefits either, and studies prove it.
In Big Body Yoga, Julie will share with students yoga’s many wonderful facets: postures, breathing, meditation, and deep relaxation, all in a welcoming and physically and emotionally safe atmosphere. Students gain experience using yoga props (blankets, blocks, bolsters, straps, and chairs) and also learn from Julie how to adjust their bodies without props for maximum postural benefit.
Every body, as is, is capable of yoga. To learn more, contact Pink Lotus Yoga at 216-632-0816 to register, ask questions, and discuss your enrollment in this dynamic workshop. Class size is limited to eight.
