Laughing Sun Yoga News

Dear Friends,

It's been a wonderful first month for Laughing Sun Yoga! Thanks to everyone who has come out for class and enjoyed our intimate little sanctuary in South Austin. April is bringing more to LSY: more classes, more teachers, more community, more laughter, more yoga!

Our expanded April schedule will begin on Tuesday, April 6th. We will be adding daytime classes to Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 9.30am and noon. The noon class will be a "Power Hour" class, just 60 minutes long, perfect for your lunch break.

Our intention was to add Tuesday and Thursday evening classes in April at 6.30, but those classes will be added in May instead. We will keep you posted!

Another change to the schedule: for now, disregard the class descriptions. Because of the intimate nature of our studio, we can customize every class to its participants! Please come to the class times that best fit your schedule, let us know how much of a challenge you are ready for, any limitations that you might have, and anything that you are interested in exploring, and we will work with you. As the studio grows, we may get more specific with the class descriptions; for now, just come in and enjoy!

Don't forget - we have the best rates and introductory offer of any hot yoga studio in town:

First Class Free!!

Introductory Special: $30 30 Days/$60 60 Days/$90 90 Days!

Single Class: $10, and all of our class cards and packages reduce that rate significantly.

SPECIAL LIMITED TIME OFFER! FRIENDS AND FAMILY 500:

Until July 1, 2010, buy a one-year membership for $500! We won't run this offer again, but you can buy as many years now as you would like, to run consecutively. Invest in our future and enjoy the benefits! Additionally, all Friends & Family 500 members will receive additional discounts for future workshops, retail, and other opportunities.

We are also very happy to announce our involvement in 2 significant events in Austin this spring:

Fusebox Festival (http://www.fuseboxfestival.com/) "Fusebox is an annual contemporary art and performance festival that takes place in Austin, TX each April. This year’s dates are April 21 - May 2."

Laughing Sun, as a partner with Fusebox, will be offering discounted class rates to all performers, artists, volunteers and passholders during the festival, and special membership rates for local residents who participate. Many thanks to Ron Berry, the Artistic Director of Fusebox, and a good friend of LSY.

Austin Pride Run, part of Austin Pride Day (http://www.austinpriderun.org/). "The Austin Pride Run is the queerest, most accepting, and the most fun 5k in Texas." June 5, 2010. Free yoga, discounted classes and special rates will be given to all Pride Day and Pride Run participants - just show us your wristband. Many thanks to Amy Fletcher, the race coordinator and massage therapist extraordinaire (amykfletcher@gmail.com).

And one last note of thanks to some very special individuals who have made this first month and this studio so special: James Clark for his gorgeous graphic design, and Mike Bicknell for our fantastic website and social media upgrades and photography. I appreciate their efforts beyond words, and recommend their services to anyone.

namaste

Rebecca Jordan

Laughing Sun Yoga

411 E. St. Elmo Rd

Austin, TX 78745

512-608-2002

http://www.LaughingSunYoga.net

Facebook: @Laughing Sun

Twitter: @LaughingSunYoga

So, How Hot is it?

How hot is it, really? That seems to be the next-most-asked question I'm getting these days.

There are 2 main camps in the world of "hot yoga:" the "burn me up please, I want it to be so hot that I singe my nose hairs" camp, and the "oh lord, that's that hot yoga stuff, it's like a sauna in there, my doctor won't let me do that, my mama won't let me do that, there's no way I'm ever going to do that, please don't make me do that!" camp. Luckily, Laughing Sun Yoga (and Jimmy Barkan) don't fall into either one of those camps. AT ALL.

Granted, I'm pretty much a heat-freak myself. I love a good hot room. But it is my passion and philosophy that the YOGA should not be about surviving the heat! Your yoga practice should not depend upon how well you can tolerate ridiculously uncomfortable (and easily controllable) circumstances. Instead, the room should feel pleasantly hot when you walk in. Hot enough that you feel rather delicious in your yoga clothing or t-shirt and shorts. Hot enough that your mind says, "hmmmm... sunshine!" But not so hot that you balk at the door. Just hot enough that once you begin the practice, you are coated with a light and pleasant layer of sweat that stays and never goes away until you leave the room at the end of class. Once you are sweating nicely, you are so comfortable in the heat that you don't even notice that you're in a hot room - you're sweaty, warm, comfortable, breathing, and the even heat is allowing for a wonderful deep stretch in all of your muscles and connective tissues.

