Hello, friends!

As February approaches, we are making a couple of schedule changes for the rest of the winter. First of all, we are very excited to offer a new class called Hatha II on Thursday evenings at 5:30pm in Higgins Lake. This class will replace Slow Flow/Yin, but will be taught at the same “level”; it will not be any more or less challenging, and will basically include less Yin poses while still offering plenty of seated and/or restorative poses that will help foster deep relaxation. Here is the full class description:

Like Hatha Yoga, Hatha II will be a mildly paced yoga class that will include standing poses, seated poses, reclined poses, and balancing poses, designed to increase flexibility, improve balance, and encourage body awareness and relaxation. Hatha II will also explore a wider array of poses than Hatha Yoga, including mild sun salutations and heat-generating poses (similar to the Slow Flow portion of Slow Flow/Yin) that build strength and cultivate focus. This class will still be taught at “Hatha speed”, with time to adjust and expand within the pose before transitioning to the next. An optional 15 minute meditation follows immediately after the 60 minute class. All levels welcome!

Also, we will be canceling Tuesday morning Core Yoga, effective this coming week. We apologize for any inconvenience.

Lastly, stay tuned for some exciting news about our upcoming Winter Workshop Series! We are finalizing dates and subject matter, and will post the full details very soon.

Love to all!

Mariah, Lexi & Amy

Join us for Stretch & Slide, a day of Yoga and Cross Country Skiing on Saturday, January 30th!

Embrace the beauty of winter with a blissful day of yoga, cross country skiing/snowshoeing, and delicious, healthy food!

Stretch and Slide begins at 10:00am with a Hatha yoga class at our Higgins Lake (Gerrish) location, and continues with a full day ski/snowshoe rental, group lesson, Facilities Pass, and homemade chili lunch (classic or vegetarian) at Cross Country Ski Headquarters in Higgins Lake. Spend the rest of the day enjoying the serenity of the beautiful Michigan winter forests on the pristinely groomed Headquarters ski trails, or relaxing with a mug of hot cocoa by the Stone Turtle Day Lodge fireplace! All are invited to participate, including novices to yoga, skiing or both. Over a $65 value for $35 ($25 if you have your own equipment). There will be an opportunity to change from yoga clothes into ski clothes before the ski lesson, and XC Ski Headquarters has a great selection of ski clothing if you need to get outfitted before the lesson! 🙂

Yoga + Skiing in Northern Michigan forests = a perfect day!

Signing up for this event in advance is recommended but not required. Email mariahfrye@gmail.com, call 989-302-7928, or let Mariah, Lexi or Amy know in class that you will be attending.

See you there!

Hello friends!

Here are the changes to the schedule for the holidays. You can always view the current schedule here or at https://clients.mindbodyonline.com/classic/admhome?studioid=29064

Thursday, December 24th: Slow Flow/Yin Higgins Lake – Cancelled
Friday, December 25th: Empower Grayling – Cancelled
Friday, December 25th: Hatha Higgins Lake – Cancelled
Thursday, December 31st: Slow Flow/Yin Higgins Lake – Cancelled
Friday, January 1st: Empower Grayling – Cancelled

We WILL have a New Year’s Day Hatha Yoga class in Higgins Lake on Friday, January 1st at 10:30am!!

We are SO excited to have a couple returning guest teachers over the holiday this year. Nora Seilheimer and Bridgett Blough will be sharing their teaching with us between Christmas and New Years. Here’s what they’re teaching:

Monday, December 28th, 9:00am – Core Yoga in Grayling – Nora Seilheimer
Tuesday, December 29th, 5:30pm – Hatha Yoga in Higgins Lake – Bridgett Blough
Wednesday, December 30th, 9:00am – Hatha Yoga in Grayling – Nora Seilheimer

Here are their bio’s. Let’s give them a warm welcome (back)!

Bridgett Blough:

Bridgett started her journey with the body as a collegiate volleyball player and went on to pursue a career in the health and wellness industry as a personal trainer, boot camp coach, Pilates instructor, yoga instructor, and personal chef.  Bridgett studied yoga under Larry Schultz- a direct student of Sri K. Pattabhi Jois, yoga instructor to the Grateful Dead, and founder of It’s Yoga in San Francisco, CA- where she completed her 200 hour teacher training in 2009. Bridgett believes in the importance of listening to your body and staying connected to the breath, the giver of all life. Bridgett is also a Certified Natural Chef and owns a food truck in Kalamazoo called The Organic Gypsy.  Visit The Organic Gypsy’s website

Nora Seilheimer:

Yoga came into my life when I was training for the 2009 Chicago marathon. Primarily a runner at the time, I sought out yoga as a way to relieve my body of the enormous amount of stress I was enduring willingly through my training program. However, the deeper I got into my practice, the more I started to realize that I was not only making time for yoga because I needed to loosen my dreadfully tight hips; I was prioritizing yoga because of the unexpected impact it had on my self and, in turn, the youth I serve on the west side as Chicago Public Schools teacher.

I started my practice studying primarily under Rich Gonshak who continues to work very hard with me to undo the pointed toes and hyper-arched back I had mastered during my figure skating days. “So much of figure skating is about going outward,” he said to me once, imitating my arched back. “Yoga is about going inward,” he finished, rounding his back into cat-position. My entire practice completely changed when I finally started to understand what Rich meant by “going inward”.

This is the idea that I aim to bring with me not only to my own mat, but into my yoga classroom, wherever that might be at any given time. I hope to encourage my students, all of whom have an infinite amount of untold stories and ideas underneath all of the giving they do all day, to take a moment to pursue a journey from the inside out and discover themselves just as they are in the present moment.

Bridgett and Nora

Hope to see you over the holidays! Be well, and remember that the best present you can give anyone is your presence. 🙂

Namaste,

Mariah, Lexi & Amy