I’m back! Opening the studio took some doing and what a great experience this has been so far! Your support for our studio and our teachers and your dedication to the practice of yoga is overwhelming!

I am so humbled by the amount of love that you have brought to our new place and this is what yoga is about…trying new things, having an open mind and an open heart…Red Hot Yoga has been graced with the power of all of your giving and we thank you so very much!

Continuing with “Yoga For A Year” we were working on awareness and I have had the pleasure of becoming even more aware in the last few months of what it really means to know who you are.

I am talking about knowing who you are at your absolute core. The pulse that is your inner rhythm, the drive that gets you out of bed in the morning no matter what your circumstances. In our lifetime we will be challenged many times…some folks will have more challenges than others but everything is relative to what you can handle.

Becoming aware that you can handle what is presented before you and knowing you will figure out what to do is where it is so necessary to understand and go beyond any opinion, societal judgments, or egomaniacal tendencies.

When we are able rise above our first impulses or our immediate reactions and just take a moment and take a breath we become much better decision makers.

Try this…the next time you are faced with some challenge, even on the smallest level, take a moment, take a breath and do not react right away. Think. Be still. Take another breath. Cry if you need to, laugh if you want to… do both and then when the dust has settled and the ego is at rest make your decision. It may take longer than you would like but the consequence and result to a smart decision is always more fulfilling than the consequence to a rushed one!

Red Hot Yoga rooms are seriously HOT! I mean we are blowing heat into the rooms with furnaces that sit on the ceiling right in the room you practice in! Come in and see us…I am teaching 8 and 10 am Hot classes and “For the People” Power at 12:30 pm on Saturday… and of course the 10 am Power on Sunday morning! Come get your sweat on!

Luv.

B-

We’re open! And everything is amazing! We hope that this post finds everyone well, and ready to practice! We’ll have pictures of the studio posted on the other website soon, but the room on the Home page is our Hot room – and it’s really wonderful to practice in!

Apologies for the delay on the YFAY posts, but have no fear! A double post will be here by the end of the week (we just need to catch our breath first!).

Thank you so much to everyone who has already been by to practice with us, and to everyone who has written in! Your support means so much, and makes all of this worth doing.

Once again, the new studio website is www.redhotyogastudios.com – the studio is open and the rooms are hot! Namaste’!

The schedule is posted with directions to the studio, and I’ll be filling in details over the next couple of days (we just wanted to get the schedule up!).

It’s at www.RedHotYogaStudios.com

The studio looks wonderful, and we just need to put the finishing touches on a few things before the Preview classes tomorrow and Thursday nights! We can’t wait to see everybody!

This week’s Yoga For A Year pictures will be from the new Hot room and will be posted on Friday.

We need lots of volunteers to come and take some free classes with us, so bring friends!

The dates for the Preview Classes are set – we’ll be doing them next week!

Wednesday, the 18th – 5:30 PM – Hot class with Bethany
Thursday, the 19th – 5:30 PM – Power class with Bethany

These classes are totally free, and we just want to welcome everyone who has supported us and fill the studio up with love.

The new website should be ready this week – www.redhotyogastudios.com – and you can click here to see the countdown until opening day!

Now, our usual post, including this week’s Yoga For A Year post, will be coming on Thursday (It’s crunch week at the studio, so you know we’re busy…wow), but until then, know that we so appreciate everybody writing in and offering so much encouragement!

***

Week 6 of Yoga For A Year!

As we become aware of awareness you will begin to notice that these shifts in your attention are not only interesting and often profound but also layered. I am sure that many of you have heard the analogy of pealing back the layers of an onion to get to the core of whatever you may be working on…so it is with your yoga practice, your relationships, your personal and professional endeavors. The important thing to remember is that once we become aware of something that in that recognition is the beginning of a vast and multi-faceted journey!

Try this…when you become aware of something new take pleasure in that awareness. Embrace the gift of waking up to something new! Appreciate that life has so much to offer and invite the layers that may unfold into your heart and mind!

