Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Restorative Stations coming up Thursday

So, as I mentioned before, Yoga North got rid of their cushy carpet over the winter holidays. I really loved that carpet for restorative class. I basically used it as one, huge, whole-class prop. When the carpet existed I didn't need to use any mats and all the people were totally comfortable. But, things change and we have to change with them. (Do I sound bitter? I'm trying to let it go. I really am. I am almost over it.)

After the carpet left, Yoga North bought a bunch more props - bolsters, blankets, etc. which has been super great! I have taught Restorative Stations twice since the changeover and it went ok but people had a hard time moving from station to station. The floor is too hard for most folks to crawl on so most people ended up getting up and walking to their next spot. This usually meant walking and chatting with your neighbor which can be disruptive to calming energy.

So I've been thinking about some new layouts for Restorative Stations. I remembered what Satyam said about his "wave" style restorative so I thought I could try a variation on that. He had to have people pass their props to the next row because everyone brings their own mat. But I can set up the mats in advance and also set up the stations (like I normally do) but this time I'll try a different flow pattern that will be easier.

Here's what I used to do. This is an example of flowing around the room. Click on the image to see larger.


I talk about this quite a bit in this post: Leading a Restorative Class: Part Three.

Here's a couple of my new ideas:

First: Keep on doing 5 stations but re-work the flow pattern as seen below - click on the image to see enlarged.


Second: Reduce the number of poses to 4 and hold each pose longer - click on the image to see enlarged.

I'll probably try the first option this time and the second option next time and see what works best and what everyone likes.

At any rate....
Join me for Restorative Stations on Thursday - St. Pattie's Day
Class is held 1 x monthly.
Scheduled Dates: Mar 17, Apr 21, May 19
Time: 7–8:15pm - please pre-register with Yoga North
Cost: Drop-in rate/ punchcard*

*Please pre-register. This class requires tons of set-up and I need to know how many people will be attending. Sign up online or call the Yoga North office at 218-722-9642.