Yoga Center of Chico

"The implications for yoga practice are clear: moving our bodies through different planes of motion and in orientation to gravity can have wide-reaching benefits. So experiment with different poses and variations, teachers and practice styles. Play with your pace and intensity. Build your proprioceptive sense by practicing on different surfaces, moving your gaze point or drishti or even closing your eyes." @rachellandyoga

The practice of yoga requires us to take our time settling in each time you come to the mat. Returning to your breath and to your body with careful attention can take more than a few cleansing breaths. Honor what that transition looks and feels like for you. This is a practice. We are here to learn.

Amanda is back. You can practice with her today from 4:00-5:15pm for a gentle vinyasa class or from 5:30-6:45 for a mixed level vinyasa class. Come get your midweek reset and enjoy the relaxing sound of the gong she uses at the end of each class.

We practice to ground, to heal, to feel, to breathe, to release and let go, to become reconnected and embodied with ourselves. Why do you practice? We'd love to hear in the comments below.

Happy Solstice. We hope you have a remarkable season. Be sure to come see us regularly in between trips and vacations. The AC will be on during most classes so come in, share a practice and beat the heat on those HOT dog days of summer!

This is yoga. This is the practice.

"Once you are starting to awaken, you look around for practices to purify and help awaken. Most people see mediation as this practice. It's a clear and simple yoga and you say, "Well, while I do yoga, I do my meditation, and then I go to work, or then I live life, or then I'm gonna do good or something like that." Karma Yoga is taking all the "good or something" that you are going to do after your meditation, and making it an offering and practice for awakening.... So it's a perspective, an attitude of offering and seeing how the actions you are performing are much more than the actions themselves." -Ram Dass

Join Amy tomorrow for a live class inside the studio from 4:00-5:15pm for gentle yoga. It might be what your body needs at the end of the day and for sure it'll be time well spent. Namaste.

Be sure to make yourself a priory today. Whether it’s on your mat, outside in nature, a few deep breaths on your couch, or even just talking to a friend about how you’re feeling.

We welcome you to the first week of 2021. We hope it's filled with good health, wellness, abundance, and blessings to you and yours. Namaste.

Mid week reset. Breathe. You've got this!

Happy New Year to you and yours! We are so incredibly thankful for you. Your commitment and dedication to your practice of yoga is beautiful. We so appreciate your support, loyalty, friendships and strength. Namaste.

"The severity of practice by itself is not the yardstick for measuring success. A pure mind and a right intention are necessary. Yoga must be done gradually. The yoga pose is not the goal. Becoming flexible or standing on your hands is not the goal. The goal is to create space where you were once stuck. To unveil layers of protection you have built around your heart. To appreciate your body and become aware of the mind and the noise it creates. To make peace with who you are. The goal is to love... well, you. Shift your focus and your heart will grow" ~Geeta Iyengar~

Be sure to catch Tom this week for his traditional hips and forward folds asana sequence. Sign up ahead of time on MindBody for his live virtual class via Zoom at 10am or the recorded version at noon. Make your practice a priority today. Namaste.

Let's be there for each other as we all start another week during a very hard month for some of us.

Aphorisms of B.K.S. Iyengar

Join Cheri Neal tomorrow night LIVE for the last Wednesday practice of 2020. 5:30-6:45pm, sign up online via MindBody for a mid week reset. Yoga Nidra at the end of class might just be what you need to finish out this wild and crazy year. Namaste.

Check out Tom's zoom classes on Tuesday and Thursday. It will turn your world upside down. www.yogacenterofchico.com

Between the time change, the election, the holidays, the shift in weather, even the hope of 2021, can leave us feeling unsettled and stressed. Let's come together in unity for all of humanity and practice yoga together today. Join one of Tom's classes, virtual or in person. Namaste.

