It’s not all about bending like a pretzel……
Drop into today for FREE Yoga in the Park
8:15-9:15 am
Civic Green Park, Highlands Ranch

Lead off instructor: Meghan Ecklund with Co-instructor Sasha
All of our instructors Volunteer their time to the community, so come join us today as we practice our annual SEVA

A Program of NamasteWorks Yoga + Wellness 
Offered every Wednesday and Saturday morning for FREE from June 4th through September 3rd

Morning FREE Yoga at the Park
8:15-9:15, Civic Green Park, Highlands Ranch

Join Renee and Jenny your yoga instructors today
A one hour journey into your Luminous Self
…Connecting you with one of the 5 Elements
Must be at least 18 yr of age and sign in on Park Waiver

Brought to you by: NamasteWorks Yoga + Wellness, the Highlands Ranch Metro District, Stonewear Designs

Free Yoga in the Park – Opening Day June 4
Meet The Instructors – Sue Khodarahmi, RYT

This is Sue’s second year offering SEVA at Free Yoga in the Park. Sue found yoga in 1993, when a friend recommended she try it to relieve her back pain. It worked, and she’s been practicing ever since. After trying many different sty…les of yoga, she returned to the classical style of hatha yoga that first inspired her, and she received her teaching certification from the Shambhava School in 2009. Her classes are energetic and fun, with an emphasis on core and upper-body strength and flexibility. When she’s not teaching, Sue is a freelance editor who also finds time to knit and tend to her vegetable garden.

3rd Annual – FREE YOGA IN THE PARK – June 4-September 3

Finding inner peace this summer is as simple as stepping outdoors and onto the mat. NamasteWorks Yoga + Wellness, and the Highlands Ranch Metro District have teamed up again to offer a third year of FREE YOGA IN THE PARK. held at Civic Green Park, Highlands Ranch, from 8:15-9:15 a.m. every Wednesday and Saturday starting June 4 through September 3. (Excluded dates, June 11th & 18th). Join 9 amazing teachers and several hundred participants as we roll out our mats and greet the day with Yoga. Presenting Sponsors, NamasteWorks Yoga and Highlands Ranch Metro District. Participating Sponsors, Stonewear Designs, and the Colorado Lottery. This is one big community event, you don’t want to miss. Participants must be 18 years or older and sign a park waiver, prior to participation.

“This year our theme is an exploration of the Five Elements –  Earth, Water, Fire, Air and Space.  These five elements are the building blocks of all of life, and help us create balance and health in our lives,” said Nancy Levenson, Founder of NamasteWorks Yoga + Wellness.

National Yoga Month, recognized by the US Department of Health & Human Services the entire month of September, is designed to build awareness of yoga’s proven health benefits and inspire people to participate in free classes and events nationwide. Launched in 2008, the initiative has taken root as a global awareness campaign, educating, inspiring and motivating people to achieve a healthy lifestyle. This year, over 2,000 free classes and events are being held nationwide. Yoga Month is coordinated by the Yoga Health Foundation, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization and locally, NamasteWorks Yoga + Wellness, is sponsoring free classes through September 4 at the annual Free Yoga In the Park, Highlands Ranch.

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One of my favorite scenes in City Slickers, starring Billy Crystal, is when he returns from his yahoo adventure and greets his wife at the airport. He holds up his index finger to his mouth and says, “Look what I found” as he exuberantly displays a wide smile. If you saw the movie, you know he had just had a mid-life birthday, felt trapped in his career and seemed unhappy in his life. He sets out on an adventure in search of a magic elixir to curb his depression and what he finds is a smile.

Imagine that –something as simple as a smile can change one’s emotions and reignite joy inside the body. Physiologically, a smile helps to increase endorphins, a brain chemical sent through the nervous system. These endorphins act as a barrier to stress and pain and increase a state of euphoria.

In my therapeutic practice, I have many clients who come to me no longer smiling. Whether its bodily pain, physical stress or emotional drains, the loss of a smile can have a tremendous impact on one’s health.

