YOGA FOR HIKERS

Sunday, May 4th
3:30- 5:30 PM

Cost: $45 (Annual members receive 20% discount) 

The hiking season is upon us, and the beautiful lakes, forests, and mountains await! Come practice and learn yoga designed just for the needs of hikers. We will take time to investigate movement that will take care of our ankles, knees, hips, and backs so they can carry us on our adventures. Beginners are welcome, but a prior introduction to yoga        would be of benefit.

“Participating in a Trance Dance gives the opportunity to connect more clearly with your heart,” says Alec Davis, facilitator of the Trance Dance events.  “All of us spend a great deal of time in our rational mind; this is the chance to really listen to our heart versus our head.”

Trance Dance is a unique blend of body movement, healing sounds, dynamic percussive rhythms, transformational breathing techniques and the innovative use of a blindfold or bandana - together stimulating a 'trance' state that promotes spiritual awakenings, mental clarity, physical stamina and emotional well-being. Driven by unique musical soundtracks recorded specifically for this method of healing, Trance Dance takes participants on an 'inner journey' not limited to our normal perceptions of space/time. Ritual trance journeys have been a vital part of shamanic and eastern dance cultures for thousands of years.

Alec will lead Trance Dance at Maya Whole Health on  April 26th, from 6:30- 8:30 PM 
Bring a water bottle, bandana, and intention 

Pre-Registration is strongly recommended. Register Here

For more information about Trance Dance visit http://www.trancedance.com

The Principles of Home Yoga Practice: by Kara Leah Grant

1. Have no expectations of what a home practice “should” look like. Instead, give yourself permission to explore your home practice on your mat with an open mind.
2. Begin simply with the intention of getting on your mat for “five minutes to see what happens.”
3. Always, always, always listen to your breath, follow your breath, pay attention to your breath. Your breath is your teacher – if it’s strained, back off, if if you’re breathing through your mouth, back off, if you’re gasping for air, back off.
4. Always listen to your body and never go into anything that’s painful. Discomfort is ok -use the breath to surrender to it. But pain is a signal that your body is not ready for that posture yet.
5. Remember that alignment is simply A-Line-Ment – things line up. So if you can’t remember the posture exactly, examine your body and make sure that everything lines up – ankles in line with knees, knees in line with hips, hands in line with shoulders. Very rarely are there strange angles in yoga – instead think mathematically. This is parallel to that, or that is perpendicular to this.
6. The order of postures is simple – begin with warm-up postures, for example child’s pose, or legs up the wall. Transition into standing postures. Finish standing postures with balancing postures. Practice some floor postures. Always end with a closing sequence – in my classes we use bridge pose, a reclining twist, and corpse pose.
7. Pay attention to what your internal guidance is saying from posture to posture. Your body KNOWS what it needs to do next, and when you surrender to it’s natural flow, you can harness this and intuitively do the postures in an order which systematically opens up the body. So if you come out of a series of sun salutations and a thought pops up, “I really feel like surrendering into a forward bend right now,” then honour that thought.
8. If your body wants to move in new and unexpected ways, allow it to, staying connected to your breath and paying attention to how your body feels from the inside out. Don’t allow the mind to squash the impulse with a thought like “Oh that’s not a real posture.” What is a “real” posture? And how do you think the very first yogis learned yoga? They learned it by allowing it to blossom from within.
9. Don’t skip savasana. You’re at home, so hopefully have some time. This is your opportunity to REALLY explore savasana. It’s your meditative posture where amazing things can happen. So when it comes to the end, allow yourself the great gift of surrendering into savasana for ten minutes, or even twenty minutes. Don’t drift off into sleep though – maintain that conscious awareness!
10. Enjoy yourself! This is your practice, it’s a joyful exploration of the internal landscape of your body. Smile when you’re in the postures, congratulate yourself for getting on to your mat, give yourself a pat on the back when you finish. You’re giving yourself the greatest gift ever when you practice at home – the gift of spending time with yourself.

For the full article visit http://theyogalunchbox.co.nz/how-to-build-a-home-yoga-practice/

This Sunday, April 13th, 2014, Maya Whole Health will be serving as a sponsor for the  Seahawks 12K Run, which benefits A Better Seattle. ABS is a Seattle Seahawks community initiative led by Head Coach Pete Carroll. ABS works to reduce Seattle area youth and gang violence by forging partnerships that generate opportunities for at-risk youth to take control of their lives and strive for better futures. They partner with the YMCA of Greater Seattle’s Alive and Free program and the Seattle Youth Violence Prevention Initiative to mobilize critical resources to transform the lives of youth.