To me, the perfect hot yoga room is about 5 degrees hotter than "warm," and about 5 degrees cooler than "wow- that's hot!" To me, the perfect room is about 102 degrees, with about 40% humidity. The higher the humidity, the cooler the temperature, and the lower the humidity, the warmer the temperature. The more strenuous the class, the lower the temperature. The larger the class, therefore the more bodies and body heat, the lower the temperature. And the more experienced, and therefore acclimated, the participants, the higher the temperature can be while still feeling comfortable. Slighter, smaller people with lower body fat percentages tend to want the room hotter, and larger, heavier people tend to want the room cooler. Men tend to perceive the room hotter, and sweat more, than women. I have one lovely student - a tiny thin woman - who wears a sweater in class, while the man next to her is dripping in sweat wearing nothing but a pair of shorts. Same room, different experiences of the heat.

So, using our "state of the art" heating system here at Laughing Sun Yoga (in other words, space heaters plugged in strategically around the room), we can control the heat precisely to guarantee the best experience for you. There are hotter and cooler areas of the room, heaters can be turned on and off, and you can be given instruction that will either heat you up or cool you down. The purpose of the heat is not to roast you like a turkey, it's to create a warm, nurturing and loving environment that allows you to go more deeply into your practice while you learn to access your own internal heat and internal fire (tapas).

Monday, Back to Normal

Welcome back, folks! I'm excited to be back to normal, and really looking forward to expanding into our full schedule on April 1.

I wanted to address some questions I've gotten about the different class levels I offer. For people coming from a straight Bikram practice, where every class is the same and every level practices together, the idea of a multi-level/multi-class studio might seem a tad bit intimidating. But I want to assure you that there is nothing to be intimidated about. It's fun to expand your practice into new postures, new variations, and to start to add in some upper-body weight-bearing postures, like downward-facing dog, plank, chatturunga-dandasana, and even more fun things like crow, handstand and headstand. Nothing to be afraid of! If you have been consistently practicing Bikram yoga for awhile - or even if you never have - and your shoulder range of motion is fairly easy, there is no reason why you cannot try the Intermediate class. In fact, you may find that you love doing hot vinyasa so much that you never want to go back to a straight static class (that's how I felt after practicing Jimmy's level II class ONCE - I was hooked, signed, sealed, delivered!).

However, if your shoulders, back, hips or hamstrings are still particularly troublesome or challenging, then you can skip the Intermediate class for now and just focus on the Basic and/or Intro classes. The Basic class is the most like the Bikram in terms of the postures we do, just with a different sequencing, and with some flow/connecting elements that make it more challenging. Of course, if they are too challenging, just don't do them, no worries. I'll guide you to some variations or modifications, or just ask you to rest for a moment. And if someone else in the room needs something more, I'll guide them to do their own variation and modification.

This is true regardless of the class level you're attending. A bare beginner could come into an Intermediate class, and they will get the class they need for their skill level. An Advanced practitioner could come in to an Intro class, and they will get the class they need for their skill level. One of the great joys of having this studio - and in particular, having such a small studio - is that I can pay such close attention to everyone in the room, and give everyone exactly what they need. It's about the individuals, not about a format. Within each basic format is a range of expression and customization and connection that makes my heart sing. It's the most fun.

See you on the mat!

Spring Break!

Spring Break in Austin means one thing, and one thing only: SXSW!!! The whole town - and the whole music and film industry! - has donned its flipflops and shorts, or its glammed-out costumes, or its rocker-hippie chic and descended upon every music venue within 20 miles. The weather is glorious (except for that rainy day on Tuesday) and we're all on vacation! yippee!!

I'm taking advantage of the beautiful weather to enjoy the door being open and the breezes blowing while I prepare the materials for our big marketing campaign which begins next week! Starting next week, on community bulletin boards all over town, you will begin to see tear-away fliers and handouts about Laughing Sun Yoga, and in the next few weeks, postcards will be mailed out to residents in the 78745 and surrounding zip codes. I'm very excited to start getting the word out, including hitting the road all over the neighborhood myself, introducing myself and the studio to local businesses and residents. Because we're so tucked out of the way in our artist's warehouse, I am excited about getting out there and letting people know about this great little studio.

