aliciawrightyoga

2011-09-26T21:12:00.000-07:00

I have a couple of new classes starting soon!

Tuesday evening classes start 9/27 7:00-8:30 Mound Street Yoga
Alignment Yoga all levels

Wed morning classes start 10/5 9-10:15 am Mound Street Yoga
Intermediate

Both classes are ongoing and taught Alignment Yoga Style!

2011-07-13T19:15:00.000-07:00

I hope your summer is going smoothly and you're out enjoying the sunshine and beautiful long days.
I have a yoga private special going on now though the end of the month at Mound Street Yoga
all privates are $10 off and only $60/hour.
Please email me
akwyoga@gmail.com to book

I am very excited to share that I will be attending The Neurovascular Institutes Clinical Foundations Course next weekend.
Cathy is brilliant and I can't wait to learn more about profound neutral.
for more information please see
www.neurovasculartherapy.com

Please remember to pace yourself on hot days this summer. Keeping the body cool and hydrated is very important.
Forward folds and twists are wonderful on warm days with cucumber and mint water!

Enjoy!

2011-05-05T17:47:00.000-07:00

UPCOMING WORKSHOPS
I have two great workshops coming up!
Please email me with any questions-

The first is Building a Home Practice

June 4th 12-2pm Mound Street Yoga
1342 Mound Street
register online or drop in $30
Group classes are excellent for learning the basics of yoga but they can often become distracting and not always meet us where we are.

Designing a home practice, learning to be our own teacher, allows us to drop deeper into practice and find new transformation.

In this two hour all levels workshop you will learn:
Simple techniques to calm the body and mind
How to create a practice based on your present yoga experience
An easy to understand and follow yoga recipe
How to incorporate poses into practice to cope with stress and anxiety

By the end of the workshop, students will have an understanding of the
inner dynamics of the many different yoga poses and a roadmap to setting up and practicing where ever you are.

The Second is in Blue Mounds at the Dharma Center
June 12th 10am- 4pm
Sunday Retreat in Silence
This one day all levels retreat will offer simple seated and walking meditation techniques to ground the body and open the mind. In this retreat, students will learn the benefits of a cooling all levels yoga practice, accessible to understand yoga philosophy and journaling. We will quiet the mind and free the breath to let go of our day-to-day stress and embody grounding and strength. Beginners encouraged and welcome.
***Please bring a notebook, tennis/walking shoes for walking meditation and light yard work and a sack lunch. A microwave and hot water will be available for tea and food.
online registration will be coming soon or drop in $40

2011-04-30T18:37:00.000-07:00

Yoga in your space.

I travel! Usually by bike. If you would like to incorporate yoga
into your office or home, please let me know. We can design a program
specific to your needs.

Just a short list of what a
regular Yoga practice can do for you:

helps release stress
create longer attention spans
lower blood pressure
create greater immunity throughout the body
build strength and stamina

2011-04-26T17:00:00.000-07:00

Upcoming workshop
Not to be missed!

Awake in the World

with Michael Stone
at Mound Street Yoga
Friday, May 20th (FREE)
7:30-9:00pm Dharma talk and book signing

Saturday, May 21st
12-2:30pm asana
3:30-6:30pm meditation and discussion

Sunday, May 22nd
9-11:30am asana
12:30-4:00pm meditation and discussion

This weekend will focus on slowing down the yoga posture sequence to better understand the internal patterns of the postures and how the breath flows through the poses giving rise to meditation, concentration and ease. We will explore bandhas and pranayama sequences as they naturally occur within the asanas. There will be time both for asana practice as well as exploration of meditation and philosophy.

Michael Stone is a psychotherapist in private practice, lecturer, yoga teacher and author. He co-leads the Centre of Gravity Sangha, a thriving community of Yoga and Buddhist practitioners in Toronto and travels internationally, teaching in academic, yoga studio and conference settings. Michael offers courses and retreats that focus on integration of yoga postures, breathing practices, meditation and textual study. His interest is in supporting community to take formal practice into action in daily life and the society at large.

He is the author of The Inner Tradition of Yoga, Yoga for a World Out of Balance, Freeing the Mind, Freeing the Body: Yoga and Buddhism, and his recent book, Awake in the World: Teachings from Yoga and Buddhism on Living an engaged Life.

