Wow, you're incredibly good looking. And smart. Do you do yoga?

Hi Everyone,

I hope you are having an amazing summer so far! I'm excited to bring you not one but TWO glorious Geek Yoga classes this month: mark your calendars for Thursday, August 8 and August 22 at 7pm!

I just got back from three weeks of travel that at one point landed me in my first Mysore Ashtanga class in Boulder, CO. What the heck is that? A form of yoga (named after it's city of origin in India) with no verbal instruction — just everyone practicing the same sequence at their own pace (yeahhh, I definitely had a cheat sheet). It's the first time in many years of yoga that I felt like a true, bumbling, confused beginner again.

And you know what? Contrary to feeling as stupid as I anticipated I would going in, I actually had FUN. Every moment required eyes-wide-open awareness, and a lot of hard physical work. I was proud of myself for just showing up!

So, no matter what level you're at, come out to play with us this month! I teach Slow Vinyasa Flow classes that are accessible, fun, and a great way to unwind from the stressors of daily working life. Plus — it might even boost your brain power — more on that below.

Namaste,
Jenny

All classes are $15, held at The Yoga Collective (on 29th between 6th and 7th). The schedule is listed in full on my website. If you use Google Calendar and would like to view the entire schedule alongside your own, click here, then click on the small Google Calendar logo in the lower right-hand corner to add this to your calendars.

GEEK OUT: YOGA 101

Boost Your Brain with Just 20 Minutes of Yoga

Yes folks, that's right — a recent study on the relationship of yoga to executive function found that just 20 minutes of yoga improves your brain power.

I'm going to cheat on writing my yoga article today and excerpt the HuffPo article in full, which is a great recap of the study's findings. So . . . not that you needed another excuse to join us in August, but just think of how smart you'll be after TWO whole hours of yoga this month!

HuffPo: What 20 Minutes of Yoga Does for Your Brain

Just 20 minutes of yoga could help your brain function better, according to a small new study. Researchers found that people did better -- both speed-wise and accuracy-wise -- on brain functioning tests after just 20 minutes of Hatha yoga, compared with aerobic exercise.

"It appears that following yoga practice, the participants were better able to focus their mental resources, process information quickly, more accurately and also learn, hold and update pieces of information more effectively than after performing an aerobic exercise bout," study researcher Neha Gothe, a professor of kinesiology, health and sport studies at the university, said in a statement. Gothe conducted the study while a graduate student at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

"The breathing and meditative exercises aim at calming the mind and body and keeping distracting thoughts away while you focus on your body, posture or breath. Maybe these processes translate beyond yoga practice when you try to perform mental tasks or day-to-day activities," he added.

The study, published in the Journal of Physical Activity and Health, included 30 young female college students who underwent 20 minutes of yoga followed by meditation and deep breathing, as well as 20 minutes of aerobic exercise (jogging on a treadmill).

Researchers had the participants do cognitive testing after the yoga session and after the aerobic exercise session, and they found that the scores were better on the tests after the yoga session than the aerobic exercise.

"Enhanced self-awareness that comes with meditational exercises is just one of the possible mechanisms," Gothe said in the statement. "Besides, meditation and breathing exercises are known to reduce anxiety and stress, which in turn can improve scores on some cognitive tests."

» Visit My Website

Upcoming Classes

THURS	August 8	7:00 - 8:00 pm
THURS	January 19	7:00 - 8:00 pm

DOSE O' INSPIRATION

"Progress takes time. It's not like switching on a light. More like kindling a fire: start from a small spark, then becomes bigger and bigger, more light, more light."

—Daiai Lama, as quoted in Shambhala Sun Magazine

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