Last night we attended a concert featuring the so, so talented Emily Hope Price, alternative cellist at Avenues Studio in Salt Lake. She was A-MAZ-ING! Check her out:
November 22, 2009
November 05, 2009
New Yoga Schedule!!!
Black Sheep Yoga is thrilled to announce:
The new class schedule November 9th through December for yoga held at US Bank Building located at 170 S. Main Street, Salt Lake City!
Rates:
First class is FREE
Drop-ins: $5.00 per class
Monthly Unlimited: $25.00
Classes begin November 9th
Yoga classes are taught either in the gym downstairs or
in the studio room on the seventh floor (courtesy of Ambre Energy).
Please check the gym door to see where class will be held each day.
Mondays 7am-8am: Charge!
An invigorating vinyasa (flow) style class to power you up for the week ahead.
Tuesdays 5:15-6:15pm: Power Trip
A strengthening, challenging practice focusing on building a powerful core.
Wednesdays 7am-8am: Recharge
A warming vinyasa class to keep you going strong the rest of the week.
Thursdays 5:15-6:15pm: Bliss
A relaxing, restorative practice designed to bring you time for yourself, flexibility and peace of mind. Optionally, bring a blanket and/or pillow to this class.
Friday 7am-8am:
A beautiful practice of pranayama techniques with emphasis of deepening yoga postures in a powerful way. Designed to build strength and flexibility with breath.
There will not be class on Thanksgiving, the day after Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve or Christmas Day
Affordable yoga mats are available for purchase.
Contact Black Sheep Yoga at
for more info or to find out how to attend a class!
Namaste,
Adrienne
October 29, 2009
Black Sheep Yoga, LLC is Open For Business!!!
Calling all sheep, and all non-sheep!
Check it out:
It's here! Black Sheep Yoga, LLC, and owner Adrienne Martain Black are thrilled to announce that...
...we are open for business!!!
Upcoming Events
- Adrienne will be teaching FREEIntro to Yoga classes at Centered City Yoga at 5:30pm on Sunday, November 1st and on Sunday, November 8th. Come get the basics in this 60 minute class and check out this awesome studio owned by D'ana Baptiste!!!
- Adrienne will begin teaching eclectic, fun yoga classes for all levels of yogis at the US Bank building located on 170S. Main Street in Downtown Salt Lake on Monday, November 9th, Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays 7am-8am and Tuesdays and Thursdays 5:15-6:15pm. Email Black Sheep Yoga if you are interested in coming.
- Adrienne would love to schedule an individual appointment with you, or a group class or a "Yoga Party"! Email Adrienne to work out details.
Subscribe to this page for all of the good updates, including:
- Where you can plan to find Adrienne teaching yoga
- Great information on health and fitness
- "Fo' real" product reviews on yoga and wellness products
- Other exciting events going on in the Salt Lake area
- And much more!
More about Black Sheep Yoga
Black Sheep Yoga was started by Adrienne in 2009, following her completion of a 600 hour comprehensive yoga certification under D'ana Baptiste. Adrienne has studied a wide range of yoga styles, but has a style all her own.
Black Sheep Yoga was Adrienne's vision for a yoga company different from "the rest of the flock." Black Sheep Yoga is for ALL types of human "sheep," who maybe just want to shake things up a bit, or who are tired of trying to fit in and just want to be accepted for who they are. These sheep come in all shapes, colors and sizes and from all different backgrounds but they all have one thing in common:
They all want to do some yoga!
Contact Black Sheep Yoga at:
Ask questions, leave comments, or schedule a yoga event with Adrienne!
October 21, 2009
Practicing Mindfulness in Every Day Life
I haven't written in a couple of days because I've been stuck in a bit of a...I guess I would call it a funk. It's not really that I feel sad or down, but that I've felt very reflective and quiet. I have this great desire to sit somewhere and take in the whole world moving around me rather than be a part of the world. It's a strange feeling, but peaceful on the whole.
My daily work as an analyst allows me to become even more disjointed from the busy buzzing of the world around me. I am able to be absorbed in my task, be it spreading tax returns, writing up reviews or analyzing company financials. I get "in the zone," which is a very productive place to be. It's also meditative in a way.
I can feel similarly when I am teaching yoga. Yesterday I taught a one-on-one class to a student, and instead of stressing I just let it flow. My voice was softer than usual and had less edge. The process felt more natural and I more easily guided the student to get the benefit out of the poses. Perhaps this is a sign that I am starting to really become a teacher of yoga, as in "union of body, mind and spirit," instead of just a teacher of poses? I hope so.
