Yoga Teacher Handouts: Yoga Basics: How to get the Most Out of Class

Yoga Teacher Handouts & Student Education Forms
This is another handout I use with new students so that they can better understand what yoga is all about and how they can get the most out of their practice.

Yoga Teacher Handouts: Yoga Supplies

An Introduction to Yoga Supplies:  

This is a Handout I use with my new students so they have some background information on the props that may help to enhance their practice. 

My Trip West: Part 6: Joshua Tree National Park

Joshua Tree National Park is a yoga destination.  Each year thousands of yogis gather in this area for a week long yoga convention.  The warm dry desert air, unusual trees and graceful rock piles create the perfect location for a yoga gathering.  The energy surrounding Joshua Tree is that of playfulness and creativity.  The perfect area to expand your practice. 
We drove into Joshua Tree from Pheonix and arrived as the sun was setting.  We were met with the most amazing night sky of our entire 2 week trip (and our entire life).  The moon was bright enough that we could walk around without the need for artificial light, yet the sky was dark enough to see the milkyway stretch across the sky.  I laid on top of the picnic table at our campsite, looking around at the outline of amazing rock piles and spikey trees illuminated by moonlight.  I marvled at the most amazing stary sky I had ever seen.  I did not want to go to sleep that night - but I needed my rest to play among the Joshua Trees for our last day on the west coast.

My Trip West: Part 5: The Grand Canyon

My favorite practice of the trip was on the evening we arrived at the Grand Canyon.  After setting up camp I pulled out my sleeping pad (my substitute yoga mat for the trip) and began to work out some of the tension that had accumulated in my hips and hamstrings from the long car rides.  After I finished my practice we headed over to the closest overlook for our first view of the Grand Canyon.  It was just before sunset so we settled in and watched the light change as the sun slid behind the Canyon walls. 

My Trip West: Part 4: Death Valley National Park

Our trip through Death Valley was short. We drove through on our way from Yosemite to Las Vegas. Looking back on the trip It was a day of amazing transition. We woke up on our last morning in Yosemite wearing hats gloves and several layers under our fleece jackets. It was a chilly 42 degrees F. As we left the dense forests and crystal clear lakes of eastern Yosemite the landscape began to change dramaticly as we descended elevation.  The landscape had less and less vegitation and the temperature began to climb steadily as we drove south along the border of California and Nevada. By the time we arrived at the entrance to Death Valley the temperature was well into the 90's.  As we drove farther and farther into the park, toward Badwater, the temperature continued to climb until it was a scorching 113 degrees.  The landscape was completely flat and desolate, several hundred feet below Sea Level.  We stopped to snap a picture but quickly continued on to Las Vegas.  We ended the day walking under the bright lights of the busy Vagas Strip. 
In One day we went from a remote campsite in the dense forests of the Sierra Mountains, to the flat desolate heat of death valley, and finally to the busy city of Las Vegas.  An amazing day of contrasts and transitions.

My trip West: Part 3: Yosemite National Park

On my 2 week trip West we spent the most time in Yosemite National Park, however I did not take any "Yoga Pics" there. I found myself in more of an introspective state during my time in Yosemite. I spent my time sitting at overlooks trying to soak in the beauty and magnitude of my surroundings.

My Trip West: Part 2: Sequoia National Park

The second stop on my trip west was my favorite spot for yoga pics. I loved the giant sequoia trees & couldn’t get enough time around them. The fire scars were amazing, especially because these trees were able to continue growing after such trauma. Of all the beautiful, awe inspiring places I visited on my 2 week tour of the west, my time spent in the presence of the Sequoias was the most magical.  The energy surrounding these 2,500 year old trees was unlike anything I have felt before and it is beyond explanation. It has to be felt in person.