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Introducing Instagram Lives three days a week starting Mon. 7/27! Join me for just 5 minutes of movement!
Mondays @ 8 am: 5 minutes of waking-up movements
Thursdays @ noon: 5 minutes of stretching or strengthening as a lunch break
Fridays @. 8 pm: 5 minutes of winding-down movement before bed
Be sure to log in to Instagram at these times! Can’t make the live video? You can catch the replay for 24 hours afterwards. And there will be links to the movements on my YouTube channel!
Great article from my physical therapy partner, Loudoun Sports Therapy Center! Go get that pain checked out: they are open (and taking every precaution to keep their patients safe).
Then, come see me for additional stability, strengthening, and mobility work.
We are both passionate about helping people get out of pain. As your yoga teacher, I am also committed to giving you the space and time to really NOTICE was is going on in your body. Sometimes that's half the battle.
Have a listen below! And huge thank you to Shannon Crow for the opportunity.
https://www.theconnectedyogateacher.com/161-get-your-yoga-online-in-48-hours-with-jennie-macgoy/
Arthritis in the knee can impact just about everything in our everyday life. It makes walking, using stairs, and sitting difficult and uncomfortable. It also makes staying in one position for a prolonged period of time painful. Before you get back into yoga, seek out help from a physical therapist at Loudoun Sports Therapy Center to ensure you are safe and to avoid any further injury:
https://loudounsportstherapy.com/knee-arthritis-solution
This morning I was ready to lead one of my private students through some stability and strengthening yoga poses and movement. One of her primary goals while working with me is to feel stronger. So, I had a great sequence of standing and strengthening postures ready!
But then she arrived.
She said she was having a stressful day and wanted to focus on breathing and stretching instead. Could that be any further from a dynamic strengthening practice? If this had happened three years ago (when I first started teaching), I am SURE I would have looked like a deer caught in headlights! But not now. I had to think on my toes a LITTLE bit, but was quickly able to offer her a variety of opportunities to tune into her breath, practice a calming breathing technique, take several slow stretches customized to HER body’s needs, and conclude with a lovely guided meditation.
She left the studio feeling really good in body AND mind.
This is why I love my job: I get to LISTEN to my students. I have the honor of giving them space to tune into their bodies and their minds, and decide what THEY need on any given day. I let them explore breath and movement that feels good to them. Then I send them away feeling refreshed. What more could I ask for?
This could be YOU ! Visit www.breathewithjennie.com/private-sessions! I’d love to meet you where you are and give you an opportunity to breathe, destress, stretch, or strengthen!
Many people believe there are increased risks involved with physical activity and older age. While there are some precautions we should take, the reality is that inactivity will make us more dependent on other people for help, and increase our risk of falling as our muscles continue to get weaker. Here’s more on the importance of staying active from Loudoun Sports Therapy Center:
Many of my students are experiencing peri-menopause or menopause. Read how Mindfulness May Ease Menopausal Symptoms
Joint health is something that ALL ages need to be concerned about, not just older populations.
Read more here from my physical therapy partner, Loudoun Sports Therapy Center.
Bring your attention to yourself – without any parameters or exceptions – you as you are in this moment.
With this awareness of you, repeat to yourself:
May I be at ease.
May I open to what arises.
May I know that I am enough.
May I love myself just as I am.
*thank you to Amanda Whiting and Shannon Crow for sharing with me!
Students frequently ask me the names of various songs that I play during class. Music can be so powerful! Here are links to a few of the playlists that I use during my classes. Enjoy!
I have battled shoulder pain for over two years. After receiving ALL types of therapy, I was finally diagnosed with rotator cuff tendinitis. So it is safe to say that I am just a LITTLE bit sensitive when it comes to using our shoulders during my yoga classes.
Many, many teachers cue students to “draw your shoulder blades down and back” when lifting arms overhead (say, in Warrior 1). I offered this cue myself when I first began teaching. HOWEVER, this cue goes against the body’s natural scapulohumeral rhythm! This can lead to rotator cuff injuries — yikes! The LAST thing I want to do is set my students up for potential injuries. So, I now ask students to allow their shoulder blades to wrap around the rib cage and lift UP when arms come overhead. Think about when you go to reach for something from a high shelf: what do your shoulder blades do? They reach! You don’t jam them down and back, right? Well, let’s bring that same — natural — movement to our shoulders during our yoga practices.
You can learn more below from Dr. Ariele Foster, a physical therapist and yoga instructor who I respect.
More research is showing that a consistent yoga practice can help ease the symptoms of depression!
If you have arthritis, I recommend trying my Wednesday evening class. We meet from 7:30 - 8:30 pm. We work on balance, overall body strength, and conclude with some light stretching. As always, check with your health care provider before proceeding!
From Harvard Health Publishing:
https://www.health.harvard.edu/pain/starting-yoga-advice-for-people-with-arthritis
If you don’t have time to read the whole article, scroll down to #3!
See how a program in Seattle is tackling eating disorders through yoga.
Read how the military is incorporating mindfulness training for soldiers.
Check out what’s happening in April at the studio!
Hooray for yoga yet again!
Study finds 12 weeks of yoga reduces body-image dissatisfaction in women