Hi yoga friends,

A few evenings ago I was noticing the tiny, cute thyme flowers in my yard. I grabbed my phone, walked barefoot through the grass and took a picture. The delicate little flowers, the different shades of green and yellow nearby, bird sounds, and the feeling of my bare feet on the cool grass was a full sensory experience that I appreciated.

Feeling your feet directly on the ground can increased proprioception - the detailed map our brain creates about our positioning and posture. Practicing yoga in bare feet also has the side benefit of increasing foot strenght and mobility as a consequence of direct contact with the groung.

Upcoming theme in my on-going weekly classes:

Feet! Toes, ankles, and calves are included too. Practicing in bare feet is step one, and we can intentionally add strength and mobility work here, just like we do for any other part of the body. Why? Because feet are our foundation, and the way our feet interact with the ground has a ripple effect up the chain, to the connection with our core, our posture, and our movement mechanics.

A couple ideas for foot strength and mobility:

Big toe strength and mobility with a resistance band - the big toe helps with arch strength, balance, shock absorption and propelling yourself forward as you walk. Lift your big toe as much as you can and press it to the floor firmly against the resistance of the band. Lots of repetitions!

Foot massage with a ball - There are routines you could look up, but spending a minute on each foot and working all directions and all parts (toes and heels too) is what you want to think about.

Yamas/Niyamas theme:

We've worked our way through the first four yamas, and we'll take a look at the fifth - aparigraha (non-possessiveness). The heart of this yama is about not wanting what we don't have; and a perfect way to bring this to life is through gratitude. Some people find a formal gratitude practice to be really helpful, but formal or informal, gratitude can be beneficial not just for living a moral and ethical life but for increasing happiness and well-being.

Summer Yoga Pop-up:

I'll be offering a six week pop-up class on Wednesdays 10-11:15am at the Chestnut Hill United Church. June 14, 21, 28; July 5, 12, 19. It will include chair and mat work (the chair being used primarily as a prop for balance and weight-bearing poses like downdog and plank). Options to sign up for the whole 6 weeks ($75) or any 4 classes ($50).

Visit jmayyoga.offeringtree.com and register under payments and class packs.

Dates I'll be away this summer:

Sunday on zoom - 6/18, 6/25, 7/30 - these classes will be cancelled

Tuesday at Blue Banyan - 8/8 - hope to have a sub

Friday at the Y - 7/28 - hope to have a sub

Saturday at the Y - 6/24, 7/29 - hope to have a sub

A few Resources:

Two books that are practical guides for a home yoga practice, which include basic, accessible poses are:

• Accessible Yoga by Jivana Heyman
• Yoga For Healthy Aging by Baxter Bell

A foot book:

• Whole Body Barefoot by Katy Bowman (the subtitle is Transitioning to Minimal Footwear, but the book has lots of good info about why we should pay attention to our feet and it has lots of good assessments and exercises too)

Get in touch with questions, thoughts, requests!

hope to see you soon,

Jen