TGIF. SLDCYALGL!

Thank goodness it's Friday - so let's do yoga at he Lemon Grove Library! Our Chair Yoga class was resurrected after August hiatus at the Lemon Grove Library September 6, at the new time of 12:00 pm!

It's been slow to start so I hope with the San Diego heat finally staying below 90°F (although the library IS a Cool Zone) that folks are interested in coming out for an hour of gentle, chair-based yoga.

I have great shoulder and neck releasing stretches planned, along with core-strengtheners, hip-stabilizers, and balance-enhancing standing postures (always optional), and a lovely guided mindfulness meditation to play for our savasana (resting sequence), so I hope you'll consider joining us at 3001 School Lane, Lemon Grove, CA 91945.

Park on the street for two hours, or in the lot across the street next to the Fire Station. You can also park at the back of the library on Licoln and walk around the building to the main entrance on School. We meet in the Community Room to the left of the main doors.

Yoga and Loving Your Brain

Exerpted from the LoveYourBrain Foundation LoveYourBrainYoga Teacher Training Manual:

"In a way, both yoga and meditation are 'brain exercises' that engage different parts of the brain on the components of practice (breathing, movement, postures, chanting, visualization, concentration), and can help the brain form new connections and recover from injuries, or as we call it, to stimulate neuroplasticity." - Helen Lavretsky, MD, MS, UCLA

Yoga Mat Review by ConsumersAdvocate.org

Another group reached out to me about promoting their yoga mat reviews, and happily I oblige. For your consumption I offer information from Consumers Advocate website.

Their claim is that they review mats based on four major criteria: Functionality, Eco-Friendliness, Value and Design.

They put in over 300 hours, used 90 sources to gather information, and reviewed mats of 11 companies to come up with a comprehensive guide to eco-friendly, non-toxic yoga mats. This is the 2019 list, updated as of August, 29. Please, enjoy!

https://www.consumersadvocate.org/yoga-mat

For more on yoga mats, search blog for "yoga mat reviews."

Mockingbirds on the mailbox

mockingbird fledglings
chirp back at my birding sounds
who’s mocking who now

yellow beaks always wide
begging to be filled with fat
grubs flies bees and worms

mockingbird mother
dives feather close to my ear
she knows i’m a fraud

curious how they
cock their heads sideways not just
wary but observing


three weeks to learn all
the different avian tunes
they’ll sing when they leave

Featured on Abilities.com - Finding my Passion in Accessible Yoga

Find your Passion and Center in Accessible Yoga

My name is Jackie Gadd, and I'm a certified Yoga Instructor. I specialize in Adaptive and Accessible Yoga, which means I utilize props, tools and special skills to bring the principles of yoga to unique populations. I currently guide 14 different adaptive style classes each week in San Diego (mostly chair-based), including ones for adults with ID/DD, active older adults, assisted care seniors and children.

Journey from Traditional to Adaptive Yoga

In 2004, I began taking yoga classes to help my own tired body and stressed mind. Right away, I found the physical practice very challenging. 

It took some searching to find a teacher that resonated with me, from whom I could learn how treat my body kindly (ahimsa/non-harming) and focus my mind appropriately (dharana/concentration). It was a breakthrough to figure out that yoga was so much more than just stretching and twisting.

I loved learning how yoga related to both physical and energetic anatomy, and how yogic philosophy and the universe are enmeshed. Equally fascinating was the East Indian mythology and history that are embedded in yoga's 5,000-10,000-year-old DNA. Regular discussion about these topics with friends became part of my practice as well.

Continue reading here: https://www.abilities.com/community/accessible-yoga.html