Your poses for week 6:

Virabhadrasana I Warrior 1
Virabhadrasana III Warrior 3
Utthita Hasta Padangustasana Standing Holding the Big Toe
Purvottonasana (Modified) Table Top

Virabhadrasana I Warrior 1

Step the feet apart 4 feet
Turn the left foot deeply
Turn the right foot out 90 degrees
Come up on to the ball of the left foot and turn the foot in about 75 degrees
Place the outer edge of the foot and the heel back down
Drop the tailbone down and slightly forward as you bring the upper body back
Inhale lift the chest
Exhale descend the shoulders
Inhale bring the arms above the head shoulder distance apart, palms face each other
Exhale bending the right knee to 90 degrees
Inhale lift the chest
Exhale draw the shoulder blades down the back
When the neck feels relaxed drop the head back until the back of the head is parallel with the floor
Hold for 5 breaths. 5 counts in. 5 counts out.
Repeat on the other side

Virabhadrasana III Warrior 3

Stand with the feet together at the back of your mat
Inhale and extend the spine upward
Exhale step the right foot forward about 12 to 20 inches
Inhale bring the arms above the head shoulder distance apart, palms face each other
Exhale lower the upper body as you lift the left leg
Bring the torso and extended leg parallel to the floor
One line from the crown of the head to the low back
Keep the hips even with each other
Keep the standing and extended leg straight. Kneecap lifted thighs engaged
Inhale lengthen forward
Keep the chest up. Heart toward the face
Exhale strengthen the legs pull in the belly and ribs
Inhale get longer
Exhale bring some weight into the standing heel
Take 5 to 10 breaths. 3 to 5 counts in. 3 to 5 counts out.
Inhale come up
Exhale rest 1 breath
Repeat on the other side

Utthita Hasta Padangustasana Standing Holding the Big Toe

Stand with the feet together
Bend the right knee and lift the thigh up to 90 degrees, parallel to the floor
Inhale lift the chest
Exhale lean forward bringing the right arm to the inside of the right thigh and with the index and middle finger grab the big toe
Inhale stand up vertical still holding the toe
Exhale extend the leg out to the right from the hip
Keep the hips as even as you are able
To lift the leg higher bend the right elbow
Hold for 3 to 5 breaths. 3 to 5 counts in. 3 to 5 counts out.
Repeat on the other side

Purvottonasana (Modified) Table Top

Sit on the mat with the feet parallel and flat to the floor hip distance apart
Place the hands 8 to 10 inches behind the hips
Turn the finger towards the feet
Keep the palms flat
Tuck the chin to the chest
Inhale roll the shoulders back and down
Exhale lift the hips up
One line from shoulders to hips
Inhale lift the chest more
Exhale press the feet firmly and lift the hips higher
Release on an exhale
Hold for 5 breaths. 5 counts in. 5 counts out

We will be opening on August 21st! The website will be completed very soon with schedules and lots of great info!

Welcome to Red Hot Yoga!

The address of our new home:

721 Miami Circle
Ste. 106
Atlanta, GA 30324

We have much, much more to post, but we will shift the updates over to that site later this week, and let this blog be used for what it was created for. Speaking of which, week 5 of Yoga For A Year will be posted in an hour or two, I just wanted to share the new website!

Also, email me at redhotyoga@comcast.net if you want to be on the list for special preview classes that we will be teaching before the official opening.
There is no charge for these classes, we just want to bring some love into the studio!

W

Now for this week’s YFAY – and the pictures are from the new studio!

This month’s focus is awareness. Awareness is the true purpose of yoga. Ultimate awareness. A pure knowing, understanding, simply just being and reflecting. What truly is, always has been and always will be reflects back to itself. I am not talking about being quiet or paying attention for a little while. Awareness is something that we all work towards when we practice yoga. It starts off by noticing things we have not noticed before and then as time goes on and our practice deepens we find that what we once thought and felt and wanted has changed. There is a shift…an awareness we did not have before.

