Intense times for CrossFitting yogis
If you are participating in the CrossFit games with us, you are probably in need of some serious R&R. Even if you are regularly attending yoga classes, you could seriously benefit from some extra stretching. Here are a few moves that will stretch out some of the major areas we are using the most in the games WODS.
1. Childs pose with a block: place a yoga block at the top left corner of your mat. Place your right hand on the block firmly, then sink back into child’s pose. If you don’t feel an intense stretch down the outside of your arm all the way into the shoulder area, move your hips a little to the right. Keep this for about sixty seconds, then repeat on the other side.
2. Knot pose: this one is especially for those of us who have completed 12.3 (those heavy push presses were murder!). This is just like child’s pose, except you will place one arm across your chest and then lie down on it, squaring the chest to the mat as much as possible. The other arm is extended past your head. Give it a minute or so on each side.
3. Intense quad stretch: Place one knee directly against the floor touching the wall with your shin flat against the wall. The other leg will be in front of you (like a kneeling pose or lunge). At first, you may need to hold the pose supported on blocks, but try to move your shoulder blades towards the wall. Hold for at least sixty seconds, and be sure to breath deeply the whole time. This one can be incredibly uncomfortable, but it liberates your quads like nothing else when practiced regularly.
4. Updog or press ups: Protect your back with a few of these each day! Start on your stomach, placing your hands firmly on the mat somewhere near your rib cage (exact placing of hands will vary from person to person depending on your flexibility). Press up until your arms are straight. Keep your neck neutral by looking straight ahead. Hold for a few seconds and repeat 8 to 10 times.
If you’ve already completed 12.3 this week I strongly encourage you to come to yoga at 9 a.m. this Saturday!
Christmas Eve yoga cancelled
Just a reminder: we will not have Saturday yoga classes on December 24. Have a fantastic holiday!
Sun Salutation A tutorial
Sun Salutation’s are a great warm-up for any workout, including CrossFit. Cherie Schooley demonstrates Sun Salutation A in the video below. Try linking it together four or five times.
D/FW Free Day of Yoga with Brandt instructors
We are participating in the D/FW Free Day of Yoga with an outdoor class at the Magnolia Green. From 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. on September 5 (Labor Day) we will host an all-levels vinyasa flow class team-taught and assisted by Brandt instructors Sarah McClellan-Brandt, Cherie Schooley, Ashleigh Burns, Jamie Merrit and Tripp Miller. Come join us!
Yoga teacher wanted!
Hey guys, we are looking for an instructor to teach our Monday evening 6:15 class! It’s an all-levels vinyasa flow-style class and lasts until 7:15 p.m. If you are interested, please contact me at 817-480-5041 or sarahlmac@hotmail.com.
Quick yoga to improve a busy day
We all know how satisfying a nice, long, hour to hour and a haf of yoga is, but some days there just isn’t the time! On days when time is tight, a little yoga is better than none at all. Even if you can fit in five minutes of breathing and downdog practice, or a quick headstand, you’ll feel the diffrence. Here’s a quick light practice from Yoga Today to help on days when you just can’t find the time for full hour.
Produce Co-Op, a better way to get good fruits and vegegables
A little pop quiz today!
Sometimes the produce at the grocery store is:
a. not good
b. limited in variety
c. not fresh
d. expensive
e. all of the above
If you answered “e”, don’t worry! There are other ways to find enough fruits and vegetables at a good prices that is fresh and varied. One of those ways is a produce co-op. Here’s how it works: you pay a set amount for a “share” of produce. The co-op leader sends it to various locations and a volunteer at that location separates it into bags or boxes for pick up every two weeks. Kyle and I have been participating in a co-op called Your Health Source and our pick up location is close to Brandt Fitness. It’s the Acupuncture Health and Wellness Center and it’s on Magnolia just next door to Temaki Sushi. We love it because the produce we get generally lasts about three times as long as what we buy at the store and there is always something different or new. And it is way less expensive than buying its organic equivalent at the grocery store. The group supports local and organic farms. A full share is $50 and a half share is $25. There is a $25 yearly membership fee. We use the half-share and supplement with our “staples” that we don’t get with the co-op. If you’d like to try it, just visit the either the Your Health Source website or call Pam at the Acupuncture Health and Wellness Center (817-877-1502).
