now taking massage appointments

I am happy to announce I am now taking massage appointments. 

I have graduated from school, passed my boards and received my license in the mail. I am taking appointments for Thai Yoga Massage, massage therapy and private yoga lessons. 

Table massage starts at $65 for 1 hour (sessions available for up to 90 minutes) and Thai massage starts at $75 for 1 hour (sessions available for up to 2 hours).

I will be moving my blog to my new website---www.kvlmassage.com---as soon as it's ready. Should be early November.

To make an appointment, call me at 864.704.5605. I am located at the Mia Alexander Salon & Spa, 105 W. Stone Ave, Greenville SC 29609.

Namaste,

Kelly

june yin: balance the heart energy

My Yin Yoga workshops have been expanded to twice a month at North Main Yoga. They will be held regularly on the second and fourth Sundays of the months. The price has been lowered to $15/class.

Classes each month will focus on opening the connective tissue and relubricating joints, as well as balancing one of the bodies energy channels (sometimes called meridians) that relate to the current season. As each season has a particular energy or element connected with it, the energy in our bodies follows a similar path through the organs and channels.

June 14 [4-6 p.m.] opening the spine

June 28 [4-6 p.m.] balancing the heart energy

The heart energy corresponds to the fire of summer. An imbalanced heart energy can lead to worry and sleeplessness, among other things.

April Yin cancelled

My April Yin Yoga class was cancelled at the last minute due to a death in the family late Saturday night. My apologies to anyone who came to the studio expecting class to find the cancellation announcement on the door.

I will be holding two Yin Yoga workshops during May and hopefully each month after, as well. The times will be posted at the studio. The classes will be $15, starting in May.

Thank you in advance for your understanding and your thoughts at this time.

kelly

April Yin Yoga: date change

The date for my April Yin Yoga workshop has changed. It was April 12. It is now April 26, so as not to conflict with Easter celebrations. (the studio will be closed that day).

More than any other time of year, spring is the time to balance the body's liver energy flow. The body experiences a rebirth after winter and needs detoxification as it prepares to meet the extra demands of summer.

As we balance the liver, which directs the energy flow throughout the body and is responsible for filtering and nourishing the blood, we balance and nourish our selves as a whole. Balancing the liver energy relieves symptoms including a feeling of being stuck, slow morning energy, anger and irritability, headaches, a weak immune system, inability to relax and fatigue.

This month's Yin Yoga workshop will stimulate the liver energy channel and offer an introduction to the Yin practice, tips to boost liver energy and a mostly seated Yin flow, with slow movements, deep stretches, long passive holds, guided breathwork and meditation.

This method stretches the connective tissue-- which wrap our muscles, organs and joints-- and flushes out toxins and emotions trapped inside, while strengthening and re-lubricating the joints and spine.

Date: Sunday, April 26
Time: 4-6 p.m.
Cost: $20

it's official! I'm off to massage school in April

I have resigned from the Greenville News (effective April 3) and have made my plans to go to massage school official. I start classes April 7.

I will be attending the Asheville School of Massage & Yoga (Mondays through Wednesdays) from through October. Thursdays through Sundays, I will be back in Greenville giving practice Thai Yoga sessions at my apartment as I continue to study with my teacher, Lia Pardy. Please contact me to set appointments if interested. I will also be posting available appointment times on my blog (to the right) for your convenience.

My teaching schedule at North Main Yoga will be changing, starting the first full week of April:
*I will no longer be teaching my 4 p.m. class Monday through Friday.
*I will keep my Saturday and Sunday morning classes (9-10:15 a.m., $5).
*I will keep my monthly Yin Yoga class (next date is Sunday, April 12, from 4-6).

Thank you for being supportive of my new endeavor. Although it is a little scary to be quitting my job (voluntarily) in this economic climate, I feel truly blessed to have friends, family and students who supported my decision back in September to quit Sports Club (so I would have time to start studying Thai Yoga) and now to cut back on classes so I can go to massage school.

I know on my last day at Work I will feel as if I am no longer being pulled in two directions, and that through combining yoga and bodywork, I will find more harmony and balance in my professional and personal life. I look forward to learning more about yoga, the body, and healing so I have more to give to you in the future.

thanks for giving from your heart

The Valentine's Day yoga fundraiser was a success, thanks to those of you who gave from your heart.

North Main Yoga and Yoganize studio in Greer were able to raise more than $500 together to benefit the Greer Relief shelter. Thanks again to those who made it to the donation classes at both studios and to those who couldn't come, but gave anyway.

share from the heart: a yoga fundraiser for Greer Relief shelter

North Main Yoga (downtown Greenville) and Yoganize (Greer) have partnered together to raise money for Greer Relief on Valentines Day, Feb. 14.