More info on Michael at www.centreofgravity.org

All of these sessions are excellent for intermediate students as well as teachers
interested in maturing their understanding of the depth of yoga postures and
the psychology that informs them.

The workshop is cumulative. Please join for the whole program.
Cost for the Entire Workshop is: $275

Please send payment in the form of check or cash to:
Andrea Russell
2640 East Johnson Street #1
Madison, WI 53704

Refunds: Cancellations less than 2 weeks prior to the workshop, you may request refund, minus $50. For cancellations 48 hours or less before the workshop, no refunds will be available. Thank you for your cooperation and understanding.

A day with Michael Stone in GREEN BAY, Wisconsin
Integrating yoga postures, breathing practice and study.
At the Bay Yoga Center Monday, May 23rd from 8:30 am-3:30 pm
more info at www.bayyoga.com

2011-04-26T16:57:00.000-07:00

"In April, we cannot see sunflowers in France, so we might say the sunflowers do not exist. But the local farmers have already planted thousands of seeds, and when they look at the bare hills, they may be able to see the sunflowers already. The sunflowers are there. They lack only the conditions of sun, heat, rain and July. Just because we cannot see them does not mean that they do not exist."
- Thich Nhat Hanh

Always be planting seeds for your practice.

2011-03-27T18:27:00.000-07:00

Yoga for Cycling

Whether we are racing or out for a weekend tour, cycling can take it’s toll on the body. During this all levels workshop, we'll explore strengthening deep muscles where it counts the most. Developing a yoga practice to balance strength with mobility, we are able to push harder and rider farther with less fatigue. With a personalized yoga program you will cut race times, lower blood pressure and create an optimized cycling adventure.

Sunday April 3, 1-3pm
register online at www.blissflowyoga.com

for more information:
akwyoga@gmail.com

2011-03-04T11:28:00.001-08:00

Waking up to purpose-Yoga as a Non-dual path

Rolling our mats out day after day to practice takes commitment. Defining our commitment defines our practice. What’s the purpose or point of all this mat unrolling? Asking ourselves why is where we should start the practice. Defining purpose creates the connection for understanding our body, breath and mind relationship. Day to day, even moment to moment our purpose may change. As our purpose becomes clearer we start losing the self and begin to understand, the true essence of yoga, non-duality.

Connecting to our practice with don duality creates connection to our world. Over time as our practices mature non-duality becomes more and more defined. We not only feel the interconnection of breath, mind, body we start to live it. At first, the practice starts with feeling the sensations of breath move with the body’s actions. Over time this awareness grows to everything around us. We start to notice our ever-present connection to trees, grass, dirt, garbage and breath. We not only see how it is all interconnected we understand.

Yoga is the present moment; it is the right now, the action that is happening at this moment in time. Yoga isn’t something we do, it is something we become. We become the yoke, the interconnectedness, and the unification of life.

2011-02-02T14:35:00.000-08:00

Winter desolation;
In a world of one color
The sound of the wind.
Basho

AHHH the sun is out and I now see the pavement.
The power of nature is always humbling.
So, so fortunate for the warmth of a fire and the wool of a sweater.
Thank you snow.
Thank you wind.
The perfect balance of practice, play and work!

2011-01-03T19:30:00.000-08:00

CHECK OUT MOUND STREET YOGA'S
F I R S T A N N U A L O P E N H O U S E
JANUARY 16TH, 11:00 AM - 3:30 PM

Mound Street Yoga Center invites you to its first annual open house with book signings, complimentary mini-classes and more.

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

11:00-11:20 Book Reading
Alignment Yoga: An Intelligent Approach to Ancient Wisdom
with Scott Anderson

11:30-11:50 Pilates
with Collette Stewart

12:00-12:20 Explore the Benefits of Therapeutic Yoga
with Alicia Wright

12:30-12:50 Chi Kung
with Sara Tirner

1:00-1:20 Grounding through Philosophy: Yamas and Niyamas
with Linda Mundt

1:30-1:50 Balance through Breath and Movement
with Rebecca Printen

2:00-2:20 Explore your Core
with Ali Dwyer

2:30-2:50 Free Your Spine: Pilates and the Franklin Method
with Greg Grube

3-3:20 Restorative Tantric Yoga: Cultivating the art of surrender through breath and imagery
with Sara Tirner

2010-11-14T11:30:00.000-08:00

Blustery wind brings me back to reflection and writing. As the world continues around us, we often struggle to find balance and connection. When things we anticipate don't go the way we think and when natural everyday actions throw us off ground are the times we notice and need our practice the most. Remembering the minds connection to breath and the breath connection to movement. How everything both physical and energetically are connected and ever changing.

