Shaping Up With Beacon Yoga Studio
Swimsuit season is here my babes and to help you get ready for those much anticipated summer days, I am sharing my favorite yoga poses modeled my BFF Jen. I got away from my yoga practice a few years ago and recently just got back on the mat when Beacon Yoga Studio came to life here in Tulsa. It's located in the fabulous Beacon Building downtown ( I have a major crush on that place) which is super close to my condo and I can't help but get behind this amazing mother and son team! Beacon Yoga studio is a non-profit studio that's donation based--all while creating a space for new yoga teachers to be mentored. I mean all the feels! If you are anewer yoga teacher, this is the perfect place for you!
The key to Beacon Yoga Studio's mission is the accessibility of Yoga to all those who seek it. Realizing part of the barrier to its access is the financial consideration, Beacon Yoga Studio offers generosity-based classes. In a nutshell, come as you are and let your heart and personal financial situation be your guide as to what you chose to contribute toward Beacon Yoga Studio's expenses. They believe in the goodness of the universe and people. If a suggested donation amount assists you in determining your contribution, they propose $5 and all donations go to the instructors.
Along with hard-hitting sweat sessions, (which I love my intense indoor cycling) but it’s essential to mix up your fitness game with gentler routines, like yoga. Having a regular practice is a wonderful complement to any workout plan. Not only does it improve flexibility, increase core strength and help with posture, but it’s also a sure-fire way to de-stress and connect the whole body. I also have lost all of my arm and back strength and I want to gain that back again. I love practicing in the morning or the mid day after being on the bike as I find, it's a great workout to reduce soreness. My thighs get so tight.
I am naturally a people-pleaser, a giver, a compromiser… and these are all things that I am proud of. But they can also leave my cup feeling incredibly empty. I forgot that feeling that yoga gives me. It feels my cup again. No matter what, it always seems to give me exactly what I need in that moment. The instructor always tells me what I needed to hear. On Friday during my class with Chase it was like my body never forgot the poses. My heart opened right up and I could even feel the tears in my eyes during shavasana. I remembered the things I loved about practicing. And in that moment, I was exactly where I needed to be.
I cannot wait to get back on the mat next week!
Beacon Yoga Studio has everything you need including mats, towels, props, and water so just bring yourself and an open mind!
The easiest way to get to Beacon Yoga Studio is to drive down S. Boulder Ave which is a one way street. You will see on your left hand side a large Parking lot. This is where you want to park. Beacon Yoga Studio client's are authorized to park here free of charge while they are attending Beacon Yoga Studio. Walk into the main entrance of the Beacon Building and you will see elevators directly in front of you. Take the elevator to floor B (basement) and Beacon Yoga Studio is directly to your left as you step out of the elevator.
Here are some great etiquette tips directly from their site. Tips like this always help me feel super organized and prepared, especially if it's your first yoga class.
1. Arrive 10-15 minutes early to have enough time to store your personal items, find a place, roll out your mat (the studio is equipped with mats and props that are free for your use during class) and gather any needed props. If you ever DO arrive late, please sit and wait for the opening, centering of class to be completed before you walk across the room or make any noise rolling out your supplies.
2. Introduce yourself to the instructor and feel free to discuss any injuries or concerns you may have.
3. When the group centering begins, close your eyes and allow yourself to settle. The call of "om" shared in many yoga classes is a vibrational toning and mirror to the radiance of the universal hum. If you would rather pass on sharing, ten just feel it resonate through all your cells.
4. During class, listen to the cues the teacher is sharing and you're your movements and personal adjustments with kindness and attention. Any confusion you may experience of right and left is great! This is your brain recalibrating your self and body awareness.
5. If you feel tired or light headed, rest. Your instructor will give you the invitation to a great pose "Child's Pose" and it will ease you back into finding your breath or cooling your jets.
6. At the end of your class, neatly put away all props and try and introduce yourself to at least one person in class, it will help you feel more connected the next time you come.
7. Give yourself a toothy wide smile. You did it!
Now an introduction to their amazing instructors:
Chase Irwin: Chase is a Registered Power Vinyasa Flow Yoga Teacher (RYT) through National Yoga Alliance. He was certified in Hawaii with Core Power Yoga. Chase is known for his playful and creative sequencing, upbeat music, and contagious attitude. Chase sees yoga as a moving meditation and strives to help his students color outside the lines of their practice by inspiring them to be curious and open. Whether you take his vigorous vinyasa flow class or his high-energy strength class, you will leave feeling refreshed, rejuvenated, and with a smile on your face.
