Living Yoga Center | Urbana, IL

What an amazing yoga moment for me! My mom came to visit for my birthday weekend and asked if we could go to a yoga class. Could we?!?! Of course! You all know my home studio, Living Yoga Center, by now, but to see it through the eyes of someone who has never done yoga, ever, is great! I'm going to let mom do the rest of the review, if I have to pipe in (because we all know I can't keep my mouth shut) it will be in italics from this point on.   

LOCATION: I obviously know where I'm going, but I imagine the first time it's a bit confusing. There isn't a large street sign to get in, and it's on the 2nd level. The easiest way to enter the studio is actually to park on the upper level of the parking garage and enter the door to the building up there. It takes you into a stairwell that you can either go upstairs or downstairs, but the door right there takes you into the studio. If you do enter from street level you walk into a foyer area where you can take an elevator up one level that, with the staircase next to the elevator also, spits you out into Green Yoga Spa's side of level two (which is shared and open with Living Yoga Center). 

STUDIO: I like it, it was nice and open. The space was self-explanatory as far as where to put stuff, where to change, where to get props or put them back. The studio was clean (I liked the shiny floors) and decorated nicely (the curtain rods made from tree branches was fun). The space was noisier than I expected, lots of footsteps outside of the room and clunking around. But that is the wood floors, I'm guessing (Living Yoga had the gas company in checking for leaks, so they were making some noise outside of the room—not a normal occurrence).   

CLASS DESCRIPTION: Gentle This gentle class eases you into yoga at your own pace.  Poses are modified to meet the needs of the participants.  Compassion is our guiding principle as we focus on increasing one’s range of motion, flexibility, and strength, while developing inner peacefulness and acceptance of ourselves. 

INSTRUCTOR: Jodi Adams, RYT, has been practicing yoga since 1991.  Jodi believes in the restorative benefits of yoga.  No matter one’s age or flexibility, she offers a practice to awaken strength, balance, and a mind/body connection. Yoga has served Jodi well through adversity and times of stress, and she is ultimately inspired to empower others to tap into their own inner strength, to find their voice, their breath, and their true Self.

CONTACT: Living Yoga Center

My daughter brought me up to Champaign to celebrate her birthday. She is a girl of many passions, but yoga was one I knew very little about and she was loving it.  It became a part of life... So thought it would be fun to learn a little of this passion with her. Off we went to my first yoga experience. This was an easy comfortable place to enter, Anni knew her way around the studio and had me all set up on the floor with the mat, cushion (bolster), and few other things that could or would make it all easier for me (two blocks, a strap, two bolsters, and a couple sand bags—the props Jodi set us up with was fun—we did one pose, Upavistha Konasana, where we used the sand bags on our upper thighs and folded over two bolsters to relax. More along the lines of yin yoga, where you hold the pose longer to get into the connective tissue, specifically ligaments and tendons in the joints and spine). Everyone at the studio was super nice and welcoming.

The class was small (which I really liked for a first time) and Jodi started us with simple sitting and breathing (guided meditation) and went into alignment and stretching (a lot of soothing neck openers) and then up on the knees (cats & cows—Chakravakasana) and all the way up to butt in the air (not the real name. Lol, that should be the name! But it was downward facing dog or Adho Mukha Svanasana). I thought the class was great, it was fun to do the first with my daughter, it was relaxing and at the same time I felt the stretch in the muscles and really loved the deeper breathing and concentration. I was concentrating so much that I didn't even notice the people around me, although I did sneak in a couple peeks at the instructor to make sure I was going into a pose correctly.  

I loved the experience with my daughter and would not be afraid to join a beginners class in my home area. Thanks to everyone who welcomed and taught me, and to Anni for sharing her passion.

Thank you, Mom, for trying something out that was out of your comfort zone—which is sometimes the best part about yoga, learning more about yourself, both in humbling and encouraging ways. But most of all, thank you for taking that little adventure with me—it means the world to me and was an excellent birthday present. Love you mom! 

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Heartland Spa | Gilman, IL

LOCATION: Heartland Spa, Gilman, IL 

COST: We had a groupon deal, which I think is pretty regular for them. But here are their rates.

