Welcome to Fundamentals of Beginning Yoga Lesson #2 with Jen Champion. Today we will start out with simple yet effective practices. We hope you enjoy the practice.
Blog
Understanding and Overcoming Imposter Syndrome
Do any of these thoughts sound familiar?
“Everyone is better than me.”
“I can’t do anything right.”
“Sooner or later, my peers will realize I don’t know what I’m doing.”
The above are common thoughts associated with imposter syndrome.
Those who experience imposter syndrome often feel like they are underqualified, inexperienced or simply not good enough.
Remember, a thought is not a fact.
Just because something feels true doesn’t mean it is.
It all comes down to shifting your mindset.
Recognize All Efforts
All of your accomplishments are a result of your hard work!
You got hired because you were the best candidate for the position.
You got a good mark on that test because you put the work in.
It’s so important to be mindful of how we think about ourselves and be our own cheerleaders.
The next time you catch yourself experiencing some self-doubt – finish the following sentences.
“Today, I am proud that I…”
“I can’t believe that I achieved…”
“Wow! … really paid off.”
Redefine Success
There is no set-in-stone definition of success.
Success comes in many forms and means different things to different people.
Our journey to finding success isn’t measured by what we achieve.
It is measured by our progress.
Instead of thinking about how much you have to do, think about how far you’ve come.
“Success is a process for all of us, and as long as you are making consistent progress towards your goals – sincerely giving your best effort more often than not – then you are already successful and deserve to feel proud of yourself.” – Hal Elrod
National Native American Heritage Month
The month of November is National Native American Heritage Month.
This month is an opportunity to celebrate the cultures, acknowledge contributions, and learn more about the history of Native Americans.
To honor the challenges that Native Americans have faced both in the past and in the present, you can educate yourself and your peers about the rich traditions of this diverse culture.
You can find out more about Indigenous tribes and continue to pay tribute to their ancestry by reading works by Indigenous authors, attending web seminars, or watching videos, including this documentary series by PBS that uses dance, traditions and music to share the stories.
Take the time this month to learn more by visiting the resources below:
Native American Heritage Month
Teachers Guide: American Indian History and Heritage
World Kindness Day – November 13th
November 13th is World Kindness Day!
This international holiday was created to highlight and encourage good deeds in your community and to remind us that simple acts of kindness have great power. Let your friends, family, and even strangers know that you appreciate them. Saying thank you for an act of kindness can improve someone’s day. This day was created to help you realize that you can make a difference, one act at a time.
Here are some ideas for acts of kindness that you can try from inspirekindness.com.
- Smile when you walk by others
- Write positive messages on post-it notes and leave them for people to find
- Call a relative you haven’t spoken to in a while
- Pick up trash you see on the ground outside and throw it in a garbage can
- Hold the door open for someone
- Chat with a stranger and ask them about their day
- Pay for a stranger’s coffee or meal
- Compliment someone
- Send a positive or encouraging text to five people in your contacts
- Surprise someone with flowers
- Tell a family member or friend you love them
- Write a note on the receipt at a restaurant for your server
- Offer to help with someone’s errands
- Give a surprise gift to someone you care about
- Send a kind card or note to a friend
- Surprise co-workers with home-baked cookies or treats
- Plant a tree
- Spend less time on your phone and more time with people you care about
- Organize a workplace giving campaign
- Offer a classmate help with homework
- Talk to someone new
- Practice gratitude
- Volunteer
- Give someone a hug
A small act of kindness can go a long way.
For more information and ideas, check out these websites:
Transgender Day Of Remembrance
November 20th is Transgender Day Of Remembrance, which is a time dedicated to honoring the transgender lives lost to acts of anti-transgender violence.
“Transgender Day of Remembrance seeks to highlight the losses we face due to anti-transgender bigotry and violence. I am no stranger to the need to fight for our rights, and the right to simply exist is first and foremost. With so many seeking to erase transgender people – sometimes in the most brutal ways possible – it is vitally important that those we lose are remembered, and that we continue to fight for justice.” – Transgender Day of Remembrance founder Gwendolyn Ann Smith, who first started a candlelight vigil on this day to honor Rita Hester, a transgender woman who was killed in 1998.
It has since become a tradition that gives a voice to the millions of people who have been silenced. It is meant to be a day of remembrance as well as an opportunity to share the contributions of transgender people in our communities. This can help to humanize people and hopefully lead to more understanding of those
By coming together as a community, we can work towards ending the violence and discrimination that surrounds the lives of many transgender individuals.