Bree Irwin: Bree is a Registered Yoga Teacher through Yoga Alliance as an E-RYT 500, RCYT and RPYT. Bree has studied under many well accomplished Yogis such as Amy Ippoliti, Tiffany Cruikshank, Chelsea Roff, Sage Rountree, Leslie Kaminoff, Kathryn Budig and Beth Shaw. Bree has focused much of her career specializing in Aerial Yoga, Senior, Childrens, and "Super Hero Yoga" Special Needs Yoga. Over time, she realized that her yoga was evolving into a more emotional and spiritual practice. Inspired by this deeper connection to both herself and the divine, Bree decided it was time to face her fears, share her love of yoga and get in front of the class! Today you will find Bree's teaching style is based in a Hatha, Meditation and Yin Yoga. Furthermore, Bree believes that yoga becomes the perfect opportunity to honor the body as one's temple and the asanas as one's prayer.
Beth Richmond: Beth is a Tulsa native with a BFA in metals and jewelry from the Savannah College of Art and Design. Her passions include her children, animals, art, and yoga. She is a registered yoga teacher (RYT200) through Yoga Alliance. She received her certification through Everyone Yoga School Tulsa, OK in 2017. Many different styles of yoga inspire her teaching but her first love is the Bishnu Ghosh Hot Yoga lineage. In her teaching, she hopes to inspire others to get out of their heads and into their bodies, enabling them to maintain a calm presence in everyday life.
Carolyn Meeks: Carolyn is a registered 200hr yoga teacher and studied at Everyone Yoga School in Tulsa and is a Licensed Massage Therapist for over 5 years. Carolyn started practicing yoga regularly during college at Missouri State University where she was a Dance Major. After feeling the physical and mental benefits of yoga that sparked her interest in teaching. She is passionate about bringing yoga to everyone not just the typical "yogi".
Sheila Lazier : Sheila MS, RYT has been a passionate yoga practitioner since 2000 and worked with master teacher Gabriel Halpern and a variety of other senior yoga teachers in the Chicago area. She has been strongly influenced by the precision and alignment of the Iyengar tradition. After stepping off the corporate ladder, Sheila earned her 200-hour yoga-teacher certification in 2014 from Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health in Stockbridge, Massachusetts. The foundation of Kripalu yoga is nonjudgmental self-awareness and open-hearted compassion which is also the foundation for Sheila’s teaching. She has spent the last several years deepening her yoga and meditation practice as a community member at an inter-spiritual retreat center. Sheila teaches with a focus on alignment, breathwork and mindfulness. Her classes are appropriate for all levels of students from beginners to seasoned practitioners. She uses props and modifies poses to encourage proper alignment. Her individualized approach makes physical practice accessible and provides safe challenges for students. Sheila is a member of the Kripalu Yoga and Ayurveda Association, a registered Yoga Alliance teacher, and has a M.S. in Adult Education. She currently teaches yoga at the Osage Forest of Peace.
MOST CURRENT SCHEDULE FOR THE WEEK WITH TEACHERS WILL ALWAYS BE UP TO DATE ON FACEBOOK AND INSTAGRAM.
SCHEDULE for June 5th - June 9th
ALL 6:30am CLASSES ARE BY APPOINTMENT ONLY DUE TO THE BUILDING DOORS BEING LOCKED. SIMPLY CALL OR TEXT 918-237-0487 TO MAKE AN APPOINTMENT.
MONDAY: 6:30am - 7:30am Yin Yoga with Bree, 7:45am - 8:30am Meditate your Weight with Bree, 9:00am -10:00am CorePower with Chase, 12:00pm -12:45 Kripalu with Sheila and 5:15 -6:15pm Vinyasa Flow with Beth.
Tuesday: 7:45-8:30am Mindful Meditation with Bree, 11:30am-12:15pm CorePower with Chase and 5:15-6:15pm Vinyasa with Hailey
Wednesday: 6:30-7:30am Yin Yoga with Bree, 7:45am - 8:30am Meditate your Weight with Bree, 9:00am-10:00am CorePower with Chase and 11:30am - 12:15pm CorePower with Chase
Thursday: 7:45-8:30am Mindful Meditation with Bree, 11:30-12:15pm CorePower with Chase and 5:15-6:15pm Vinyasa Flow with Hailey
Friday: 6:30-7:30am Yin Yoga with Bree, 7:45am - 8:30am Meditate your Weight with Bree, 9:00am-10:00am CorePower with Chase and 11:30am-12:15pm CorePower with Chase.