This topic of awareness is a lifelong journey and as soon as you think you have come to terms with who you are and how you feel and what you want it will change again. And possibly one day when there is no more reason to fight then awareness will reveal itself to you and there will be peace. We are all part of each other. We need each other. We need the people that we love and even the ones that we don’t like because… I am you and you are me. Having this awareness is one of the most profound lessons yoga can ever teach.

Try this…for the next week listen to people a little bit more than you normally would. Wait to speak and sometimes don’t comment…just be. Don’t be weird or obvious but rather seek out opportunities to just be and notice what you experience emotionally & physically. Observe, analyze briefly and then let it go!

This month is going to be fun!!!

Your poses for Week 5:

Virasana Hero’s Pose
Parivrtta Trikonasana Revolved Triangle
Parivrtta Utkatasana Revolved Chair
Eka Pada Setu Bhanda One Leg Up Bridge

Virasana

Sit on the mat with the knees together and the feet apart wide enough to sit your hips down in between your heels
The tops of the feet are down
Feet are straight back in line with the shins
(if your buttocks does not reach the floor put a blanket or block under your buttocks and use as many blankets or blocks as you need to sit comfortably)
Free the sitting bones by pulling the flesh of the buttocks away from the sitting bones.
Sit evenly across the sitting bones
Draw the skin of the low belly, under the navel, in and up
Pull the front ribs in and slightly up
Roll the shoulders down and back
Lift the breastbone
Lengthen the back of the neck up as the shoulder blades descend
Sit for 20 breaths. 5 counts in. 5 counts out. (or as long as you can without exceeding 10 minutes when you first start)

Parivrtta Trikonasana

Stand with the feet about 3 to four feet apart
Turn the left foot in deeply
Turn the right foot out 90 degrees
Come up on the ball of the left foot and make the hips square towards the right foot
Place the heel down
Press firmly into the left foot and engage both thighs well
Inhale lift the chest
Exhale draw the low belly, under the navel, in and up
Inhale open the arms to the right and left at shoulder height
Exhale begin to fold forward at the hips
Extend the torso toward the right foot and when the body starts to become parallel to the floor turn at the waist
Place the left hand down on the outside of the right foot near the ankle
Turn the waist, then the ribs and shoulders, then the neck
Reach the right arm up to the ceiling
Inhale ribs away from hips
Exhale press firmly with feet and engage thighs keeping the left hip lifting
Hold for 5 breaths. 5 counts in. 5 counts out
Repeat on the other side

Parivrtta Utkatasana

Stand with the feet together, knees together
Inhale the arms up above the head shoulder distance apart with the palms facing each other
Exhale and bend the knees sitting into a chair position
Inhale lift the chest
Exhale draw the low belly in and tuck the tailbone under until the low back descends and the spine is long
Place the hands to the heart in prayer position
Inhale lengthen upward through the chest
Exhale and bring the right elbow to the outside of the left knee
Be careful not to let one knee come forward of the other
Use the arm pressing into the leg to help you twist from the waist, then the ribs and shoulders and then the neck
Open the pose by putting the right hand down and the left arm up
Keep the buttocks low
Head higher than the buttocks
Hold for 3 breaths. 3 to 5 counts in. 3 to 5 counts out.
Repeat on the other side

Eka Pada Setu Bhanda

Lie on your back
Place the feet to the floor hip distance apart close enough to the buttocks that you can reach the middle fingers to the heels
Knees a little closer together than the feet
Shoulders stay down
Hold the edges of the mat with your hands
Inhale into the chest
Exhale tuck the tailbone and lift the hips
Inhale lift the chest to the chin (do not move the chin to the chest)
Exhale lift the hips higher
Bring the knees toward one another
Inhale bend the right knee lift the right knee in toward the chest
Exhale extend the right leg and foot toward the ceiling
Bring the leg in line with the right hip to a 90 degree angle
Keep the hips even and the chest high
Hold for 5 breaths. 5 counts in. 5 counts out.

It’s official! And half an hour later, the construction team swung into action! We are still expecting a three week buildout, and are still on target for a mid-August opening.