SPACE: The countryside location was absolutely beautiful this time of year... with trees changing colors (which there are plenty of trees, you're not surrounded by corn fields). There was a pond outside the door you could take a relaxing walk around. The rooms were set up nicely and kept clean. The space was sufficient for classes, meal time, and lounging. There was an obstacle course set up in the front where you enter, though we never used that. One barn was three levels: level one was space services, sauna, steam room, hot tub, and indoor pool. Level two was the tech space (exercise equipment), and level three was an open room for classes. 

SPA DESCRIPTION: The Heartland Spa's team of experts help you to make positive lifestyle changes in the areas of nutrition and weight loss, stress management, fitness, massage therapy, and skincare. 

CONTACT: Heartland Spa

Quick story? Way too overpriced for what they offered. The classes were lead by great instructors, but not really challenging. The services (massage, reflexology, and LOTS more) were amazing. What really cast a huge shadow over this weekend was the food and food service. The food I could eat wasn't that good (re: nothing was organic, and you could taste it), and they definitely don't know how to accommodate people with food requests. My partner in crime for the weekend has a garlic allergy and I don't eat meat or dairy... not only did we have to make sure our food needs were met (which they regularly weren't), we were treated like nuisances when we had to correct them. Mind you, we actually spoke with their chef before we arrived for the weekend, so it's not like it was shocking we were asking these things. Basically, if you say you don't eat meat they say "What about fish?" and if you say you don't eat dairy they say, "So no cheese? How about milk?" What?!? Not to mention, rumor has it, their nutritionist smokes a pack of cigarettes a day. Old school thinking of nutrition to say the least. So disappointing.

But there are definitely highlights to my weekend—obviously I got to hang out with my amazing friend for over 15 years now. I adore her. Each morning we woke up for a 7:15am walk. The second day I was beckoned over by the neighbor's horse for attention—the sweetest horse I've ever met. We met some great people—shout out to Jen Smith and her aloe vera line of cosmetics (L'Bri). The first day all the guests were sitting through orientation and asked to introduce themselves. Jen mentioned her business (I was excited to ask her about it) and the woman she came with said that they have been friends for 37 years (she was her mom)... so sweet. Then we had dinner with them one evening and found them to be even more charming and hilarious. Another person we were lucky enough to meet was Renee Marie—the reflexologist they have on staff every other weekend. We went to her discussion and were just blown away by her.... sign us up for a session with her! Both of us had AMAZING interactions with Renee Marie, and I plan to make her a part of my healthcare regiment. I'll review more below.

So, I can't say this weekend was a waste, but it definitely wasn't worth the money spent (and that was at a buy one get one free deal). I do have 4 gift certificates to give away, so if you want to take part in my next giveaway (see below) and see what you think for yourself, I'd love to hear about your experience.

OK—my schedule in review:

SAT OCT 29
7am wake up call
7:15 am 2 mile walk: beautiful countryside walk during the fall. It was brisk, but what an amazing way to start the day
8am breakfast: i could eat the oatmeal, and that's about it
9am Zumba (latin-based dancing for a workout) class: The only other time I did Zumba I really didn't like the instructor, so I wasn't too excited about this. But our instructor Becky, was great, and I was able to not only get into it a little bit... but laugh at myself a couple times too.
10:10am snack: a cookie, I couldn't eat it. They do have a small bowl of fruit and veggies sitting out to eat whenever you want, but like I said earlier. You can tell they weren't organic and just sorta gross.
10:30am Sculpting with Xertubes & Dynabands: With Becky again! This was actually much more challenging than I expected, muscle work with bands around your ankles and also work with your arms with bands that had handles on the end. This was the only time all weekend that I felt there was instruction on how to do this when you get home. And honestly, if you're preaching you're a place to kick-start your healthy lifestyle... shouldn't you be giving more instruction all weekend long?
11:30am I opted for my 40 minute massage that was included in the package. You could easily upgrade these massages, but I didn't want to spend even more money. Deby was my massage therapist and she was great. It felt like a long 40 minutes, she definitely worked the muscle more—which I need. The room was relaxing, she put heated pillows under your back and neck. It was definitely one of the highlights of the weekend.
12:30pm lunch: I can't remember what we had, but I can guarantee, for me, it was with a boca burger... Heartland Spa really strives to make everyone's meal look the same. I guess they don't want those with special food requests to stick out. It's a nice gesture. They also spend a lot of time telling you the calories of everything you're eating. So when the person next to be has a 175 calorie chicken entree I was irritated... because I didn't get extra food even though the boca burgers are like 40 calories or something. Needless to say, I was hungry the entire weekend.
1:15pm Discussion with Renee Marie: This is when we met Renee (the reflexologist). She walked into the room saying Namaste!, and I knew I was finally around one of my own. She talked about how she got into her line of work and then described what all she does (reflexology, lymphatic drainage, and energy healing). She was a breath of fresh air, and I was immediately excited that I signed up for an hour session with her. It was the first time (in a looooooooong time) I felt like I was around a similar attitude as my dad (he was an acupuncturist). This weekend was definitely meant for me to meet Renee.
2:15pm Aqua Motion with Raelene: Pool time! This class was a little silly—one part silly fun and one part silly not a challenge. But I love being in water, so that made it great. We learned a few exercises we could take away with us (if we had a pool). I definitely felt like I was sweating at one point. What made it ridiculous was that I kept being put in the back of the group... in a more shallow area, and I'm taller than a lot of ladies. So the workout wasn't as useful for me, and the woman in front of me kept backing up into my space with legs kicking. It made for a good giggle between my girlfriend and me, but still... more play time, less work out—still active though, so that's good.
3:15pm snack: Fruit smoothie—at this point I'm learning not to ask if there's dairy in things—they'll just say no and I'll ask—what about yogurt? and they'll say, yeah. Like I'm the idiot.
3:30pm Yoga Stretch & Relax with Raelene: Definitely the most basic intro to yoga I've ever had. And I don't think this is because of the instructor, she definitely knew more. We didn't do a single salutation, we barely got off the mat. I did learn that the twists are what are hurting my sacrum (I know, obvious, but I needed the reminder), so I'm going to get back into my yoga routine and skip the twists. To be honest, as I'm writing this, I haven't been to yoga in 2.5 weeks (minus this weekend). Between my sacrum, launching the new site, and some personal stuff... Really distracted. Why is it we choose to abandon the stuff that is needed most during the hard times? This class reminded me—it's hard to sit with yourself for an hour and face you. It usually ends in tears for me—when life is challenging me. But after, my mind is so much clearer, and really, how can I expect myself to face these obstacles with out a clear mind and open heart? I can't. So I'm going back to yoga on Friday (with my main instructor, Hayli). Don't want to go and can't wait, all in one fell swoop.
6pm dinner: boca burger with an orange sauce. Orange sauce is good—nothing but sugar, but good. Barley with veggies was ok—give me some indian seasonings please! I wish I could provide them with vegan food menu options.