While we move, shift and transition every day from place to place remember it is how we move, how we shift that forms what we do.
Every decision we make, every word we say and breath we take, has an effect on all life around us and in us.

As the weather changes we find ourselves coming inside. Not only inside our warm homes, but also inside our warm hearts and minds. With more time inside often comes the question of what will I do with all this time now? What will we do inside? Not only inside the house but inside the body. Often times, being and listening to ourselves can be scary and lonely. These are the times, when it is quiet, when we are alone, we feel bored and turn to craving and aversion.

I can hear the boys as they beg to watch TV and play the computer. I continue to work with my Yoga practice off the mat. I am challenged and look forward to practicing Brahmacharya this winter. Often times Brahmacharya is translated as the right use of sexual energy, I would like to think of it as the right use of all energy- --- being mindful and working to create a balance between the things we naturally attach too and find aversion for. The use of energy wisely for non-harming.

WANT TO PRACTICE WITH ME?
TRY THIS:
When using your computer for work set specific times you will be checking your email. For instance, set a routine or a schedule of only checking your email every 3 hours or every 4 hours. Read the email and respond immediately and leave it be.

Next time you sit down to check your email or facebook set a timer- start with 30 min
when the timer goes off that's it. Shut the computer off and leave it alone.

OR take the ultimate challenge,
for every hour of social networking you do
do an hour of seated meditation, asana practice or walking meditation.
YUP EVERY DAY!!

Keep a journal and see how it goes. Notice how much more time you may have to be present with your family, to read a good book. Pay attention and notice your practice off the mat.

2010-06-28T14:03:00.001-07:00

Part of our practice is living mindfully with awareness to the current situations around you---

Please read and pay attention to what is happening in the world!
here is a great site to help you!
www.democracynow.org

plus a wonderful article by naomi klein-
www.thenation.com/article.36608/hole-world

I apologize, you will have to cut and paste -- the link option doesn't seem to want to work today!!

2010-06-04T17:51:00.000-07:00

This is one of my favorite people in class
After you watch this, I think you will know why!
http://www.edutopia.org/richard-davidson-sel-brain-video
-

2010-05-03T07:02:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Yogi Sara Young for her beautiful words--
Please check out her lovely blog at www.everydaysatya.blogspot.com
____________________________________________________________________________________
From Sarah's Blog

Yesterday, at 11:00 at Vilas Zoo, between the bison and the black bear was a group of chicks doing yoga.

Now, "a group of chicks doing yoga" is of course not how I would have described the scene, but rather, how a perplexed adolescent boy explained the strange occurrence in front of him to a friend on the phone.

Yoga in the Zoo was just one instance of what my friend and fellow yogi Alicia calls "Yoga in Public Places" - getting people together in places around town to come together to do yoga.

Some describe this scene not as Yoga in Public Places but rather as Exhibitionist Yoga. I suppose that has a nice ring, too.

So what is the appeal of doing yoga in public places, anyway? Based on yesterday's experience, I'd argue that there are many.

One of the things I like most about doing yoga is the sense of community. To me yoga is a way to come together to share positive energy in a single space, and to channel this energy in ways that often result in positive change. Doing yoga in a public place seems to heighten this sense of community even further. For here, we aren't our own community within the walls of a local yoga studio, but rather we are one with the zoo-going families and children that surround us. Now to those families and children, "community" was probably the last word they would have used to describe us (crazy? extreme?) but to me, it was a means of connecting with others in this single shared space.

I also love that with yoga, you can always "take it with you." To do yoga, there's no need for a large field, any kind of hoops or nets, a team, a room, or walls. The only thing we really need to do is open our hearts and minds and come back to the breath. Doing yoga in the zoo is a beautiful example of this point. If we can do yoga next to a bison, clearly we can do yoga anywhere. We can create our own sacred space wherever we happen to be.

