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.
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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.
Indigenous Peoples Day
Today marks the recognition of Indigenous Peoples’ Day (what we, in the U.S., have commonly recognized as Columbus Day). In the Indigenous communities, this has been a controversial “holiday” since it highlights a time in their story where the stripping of their land and culture began. It was not until the current year of 2021 that a presidential proclamation got issued to observe Indigenous Peoples’ Day on the second Monday in October. While recognizing this holiday is an important first step, there is still work to be done, including increasing visibility of Indigenous people in mainstream culture; examining and working to change the ways that Indigenous people are discriminated against and disproportionately impacted by issues such as climate change, violence, health and access to care; and protecting their land from threats including mining, drilling, and deforestation.
Here are some ways to support indigenous communities, both on this day and throughout the year.
- Learn about the land you live on using this link
- Learn more about the culture of the indigenous people that inhabited this land before you
- Help protect indigenous land rights throughout the world. You can donate to organizations that are working to protect these lands and cultural traditions
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Cultural Survival Advancing Indigenous Peoples’ Rights & Cultures Worldwide
- Amazon Frontlines Defending indigenous rights to land, life, and cultural survival in the Amazon rainforest
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- Include Indigenous communities in discussions about climate change as they historically are strongly connected to the land and have a different understanding of ecological practices that benefit the land and therefore the people on it as well
Want to learn more?
Check out how Oregon is celebrating today.
Getting to Know The Real You
Whether you realize it or not, you are constantly changing.
You are not the same person you were this time last year.
As time goes on, our values, goals, and ideas tend to evolve.
You should never force yourself to participate in something that doesn’t feel right.
But at the same time, you can never know how you feel about something unless you try (sometimes more than once).
Setting Goals
Setting new goals and diving back into older ones can teach us a lot about ourselves.
Imagining your future self is just as important as discovering your present self.
Where would you like to be five years from now?
What can you start doing today that will help you get there?
We can’t expect great things to magically fall in our laps.
We have to put the work in to make those dreams a reality.
Describe Yourself
How would you describe yourself to a complete stranger?
Would you start listing your personality traits, family, goals, job, all of the above?
You are so much more than your job or your hobbies.
Every single piece of you makes you who you are.
List Your Values
What do you value in others and yourself?
Do you care about community, authenticity, generosity?
Take a moment to write down the values you cherish in life.
Putting these values down on paper can help you look at them in a new way and help them feel more tangible.
Keep in mind – this list does not have to be a set-in-stone thing.
You can easily add new items to the list or even erase some as time goes on.
Introduction to Yoga Fundamentals Class (*New* )
Starting Monday October 11th at 6:15 pm, join Jen Champion for a new class to guide you through the fundamentals for beginning yoga.
Enjoy learning elements, techniques, and practices that will guide you to develop a “yoga your way” personal practice.
This class will feature easily accessible breath and movement practices to help you feel connected to yourself and your intentions, while also learning how to safely execute the basic poses. Practice moving through postures with calm and clarity while you explore and develop your capacity to maintain wellness. This class will allow you to explore your full potential to enhance your mind, body, spirit and community.
Class is held online via zoom and is currently being offered for free. You do need to register and then can attend every class or drop-in as you are able.
Jen has been sharing yoga with a variety of students for 18 years. She is here to meet you where you are and provide attainable and sustainable yoga offerings.
Introducing The Act to Reduce Stress Group (ACT)
Tune in as Julie and April chat all about their ACT to Reduce Stress Group.
ACT stands for Acceptance & Commitment Therapy and is designed for anyone who is interesting in managing their stress better and engaging in activities that fit with their values.
If you’ve been feeling a little stuck, anxious or on edge, this is the group for you.
If you are interested in learning more please contact us: https://vistapsych.com/contact/eugene/
*New* Strong Vinyasa Flow Yoga Class
Amalia teaches this class which is faster-paced and a more cardiovascular practice than Hatha or slow flow. This class features fluid transitions between poses and longer linked sequences of poses to develop strength, stamina and balance. Students will have opportunities to explore binds, inversions and a range of backbends. Familiarity with yoga asana is recommended. Not suitable for beginners.
Class is on Zoom and is free at this time, but will you need to register
Chair Challenge: Calming Yoga With Amalia Trieger
Welcome back to Calming Yoga with Amalia Trieger. We hope you enjoy today’s practice. If you liked this video, please like and subscribe!