We have cancelled all of our morning classes in support of this event.  Please join us, along with a few current and former Seahawks players, at 1:00 PM for our Community Benefit Class with Michelle Peterson.  This class will be offered on a donation-only basis, with all proceeds going directly to the Cascade Valley Hospital Foundation- Oso Landslide Relief Fund.  This fund is totally directed by a group of trusted local leaders from this tight-knit community, folks from the frontline of nonprofit, small business, faith, and volunteer fire department , who are taking requests directly from affected community members and doing outreach to determine community needs in the wake of this disaster.  


This effort has a special place in the hearts of many of the Maya community, who have direct connections through family, friends, and through our Yoga & Nature retreats series, as we typically travel through that community on our way to the North Cascades Environmental Learning Center each month.   Read more about the Maya connection to the Community Benefit Partner of the month. 

Interested in participating in the 12K or 5k run this Sunday?? Join the Maya Life Lovers team!  Use discount code MayaLifeLove to receive $10 off registration fees.  


And keep yourself fit and ready for all sorts of fun events throughout the summer with Maya classes geared towards repetitive motion athletes:: 

Yoga for Runners and Other Athletes w/  Alec Davis
Mondays @ 6:30 PM 
Life Strength Conditioning w/Yamar Washington 
Tuesdays @ 4:30PM, Thursdays @ 6:30AM, Fridays @3:30PM
Restorative Viniyoga w/Kristen Swanzy O'Connor
Wednesdays @ 9:30AM
Restorative Yin Yoga
w/Heidi Keith, Thursdays @ 10AM
w/Sarah Jordan, Tuesdays @ 7:15PM
w/Suzanne Marquardt, Thursdays @ 7:15PM


Whether our on the race course or in our 1PM class, we look forward to seeing you Sunday!

We are pleased to be welcoming Dr. Yipei Lin to our team of excellent healthcare practitioners at Maya!  Dr. Lin offers a wide variety of treatment modalities including acupuncture, Eastern and Western herbal medicine, manual therapy, moxibustion, cupping, counseling, nutritional consultation, homeopathy and more. With the addition of Dr. Lin to our staff, we will be able to provide you with an ever broader scope of holistic health and wellness possibilities.  

Dr. Lin is a Naturopath Doctor, East Asian Medicine Practitioner, and Licensed Acupuncturist in the state of Washington. She focuses on family medicine, pain management, gastroenterology, endocrinology and rheumatology. She graduated from Bastyr University with a doctorate degree in Naturopathic Medicine, master degree in Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine. She is also a diplomate of National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (NCCAOM) in Acupuncture and Chinese Herbal Medicine. Prior to this, she completed her bachelor degree in psychology at University of Oregon. Dr. Lin completed a fellowship in Oriental Medicine in the Teaching Hospital of Chengdu Traditional Chinese Medicine. While doing her clinical training at Bastyr University, she was a Nutrition Research Assistant for Dr. Alan Gaby, MD, who published the textbook, Nutritional Medicine. Dr. Lin was also an Oncology Research Assistant for Dr. Leanna Standish, PhD, ND, Lac, who is a medical director of Bastyr Integrative Oncology Research Center (BIORC) and a clinical research professor at the Bastyr University Research Institute. Dr. Lin integrates both Western and Eastern Medicines to address the cause of illness and promote the nature of self-healing. Dr. Lin listens carefully to patients, and fully addresses issues of body, mind and spirit to develop treatment plans to obtain optimal health and full life enjoyment.

Dr. Lin will be available to see patients at Maya Whole Health beginning April 14th.  Appointments available Sunday-Thursday, on a varied schedule, including some early morning and evening options.  Call us today at 425.271.0200 to schedule an appointment.

April Community Benefit Class

Sunday, April 13th
1:00- 2:15 PM




We will continue to collect donations through the month of April.

See more or make  a donation at:
http://www.youcaring.com/nonprofits/-cascade-valley-hospital-foundation-disaster-fund/154422#sthash.WeEE5RKG.dpuf