You can get involved in the Transgender Day of Remembrance. Candlelight vigils are a common way to mark the day, but you can also attend events such as marches, art exhibits, or panel discussions with local advocates. Connect with local LGBTQ organizations for a listing of events being held in your community.
- Q Center (PDX)
- PFlag (Chapters throughout Oregon)
- Basic Rights Oregon (PDX)
- Transponder (Eugene)
We can continue to raise awareness for those who have been subjected to hate crimes by showing support as an ally. Speaking out against hate is an important first step.
You can learn more by reading stories created by transgender people, watching documentaries, or reaching out to someone you know. Click the link below for resources:
Transgender Day Of Remembrance
National Center For Transgender Equality
National Stress Awareness Day
November 3rd is National Stress Awareness Day. This day is celebrated on the first Wednesday in November.
Everyone experiences stress at times and it can even be beneficial as it can help you respond better to some situations. But too much stress can interfere with your quality of life and result in physical and mental issues. Learning how to identify and reduce stressors is why National Stress Awareness Day exists.
Here are some ideas for helping you to decrease stress:
- Identify your stress triggers.
- Improve your diet with foods that help your body deal with stress.
- Exercise daily: At least 30 minutes a day is ideal, but start by adding 10 at a time.
- Try mindfulness activities, such as yoga or meditation.
- Get enough sleep: This improves both physical and emotional well-being.
- Laugh: It induces changes in your body and reduces stress.
- Connect with your social network.
- Find a few minutes for yourself every day.
- Give yourself permission to say no.
You Can Learn More Here
Stress Management Tools And Resources
Stress Management: Breathing Exercises For Relaxation
How To Relax | 8 Relaxation Tips For Your Mental Health (YouTube)
Lesson 1: Fundamentals of Beginning Yoga With Jen Champion
Welcome to Fundamentals of Beginning Yoga with Jen Champion. Thank you so much for being here today. One of the main goals of this yoga practice is to find comfort, ease and stability while practicing.
Calming Yoga (live webinar): Foster calm and focus through movement and mindfulness
Join our yoga instructors at the Vista Wellness Center as they utilize a different theme each to week to explore different ways to foster calm, focus, and feelings of well-being through breath and movement. This will be a gentle practice, suitable for all levels and abilities.
Thursdays at 11am Pacific time
Register Here
Yoga Class Schedule (online & in person)
Register For Our In-Person and Online Yoga Classes
The Wellness Center offers a mix of online and in-person classes. In-person classes are small group (5 or less) classes that can be tailored to the needs of those present. Please click here to book a class.
Check out our instructors’ bios here to find one that is a good match for you
Monday
9:30am Wake Up Well Yoga with Amalia (Live Stream)
- Brush off the cobwebs and ease your way into the day. Explore movement, breathing techniques, and meditative practices to help you wake up and transition into the flow of your week with intention.
5pm Strengthen & Lengthen Yoga with Jen (Live Stream)
- Practice basic poses and intermediate postures with variations to build strength, breath capacity and peace of mind. Students will stabilize, stretch, and enjoy a well-rounded practice with breath-aligned movement and guided relaxation. Practitioners should be able to move up and down from the floor. Appropriate for those familiar with the basics including names of poses and core activation for safety and stability.
6:15pm Root & Rise–Yoga Basics with Jen (In person)
- Practice breathing techniques, warmups, and basic postures to strengthen your core muscles and gain flexibility. Enjoy movements and shapes that support a stable and comfortable experience. Ground and root with core activation and lengthen and rise with grace and ease. Props are encouraged, including books or blocks, blankets, cushions, and a chair. Practitioners should be able to move up and down from the floor with the support of a chair. Suitable for beginners.
Tuesday
10am Chair yoga with Jen (Live Stream)
- Practice seated and standing postures with the support of a chair. Options are offered to encourage students to find a balance between ease and effort. Class is active and restorative with guided relaxation concluding the practice for a tranquil mind. Practitioners should use an armless chair on a non-slip surface.
All levels are welcome, especially good for those new to yoga, seniors, and those returning to yoga.
12pm Mid Day Reset Yoga with Jen (Live Stream)
- Unwind and energize as you flow through an endurance-building practice. Move through your day recharged with a fresh perspective and increased vitality. Practitioners must be able to get up and down from the floor. Appropriate for those familiar with the basics including names of poses and core activation for safety and stability.