Yoga by donation
If you haven’t already heard, Brandt Yoga is now donation-based! We are really excited about this because we struggled with how to provide yoga to those who can’t afford it. It is the perfect solution and we are so happy to be offering affordable yoga! Come check us out and we will give you a free CrossFit or martial arts class pass. For questions, email sarahlmac@hotmail.com or call Sarah at 817-480-5041.
Brandt at Wanderlust Dallas
Brandt Yoga instructors Josh Santiago and Cherie Schooley getting ready to put their mats down at the Wanderlust Dallas event.
The Dallas Wanderlust event was so much fun! It was great to see so many studios and yogis coming together to practice in one place. The instructor, Kurt Johnson of American Power Yoga, was awesome. His charistmatic style of teaching without using pose names was interesting and fun. We learned all kinds of new ways to cue poses. Brandt instructors Josh Santiago, Ashleigh Burns, Cherie Schooley and myself went. The venue, the AT&T Arts center, was beautiful as well. I hope this event happens again next year!
Wanderlust…in Dallas!
This is so cool! We are participating in Wanderlust Yoga In The City in Dallas on May 18. It’s free if you register by clicking here.
Here is some more information on the event:
As part of a seven city national tour celebrating the modern-day culture of yoga, the Wanderlust crew is stopping inDallas on May 18th to rock out with us at The AT&T Performing Arts Center!
Starting at 5pm, the free event will feature a taste of the larger Wanderlust Festival experience complete with yoga, music, community, and celebration all in an amazing outdoor setting of natural beauty.
The 90-minute all levels yoga class will be led by Kurt Johnsen of American Power Yogaand we will have DJ Sun (Soular Grooves) spinning amazing tunes live on stage throughout the event.
Brandt Fitness will have our own special area at the park for our studio members to practice together, come out and join us there! It’s free with registration.
Additionally, there is a great charitable component to this event. Check out the smartlife, a series of positive goals that benefit your health, your community, and help you to raise money for our charity partner,Off The Mat Into The World®.
If you’re down to help, Wanderlust Yoga In The City needs volunteers. All volunteers get a free yoga mat and t-shirt and get to take the yoga class. Click here for more volunteer info.
Wanderlust is the biggest multi-day music and yoga event in the world. Wanderlust Vermont and California feature renowned yoga teachers by dayand cutting-edge musical artists by night. Wanderlust Festival takes place June 23rd-26th in Vermontand July 28th-31st in California.Learn more and get your tickets today at wanderlustfestival.com
Friday fun
Just a little something funny for your friday:
Hands on or off?
This is an interesting article the New York Times ran about physically adjusting yoga students’ poses. I am on the fence about manual adjustments…it doesn’t bother me to be adjusted in a class but I can tell some of my students don’t like it. I also know that some of my students prefer to have manual rather than verbal adjustment. I have been in classes where teachers used manual adjustments as a form of control, as in “you’re not doing it right, do it like this” which, to me, is not what yoga is about. When I touch students it’s more of a light press to help them get deeper into pigeon or maybe a temple massage during savasana. Physically twisting someone’s hips or pressing their quad deeper into a warrior pose just doesn’t seem like it would be comfortable for the student. What do you think?
Grand opening!
Brandt Fitness and Self Defense is having a grand opening on Saturday, Feb. 12! Free yoga, CrossFit and Martial Arts from 9 a.m. to noon. Afterwards, we’ll have a martial arts demo team perform (be sure to bring your kids…they will want to see this!) and some food catered by Chadra Mezza. Here’s the schedule:
9 a.m. — Yoga, vinyasa flow with Cherie Schooley
9 a.m.–CrossFit open gym
10 a.m.–CrossFit
11 a.m.–Martial Arts
11:15 a.m. –CrossFit specific yoga with Tripp Miller
12:15 a.m. — Demonstration team performance
Reception
Afterwards we will all head over to Rahr’s Brewery for some good local beer and more celebration! Come join us and bring your friends and family!