SUN OCT 30 

7am wake up call
7:15am morning walk: On the mile out we watched a horse playing in his field—jumping and running, so beautiful. One the mile back in—this will sound odd—but that horse and I made eye contact and he started walking straight for me. So I told the gals I'd catch up, I had to meet this horse. We met up, ears facing me so attentively and he turned his right side to me to show me his eye (he had what I assumed was cataracts), and he did his ears went back—almost ashamed. I told him to show me his good eye—he turned his face—ears facing me again. I pet his nose—we leaned in forehead to forehead—and then as playful as ever he tried to knock me over. It was hilarious. I told him I needed to get back to my walk—which I don't think he was too happy about, I'm guessing he's used to getting apples or something from the walkers in the morning. But, honestly, if I don't want to eat that apple, why would I give it to that sweet, sweet horse.
8am breakfast: Yes, eggs! Oh wait, egg beaters. Barf. Oatmeal it is.
9:15am Session with Renee Marie: She hugs you immediately, welcoming you into her room. I laid down on the bed and she gauged my energy to see if she should start with my head or feet. Head it was. The night before I had this crazy dream (the kind of dream that feels real) that she kept working on my right shoulder with one hand under and one hand on top. I wondered if that would happen—but kept telling myself to not make it happen... like if she brushed up against my shoulder, I couldn't be floored. What did happen, the first spot she worked on was that shoulder and she kept coming back to it—I had to share my dream with her. What I loved most, and this happens when you see a good acupuncturist too, she told me what was wrong. She would ask me questions about health or diet or injuries—but she already knew what was acting up. Western medicine would benefit so much from working Eastern medicine into their practice—more importantly, patients would benefit from it. Anyway... at one point, after touching points on my head, she focused in on my jaw. The heat coming off her hands was insane. Slowly I felt my jaw relax—which I could have been doing myself—but then a bunch of spit released in my mouth and it tasted gross. When I'm stressed (which there's always an underlying layer of stress for a lot of us, right?), my jaw clinches. I knew right then, she opened up that tension and all the toxins I've been holding in those muscles released. It was disgusting and cool. She did some foot reflexology, but I didn't really have any reactions to it that I could notice. I do know by the end I felt amazing—from jaw to sacrum to hips to stomach aches to hamstrings. I will be visiting Renee again—without a doubt.
10:10am snack—my session with Renee ran late, so I missed the snack (which was a cookie I couldn't eat anyway) and we missed the BOSU training we were going to try. But honestly, my friend just had her 40 minute massage, so we really wanted to keep swimming in our relaxation mode. At this point we decided to call the weekend short—I was going to stick around for another yoga class to review, but neither of us could find much sense in staying for a lunch we didn't want.
11:30am Yoga Stretch & Relax with Crystal: The day before Raelene told the ladies that Crystal was teaching today's class and she really knew her stuff. So I knew I had to stick around and review this class. And though she really did know her stuff (she could name every pose in sanskrit beautifully)—we did even less work than the day before. This was perfect after a reflexology session with Renee Marie, I really wanted to get a genuine yoga class this weekend. It's unfortunate. I feel like all these instructors/therapists are being held back by Heartland Spa (and overcharging for it), and that's just not what I'm looking for.

GIVEAWAY!
With that not-so-lovely review, I offer up my next giveaway (woo-hoo!): I have four $100 gift certificates to be used towards anything at Heartland Spa & Fitness Resort during your overnight visit (one per person, for first time guests only).

What I'm going to do is leave it up to the contestants to decide what they want... if you request all four certificates for you and three friends and are the winner—you win all four. If you request two certificates for you and a friend—two people have a chance to win. Hopefully that makes sense. I didn't want to restrict it to only one option for people.

What do you have to do?
• If you're not a fan of my facebook page—fan. it. up.
• Share my facebook page on your page (please tag me in the share—so I know you followed through)
• Visit my new site—I'm offering free marketing to 11 NFP organizations (deadline Nov 27)
• Leave a comment below telling me how many certificates you would like

Ends Friday, November 11th at 10pm CDT

Thanks so much for sharing your time with me!
*heart*

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Jim Bennitt Workshops | Living Yoga Center | Urbana, IL

LOCATION: Living Yoga Center — my "home studio," as in where I love love love to practice when I'm not traveling. 

COST: $45/workshop or both for $80

STUDIO: See my original review  

CLASS DESCRIPTION: 

Stilling the Waking Mind, 10:30a-1p

We all know that meditation is good for us. If you're looking to connect to spirit, find inner peace, or just trying to deal with the stress of modern life... meditation can work wonders. Why then do we still struggle with starting or continuing a meditation practice? The answer may surprise you. It could actually be your yoga practice holding you back! When yoga is practiced inappropriately, it could make it more difficult to find the inner stillness necessary for meditation. In this 2.5 hour class, Jim will draw on ancient teachings and parables to help you better understand "the lake of the mind." Afterward, he will lead you through a specially designed sequence of postures and breathwork that will make it effortless to be still and reap the benfits of deep meditation. This class is suitable for all levels. 

Vinyasa from a Tantric Perspective, 2-4:30p

The word vinyasa stems from the Sanskrit word "nyasa," which means "to place." The prefix "vi," in this case, means "in a special way." Thus vinyasa would mean "to place something in a special way." The word tantra translates "to weave" and refers to weaving together the material and spirtual worlds. A tantric vinyasa class is a practice consisting of postures, movemembts, gestures, breathwork, and meditation weaved together in a special way to reach a specific desired result. In this class we will first decide what our desired result will be and then practice in ana intelligent way to get there. This class will be on the more vigorous side and is appropriate for students in good health and strong physical practice.