Greer Relief provides emergency support and assistance to individuals and families in economic distress in the form of food, shelter, clothing, utilities, prescriptions and heat. All money donated will go directly to support families in Greer, Taylors, Duncan, Lyman & Wellford.

Donation classes will be held on Feb. 14:

At NMY [http://www.northmainyoga.com/specialevents.html]
Vinyasa Flow [2-3:15] with Liz
Iyengar Style [3:30-4:45] with Janice

At Yoganize [http://www.yoganize.com/Events.html]
All Levels [2 p.m.] with Karen
Meditation on Loving Kindness [3:15 p.m.] with Craig
After Class Social [3:30] with refreshments

thanks and welcome to new yogi friends

Just in case any of my fellow teacher trainees (from Max's January Way of Life teacher training in Greenville) have found my site, I wanted to say welcome and thanks for sharing your time with me. It was wonderful to meet you all, and I wish you well in your journeys.

In case any of you want to share your insights from the training or anything else yoga-related, please send me your thoughts and I will add them as a guest blog. (also, please send me a short bio so I can add you to the guest bloggers list.)

Also, there's the Namaste Greenville site, an online yoga community of students and teachers in the greater Greenville area. The link is on the bottom right.

I would love to add links to your studios or personal sites, as well. Just let me know if you'd be interested.

Also, if anyone planning on coming back to Gville for Jamie's Anatomy training in May is interested, I may have a futon available during your stay. . .

Namaste,
Kelly

max's workshops this weekend; filling up

Just a reminder, everyone. Max's breathing workshops at North Main Yoga this weekend are filling up. The Life in Balance class is already sold out, and there are just a few spaces left in the others.

Please register in advance, as these will sell out. (please don't show up and expect to find a space if you haven't registered and paid in advance.)

His vinyasa flow classes (8:30-10:30 a.m., Jan. 25-31; $20/class. . .held at the Kimah Healing Arts Center on Augusta Road) still have room. Again, please register ahead of time and show up early. Max starts ON time. 8^)

Look forward to seeing you there. . .check the web site for an announcement on parking Saturday morning due to he downtown 5k road race closing some roads.

For more information: http://www.northmainyoga.com/specialevents.html and http://www.kimah.net/.

new year, new you: using intention to find positive change

With the new year, change is on everyone's mind. Any good gym member knows this, which is why they are not surprised when on Jan. 2 the parking lot looks like the mall before Christmas.

This does not create more than a slight inconvenience for the seasoned gym member, because--they know--change is hard to get and most people give up too soon. Which is why the parking lots return to normal about mid-March, if not sooner.

I don't say this to depress you or in any way to dampen the zeal you have for the New Year's resolutions you set (or pretended not to set but thought about in your mind anyway). The problem is our approach to change.

By definition, yoga is change. It is transformative. Anyone who teaches anything different or anything less than that isn't truly teaching yoga. Sure, a yoga class can help you lose weight or firm your abs, but that is just a side benefit. Most importantly, yoga can change your breath, which affects your state of mind . . . and everything about you.

We make two mistakes. (1) we assume we have all the time in the world.

In our mind we say this: "I am 26, I expect to live till I'm 80 (at least, may even go for a Guinness record); therefore, I don't have to do anything truly meaningful for about another 25-30 years."

In reality, all we have is the breath we are breathing now. We are not guaranteed another one. I don't say this to be morbid, just to illustrate the point: how much more deeply would we breathe, how much more closely would we see the world around us. . .if we remembered that only This Moment matters?

We also make another mistake. (2) we make war on our present condition.

So we want to change our quick temper. We've finally faced the truth and decided we don't want to end up like our mother (or substitute some relative/boss/neighbor here). So in our minds, our anger becomes something bad--something to be gotten rid of or destroyed. It is now the enemy.

All we have done is create a mini-war within ourselves. Instead, we should use our energy to transform one thing (our anger, worry, fear, tension, procrastination, passive aggressiveness, gossiping, depression, puppy mind) into something new.

Try this: create a personal, two-word positive-negative intention, perhaps something you want to remember this whole year. Think of something you want more of in your life or something you want to be more like (i.e. more patient, strong, calm, content, happy, etc.). Also, think of something you want to release from your life, or an obstacle you want to move past.

Boil both of these--the positive and negative--down into one or two words each. Now use them as a personal mantra. In class (or in your car or wherever) chant the positive word on your inhale and the negative word on your exhale. Breathe in what you want more of, and breathe out what you want to release. With Each breath.

We change change our breath. Our breath will change our mind. Through our yoga practice, we can substitute one state of mind for another, and that will change our lives.

Someone asked me recently, what can yoga do for you? I said: everything. It can change your life, if you let it.
Happy New Year. May it be one of transformation.
Kelly

[thanks to Jamie Elmer for teaching me this intention]