Meanwhile, the website has been updated, and pictures of the studio will be posted soon! Little by little, every day in every way, the studio gets better and better! I love being here, I love teaching here, and I am so excited about everyone who is walking through our doors!

Laughing Sun Hot Yoga - South Austin's ONLY Exclusively Hot Yoga Studio IS OPEN!

Nothing is sweeter than the manifestation of a dream come true - except for maybe the sweet anticipation and visualization of the dream before it becomes reality. I enjoyed visualizing this studio for almost a year, seeing it grow and shift and change in my mind, each picture as beautiful as the last, like the shifting panes of a kaleidescope. But nothing matches the satisfaction of sitting here in the studio, on this beautiful Wednesday morning in Austin, Texas. The door is open to let the soft spring breeze blow in, I've just finished workshopping a class with one of my wonderful teachers, and I'm here. Laughing Sun Yoga is here. Life is so magnificent.

We've been open for a week now. We had our first classes on March 3, 2010, and have classes every day except for Sundays (for now). Right now we're running on a limited schedule for March, and will have an expanded schedule come April. The website went LIVE on Monday of this week: www.LaughingSunYoga.net, and you can go to the website for the schedule and for our class descriptions, as well as for our rates. We've got the best rates in town of any hot yoga studio, including some really incredible specials.

But what really excites me the most is the yoga. It's such a dream come true to teach in my own studio. I am a Bikram certified teacher, and I taught, and loved, Bikram yoga for seven years. I still love the series, still love teaching it, but I found that for me, I needed a change. I needed the heat: if it's not hot, I'm not happy! I needed the lineage: I love the alignment and the structure and the body positions in Bikram yoga, I love how Bikram yoga opens the shoulders and the hips; I love identifying a Bikram yogi by the grace in their shoulders, especially in postures like Standing Bow and Triangle.

What I needed, in short, was Jimmy Barkan. You can check out Jimmy's site: www.BarkanMethod.com. Jimmy was Bikram's senior teacher for almost 20 years before he found that he, too, needed a change and yet he wanted to honor the lineage and the teachings of Bikram's guru, Bishnu Ghosh, as well as the teachings of Bishnu Ghosh's brother, Paramahansa Yogananda, who was the founder of the Self-Realization Fellowship (in Austin http://www.yogananda-srf.org/) and author of "Autobiography of a Yogi." Jimmy takes the foundation of Bikram Yoga and keeps that foundation pure, and he expands on the practice by drawing more postures from the lineage (Bishnu Ghosh did not just teach 26 postures and 2 breathing exercises), as well as incorporating some postures and teachings from the other, main lineage of what is known in the West as "Yoga," the Krishnamacharyan lineage, from which comes Iyengar, Ashtanga, and most other "hatha" yoga. Jimmy has studied far and wide, and created a method of yoga that is spiritual, physical, challenging, potent, and deep. I am incredibly honored to be the first and only studio in Austin to be affiliated with Jimmy - and not just in Austin, but the first studio in Texas.

One of the joys of being a Barkan-method studio is the freedom it gives. No longer limited to a series of postures, or to a series of words, I have the freedom to customize the classes to the individuals who are attending. So even though the class description may say "Intermediate," for example, if there are people in class who aren't quite ready for the Intermediate class, I can dial back. The class may be "Basic," but if there are people in the class who are ready to go further, I can introduce new postures or refinements. Yesterday, we had the most delicious 9.30am class - after a challenging and powerful standing series, I could feel that everyone in the room was ready for something different in the floor, so instead of continuing on my usual path, the floor series changed into a Yin Yoga practice, where we held the postures for a very long time and worked deep into the hips and spine. Everyone walked out like they were floating on a cloud, drunk with yogic bliss. I love this freedom to be completely responsive to the students in the room, to pay more attention to the individual bodies and spirits who have joined me to practice than to any specific words and postures. What joy to put hot sweaty bodies into Pigeon Pose and watch the hips' tension just melt! What joy to introduce variations - to bind Bikram's Triangle, to flow the balancing sequence, to enjoy the opportunities of each class, each student, each posture!

I am enjoying this experience and this studio more than I have ever enjoyed teaching anywhere, in all of my career. Everything I imagined has come to pass. And my vision for its future is limitless. Just as we are all eternal, beautiful and blissful beings, so my vision for what is possible as a result of this sacred little space is eternal, beautiful and blissful. I look forward to all of our futures blending together.

namaste

rebecca