I’ll make a special announcement with the name and the exact address very soon, but for now, I can tell you that this space was just made to be a yoga studio!

The regular weekly post with poses is coming tomorrow (we’ve been busy!), so no worries.

I will also briefly address the rumors and “misunderstandings” that I’ve heard about our leaving AHY. Let us assure you that we did not spend nine years building AHY so that we could walk away. We also did not decide to have a baby, and then give up our jobs in the worst economy ever because we had another choice. Needless to say, it is heartbreaking, especially the treatment we have received from the people we thought were friends.

But, I can tell you that we believe everything is as it should be and we are determined to bring you the best yoga you’ve ever experienced. We look forward to practicing with you again very, very soon, and filling our new space with positive energy!

namaste.

B-

7/27/10

Hi,

I want to thank all of you for the unbelievable support you have offered as we are going through this transition!

This week’s post is a little late, and I apologize, as we are a little preoccupied trying to get everything done! This week’s post is very cool though because we are going to combine the previous 3 weeks into a mini class and finish up with our focus on commitment.

I thought it would be appropriate to discuss what commitment means long term. Many times folks are actually excited to commit to a relationship, a job, a diet and exercise program, having children, and so on. There is an appeal to anything new. All relationships are great when they first start and all jobs look good when it’s your first week. You can even force yourself through will power alone to stay on a diet and exercise regimen, and there’s not a mother out there that does not think her newborn baby is just the most precious creature to grace the planet!

But, I want to talk about long term commitment, the kind of dedication that it takes to make it worth it in the long haul. This is in the understanding that it’s not just about the “wedding day”, but rather about the marriage. It’s not just about getting the job, but also doing the job. It’s about making your diet and exercise a lifestyle and not something you do periodically when you feel out of control. I am talking about having children not to make your parents happy or to get attention but to give life to another human being and to know with every ounce of your own existence that you are responsible for how that “kid” turns out. I believe that this is the gravity with which these types of decisions should be made. Then there is so much space for fun and real excitement.

Try this…when you get that itch to make a decision quickly and you know that there will be consequences that far exceed this brief amount of thought your are putting into the decision…take a moment, take a ride or a walk…calm down and really respect your right to take your time with every decision you make. You deserve to give yourself the same amount of time to make decisions, as you would respect in others who do the same.

This weeks poses – Mini Class!

Warrior 2
Side Angle Flank
Triangle
Separate Leg Head to Floor
Extended Side Triangle
Chair
Puppy
Downward Facing Dog
Dolphin
Tree
Cobra
Bridge

Click on the “New Studio” link below to see artist renditions of the new Miami Circle studio! We can’t wait to practice with you!!!

New Studio!

Hi,

I realize the last blog was pretty heavy. Wes’ and my heads are still swirling from the disappointment that we, and unfortunately, all of you were exposed to recently. We have met with a great deal of hurt and deep sadness surrounding the circumstances that led to us not working at AHY anymore. But, we truly believe that from all problems and challenges in life, come the option for opportunity.

That being said, we are moving forward with the new studio as planned. We are getting very excited and looking forward to practicing with all of you again soon! We are still looking to open by the middle of August, and should have our new website up very soon. However, this blog is about yoga…so let’s focus on that.

This week is our third week working on some different layers of commitment and I wanted to share with you a concept that has always helped me decide what to commit to and how to approach those responsibilities. The concept is very simple and in two parts…one is the old adage… don’t bite off more than you can chew at one time and two is only make commitments to people, situations and circumstances that you can trust. The second part can get a little more difficult to determine. I have always gone with the idea that if your heart and your head can agree with each other than you can make the commitment. The other aspect of this is that you can also make adjustments and changes to your obligations as needed. Change is the only guarantee in life!

Try this…whatever obligations and commitments you have in your life currently or are about to embark into break the challenge of it down into parts that you can handle. One piece at a time, set goals that you know you can attain. “A yoga practice was not built in a day!” We have our lifetime to work on ourselves. Allow yourself the opportunity to meet with success. Embrace the idea of meeting your goals and one other really important thing…make sure that your decisions make you happy…it matters how you feel.

