Play Time

Did you know that playing is highly correlated to creativity? As we play, our imagination and laughter becomes much more spontaneous and natural. Breathing becomes deeper and our body becomes more relaxed.

Laughing and playing shut down the reptilian portion of our brain that causes fear.

Just talking to people, I've gathered that playing is seen more of a privilege. It's not!
Taking time every day to play is a great value.

Start with your yoga practice, how playful and fun can you make it?

Feeling your body as a container to your sensations, can be a very creative and playful way to "know" yourself better. For instance, the heat outside must have been around 80 degrees before 6 am as I practiced this morning. I saw this as a real opportunity to not be too serious and make my mat "the playground".

In Joy the rest of summer.

Love and light,
Ro

Preventing Injury at Any Age

Waking up every morning rolling out my mat, with the exception of Saturdays and moon days, is the main reason I have a long-term and established yoga practice. But unfortunately, here is the element that often gets left out: It is not the breath, certainly not the asana nor the drishti, but rather it is paying attention to when my body needs to stop.

"No one can take care of me, better than I can take care of myself."

With that stated, clearing out any preconceived expectations of a specific outcome is mandatory for me. The chant reminds me to surrender my monkey mind. Actually, it seems like the obvious, but to really listen takes some practice and a lot of dismantling of old behavior and thought patterns.

My knee has been an issue from years of not truly listening to the internal indicators of my body. You may have experienced the same voices in which I'm talking about- thoughts like: "I paid for this class I'm going to finish it" or "I scheduled this practice for this time period and I'm going to finish."

Notice the theme of "finish" in the attachments we play over in our minds to keep moving towards a preconceived finish line.

On November 6, 2009, I had surgery to repair my torn meniscus. My rehabilitation was slow and mindful. I returned to my yoga practice three weeks following the procedure. My teacher was extremely supportive in the process as were my fellow practitioners.

My point is this: Injuries are part of the human condition. There isn't a teacher or therapist that can read the internal indicators my own body gives when the signal is "enough". Now when that happens, I've learned to roll up my yoga mat.

Practicing Ahimsa (non-harming) starts right here.

Love and Light,

Ro

My Body Compass

As a life coach, I have come to practice the art of reading my body as a compass. Learning to rely on the feelings and sensations of my body to indicate when I'm traveling "true north".

That is an expression Martha Beck author of "Steering by Starlight" uses to indicate when your actions and your values coincide. Just as my daily yoga practice creates an avenue to breathe and detoxify my body, compass reading helps me to hone in on my intuitive skills and live my best life.

Research is showing that we have repeat indicators in our body that lets us know personally when we are feeling a yes or no. For example, I get a tight sensation in my throat when my compass is in the wrong direction. On the other hand, my core seems to light up or expand when I'm headed "north". Unfortunately it usually takes a hard situation for the average person to listen to their gut.

My suggestion is to start using your listening skills in soft situations and you are sure to make better decisions in every day life.

Love and light,

Ro Coury

Ro Coury is a yoga practitioner and instructor. You can learn more about Ro here.

Passage to Yoga's Grand Opening

Passage to Yoga invites you to the official grand opening of Michigan's only green yoga school.

Please come and join us as Passage to Yoga hosts its first open house featuring yoga demonstrations, vegetarian and vegan cuisine provided by Bacco Ristorante and Indian music.

Stop by to meet Passage to Yoga director, Matthew Darling as well as all of the other Passage to Yoga instructors.


When: Sunday, May 2 from 11 am to 4 pm.
Where: Passage to Yoga, 29378 Northwestern Highway, Southfield
Contact: For additional questions, contact (248) 223-9594

See you there!

New Passage to Yoga Series: Yoga for Stiff People

Passage to Yoga is offering a new class series: Yoga for Stiff People: Making Friends with our Bodies

The workshop will be presented by Mike Goldfield and begins on Sunday, April 11th.

In this series, Mike will lead participants in an exploration of various postures, sequences and modifications (including the use of a wide variety of props) to address common areas of limitation in ways that are safe and helpful, rather than aggressive and self-abusive. This approach will allow students to find benefits and joy in their practice no matter what their level of flexibility.

Open to Students of all Levels
Pricing: $20 per individual session, or $120 for all when you pre-register

Mike has a varied background in yoga, originally receiving teacher training in Ashtanga Yoga (with Richard Freeman) and Anusara Yoga (with John Friend). He has also trained extensively in Iyengar Yoga, from which he draws primarily for adjustments, alignment, and modifications of poses. Mike considers this the tradition in which he works. He has a style marked by playfulness, humility, attention to details of alignment, and compassion for the student.