SUPER HERO YOGA is geared to children with "special needs" or as we would rather call it children with Super Hero abilities. Please call (918) 237-0487 and make an appt. so we are better able to accommodate your child's super hero abilities.
HATHA YOGA is often slower moving than a Vinyasa Yoga practice but it can be challenging, stimulating or soft, depending on the circumstances. The integration of breath while holding poses for long periods of time with intention and relaxation comprise this branch of practice that encompasses and integrates many forms.
VINYASA is a Sanskrit term often employed to describe a broad range of yoga styles. Vinyasa can be decoded from its root words Nyasa denoting "to place" and vi denoting "in a special way." It symbolizes flowing, dynamic form of yoga, where postures are linked together using breath.
RESTORITIVE is the application of Yoga practice using props and postures held for longer periods of time to initiate deep relaxation of the body, mind and spirt. Slow Restorative Yoga is beneficial to balance a more active practice or decompress after a stressful day.
YIN YOGA focuses on postures that lengthen the muscles surrounding the hips, pelvis, and lower back. Students typically hold these postures for 3-10 minutes per side in order to lengthen the connective tissue diminishes with physical activity and aging, which makes Yin essential for injury prevention and joint health. Since a Yin Yoga practice often includes several long, seated forward bending postures, it also restores energy and calms the nervous system.
ANTIGRAVITY AERIAL YOGA offers you an opportunity to practice yoga in air with the support rendered by the silky hammock. It's the amalgam of yoga, pilates, dance, acrobatics and calisthenics designed to render a energy-rich workout for the entire body.
MOMMY AND ME YOGA is designed for new moms prepared to regain their yoga practice after delivery. It is highly encouraged that new moms talk to their doctors about the appropriate amount of time they should wait before they regain their practice, often suggested as six weeks. The Mommy and Me sequence is designed to integrate yoga postures that allow mothers to interact with their babies while they practice, which strengthens the body and bond between the two. It also allows for new moms to experience a sense of community with others in the community.
KIDS YOGA is designed to be fun and engaging, kids yoga is an opportunity to introduce the practice of yoga t0 children at a young age. Postures and corresponding sequences are chosen based on their accessibility to kids of any age. Kids are introduced to the practice of meditation where they learn that silence can be okay rather than uncomfortable (or impossible) Kids who practice yoga often have an increased sense of confidence, focus, creativity, and strength, and they tend to lead healthier lifestyles through better eating habits and willingness to be more active and helpful.
PRENATAL is perfect for women in any stage of their pregnancy, prenatal yoga is a sequence of carefully arranged postures that safely strengthen and stretch the body in preparation for pregnancy and delivery. Women who maintain a regular prenatal practice throughout their pregnancy often experience a healthy maintenance of the bodily changes experienced throughout pregnancy and are prepared for breathing exercises, hip fluxion, and strength that function as assets during delivery. This also provides an opportunity to connect with other moms-to-be in the community for an extended network of support throughout pregnancy..
CHAIR YOGA is designed for those that have difficulty getting up and down from the floor or who have balance, flexibility, or specific joint issues. All postures and exercises are done on a chair or using a chair for support. Chair Yoga brings the health benefits of yoga to every body, emphasizing a gentle approach to strength, toning and balance enhancement in a safe environment.
ADVANCED ASANA/INVERSIONS is designed for the seasoned yogi or the one who is looking for the next step in challenging the mind, body and soul. This 90 minute class will allow the student to step further out of their comfort zone while exploring asanas on the next level. The student will also be introduced in the steps needed to begin preparation for inversions. There is no set pace to this class which allows the students to ask questions and receive the attention needed to further their practice.
YOGA 101 is perfect for anyone new to yoga; Yoga 101 is a class designed to introduce basic yoga postures with demonstration and detail. The class is not set to any particular pace, so students can ask questions and receive advice on adjustments, modifications, and alternative variations to make any posture more accessible. Yoga 101 is an excellent introduction to many of the postures that students experience in the vinyasa series. Many students who complete several Yoga 101 classes feel confident to begin a vinyasa practice in a matter of weeks.
Cannot wait to see you guys there !! Doing the Monday 5:15 class with Beth so come say hi and join me!!! I also cannot wait to start meditating with Bree.
Thanks so much to Bree for hosting a blogger event and so much thanks to Jen for being my yoga buddy and letting me take your pics!
And PS...you guys must stop by The Green Bean Roasting Company in The Beacon before or after yoga. The coffee is delicious!!!!!!!! They also made us the best bagels with spinach and pepper jack cheese and fruit kabobs. They are carrying treats from Pancho Anaya too. (Y U M)
