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Howdy <<First Name>>?
School's back in session and the heat has started to break. As we begin to recover from the scalding summer heat, we turn a page and prepare to harvest our fruits of the summer season.
The final ten days of summer begins September 11th. Take a moment during this transition period into Fall to take stock of what summer has brought you. Without judgement of good or bad, extend loving gratitude for these opportunities to feel and grow.
Continue your learning and growth with us this September. Read on to learn about great opportunities to deepen your practice in our Sizzling September workshops, learn what inspires our team at Pralaya Yoga, learn about class updates and much, much more.
With Love,
Your Pralaya Yoga Studio Team
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This Month's Featured Teacher:
Allison Bond
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This month we invite you to get to know our Pralaya Yoga teacher Allison Bond better. Beyond teaching two weekly classes at Pralaya Yoga studio, Allison is a full-time high school yoga teacher for the Houston ISD as a part of the Sonima Foundation's yoga in schools program.
Pralaya Yoga (PY) asked Allison (AB) to answer a few questions in the hopes that you will get to know more about her and what she brings to the mat when she teaches.
PY: What did you have for breakfast today?
AB: I made my current favorite breakfast: bok choy sautéed in ghee with two scrambled eggs, an espresso and warm water with lemon.
PY: Where did you grow up? Where have you lived?
AB: I grew up in Nederland, Texas and left when I was 18. I lived in Southern California, Washington, D.C. and have been in Houston since 2003. I like Houston because of the cultural diversity and its people. There are some truly amazing people here.
PY: Who inspires you most?
AB: I am inspired by my students. Whether they are working to alleviate pain, sleep through the night or practicing for purely for love of the practice, their amazing stories of how yoga transforms their lives sometimes bring me to tears.
PY: How did you get into yoga?
AB: My first yoga class was in 2005. I was invited by a friend for yoga and brunch. I was in it more for the brunch, but yoga turned out to be exactly what I needed. Immediately I was hooked. At that time I had no idea that 4 short years later yoga would save me from going under the knife from life-altering hip pain.
PY: In 5 words, how would you describe your yoga teaching style?
AB: Intuitive, nurturing, informative, thorough, open
PY: How do you fit yoga into your day-to-day life? What's your personal practice?
AB: I wake up early so I can start my day with some pranayama (breath work) and end my evenings in meditation. My personal asana practice happens in the afternoons between teaching classes or private lessons. Sometimes I am deliberate in my practice and other times I'm curious, playful and spontaneous. On a deeper level, I believe yoga is not just something I do on the mat, but rather a way of life. So I'm always practicing, on the mat and off, 24/7.
PY: What advice do you have for yoga students?
AB: Yoga is all about you. Drop everything else and be fully present in your practice. Listen to and feel your body and your breath. Don't push or pull too hard. Instead, use your strength to set up the conditions to allow your body to lengthen and open effortlessly. Don't take it too seriously. And ask questions.
Allison's Current Schedule at Pralaya Yoga
Below are the classes and class times that you can regularly find Allison teaching at Pralaya Yoga Studio. See her online schedule for the most up to date class and class time information.
- Active Beginner & Intermediate - Tuesdays 5:30-6:45pm
- Active Beginner & Intermediate - Fridays 5:30-7pm
Plus, join Allison for her upcoming Hip, Hip, Hooray Workshop on September 12th from 1-4pm.
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Fundamentals of Pralaya Yoga Wednesdays 5-6pm
Scott Clark brings a wealth of energetic knowledge and spiritual practice to the mat in our 60 minute Wednesday night Fundamentals of Pralaya Yoga class.
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Showing his strong practice rooted in yogic tradition, Scott will take students through the Bhagava Gita as a part of each class. Each week he will focus on the subsequent line in the text, studying it in the context of the class.
When asked how long this will take, Scott says it will be a multi-year journey. Students are invited to join in at any time - no prior knowledge of the works necessary.
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Beginner/Intermediate Mondays 6:15-7:30pm
Now join Adam Searle on Monday evenings for Beginner/Intermediate. Adam has studied yoga with Robert for a number of years now and followed in Robert's footsteps of becoming an avid climber. His classes will inspire you to achieve greater strength through the Pralaya Yoga methodology.
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Adam's great attention to detail will help you go deeper into your understanding of the body. Take your yoga to the next level by practicing with Adam.
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Welcome Back Teachers!
As summer comes to an end we are happy to have back some special members of our teaching team! A warm welcome back to:
- Christin Staszesky Harper on Wednesday evenings for her 1.5 hour Intermediate yoga class from 6:15-7:45pm starting September 2nd, and
- Kai Lewis on Sunday afternoons for his 1.25 hour Tai Chi Basic Skills class from 4:30-5:45pm starting September 13th
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Temporary Class Changes
From time to time our teachers are away and we have substitute teachers. These are great opportunities for you to take a different perspective on your practice and meet more of our om-azing teaching team!
This month the Lesterlottis, teacher duo Erin Lester and Paolo Carlotti, are off exploring the world with their son. In their place we have these fantastic teachers:
- Active Beginner & Intermediate - Sundays 9:30-11am will be with Scott Clark through 10/4 (normally with Paolo Carlotti)
- Active Beginner & Intermediate - Mondays 12-1pm will be with Izumi Miyahara through 9/28 (normally with Erin Lester)
- Beginner/Intermediate - Wednesdays 12-1pm will be with Katherine (Katie) Lenhart through 9/30 (normally with Erin Lester) - Please welcome Katie, who comes to us from New York city
- Mommy and Me - Wednesdays 1:30-2:30pm will be with Neta Illionsky through 9/30 (normally with Erin Lester) - Neta is a new, strong mama and teacher!