Most people go through phases like this, and the fortunate get a little bit of that "in the zone" feeling on a daily basis through the work they do. It's a sign that one enjoys one's work - not that one actually enjoys being in the zone, because the feeling much surpasses enjoyment. It's a feeling of total focus, a feeling that the job comes naturally. It's a creative feeling and it happens when you really know how to do your job. It can happen to anyone, in any job. I used to get it when I waited tables at a restaurant. I know that job function doesn't sound very meditative, but when you've been doing it for eight years, which I did, it becomes natural and even soothing in a way.
Surgeons often express this same meditative, soothing sensation when performing meticulous surgeries. I just read this article, "How Mindfulness Can Make for Better Doctors," in the New York Times. One doctor interviewed for the article summed it up as follows: “Mindfulness allows us to be in a whole host of situations with a sense of equanimity. We don’t get sucked into how charged an experience is but are simply having that experience.” Mindfulness is the practice of being present. Unfortunately, not every surgeon allows themselves to "get in the zone," instead, allowing themselves to be bombarded with text messages during surgery, etc.
You know when you have someone truly mindful working for you. This is the person who looks you in the eye, probably talks only when they really have something meaningful to say, and takes the effort to remember what you say.
Being this person, no matter what one's job function is, can be very difficult. We are living in a society wherein we are alway trying to out-yell each other, screaming, "Me, me, me," over a speakerphone all day. Or maybe you are working in a job you have decided does not bring you gratification. Still, if you practice mindfulness, the practice of sitting back and absorbing the world rather than jumping in and trying to make the world revolve around you, and letting your intuition and focus take it from there, chances are you can make any type of work into a mindful practice.
Like most people, I am not mindful all of the time. That is why I am thrown off when I get in a mindful "funk." It's sort of melancholy to be stuck in a mindful state because it makes me realize, all over again, that I am not the center of the universe. But only through this mindfulness and the practice of using this mindfulness for the greatest good, can one really create yoga in one's daily life.
How have you practiced mindfulness today?
Namaste,
-Adrienne
October 19, 2009
October 16, 2009
Black Sheep Yoga, LLC is Launching Soon!
Yoga instructor Adrienne Martain Black is launching her own yoga company!
Have you ever felt a bit "sheepish," like you didn't quite fit in, or maybe you just didn't want to follow the rest of the herd? Black Sheep Yoga is for you!
Yoga instruction is tailored to your personal needs and goals by Adrienne!
Adrienne is in the final stages of completing an intensive 600-hour yoga teacher training program under the fabulous D'ana Baptiste, owner of Centered City Yoga.
Adrienne is well versed in many yoga methods and styles, but has a style all her own. She offers experienced yoga instruction in everything from high-intensity "power" yoga to prenatal.
Available for private instruction, group classes and corporate events, Black Sheep Yoga is where you fit in.
Check out the Black Sheep Yoga Blog here: http://www.caffeinatedepiphany.typepad.com/black_sheep_yoga/
Stay tuned for updates!!!
October 15, 2009
Healthy Alternative Household Cleaners
| Household Cleaner | Alternative |
|---|---|
| Drain cleaner | Use a plunger or plumber's snake. |
| Oven cleaner | Clean spills as soon as the oven cools using steel wool and baking soda; for tough stains, add salt (do not use this method in self-cleaning or continuous-cleaning ovens). |
| Glass cleaner | Mix 1 tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice in 1 quart of water. Spray on and use newspaper to wipe dry. |
| Toilet bowl cleaner | Use a toilet brush and baking soda or vinegar. (This will clean but not disinfect.) |
| Furniture polish | Mix 1 teaspoon of lemon juice in 1 pint of mineral or vegetable oil, and wipe furniture. |
| Rug deodorizer | Deodorize dry carpets by sprinkling liberally with baking soda. Wait at least 15 minutes and vacuum. Repeat if necessary. |
| Silver polish | Boil 2 to 3 inches of water in a shallow pan with 1 teaspoon of salt, 1 teaspoon of baking soda, and a sheet of aluminum foil. Totally submerge silver and boil for 2 to 3 more minutes. Wipe away tarnish. Repeat if necessary. (Do not use this method on antique silver knives. The blade will separate from the handle.) Another alternative is to use nonabrasive toothpaste. |
| Plant sprays | Wipe leaves with mild soap and water; rinse. |
| Mothballs | Use cedar chips, lavender flowers, rosemary, mint, or white peppercorns. |
| Flea and tick products | Put brewer's yeast or garlic in your pet's food; sprinkle fennel, rue, rosemary, or eucalyptus seeds or leaves around animal sleeping areas. |
Additional guidelines:
*If you do store a homemade mixture, make sure it is properly labeled and do not store it in a container that could be mistaken for food or beverage.
