Your Friends [...]]]> To any students who came to the 10 am class on 8/30/10, we apologize for any inconvenience. Our teacher fell sick and was not available to open the space. We will be continuing with our new schedule from here on out.

Your Friends at Hosh

We wanted to let you know about some of our plans for September and beyond!

Our 7am weekday classes will be moving to Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays (no longer on Monday and Friday).  7am classes will be 60 minutes.

We [...]]]> Hello Yogis,

We wanted to let you know about some of our plans for September and beyond!

Our 7am weekday classes will be moving to Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays (no longer on Monday and Friday).  7am classes will be 60 minutes.

We are adding DAILY 10am classes.  So you can come to a 10 o’clock class every day of the week!  Monday through Sunday!

We will also be adding a Friday 8pm candlelit class.

LIVE MUSIC starting October at Hosh

Starting with October 2nd we will be having live acoustic music the 1st Saturday evening of each month.   Doors will be open from 6:15pm on.  Music will start at 7 and end by 9pm.  Teachers will also be on hand to answer any yoga questions or to walk you through anything you would like help with.  Events will be BYOB.  $6-10 sliding scale.

If you are a musician who would be interested in playing or know someone who would be interested, please contact yuuki@hoshyoga.org.

If you would like to be involved with organizing these events please send an email to becca@hoshyoga.org.

SPACE EXPANSION We are in the process of  preparing to expand our space by breaking down the dividing wall.  We hope to be able to do this before the sun sets on 2010. To make this happen, we need the support of our Hosh community now more than ever!

As always, we appreciate your feedback and involvement.  So please let us know what you’re thinking about or if you’d like to volunteer with us.

Enjoy the rest of August!

Becca and all of Hosh

Begin [...]]]> Welcome to Vasisthasana or Side-Plank Pose.  This is one of those simple poses that is decidely not easy.  However, it is easily adjustable to the level of the practicioner, by making various modifications.  Taking the modifications appropriate to your level will help prevent injury and build the necessary strength and flexibility to advance in the posture.

Begin in Adho Mukho Svanasana (Downward Facing Dog) and move into plank pose.  Engaging your lower abdomen as you exhale, shift your weight on left hand and the outer edge of your left foot, bringing your right hand along the top of  your right hip.  Make sure the left hand is just slightly ahead of the shoulder and press through the fingers of your left hand to spread the weight bearing area of the hand.  If the hips sag here, you have a wrist injury, or you feel otherwise unstable, take a slight modification.  You can drop down to the left knee, keeping it in line with the rest of the body, or try coming down onto your left elbow, keeping it in line with the shoulder, forearm perpendicular to the body.  (When in doubt, stack your joints!)

Ideally, we want to experience a sideways Tadasana here, maintaining neutral alignment of the spine, legs, and arms, as they resist the action of gravity.  Be mindful of the hips and shoulders falling forward or backward, the spine wanting to twist, and the scapulae to adduct (draw together).  To help stabilize the body flex the heels (you can even try it against a wall), draw the lower abdomen tight towards the spine, and let the sacrum tuck.  Feel the entire right side of the body lifting away from the floor.  Keep the breath even and steady, being mindful that very sudden full breaths may destabilize the pose.

If you find this expression of the pose to be stable, there are other leg and arm variations to play with that require strength as well as more flexibility.  You can bring the right arms in line with the torso as you raise the right leg parallel to the floor.  Or try on a diagonal tree pose for size.  Or maybe even take yogi toe lock with the right foot and hand, and pull the right arm and leg up vertically.  Remember to keep breathing.

Whichever expression you take, exit the pose mindfully, before fatigue completely overtakes you (remember you are your best teacher).  Come back to the classic side-plank, exhale back into plank, and press back to downward dog.  Rest in child’s pose if needed, letting the hands come beside the hips, palms face up.  Then repeat 2nd side.

Inhale. Exhale. Repeat.

We have a couple of announcements—

MORNING CLASSES have been chosen by you! 7am and 10am times won hands down, so starting AUGUST 1st we will have

7am classes Monday, Wednesday, and Friday 10am classes Tuesday and Thursday

You picked ‘em so we hope to see you there!

• 3pm Saturday classes will be at our space, 55 Nassau. Park [...]]]> Hoshies!

We have a couple of announcements—

MORNING CLASSES have been chosen by you! 7am and 10am times won hands down, so starting AUGUST 1st we will have

7am classes Monday, Wednesday, and Friday
10am classes Tuesday and Thursday

You picked ‘em so we hope to see you there!

• 3pm Saturday classes will be at our space, 55 Nassau. Park classes will be put on hold.

KARMA YOGA! Volunteering Opportunities with Hosh (from chalk drawing to architectural drawing)

• Do you know how to write? Do you have nostalgic memories of chalking up your sidewalk after a long game of hopscotch? Or long for it? Hosh wants your help to advertise our space in the neighborhood via a Chalk Attack! So if you have interest in helping us guerilla advertise via chalk writing on Greenpoint’s sidewalks, please let us know! Email info (at) hoshyoga.org.

• We have plans to expand our space into the next room and are also looking for the skills of a structural engineer or architect with appropriate certifications to help assess our plans to remove the dividing wall. If you are said person, or know of one who would be interested, please send us an email at info (at) hoshyoga.org.

• Along the same line, we also need a few good folks to help us clean, paint, and build a bit in the 2nd room. If you have some elbow grease or carpentry skills, we’d love to have you for a couple hours (or more!)

Thanks so much for being part of the Hosh community!

Namasté!

Becca and the rest of the Hosh gang