Well, it's interesting. Even though the calendar says it's September I believe the weather has been warmer than in August! Believe me, I'm not complaining. I love it! But the gently turning leaves, and the already shorter days remind me that indeed Fall approaches. Fall is a beautiful time and I encourage all of you to embrace it. It it natures way of slowing down from the frenetic pace of an active summer...a season when we often feel we have to get in as much as possible before it ends.
As we enter into Fall there will be some wonderful yoga to be experienced. The classes will remain the same time and format, but I will really be focusing more on staying true to the level the class is listed as. For example, there have been several Tuesday nights when only intermediate students showed for a beginning level class. So, my teaching bumped up to an intermediate level. Seemed reasonable at the time, but I feel it's really important to remain true to how the class is posted. That way a new student can feel free to start at anytime, and a returning student can know that if they want their practice to be a little lighter they can attend the beginning level class. As a reminder, Monday is Open Level, which means anyone who has studied yoga before is welcomed. It is not intended for first time participants, but will accommodate them if there is no other option. Tuesday is the Beginning Level class, and it will stay at an inviting slower pace. Returning students are very welcomed to this class to refine their practice and work at a deeper spiritual level. And of course Wednesday is the Intermediate Level class and will always include challenging asanas, inversions and more advanced pranayama techniques. Students are encouraged to study for at least 3 years before attending this class.
Having said all that, I am really looking forward to some exciting and enriching yoga this season and into the next. I have a few interesting ideas up my sleeve... :-)
Let's all take time to feel the pace of nature and bring a little more breath into our practice and our lives. Fall can also be a wonderful time to show gratitude for all the riches of our lives, the beauty that surrounds us, and the deep connections we have to those we love.
May this season bring you a harvest of joy....
September 15, 2009
August 12, 2009
Vacation Time
It has been a delightful summer of study. There has been wonderful participation in such classes as Sensory with Gong, Yin Yoga, Inversion Workshop, Pranayama and Chant, Partner Yoga, and many more. Thank you all for your willingness to participate in new and different focuses. It is a wonderful way to expand our awareness, learn new techniques, and perhaps face and conquer some fears. Those of you that participated in the specialty classes should be quite proud of yourselves!
We still have a couple more coming up. This Friday (8/14) is the special Dance of Yoga Workshop. It should prove to be a really wonderful evening. Find more info on the webpage calendar. Go to www.yogachicago.us, then click on Adult Yoga, scroll down to find the calendar, click on the class for more info. And, last but not least, Tuesday the 18th is Restorative with Gong Bath. Plan on leaving class blissed out!!
The following week (August 24-26) I will be on vacation so there will be no classes. Perhaps boost your home practice this week! As we move into fall I look forward to another season of learning, breathing, expanding and exploring. Let's enjoy the rest of summer and look well to approaching season....
We still have a couple more coming up. This Friday (8/14) is the special Dance of Yoga Workshop. It should prove to be a really wonderful evening. Find more info on the webpage calendar. Go to www.yogachicago.us, then click on Adult Yoga, scroll down to find the calendar, click on the class for more info. And, last but not least, Tuesday the 18th is Restorative with Gong Bath. Plan on leaving class blissed out!!
The following week (August 24-26) I will be on vacation so there will be no classes. Perhaps boost your home practice this week! As we move into fall I look forward to another season of learning, breathing, expanding and exploring. Let's enjoy the rest of summer and look well to approaching season....
July 08, 2009
Important Class Update
I hope you are all enjoying summer! I've seen many of you at regular class and some of the specialty classes. We've had some great experiences up to this point (Restorative, Partner, Chakras, Moon Salutations) and I'm looking forward to many more!(Sensory with Gong, Yoga by the Lake, Yin Yoga to name a few) There is one change to the specialty class calendar that you need to know. The Inversion Workshop was scheduled for August 19th, but because so many of you said you couldn't make it that date I've switched it to August 12th. Please make a note of it...
Also a reminder about the Special Workshop on Friday August 14th. We'll start with a super fun Yoga Dance class, follow it with Yoga Discussion, and finish the evening with a veggie pot luck. The evening will begin at 6p.m. and go until 9-ish. The cost is $20 and a veggie dish for the pot luck dinner. Sign up at the studio or send me an email. Please sign up by July 24th....I envision this to be a wonderful gathering of all my students, a chance for us to work together, breathe together, play together, eat together and share those deep philosophical thoughts!
So here's to summer, a chance to have some fun exploring different aspects of yoga, and connecting with the wonderful community of yogis and yoginis you share this beautiful practice with. Thank you all for sharing your practice with me.
Namaste,
Tracy
Also a reminder about the Special Workshop on Friday August 14th. We'll start with a super fun Yoga Dance class, follow it with Yoga Discussion, and finish the evening with a veggie pot luck. The evening will begin at 6p.m. and go until 9-ish. The cost is $20 and a veggie dish for the pot luck dinner. Sign up at the studio or send me an email. Please sign up by July 24th....I envision this to be a wonderful gathering of all my students, a chance for us to work together, breathe together, play together, eat together and share those deep philosophical thoughts!