INSTRUCTOR: Jim Bennitt began his studies in Yoga, Tantra, and Aurveda in 1997. For the next three years, he bounced around from one yoga studio to the next, until he met Paul Weitz, a teacher at Moksha Yoga Center in Chicago. Two classes a week turned into five classes a week and Jim decided he wanted to teach. He completed Moksha's teacher training with Daren Friesen, studied with master teacher Andrey Lappa, and assisted Gabriel Halpern in his therapeutic classes at The Yoga Circle. In 2002, Jim met his teacher, Rod Stryker. Rod's teaching included mantra, meditation, and elements of Ayrveda. Since then, he completed and now assists in severl teacher trainings in Rod's Para Yoga lineage. Jim is also a popular presenter at conferences, workshops, and retreats in the US and abroad and is a co-owner of Tejas Yoga in Chicago.

CONTACT: Living Yoga Center

I'm going to go on a little bit of a frustration rant here... which has nothing to do with Jim Bennitt's workshop, except that it reminded me how discouraging injuries can be. I've mentioned before that I twisted my sacrum in March 2011. After a week-long yoga retreat I came home, got in my car at the airport, twisted to reverse not realizing how much I had loosened up that spine of mine, and crunched my sacrum. Those of you who have/had sacrum issues, you know how painful this can be. Since March, I've been visiting my chiropractor weekly, getting up to walk around at work so I'm not sitting on my twisted sacrum all day, and continue to go to yoga. But my sacrum is getting worse... as is my yoga practice as a result. Last week my chiro decided to do a lower back x-ray to get a closer look at what is going on, and we discovered L4 & L5 are jetting to my right (if you're looking at me) causing my spine to curve that way and my pelvis & sacrum are twisted enough to slightly make my left leg shorter than my right leg. 

After five hours of yoga my sacrum felt so much better, but honestly... there were some poses that were so painful (I obviously stopped going into them), I just found myself at one point in tears from wondering not only when will this be healed, but just when will I start to see improvements. I love my chiropractor, and I plan to continue visits because he does help and I consider him my primary doctor, but if any of you yogis out there have suggestions—I'm all ears. One of my instructors recommended bio-something (I've lost the pamphlet, I'm so unorganized these days, I apologize), which involved moving you further into the injury so the body corrects itself. She's had sacral issues and said it does wonders... but it also costs $70/hr and when I called that therapist she said we'd need to do about 3-4 sessions before I'd see a difference. Don't get me wrong, I completely respect the cost of natural/eastern/non-traditional health care, my dad was an acupuncturist, but I can't afford that. Seriously, when will my health insurance cover the doctors I actually see?!? OK, I need to move on, step off this soap box, kick it to the curb, and apologize for barfing this internal muck on you... but maybe one of you will have ideas. 

OK... Jim Bennitt's workshops. Hooray! I was so excited to be attending a yoga workshop in my home town. We don't get them here that often... or I'm horrible at getting information on these events. Anyway, I immediately signed up for both classes when I heard he was coming here. I really enjoyed the class I took from him at the Yoga Journal Conference—which was on Shodhana: Yogic Purification (see the link to watch a video of Jim demonstrating his practice, it's absolutely beautiful). 

STILLING THE WAKING MIND: This class started off with my 15-20 minutes of talking and taking notes. Here's what I gathered note-wise from it...

It is believed we suffer because we identify with the mind—there are four functions of the mind: 

The arrows on this differ from my notes,
but you get the visual

And the goal is to 

• Calm the Manas (senses) through donating our time to others, meditation on inner light and sound, and/or spend time in nature. 

• Dissolve the Ahamkara (ego) through seva (selfless service), Bhakti Yoga (chanting), and sacred gatherings (the Sanskrit word I wrote down for this isn't popping up in google, I apologize for my inability to hear or write sanskrit properly)—like this workshop I just so happen to be in.