Here's the poem Lisa read in both her classes yesterday that touched many of you. It is okay (a poem of validation for the year 2020) - Cleo Wade It is okay to leave this year behind It is okay if you haven’t found a silver lining since February... It is okay if all of that spiritual or emotional work you were planning to do on yourself never ended up happening It is okay if you didn’t read a single book all the way through or you read a book every day because fiction felt safer than real life It is okay if you didn’t become an expert chef and your banana bread never came out quite right It is okay if you gained the weight you promised yourself you’d lose It is okay if you watched too much tv and your kids watched too much tv too It is okay if you cried more than you laughed, but I hope you got a few laughs in at some point along the way It is okay if you felt overwhelmed by grief, loss, sadness, confusion, and fatigue we all felt some version of these and if you are reading this right now, you made it through. It is okay to close your eyes and say to yourself, I am a strong, resilient, badass. It is okay if, after you said that, you opened your eyes and still felt worried I worry too. It is okay to stop everything for five minutes, put on your favorite song, and dance with your family or by your damn self. It is okay to find joy in the midst of darkness It is okay, to sit down and just breathe. It’s okay if you didn’t realize how much you actually liked spending the holidays in your hometown until you couldn’t do it It is okay if the added roles, responsibilities, and jobs have felt crushing It is okay if you couldn’t do it all. None of us can. It is okay if you had to cut back on spending and teach your kids that life is not about what you have but who you are with. It is okay if on the surface everything seems fine but deep down, your heart is broken and the pain is bone deep. It is okay to ask for help even if you don’t think you deserve it. It is okay to rest. It is okay to admit that this was the worst year of your life or miraculously ended up being the best And it is okay if you are not okay at all and what you really need to hear is It will be okay. somehow, someway, someday. It will be okay.

Yoga reminds us that the present moment is home. Still, it's hard sometimes making it to our mat. We know a lot of you miss practicing in community, especially at this time of year. It's easy to fall away when life hectic. Come back home. Namaste.

Breathe. Let your next breath be a little more intention than the last. Let's collectively send out energy for the highest good for today's election to bring greater peace, justice, equality, prosperity, health and wellness to our communities near and far.

If you're emotions are high and you're feeling anxious with anticipation regarding the upcoming election we encourage you to sign up for Lisa's virtual class via Zoom at 10am or the recorded class. She'll also be teaching a live in person vinyasa class from 12:00-1:15pm. We strongly encourage you to sign up ahead of time as space is limited. Give yourself time to feel all that you're processing.

Be sure to pick up the latest copy of Lotus Guide and read the article Tom Hess wrote for them, "Is Yoga A Spiritual Practice? "The inner experience is the means to see the true Self."

Kimono Dram by Chieko, a local artist has supplied us with some new holidays masks that we're selling for $12.00. All proceeds go to Wildfire Relief & Recovery Fund facilitated by North Valley Community Foundation. "The fund exists to raise money to support nonprofits and agencies providing immediate assistance to evacuees, animals and others impacted by fires in our area.

Yoga is the union between mind, body and spirit. That can mean different things to all of us so lean into what it means for you. This personal journey requires courage and the ability to just show up as you are. The real journey to freedom begins inside of us.

Join Tom this week virtually on Tuesday or in person on Thursday for his classes and monthly guided pranayama practice. Controlled, conscious breathing helps your body rest and creates more homeostasis for your central nervous system. "Pranayama is the connecting link between the body and the soul of man, and the hub in the wheel of yoga." B.K.S. Iyengar

As you head into this final week of October we want to remind you to vote if you haven't already. Plan your vote. Get your loved ones to vote. Democracy isn't democracy if we don't vote! Civic engagement is essential. Art by @harmonywillowstudio

If you're tired and hanging on by a thread from this past week, come practice virtually with Lisa today. Her restorative class at 10am will make you feel like you again. Rest is valuable. Rest is really important for your over well being. If you're needing more movement join Lara at noon for a vinyasa flow class.

Please be sure to check out our new Yoga Center of Chico YouTube channel. There's great content on there and it's easy to find. You should also be aware of the on demand yoga classes offered by Tom and Rex. You must purchase the class first and then go to the on demand tab and chose a class which is good for 24hours.

Cheri is back! Help us give her a warm welcome home. Join her tonight and every Wednesday moving forward at 5:30pm for a Restorative/Yoga Nidra class. We strongly encourage you to preregister online as this class will fill quickly.

Being in nature inspires us to walk gently on this earth and live in harmony with the seasons. Join Rex today at 9:00am at Canyon Oaks Country Club for a yoga class outside underneath the October sun. There's ample room for social distancing.