Tip for staying healthy in winter
When it’s supercold outside, it’s hard to stay warm and easy to just stay under the covers and eat comfort food (especially on snow days, and here in North Texas we are on our fourth in a row). But the most important component to health when it is below freezing is physical exercise! Whether it’s yoga, CrossFit, or just getting up and moving around the house if you are housebound, it’s the only way to really get warm and keep your circulation moving when the heater just isn’t cutting it and the freezing drafts are making their way into your homes. Besides exercise, there are a few other ways to keep your body healthy during the cold, dry winter days. Below is a video by Neesha Zollinger of Yoga Today. She does a great job of briefly describing ways to detox and get the circulation going with Ayurveda techniques.
Yoga with a sprained ankle
For the past month (almost) I’ve been trying to get around having a sprained ankle and still teach my classes. For the most part, I’ve managed to modify enough that I didn’t cause myself any extra pain. It took some trial and error though! Here’s a video of a few modifications I suggest for anyone finding themselves with a minor injury to the foot. These modifications also work if you just need a less intense practice. Check it out!
A little video on breath and yoga
A lot can be said about how important breath is in yoga. I could go on and on, but I think Tara Stiles said it in a really nice and concise way in this video on her blog. There is even a short exercise that really feels good. Check it out here.
CrossFit specific yoga
For the past couple of weeks we have been offering a class specifically for crossfitters on Saturdays at 11:15. We believe that yoga and CrossFit complement each other perfectly. Last week, Tripp Miller led the crossfitters in a hip opening and strengthening sequence. Yesterday, I taught a lower-back releasing restorative session to counteract all the deadlifts during Kyle’s “benchmark week.” It’s important to care for the muscles you work so hard and yoga is a great way to do that. Tomorrow’s 5:45 p.m. class will be a heat-building flow with a balance sequence and restorative elements. Click here to sign up for class!
Here are some pictures from Tripp’s class.
Pricing for January
Our first class was fantastic and we’ve got so much more in store this week. Tomorrow there is an 8:30 a.m. and 10 a.m. with Tripp Miller and a 12:15 with Cherie Schooley. For the month of January, your first yoga class is free! After that, classes are $15 for a drop in and $90 for a 10 class pass. For $100/month you get unlimited classes, but that price will only last until we have more in our schedule. If you sign up on an automatic draft during January you can keep the $100/month price for as long as you are a member! To sign up for classes, visit www.brandtfitness.com and click on “Sign up Here”.
This week’s schedule
I hope everyone’s ready for today’s 5:45 yoga! I’m teaching and it’s going to be a vinyasa flow class with a good helping of standing balance poses…nothing like some extra balance to start the New Year. Also, there are some updates to this week’s schedule! Thursday’s 5:45 class will not start until next week and Saturday’s 9 a.m. class will start on Jan. 15th. I committed to being the SafeHaven team captain for the Jiggle Butt Run at that time instead! I’d love it if some of you would join the team! There will still be an 11:15 yoga class this Saturday though.
Brandt Yoga Schedule
So we’ve got a tentative schedule! This is subject to change but initially we have 12 weekly classes planned. Here’s what it looks like so far:
Monday: 5:45 p.m.–Sarah McClellan-Brandt
Tuesday: 8:30 a.m.–Tripp Miller, 10 a.m.–Tripp Miller, 12:15 p.m.–Cherie Schooley
Wednesday: 10 a.m.–Cherie Schooley, 4:30 p.m.–Tripp Miller
Thursday: 8:30 a.m.–Trpp Miller, 10 a.m.–Tripp Mller, 12:15 p.m.–Cherie Schooley, and 5:45 p.m.–Amanda Vorwerk
Saturday: 9 a.m.–Sarah McClellan-Brandt, 11:15 a.m.–Sarah McClellan-Brandt
And as a reminder, our first class is January 3rd at 5:45 and is complementary! See you on the mat!
Classes starting next week!
Looks like the yoga space will be finished this afternoon and we can start offering classes next week! I’ll be posting our schedule and teacher’s bios soon but I can announce that our first class will be Monday, Jan. 3 at 5:45 and will be taught by yours truly! Come on by!
Almost there…
Brandt Fitness crossfitters Vicki and Cami can't wait for the yoga room to be finished either.
The yoga room is close to finished…but still moving slowly! We hope to be able to kick off the new year with some classes. For now, check out this five-minute light practice video from Yoga Today. It’s perfect for the craziness of the holidays.
Brandt Yoga 