Finally, the word yoga is often translated as "union." To me, the idea of union with the earth resonates strongly as one element of this translation. Doing yoga in an open outdoor space, amidst the grass and the trees and the animals, is quite beautiful. Granted, I'm not a big fan of zoos and don't typically visit them due to the fact that I prefer animals live in natural open spaces. However, I must say that after listening to the families talk about each of the animals and watching the kids observe in awe, I now appreciate the awareness that zoos provide. By visiting the zoo, our children are able to see the beauty and life that animals provide, and perhaps, tread more lightly on this earth that we all share.

Next round of Yoga in Public Places will be Sunday, June 6 somewhere along the Bike the Drive course. Who's in?

2010-04-27T19:25:00.000-07:00

Build a relationship with your practice--
Thursdays NOON-1PM
Hatha Yoga Practice with yours truly!
Mound Street Yoga

STARTING THIS THURSDAY APRIL 29-MAY 27
Bring a friend- split the price of the class!
THAT'S ONLY $6 A CLASS!
OUTSTANDING!!!!

2010-04-26T10:21:00.000-07:00

Yoga at the Zoo this Saturday
11am in front of the buffalo-
bring friends and family--kids too
Macha for tea and goodies after wards!!!

2010-04-11T18:13:00.000-07:00

"Being an activist is as much about the self as it is about problems in the larger world" "A reverence perspective is, at the end of the day, taking corrective steps to further enhance the beauty of others and the beauty of yourself." Van Jones---

I'm reading the Future of Nature- writings on human ecology from ORION MAGAZINE
it is wonderful, wonderful inspiring writing- truthful and scary-
Well worth the trip to the library or the small price tag of $18.00

Here is another wonderful article-- again read it- pause and then re-read it!
http://www.orionmagazine.org/index.php/articles/article/170/

2010-03-16T19:16:00.000-07:00

Dogen

In the stream,
Rushing past
To the dusty world,
My fleeting form
Casts no reflection.

2010-03-08T09:56:00.000-08:00

CHALLENGE YOUR PRACTICE THIS APRIL!!! WITH MICHAEL STONE-- April 9-11
www.centreofgravity.org

Michael is an international teacher mixing yoga thought with Buddhism. His practice pushes students not only physically but mental and psychologically as well. He blends asana with meditation challenging students both on and off the mat.

Don't miss this wonderful opportunity to deepen your yoga practice! Register by March 15th $200, after $225!

Friday, April 9th 7:30-9:30 pm FREE lecture- Yoga & Awakening
Saturday, April 10th noon-3:00 & 4:00-6:00 pm- Intelligent Vinyasa
Sunday, April 11th 9:00-12:00 pm- Backbends & Inversions

email me any questions!

to register--
www.andrearussell.com

2010-03-01T20:10:00.000-08:00

You find a flower half-buried in leaves,
And in your eye its very fate resides.
Loving beauty, you caress the bloom;
Soon enough, you'll sweep petals from the floor.

Terrible to love the lovely so,
To count your own years, to say "I'm old,"
To see a flower half-buried in leaves
And come face to face with what you are.

- Han Shan, 750
Translated by Peter Stambler

2010-02-28T14:51:00.000-08:00

Every now and again you read something and just have to keep reading and rereading-
this is one of those!

http://www.orionmagazine.org/index.php/articles/article/170/

hope you enjoy-

2010-02-17T19:30:00.000-08:00

My good friend Shannel has led me back to writing- and while i am not a great writer, it is an easy and inexpensive new hobby~

While most of my writing is just rambles, it helps to see thoughts on paper, to read and try and digest what is going on inside my head. Often times, when i write words down, the words are not nearly the same story my mind has told!

Writing is my new form of letting go- getting rid of energy bottled up inside- creating something out of ideas- moving energy from one form to another- writing to just write without expectations - often times throwing the paper and words in the garbage---

I see people who keep journals, writing down the stories of their lives, to pass on to the next in line- writing life down- keeping it in order day to day--

Just the act of thinking- typing, writing, listening as the mind goes on and on and on and on!

It's a wonderful practice to start- no need to keep any of what you write- write it and let it go ---and watch what happens

2010-01-14T08:43:00.000-08:00

I am spending the week watching our friends 2 boys. Making my total boy watch 5 this week. Currently the four boys are playing Batman. Two in costume, one in goggles and one just chasing them around. Kids are beautiful, even when poopy and naughty, loud and obnoxious-- they force us to slow down, look, BREATH and reconnect to spirit.

