Healing Destinations with Suzie Daggett

Loose your stress.  Be at peace.  Find serenity.  Get flexible…..but how?  With Yoga!  Yoga is now easier to find everywhere in Nevada County.  Private studios, gyms and retreat centers abound to help people find refreshing ways for heath and deeper wellness. New in Alta Sierra is Grass Valley Yoga; in Penn Valley, Dragonfly Yoga; in Grass Valley, Bikram Yoga and in Nevada City, Wild Mountain Yoga and just opened Full Life Yoga.  Elke Brown, the owner of Full Life Yoga created the new studio to present options for every body type to grow, to laugh, to feel at home, to connect with their body and spirit.  A variety of very experience teachers present classes to help you stay flexible – are you ready to relax and move in a peaceful atmosphere?

What is Full Life Yoga Studio’s intention?

Full Life Yoga studio is a quiet place, an island of serenity where you can retreat in the midst of a busy day. All are welcome! Every body can practice yoga. You don’t need to be able to touch your toes, twist yourself into a pretzel, or lose 10 pounds: wherever you are is the perfect place to start. A typical class takes the body through a curve of important warm-ups. This allows students to safely move into strengthening poses, and then progress slowly into deeper stretches and stronger positions. The class closes with a relaxation that honors the journey that’s brought each individual to the class. Rather than trying to conquer the body or force it into a specific shape, we encourage each student to find freedom of movement, and to enjoy a joyful relationship with whatever body they inhabit.

What are some benefits of a yoga practice?

Yoga gives us many physical benefits. The postures fully rotate joints and create flexibility in the spine. From right to left, front to back, and head to toe, yoga poses encourage symmetry, which improves alignment and balance. Some postures put the body weight on all four limbs, the shoulders, and spine, which improves and strengthens bone health. Lengthening muscles encourages flexibility, muscle tone and overall vitality, and discourages tightness that causes compression around the joints. Keeping joints mobile and the spine flexible is especially important as we age.  Yoga helps keep the endocrine system healthy, balances hormones, and increases the oxygen supply that’s needed for the repair and regeneration of cells. It also improves coordination, focus and concentration, enhances energy and brings an overall sense of well being.

What does your yoga practice do for you on a daily basis?

For me, daily yoga practice encourages a continuous journey of awareness. By listening to myself again and again, I’m able to balance the stresses of each day so I can respond to life’s many unknowns with adaptability, resilience, and complete attention. Daily yoga practice teaches me to honor myself and others with compassion and acceptance. And, I’ve learned when to let go and have a good laugh at myself, so I can start again. fulllifeyogastudio.com, 530-277-3783

Suzie Daggett, constantly curious about the mysteries of life, publishes the Insight Directory and produces Insight Lectures.  530-265-9255, www.insightdirectory.com or www.insightlecture.com