• Empty Chitta (memory) by noticing samskaras (mental patterns) through mantra, pranayama (breathwork), concentration techniques, and meditation. This was talked about a lot in class, because we all cherish our memories so so dearly, right? But it's not about forgetting them, it's about not letting them define you or spending time judging them. What's done is done, today is a new day. 

• Sharpen Buddhi (intellect) through concentration techniques, self study, tapas (self-discipline—an internal heat that burns away impurities, often thought of as only a physical heat created in practice but much more). 

• And all of this to connect to the "fifth quadrant" (as my awesome sister-in-law once joked in reference to something else), called Atman (your inner light/soul).

Random not written down... Patañjali says "Yoga is when the mind stops" 

After our discussion we returned to our mats. Jim chanted a blessing before we started with some sun salutations and eventually held some poses for a longer amount of time... self-discipline to create tapas (sharpen that buddhi of ours). I loved that we were asked to do a headstand, as if it were nothing. It's not common to do a headstand in my daily classes—we do them, but there's just not enough time to include an inversion at the end of every class, let alone with the instruction of doing it in the middle of the room. I opted for the wall still, but I liked the experience of being surrounded by so many talented yogis. So inspiring! After savasana we did, I believe, fifteen minutes of meditation. A practice that I would like to start incorporating into my daily routine, but I've never once done this at home. My friend later recommended, just taking 10 minutes in the middle of the work day to go somewhere quiet and meditate. Which is a great idea, and probably when I need it most. But I would ultimately like to begin and end my day with yoga and some meditation. Goals are good.

Again, whenever I write about these workshops (like I noted for the Yoga Journal Conference), it seems a bit empty. Explaining the poses we did or the techniques we learned is useful, but the best part of the class is experiencing the feeling of yoga. The mental cleansing that comes after a couple of hours of yoga with a large group (yes, you can do this alone, but there's a vibe in a group... hence the importance of sacred gatherings). I can't put it into words gracefully (or even in a fumbling sort of way), but I just want to be sure to note that while the poses are necessary, they're not important. Great lesson to be reminded of. 

VINYASA FROM A TANTRIC PERSPECTIVE: This class had very little talking at the beginning, in fact I didn't take any notes as most of what Jim responded to students' questions with was taught in the first workshop. He did talk about how when people hear the word Tantric they equate it to sex, but quickly pointed out that sex is only a small part in the large world of Tantric yoga. I also liked the fact that Tantric yoga recognizes people living in a material world (I know, I hear Madonna singing now too), and instead of us all isolating ourselves in caves somewhere with out possessions and ultimately distractions—this path of yoga teaches us to appreciate the material objects, but to not become attached to or define ourselves by them. 

This basically was a lot of salutation work, which is why I think my sacrum is feeling better... there is no better way to wake up the entire body than doing a number of sun salutations. I mentioned before that twists were my nemesis for the day, but I had an amazing accomplishment today too. I did my first Wheel Pose (Urdhva Dhanurasana) in my adult years, anyway—held comfortably, arms correct, feet flat on the ground (I do have to thank my friend, Hollis, who I met during this class. She's doing her teacher training currently—while writing her thesis for school, both major accomplishments at the same time is impressive—and she talked me through it some... "arms looks good—work your feet in more pigeon toe—point the knees forward". Thank you Hollis!). It felt amazing!!! It's funny how a pose that is so intimidating or challenging your strength or brain function, when accomplished becomes your new favorite pose and you want to do it all the time. Yep, can't wait to do my next Wheel Pose. 

The last 1/3 of the poses was really a moment for me to sit and watch much more advanced yogis work into arm balances I can't yet do. Hayli has been prepping us in class for Eight-Angle Pose (Astavakrasana), which requires a lot of arm strength because you're basically holding yourself in the position by squeezing the legs to the arm. 

I love watching people go into Eka Pada Koundiyanasana II, it's so amazing to see the body hold these positions—for the flexibility and the strength. It completely inspires me to continue nurturing my body because as Aadil Plkhivala would say, "The body is the home to your soul!" 

Book List: 

Yoga Sutras by Patañjali

The Hatha Yoga Pradipika

Gheranda Samhita

Shiva Samhita

The Heart of Yoga

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