When the toasted oats spill all over the floor and the juice spills all over the table, I feel anxious and unconnected- thinking, "this is NOT what a house is suppose to look like" This is not the house in parents magazine- I too have fallen into conditioning and attachment- those thoughts reappear, that a good mom has a beautiful house, clean toilets and heart shaped peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.

When in actuality, this is life practice- our practice time off the mat. When we really need to breath and inner-connect- to stay in our bodies and listen. ---remembering that washing the dishes is just like breathing -- and cleaning the toilet too, is just breathing- inhale, exhale--

PRACTICE

Perspective Batman, perspective--breathe and look-- look and notice--without judgement-- let these moments be the moments that make us grow internally- BE PRESENT- BE AWARE- LISTEN

kids don't care if the house is out of order, they don't-- they want read to, they want loved and attention--the bills will get paid, the food will get prepared and floor swept- all these life tasks- done with breath and focus for the one's we love- breath by breath-

2009-12-01T20:02:00.000-08:00

Welcome Home-
Driving across Iowa and Nebraska is always an adventure with 3 boys and a big dog.
Yes, a lot of yelling, singing, hitting and sleeping- it's a challenge to study
the moment to moment behavior the kids exhibit.
Kids are so brutally honest with each of their feelings, always in constant
change--they don't hide any emotions or thoughts from the rest of the family-

The drive is always a wonderful time to exhale and listen, exhale and listen-
yes, much more challenging then any yoga pose i try and do-
the lessons learned this time around:
1. Always pay attention to the breath- especially in times of quiet and pause- EXHALE
2. Feelings come and go- bad feelings and good- don't attach- the bad leaves as fast as the good
3. Don't daydream of what the future is going to be or look like- daydreaming creates stories- hmmm maybe good, but maybe not- i find these stories become ruts and only compartmentalize our thoughts, leading to rigid lives full of false attachments and too much inhaling!
4. Smile, even when you're upset- it allows the pallet to relax-- then exhale the tension, leading to your chest relaxing and your heart opening-
5. Finally- it's always the small things that matter- always the small- pick the small everytime-

Happy December-

2009-11-25T17:11:00.000-08:00

Happy Thankful Day-

What a wonderful idea to have a day to just think of things we're thankful for-
what a wonderful day of meditation-
what a wonderful intention for the day ahead, the month ahead, the year ahead

thank you-

2009-11-07T15:03:00.000-08:00

NOVEMBER EVENTS

With the beautiful weather it is rather hard to be inside- i feel very squirmy and wild sitting here now and trying to type-- kids are laughing and jumping and the dog is having a hay day chasing the squirrels in the yard.

I would like to invite folks to Andrea Russell's Ashtanga workshop tomorrow at Bliss Flow Yoga- please see the blissflowyoga.com website for more info-
Andrea is one of the best and most honest teachers I have worked with. She is a wonderful patient teacher with a great knowledge of the body and a warm sense of spirit. Please if you are free, join her to challenge yourself-

The Nelson Institute at UW also hosts their film festival- ending tomorrow- there are several great documentaries to stimulate action to make your neighborhood and the world a better more wholesome place to live-

sorry for the lateness on these events but time flies when you have kids and too much on yer plate! If you can't attend please visit both websites to learn more about these important people and events-

www.andrearussell.com
www.nelson.wisc.edu/tales/

MOUND STREET CLASS STARTS MONDAY THE 19TH

2009-10-09T17:34:00.000-07:00

Mound Street class October 19
9-10:15 AM
Start the day off with a bite of yoga!

Basic instruction in asanas (yoga postures). Focus on standing and seated poses, simple twists and introduction to shoulder stand and sitting meditation using breath awareness throughout.

new class! new class!

2009-10-09T17:29:00.001-07:00

Starting november 10 i'll be teaching intro to vinyasa at jewel in the lotus
7:30-8:30 pm
jewel is located on johnson street
please come and help spread the love!

Song breathing

2009-10-08T18:52:00.001-07:00

Breathing in, breathing out
Breathing in, breathing out
I am blooming as a flower,
I am fresh as the dew
I am solid as a mountain,
I am firm as the earth,
I am free.

Breathing in, breathing out
Breathing in, breathing out
I am water reflecting,
What is real, what is true
And I feel there is space,
Deep inside of me,
I am free, I am free,
I am free.

great friends

2009-10-08T17:54:00.001-07:00