So here's to summer, a chance to have some fun exploring different aspects of yoga, and connecting with the wonderful community of yogis and yoginis you share this beautiful practice with. Thank you all for sharing your practice with me.
Namaste,
Tracy
June 17, 2009
The Adventures of Yolanda the Yogini ....... by Ranya Verson
Yolanda had been doing yoga for 18 years or so when she first discovered her super powers. She was a devote yogini, first training under one of the most established teachers in Chicago, moving on to receive a certificate to teach yoga herself and finally finding Tracy Von Kaenel as her ultimate inspiration for claiming her super powers at last.
When Yolanda first began her adventure in yoga, many things hurt. Her lower back constantly pinched and ached, her neck and shoulders screamed and her over-flexibility met praise and accolade, in spite of imminent danger. Like many yogis and yoginis alike, she was a devoted student, making slow but steady progress, completely unaware of her super powers.
When she learned how to use her breath properly, she thought she had found her super power. Although extremely useful, she was to discover that breath alone would not lubricate her limbs into alignment with her core. When Yolanda got certified, she discovered a modicum of upper body strength and was able to do chattaranga with increasing ease. Much to her chagrin, chattaranga did not enable her to transcend into the power and release of a meditative flow. Then Yolanda met Tracy V. Tracy V., a super hero herself, was not forthcoming of where precisely to locate a yoginis super powers. She surely demonstrated super powers and taught her students in the hopes that all her yogis and yoginis would find their super powers, but alas, many wonderful tears and releases later, but still no magic flow.
Then one day Yolanda opened her closet and starring right in front of her was her Bolivian wool blanket that she heroically captured while running over the boarder from Peru to Bolivia in search of much needed warmth from the chilly Andean air. Without a thought, Yolanda toted this blanket to Tracy V's yoga class .
When the blanket appeared in yoga class, her fellow yoginis were suspicious, not to mention a tad jealous. Tracy V. noticed the blanket and named it bankie. Yolanda’s class mates teased her because of bankie in spite of a secret desire to get close to it. With bankie at her side and without warning, she began to feel and move differently.
Then, one day without thought or effort, Yolanda engaged her core, aligned her limbs and stretched into a glorious Warrior One pose. Bankie was at her side. Another evening, Yolanda’s classmates became concerned about the increasing temperature of the room. Yolanda, with a reptilian-craving for warmth, shivered with dread when someone requested that a fan be turned on. The sensation was enough to throw her yoga practice into the toilet, yet she imagined bankie thrown over the fans in the room and completed her “impossible” last chattaranga within form and without collapsing. After following Tracy V, in her re-energized, super-sweaty, Spring sessions, Yolanda welcomed savasana with new meaning as she laid bankie down, creating a cocoon for relaxation. She traveled to an unknown place and deep relaxation that is not of this world.
With bankie at her side, Yolanda can journey to places that she has not gone before. The illusive and hard won, meditative flow is within her reach. Yolanda has found her super powers.
Where do your super powers lurk?
When Yolanda first began her adventure in yoga, many things hurt. Her lower back constantly pinched and ached, her neck and shoulders screamed and her over-flexibility met praise and accolade, in spite of imminent danger. Like many yogis and yoginis alike, she was a devoted student, making slow but steady progress, completely unaware of her super powers.
When she learned how to use her breath properly, she thought she had found her super power. Although extremely useful, she was to discover that breath alone would not lubricate her limbs into alignment with her core. When Yolanda got certified, she discovered a modicum of upper body strength and was able to do chattaranga with increasing ease. Much to her chagrin, chattaranga did not enable her to transcend into the power and release of a meditative flow. Then Yolanda met Tracy V. Tracy V., a super hero herself, was not forthcoming of where precisely to locate a yoginis super powers. She surely demonstrated super powers and taught her students in the hopes that all her yogis and yoginis would find their super powers, but alas, many wonderful tears and releases later, but still no magic flow.
Then one day Yolanda opened her closet and starring right in front of her was her Bolivian wool blanket that she heroically captured while running over the boarder from Peru to Bolivia in search of much needed warmth from the chilly Andean air. Without a thought, Yolanda toted this blanket to Tracy V's yoga class .
When the blanket appeared in yoga class, her fellow yoginis were suspicious, not to mention a tad jealous. Tracy V. noticed the blanket and named it bankie. Yolanda’s class mates teased her because of bankie in spite of a secret desire to get close to it. With bankie at her side and without warning, she began to feel and move differently.
Then, one day without thought or effort, Yolanda engaged her core, aligned her limbs and stretched into a glorious Warrior One pose. Bankie was at her side. Another evening, Yolanda’s classmates became concerned about the increasing temperature of the room. Yolanda, with a reptilian-craving for warmth, shivered with dread when someone requested that a fan be turned on. The sensation was enough to throw her yoga practice into the toilet, yet she imagined bankie thrown over the fans in the room and completed her “impossible” last chattaranga within form and without collapsing. After following Tracy V, in her re-energized, super-sweaty, Spring sessions, Yolanda welcomed savasana with new meaning as she laid bankie down, creating a cocoon for relaxation. She traveled to an unknown place and deep relaxation that is not of this world.
