Monthly Archives: October 2009

Featured Teacher – Jane Anne Tager

  By admin | October 1, 2009 - 7:17 pm | Jane Anne Tager
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What inspires you to teach yoga? What it offers my students and the joy they bring to me.

What is your current favorite pose? A rocking dead bug pose; we call it cradle pose in pre-natal.

What is your teaching history? When my three year old developed asthma, I began searching for anything to help her breathe deeply. I read that yoga could be helpful for asthmatic children. So, I went to New York City and took a seminar in kids yoga, came back to Asheville and started teaching at AYC in the original location inside a gym on Merrimon avenue. That was about 12 years ago.

What is a favorite inspirational quote? No Blame, no Reasoning, no Argument, just Understanding. -Thich Nhat Hanh

Where and when do you teach? Asheville Yoga Center, Pre-natal on Mondays at 3:45, and beginning in September, kids yoga on Thursdays at 4:00.

The quick list

Birthdate: August 22, 1963

Residence: Woodfin

Family: Joshua(husband & dad) and children Sophia, Massimo, and Phineas

How long have you been practicing Yoga: 15 years

Most Challenging Pose: Bound Parvritta Parsvakonasana (bound revolving side angle pose)

Three words that best describe you: sometimes silly, always short, frequently passionate

What’s in your cd player?: Xavier Rudd

What are you reading now?: The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls & Opening Our Moral Eye by m. c. richards

Favorite Scent: sandlewood

Toothpaste: Natures Gate, Crème de Mint

Soap: Burt’s Bees Citrus Spice exfoliating shower soap

Favorite Meal: ethnic foods, especially Vietnamese Spring rolls

Last movie you watched: watched and really enjoyed…Up

What is your favorite word? Done

What is your least favorite word? Can’t

What turns you off creatively, spiritually or emotionally? Pushy people, and those that do not honor others personal spaces

What turns you on creatively, spiritually or emotionally? The sunset, crickets, sunflowers, and waterfalls, and my family

Jane Anne Tager, mother of three, has been practicing yoga at AYC since 1995. Now she not only rewards herself through her own practice, but also by teaching Pretzel Kids yoga classes (for over a decade). Jane Anne says teaching yoga to kids offers them strength, balance, flexibility, and heightened awareness that benefits them far beyond their mats. It also offers them some much needed down time, and time to just sit with themselves. Better yet, it is just plain fun.

Jane Anne also teaches pre-natal yoga. These classes turn the attention to the breath while stretching deeply, incorporating poses that nurture the low back, open the hips, and work out other kinks that may occur during pregnancy. It offers moms-to-be an opportunity to nurture themselves and connect with other pregnant mamas, encouraging them to take time out to care for themselves and their changing bodies.

For a complete list of teachers and classes at The Asheville Yoga Center click here.

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Yin Yoga – Saddle Pose

  By admin | October 1, 2009 - 7:07 pm | Poses, Restorative
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Saddle pose is a yin yoga pose that has deep healing benefits to the hip flexors, quadriceps, and a deep opening in the sacral-lumbar arch. It also helps stimulate the thyroid (if the head is dropped back) and is a good internal rotation of the hip. Contraindications include a bad back, tight sacrum, knee and ankle problems, but modifications can help you try this pose out without stressing these areas overly much.

To begin, place your hips down on your heels in Vajrasana, or Thunderbolt pose. If this is stressful for your knees, elevate your hips on a bolster or blanket and stay there for one to five minutes. As you get more comfortable, you can start adding in different elements. The first step is to separate the knees so you get a V-shape. Then start to lean back. You can lean back on your hands or elbows. The amount of sensation you are looking for on a scale from 1-10 is about a 2 or a 3. This will help you hold the pose for longer, and in yin yoga the point is, “Less is more for longer.” It’s about building stamina, not stretching to the point of so much sensation that you can’t hold the pose any longer or any pain. If there is any sharp, shooting, pinching or burning pain, come out immediately or modify the pose to be less intense and relieve any of those “red flag” sensations.

You can also try this pose with just one leg, which is called Half Saddle. You can do lots of things with the leg that is not in Saddle, leaving it on the floor or bringing the foot to the floor and bending the leg. If you do Half Saddle, try doing it an equal amount of time on each side. You can also use any of the modifications for Saddle in Half Saddle.

If you are leaning back with both legs and want to go a step further, you can place one or two bolsters underneath your shoulder blades or your spine, and use a block to support your head. Lastly, you lower yourself to the floor, arms out to the sides and palms up. This is an intense pose for most people, so try one or two minutes to start, then gently work your way up to three to five minutes.

The author, Anna Ferguson, is a yoga teacher, artist, photographer and writer. She teaches weekly classes at Asheville Yoga Center and other studios in Asheville, NC. Find out more about her at ushasyoga.com.

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Going Yinside – Understanding the Deep, Still World Of Yin Yoga

  By admin | October 1, 2009 - 6:51 pm | Wisdom
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People are curious about yin yoga, but often it can be hard to understand from the title. I am often asked just what yin yoga is and what it can offer to a yoga practice. Speaking only from my own experience, I’ve found Yin yoga to be a deliciously sweet and savory practice, extremely challenging but promoting greater ease in my mental and physical being than I’ve ever experienced before with my primarily yang practice. Once I started doing yin yoga, I noticed a balance coming to my moods, my energy levels were boosted, my focus improved and best of all, my meditation practice become almost instantly regular and dynamic, with my commitment and openness to the process of the practice. In short, yin has a lot to offer!

So what is the best definition of yin yoga? Bernie Clark, who writes and maintains yinyoga.com, says it best, “Suitable for almost all levels of students, Yin Yoga is a perfect complement to the dynamic and muscular (yang) styles of yoga that emphasize internal heat, and the lengthening and contracting of our muscles. Yin Yoga generally targets the connective tissues of the hips, pelvis, and lower spine. Yin is about stretching your connective tissues, and this is the realm where your energetic meridians are housed. Yin Yoga is not restorative yoga. Like all yoga practices, if the tissues you are targeting for exercise are damaged in some way, please give yourself a chance to heal before resuming your regular practice.” At her recent workshop at Asheville Yoga Center, Yin & Yang Yoga teacher Heather Tiddens describes yin yoga as “not a comfortable style of yoga,” but went on to say it goes so much deeper than that, with numerous benefits. Read the rest of the article here.

The author, Anna Ferguson, is a yoga teacher, artist, photographer and writer. She teaches weekly classes at Asheville Yoga Center and other studios in Asheville, NC. Find out more about her at ushasyoga.com.

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