These and other changes to the schedule are listed on our website and in the MindBody Connect app.
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Sizzling September Workshops
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Allow Life Changes
with Kim Taurins
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Saturday September 5th, 1-4pm
Learn to Consciously Grow
What is change? Change is basically the process of everything becoming what it is. Nothing exists, all things are becoming. But change takes skill and understanding to be able to use it to your advantage. Most people have a hard time with change because it usually brings pain. But the truth is change has a yin and yang to it. Change does sometimes involve pain (not suffering) but it always has opportunity in it as well. If you know how to turn change to your advantage and find the empowering meaning then change becomes a force for growth and building in your life. This workshop will teach the steps for using change to create lasting growth and connecting more deeply with you and life itself. The tools also include personal mastery and self inquiry. You'll get more out of this workshop than years of therapy I assure you.
Investment: $55
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Hip Hip Hooray
with Allison Bond
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Saturday September 12th, 1-4pm
From severe hip injuries to daily issues such as tight hips caused by constant sitting or repetitive physical activity, Allison Bond has experience helping people resolve their hip issues. She learned from experience with her own cartilage tear and osteoarthritis and related issues such as SI joint pain and extreme IT band and hip joint tightness. She knows what it takes to go from life-altering pain to pain-free while enjoying an active lifestyle.
The workshop will include lecture on hip anatomy, address common complaints and injuries and answer your questions about your hips. We will put the knowledge taught in this workshop into an active practice that will stabilize, strengthen and open your hip joints.
Yoga beginners and advanced practitioners alike will walk away with enough information to develop a daily home practice to cultivate the strength, structural integrity and mobility needed for happy and healthy hips.
Investment: $40
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Let's Focus on Our Fitness,
Bio-Mechanics Style!
with Ryan Jacobsen
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Saturday September 19th, 11:30-1pm
This workshop has an individualized approach in a group setting. You will learn how to strengthen your weaknesses through exercise that consist of a variety of movements that are almost rhythmical.
Calisthenics specializes in restoring the body to perfect alignment, increasing range of motion, and instilling dramatic amounts of stability and strength throughout the body. It also uses bio-mechanically sound leverage principles to bring about rapid changes.
This workshop is perfect for beginner/intermediate levels, and will be great for advanced level too. We can provide you with prerequisites if you'd like, just let us know. Get ready for a total body workout!
What you can expect from this workshop:
- 2 mins intro
- 5 mins warm-up
- 5 mins stretching
- 40 mins strength and skills portion
- 8 mins questions and stretching
Let's get your movement on, so that you can feel like you are walking on clouds!
Investment: $30
For more information visit Focus Fitness Houston.
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Back-bending Workshop
with Sam Evers
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Saturday September 26th, 1-4pm
If back bending is frightening to you or seems beyond your abilities, this workshop is for you. If you love the feeling of a deep back bend, this workshop is for you. Any type of back bend will make you feel more energized and more alive, from a simple lifting of the chest to a full wheel pose. Come see how Pralaya yoga can carefully and strategically warm up and open the body for back bending.
You will be given tools and techniques that you can take with you to any yoga class or into your own practice that will get you closer to a better back bend and an open heart.
Being able to back bend is not necessary to attend this workshop.
Investment: $40.00
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Pralaya Yoga Teacher Training
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Want to take your practice of Pralaya Yoga deeper? Or, are you interested in sharing your love of yoga with others by becoming a yoga teacher? Then consider Pralaya Yoga's teacher training. We offer Yoga Alliance Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT) training programs at both the 200 and 300 levels. The RYT-200 level program is appropriate for those who want to start out as a yoga teacher or people interested to deepen their own practice. Those who already have an RYT-200 level certification, whether in the Pralaya Yoga style or another style of yoga, are able to complete the RYT-300 program to achieve their RYT-500 yoga teaching certification from Yoga Alliance.
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Robert Boustany has been training teachers for over 15 years and he has over 40 years of yoga teaching experience. He has extensively trained in many different styles of yoga from classical Himalayan Kriya yoga to Forrest yoga, and has a passion in yoga therapeutics and energetics. And Robert continues to study with a number of teachers to this day.
Training with Robert in his Pralaya Yoga style will give you a strong foundation in anatomy, yoga history, therapeutics, energetics, targeted strength development, alignment, classical yoga asana, Pralaya yoga asana, Kriya yoga, and much much more. His teaching style includes story telling, hands on practice and demonstration, group work and self-study assignments.
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New Pricing Options
We are always looking for new ways to reward loyal patrons such as yourself. To this end we are introducing new pricing options. In addition to the existing 5 and 10 class blocks you can now purchase a 20 class block that will save you even more per class. Our most frequent visitors will enjoy even greater savings with a new monthly pass option. We are also happy to now offer discounts to students, military personnel, school teachers and those 65+.
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And as Robert Boustany reminds us "Don't miss your life!".
Thank-you to doodling artist, dancer, aerial artist and lover of life Catalina Alexandra for sharing this wonderful doodle with us.
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