With bankie at her side, Yolanda can journey to places that she has not gone before. The illusive and hard won, meditative flow is within her reach. Yolanda has found her super powers.
Where do your super powers lurk?
May 06, 2009
Important Class Updates
Summer is right around the corner and with it comes a couple adjustment to the regular schedule. Most of you know that I am a performer in the acrobatic/aerial dance company AMEBA and our concert this year is June 4-6 and 12-13. Due to numerous technical and dress rehearsal before the concert I need to cancel a few classes. So, here's the scoop. If you would like more information on the concert check out www.amebadance.org. It's a great show...something for everyone, tickets are cheap, and if you go with a group of 10 or more they are even cheaper! The show usually sells out early, especially for the second weekend, so if you are interested in coming, get tickets quick!
Thanks for your support and understanding. I apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.
Classes will be cancelled the following days:
Monday May 25th--in observance of the Memorial Day Holiday
Tuesday June 2nd
Wednesday June 3rd
Stay tuned for more information about the specialty classes for summer! And keep sending in those ideas....
Thanks for your support and understanding. I apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.
Classes will be cancelled the following days:
Monday May 25th--in observance of the Memorial Day Holiday
Tuesday June 2nd
Wednesday June 3rd
Stay tuned for more information about the specialty classes for summer! And keep sending in those ideas....
April 22, 2009
Happy Earth Day...April 22 2010 !
My favorite quote for Earth Day is simply "Everyday is Earth Day" by an unknown author. Indeed, if we treated Mother Earth in this manner things would be very different today. But as spring flowers are blooming and the trees budding and the chirp of birds returning I find I am still very passionate about the beauty of this Earth, despite the dire situation we've put her in. Passionate enough to try and live everyday as if it were Earth Day. Here are a few more quotes that I love, as well as a few ways to help keep Mother Earth happy.....Have a blessed Earth Day!
"Earth provides enough to satisfy every man's need, but not every man's greed." Mahatma Ghandi, Spiritual Leader 1869-1948
"I only went out for a walk and finally concluded to stay out till sundown, for going out, I found, was really going in." John Muir, Preservationist 1838-1914
"To see a world in a grain of sand, And a heaven in a wild flower, Hold infinity in the palm of your hand, And eternity in an hour." William BlakePoet, painter1757-1827
Some "green" tips:
"Earth provides enough to satisfy every man's need, but not every man's greed." Mahatma Ghandi, Spiritual Leader 1869-1948
"I only went out for a walk and finally concluded to stay out till sundown, for going out, I found, was really going in." John Muir, Preservationist 1838-1914
"To see a world in a grain of sand, And a heaven in a wild flower, Hold infinity in the palm of your hand, And eternity in an hour." William BlakePoet, painter1757-1827
Some "green" tips:
Consider going vegetarian, at least occasionally. There is more toxic waste produced from animal fields, slaughter, processing, and distribution that there is pollution from passenger cars. And besides, going veggie is paramount in the practice of AHIMSA...one of the first rules of yoga..."non harming".
Shop everywhere with re-usable bags. Some stores even offer you a discount if you bring your own bag. And some are now offering to plant a tree if you purchase one of their re-usable bags.
Turn off the water when you brush your teeth, or combine teeth brushing with showering.
Collect the running bath water while you wait for it to heat up for your shower. You can use it on plants, to wash dishes, or the next time you flush the toilet.
Recycle your old yoga mat. They make great sticky strips for drawers, closets, or shoe racks. They provide extra cushioning on a hard chair. You can also cut it into really small pieces and use it for packaging padding. (remember to tell the recipient of your package to re-use it too!)
Don't throw away that junk mail. Much of it can be used for scratch paper!
Wash out freezer baggies and re-use them. I find I can get at least 10 uses out of one bag before it's spent. Saves money too!
Switch to organic, eco friendly products wherever you can. It really makes a big impact. And pretty soon the farmers markets will be open....support them and support sustainability!
Go to Uncommon Ground on Devon Ave and order a "tree-tini". For every '"tree-tini" purchased a tree is planted....and it's yummy too!
However you celebrate Earth Day, I hope you do it with a smile! That too makes the Earth a much better place!
March 11, 2009
Today
This poem by Ralph Waldo Emerson has a simple but important message. In this time of great uncertainty about the future, this reminds us to not only be here now, but to really enjoy the now. Have a great day!
Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year. He is rich who owns the day. And no-one owns the day who allows it to be invaded with fret and anxiety. Finish every day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in. Forget them as soon as you can, tomorrow is a new day. Begin it well and serenely, with too high a spirit to be cumbered with your own nonsense. This new day is too dear, with its hope and invitations, to waste a moment on the yesterdays.
***Ralph Waldo Emerson
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