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A recent class I held, “Sensitive Soles – Yoga for the Feet,” is an example of how yoga therapy can help increase awareness of the body, breath and mind. The gift of yoga is that it heightens our own internal awareness of how our body feels from day-to-day and how it functions as a balanced unit. When any one element of the body is out of balance, the entire structure suffers as other parts of the body compensate for any weaknesses. Yoga therapy is designed to help bring balance to the physical, energy, emotional, wisdom and bliss body – known in yoga as the Five Koshas.

Yoga therapy is receiving a lot of attention these days, not just by students but by the medical profession. According to a 2008 Yoga Journal Study, one significant trend to emerge from the study is the use of yoga as medical therapy. According to the study, 6.1%, or nearly 14 million Americans, say that a doctor or therapist has recommended yoga to them. In addition, nearly half (45%) of all adults agree that yoga would be a beneficial if they were undergoing treatment for a medical condition.

The group that participated in the yoga for the feet program learned first-hand the importance of bringing sensitivity back to the feet and maintaining awareness of tactile sensation. Keeping the sensors between the feet and mind open and active helps create early awareness to any potential  issues. When we feel from the inside out we become our own best advocates to optimal health.

©NamasteWorks Yoga + Wellness, LLC, http://www.namasteworksyoga.com, by: Nancy Levenson

Location: PLEASE NOTE NEW LOCATION -Fireside Lounge – Wind Crest Retirement Community, 3235 Mill Vista Road – Highlands Ranch, Co 80126

Start Time: 11:30 am
Date: Wednesday, November 18, 2009
End Time: 1:00 pm

Description: Join Highlands Ranch Senior Outreach Services and NamasteWorks Yoga + Wellness for a program designed to help bring sensitivity back into your feet. The feet are the body’s foundation and every step you take impacts how the rest of the body moves and responds. When your feet are out of balance, the knees, the hips and ultimately the whole spine may be affected.

 In this gentle senior yoga practice, you will learn how to reconnect and re-ground through the feet. Come prepared to remove your socks and shoes, spread the toes, enliven the feet and practice a few poses. You must be comfortable standing and moving to participate. Each participant will have a chair for support.

This hour and a half long program will be taught by Nancy Levenson, an advanced teacher of yoga therapy. Nancy currently runs her own business, NamasteWorks Yoga + Wellness and has been guiding the yoga practice at Wind Crest Retirement Community for more than two years.

 For full details and to register for this free program click here

©NamasteWorks Yoga + Wellness, LLC, http://www.namasteworksyoga.com, by: Nancy Levenson

Record numbers of first-timers are coming out to participate in Free Yoga in the Park, a joint promotion NamasteWorks Yoga + Wellness is running in collaboration with the Highlands Ranch Metro District. Newcomers are finding out how being a Warrior in the Park can transform into strength, vitality and concentration in real life.

Park Warriors

Sometimes individuals are hesitant to try yoga because they feel they may have to twist into a pretzel or stand on their head. The real message behind yoga is standing on your own two feet. Not only in the traditional sense of balancing, but using yoga as a guide to your inner self and grounding you for whatever may come your way. I’m delighted to see so many new faces step onto the mat for the first time through this outdoor promotion.

I’ve been taking informal polls each week at Yoga in the Park. The latest information reveals that almost half of the crowds are experiencing yoga for the first time and weeks into the free program, almost half are now indicating they have been to at least five or more Free Yoga in the Park practice sessions.

Whether it’s moving into Warrior, Eagle, Locust, Downward Facing Dog, or balancing in Tree Pose yoga is a an opportunity for everyone to step into their own skin and find union not only between mind, body and breath, but union with every living thing.

©NamasteWorks Yoga + Wellness, LLC, http://www.namasteworksyoga.com, Nancy Levenson.

“It is an inspiring and invigorating experience to meet on Wednesday mornings with a variety of people in Highlands Ranch to undertake a yoga class. The instructor is graceful, kind, and very practiced in the art of the discipline of yoga. The choice of venues is perfect and the support of this activity by the Metro District is awesome. I highly recommend this event to everyone.” Diane M.

Join Diane and others at the Free Yoga in the Park at Highlands Ranch Civic Green Park. Please share your experience of practicing outdoors in this beautiful venue.

FREE YOGA IN THE PARK SCHEDULE Click here