5:30pm Energizing Elixir Yoga with Jen (In Person)
- An invigorating practice with longer holdings and fluid transitions between postures to help increase confidence and stamina. Gain energy and momentum to carry you forward. Practitioners should be able to move up and down from the floor. Appropriate for those familiar with the basics including names of poses and core activation for safety and stability.
Wednesday
6:15pm Mid Week Morale Booster with Jen (In person)
- Nurture yourself in a soothing practice with gentle movements, guided relaxation, and meditation. Relax muscular and mental tensions, boost your vitality, and roll with ease through the rest of your week. Practitioners should be able to move up and down from the floor with support of a chair. All levels are welcome.
Thursday
9:30am Chair Yoga with Jen (Live Stream)
- Practice seated and standing postures with the support of a chair. Options are offered to encourage students to find a balance between ease and effort. Class is active and restorative with guided relaxation concluding the practice for a tranquil mind. Practitioners should use an armless chair on a non-slip surface.
All levels are welcome, especially good for those new to yoga, seniors, and those returning to yoga.
12pm Gentle Yoga with Amalia (In Person)
- Meet yourself where you are. This class includes seated and supported postures that can be done with a chair or at a wall for increased balance and stability. Build strength, confidence, and increase calm.
Friday
12pm Reflect and Restore Yoga with Amalia (Live Stream)
- Unwind from the week, or simply savor a slow down. Yoga offers a space to listen to your body and learn from its cues. Within a culture that teaches us to look for lack, where might we find our own abundance? Meditation, mantra, pranayama and yogic philosophy are all powerful tools of inquiry for how we relate to ourselves and our world.
How to Master The Art of Patience
Do you ever have one of those days where you wish everything could be done yesterday?
Great things take time. Faster does not always mean better.
It’s time to talk about the art of patience.
Pay Attention to Your Emotions
The next time you catch yourself feeling restless or impatient, listen to what your mind and body are trying to tell you.
Have you felt this way before, or is this a new feeling?
Did something recently happen that may have triggered this feeling?
Are you anxious about an upcoming event?
Listening to our emotions can help us understand them on a deeper level.
Embrace The Waiting Game
There will always be events that take a little longer than you expected. When you are stuck in traffic, there is nothing you can do to make the cars in front of you go any faster.
However, how you feel and react to the event is your choice.
Yes – staying calm won’t make traffic move any faster. However, it will make the journey far more pleasant.
Explore Healthy Distractions
A little healthy distraction can help make any waiting game far easier. It all comes down to being prepared and having a game plan.
Here’s an example.
Let’s say you’ve been putting off calling a customer support line due to the fear of being stuck on hold.
Organizing a few simple waiting game activities in advance can make all the difference. You can download an audiobook, fold your laundry or play a game on your phone.
“Patience is not simply the ability to wait – it’s how we behave while we’re waiting.” – Joyce Meyer
Ways to Get Your Energy Back
Have you ever had one of those days that left you feeling emotionally and physically exhausted?
If you answered yes – you are not alone. We all have those days.
We have more control over our energy than we give ourselves credit for.
Just because you wake up one morning with low energy doesn’t mean that feeling will last the entire day.
There are several little things you can do, starting from the moment you wake up that can help increase your energy – even if it’s just a little bit.
Remember To Smile
You know that saying fake it till you make it?
Well, smiling (even when you don’t feel like it) is the perfect example of that saying in action.
Smiling can trick our brains into thinking we are happy and in a great mood.
The next time you’re feeling drained or not your best, walk on over to your bathroom mirror and smile for 5 minutes.
It may feel a little uncomfortable at first, but don’t knock until you try it.
Take Your Time Getting Ready
Our morning routine can significantly impact the rest of our day.
Waking up ten minutes before you have to leave the house can be quite stressful and exhausting in itself.
Taking 30 minutes to an hour to take a long shower, pick out an outfit that makes you feel good and have a nice breakfast can help you walk into the day with a relaxed and upbeat mindset.
Start Small
Not everything has to be done all at once.
Knocking items off our list at a steady pace can help those more draining tasks feel simple and even fun.
The act of ticking items off of your list can be very motivating, which in turn can help increase our confidence and overall energy levels.
TLC for the Spine: Calming Yoga With Amalia Trieger
Welcome back to Calming Yoga with Amalia Trieger. During today’s practice, we will be focusing on the lumbar spine. As always, we hope you enjoy.