Here is a description of the topics that will be covered:

April 11 – Laying the Foundation: Feet, Hamstrings and Hips
April 25 – Creating Space: Shoulders, Neck and Upper Back
May 2 – Going Deeper: Exploring Hip Movement
May 9 – Strength and Mobility: Knees and Quads
May 16 – Keeping Young and Supple: Spine and Lower Back
June 20 – Deep Core Strength: the Yoga Approach
June 27 – Bringing Joy into Backbends
July 11 – Putting it all Together: Personalizing Your Own Practice

The sessions will take place on Sunday afternoons from 3-5 p.m at a Passage to Yoga.

Please call (248) 223-9294 or email: info@passagetoyoga.com for more information.

Five Tips for a Spring Cleanse

Detox. Cleanse. Fast.

These buzz words are being used to describe diets and eating regimes that promise you more than just a few dropped pounds. Clearer skin, better digestion, enhance energy levels – Whatever the catch-phrase may be to entice you, you can be sure to find a potion, product or diet to deliver you it to you.

With the heralding in of spring, you might also hear your body calling you to lighten up its load. Maybe you want to drop a few pounds. Maybe you want to give your digestion a break from heavy winter foods.

Whatever the reason, doing a Spring detox can definitely help to put a spring in your Spring.

I’m not suggesting anything wacky, but I am supportive of a safe and balancing way to make way for Spring through your diet.

The important thing to consider when choosing a cleanse is to select a regimen that is not extreme. Even though detox may conjure images of drinking nothing more than water splashed with lemon juice, maple syrup and cayenne pepper, such programs do not have to be (and many would argue should not have to be) that rigid.

According to Maharashi Ayurveda, here are five nutrition tips for a Spring cleanse:

1) Eat warm light and cooked foods. Examples are broth- or legume-based soups and vegetables lightly cooked with seasons like cumin, turmeric and ginger. Cold foods and cold drinks impede digestion, according to Ayurveda, so opt for cooked over raw foods.
2) Eat fresh and organic. Try to avoid canned foods, leftovers, frozen items, packaged and processed foods. These foods are not nearly as healthy as their whole or natural counterparts.
3) Drink plenty of filtered pure water every day. Get in the habit of drinking hot water in the morning and/or after meals as a way to stoke digestion and toxin release.
4) Avoid heavy foods. Examples are red meat, fried fare, sugary desserts, yeasted breads and anything made with excess oil. These foods will weight you done, physically and mentally.
5) Got Milk? Even though in the West, whole milk gets a bad rap for its fat content, in Ayurveda, whole milk is an elixir that should be consumed every day. For the most traditional (and yummy) way to prepare it, boil one cup of whole organic milk and add a pinch of cardamom to it. If you’re not a fan of milk, lassis, a drink made from yogurt that may nor may not contain fruit, is a great option as well.

Passage to Yoga

After a much anticipated wait, Passage to Yoga is officially open for business, Monday, March 1st.

If you haven’t already, take a look at our list of classes and our schedule.

We’re more than excited to open and it seems like the buzz is going around town also. Have a read of this interview with Matthew Darling posted on MetroMode.com.

Over the next few weeks, you can look forward to additional retail items that are good for you and the environment. You can also expect to read new Passage to Yoga blogs every week, probably a few times a week.

The mission for our blog is to be a forum of everything that falls under the colorful umbrella of yoga. From updates on Passage to Yoga events to educational articles on yoga philosophy, we plan on covering a host of engaging, fun and informative topics.

Our blog will also offer a place for you to participate in the discussions, so don’t be shy about sharing your insight or suggesting a topic that you would like for us to cover.

Plus, if you haven’t already tasted the award-winning culinary genius of out next door neighbor, Bacco Ristorante, please treat yourself to a memorable dining experience following your yoga class.

Bacco has won the Top Table award from Gourmet Magazine in addition to being selected as one of America’s Top Restaurants by Zagat and Hour Detroit Magazine's 2005 Restaurant of the Year award.

Passage to Yoga is inexpressibly grateful to Bacco owner, Luciano Del Signore for sharing in Matthew’s vision of bringing a green yoga school to the Detroit area. Both he and his staff have provided a tremendous amount of support to this project and we are beyond appreciative of their generosity and of course, their Insalata di Germoglio and homemade gnocchi, both of which have made our bellies smile in delight.

Have a look at Bacco’s vegan menu, which changes weekly in addition to their sumptuous line of Italian fare.

That’s all for our premiere blog. We look forward to our journey together through a Passage to Yoga.