Your poses for week three are…

Puppy Pose
Down Dog
Dolphin
Bridge

Ardha Virasana Puppy Pose

Come onto the hands and knees
Hands shoulder distance apart
Knees just wide enough to fit the torso down in between the thighs
Tops of the feet down with the big toes touching
Inhale deeply
Exhale and ease the hips and buttocks back towards the heels
Inhale and lengthen the ribs forward
Place the forehead to the floor
Keep the neck long and the shoulder blades descending
Take deep breaths and bring your attention and focus inward
Stay in this position and observe how you feel physically and emotionally
When you feel focused, as well as, relaxed and centered move into the rest of your practice for the day
This is also a resting position that can be used anytime you need it

Adho Mukha Svanasana Downward Facing Dog

Lie on the floor face down
Place the wrists under the elbows (if your arms are quite long move the hands slightly forward of the elbows)
Hands (middle fingers) facing forward & fingers spread well (if you are tight in the chest your index fingers can face forward)
Inhale to a push up plank position
Exhale press up & back
Arms & legs fully extended & engaged
Palms flat
From the shoulders, rotate the inner elbows to turn toward one another
Heels pressing down onto or toward the ground
Feet parallel, heels behind toes
Lengthen the toes forward and slightly up
Broaden through the upper back and the shoulder blades to extend the spine
Press the heart towards the head while bringing the entire torso closer to the thighs
Relax the neck.
Eyes focus to the knees or navel
Hold for 5 breaths. 5 seconds in. 5 seconds out.

Dolphin

Come onto the hands and knees
Place the elbows and forearms on the floor
Bring the distance between the elbows a little more narrow than the inner shoulder at the armpit (you can measure the proper distance by wrapping the hands to opposite upper arms, just above the elbows)
Place the palms flat (beginners can interlace the hands)
Inhale broaden the upper back
Exhale press up and back with the hips and buttocks
Straighten the legs by pressing the feet down and lifting the kneecaps and thighs up
Bring the feet together if you are not back injured
Relax the neck and head
Exhale the belly in and up
Press the heart towards the head while bringing the entire torso closer to the thighs
Bring the feet as close to the face as you are able without bending the knees
Hamstring injured folks do not do this pose
Hold for 5 breaths. 5 seconds in. 5 seconds out.

Setu Bhanda Bridge Pose

Lie onto the back
Bend the knees and bring the heels in towards the buttocks
Keep the feet parallel to each other
Hold the sides of the mat w/ your hands
Inhale into the chest
Exhale press the hips up by tilting the tailbone through the legs and pressing down w/ the feet
Bring the upper arms closer to one another. You can interlace the fingers and straighten arms, pressing the pinky finger side of the hands down into the floor
Inhale bring the chest to the chin
Exhale lift the hips
Take several breaths. Hold for about a minute.
Exhale to release.

Again, thank you so much to everybody! Please enjoy!

Hi Everybody,

I have some sad news and some happy news to give you today.

The sad news is that I am no longer teaching at Atlanta Hot Yoga. I’m not able to go into details, but please know that it breaks my heart that this has happened, and that I am truly sorry for any inconvenience that this may cause anyone.

The good news is that Wes and I are opening our own amazing studio! It will be in located in Miami Circle, it’s 4000 square feet, with 2 Hot rooms, showers and changing rooms separate from bathrooms and lots of fabulous energy and love are going into the build out! As soon as a few more details are finalized, I will have a solid opening date. But for now, it looks very good that a mid-August opening will be happening.

We are working as fast as we can to put together a new website, and all of that info will be posted there as soon as it is up!

As soon as we are open, we will be offering the Hot & Power and Pilates classes that everyone has come to know and love. I’m planning a Fall Teacher Training, and we are going to offer a “For The People” style, donation-only, class on Saturday afternoons.

I’ll have more details in the coming days, but again, I have loved teaching and practicing with you all over the last nine years, and look forward to many more.

Namaste!

Bethany