*When preparing alternatives, mix only what is needed for the job at hand and mix them in clean, reusable containers. This avoids waste and the need to store any cleaning mixture.
*DO NOT mix anything with a commercial cleaning agent.
Using Yoga to Defy Death
Just read a harrowing article in the NY Times, "The Art of Defying Death."
The writer, Elizabeth Kadetsky, describes how she pulls on inner strength learned from the practice of yoga to save her own life. She summons these yogic powers during a brutal, and what otherwise would have been deadly, physical attack.
Following survival of the attack, Kadetsky used yoga again, this time to heal, and ultimately even to forgive her attacker. It's an amazing story.
Bottom line:
Through yoga, we can learn just how powerful we are, mind, body and spirit. We are incredibly powerful creatures with huge potential.
Knowledge of this inner power and strength can be a life saver on a daily basis, mentally, physically and spiritually.
Namaste.
October 14, 2009
Getting Back to Balance: Chakra Exercise
The ancient yogis believed that the human body, mind and spirit were comprised of spinning energy bodies they called "chakras." They believed that these chakras ran up the length of the spine, all the way up to the crown of the head, and when the chakras started spinning out of sync with each other, the body/mind/spirit was brought out of balance.
Whether or not these spinning energy bodies really exist is up for debate, but regardless, we can use the idea of chakras to bring ourselves back into balance or to "heal" imbalances. Balance (noun) is "a state of equilibrium." It is also, "an instrument for weighing, especially one that opposes equal weights." Through the practice of yoga, the body, mind and spirit are driven to union and balance is achieved.
We can all feel when we're "having one of those days." By "those days," I mean one of those days when we're just out of whack. I had an out-of-whack day recently, when I started the morning out by locking myself out of my house. After getting the locksmith to come open it for me, which took me an hour, I proceeded to forget to add an essential ingredient to a pie I was making. The wackiness continued into the next day, when I forgot what day it was due to the holiday weekend. The resulting scenario was me missing a yoga class that I was supposed to be teaching. (Luckily, my students forgave me and showed up to yoga class the next day.)
Hurting for balance, I decided to give some chakra balancing techniques a shot. I was skeptical, but remembered how powerful intention can be. By intending balance, we can often center and balance ourselves. One way to intend balance is through a practice of imagining our chakras becoming balanced.
I sat in the comfort of my home, dimmed the lights, changed into comfortable clothes, and sat in a cross-legged position on my mat. I closed my eyes. I began to notice and pay attention to the cadence of my breath. I felt the breath move in and out of my nose, and in and out of my lungs. I began to picture my breath moving up the length of my spine on each inhale, spinning each chakra like pinwheels along the way until it came out of the crown of my head at the top of my inhale. As I exhaled, I imagined each chakra spinning from crown to pelvic floor.
I began to picture the chakras with their corresponding traditional colors and names as I breathed. "Mu-lad-hara," I said, picturing the first chakra as a glowing red lotus. "Sva-dish-tana," I said slowly, imagining the beautiful orange second chakra in my low belly. "Man-i-pura," I smiled. The name of the third chakra means filled with jewels. Bright yellow. "An-a-ha-ta," I chanted, imagining the heart chakra region glowing green. "Vish-ud-ha," I said, feeling my throat chakra radiating bright blue. "Aj-na," I spoke, feeling my "third eye" area pulse indigo. Finally, "Sa-has-rrara," I purred, feeling purple shine out from my crown chakra. I paused, allowing all of the chakras to radiate out at once from my body in my visualization.
Returning again to my breath, I paused again on each chakra, whispering the name. I felt balance begin to move throughout my body. I realized something I had known all along, before I was ever told anything about chakras:
Yoga is not about believing in every thing you hear. Yoga is about practice - the practice of balance. And however you practice getting balanced and maintaining balance, that is your yoga. It is through this practice - whatever practice that is - that we can get a better understanding of just who we are and through that understanding, achieve our best selves.
So, keep an open mind, and try out a chakra meditation.
Namaste!
Caffeinated Epiphany
Hi, I'm Adrienne, a 20-something gal with zero kids, one loving ski-bum husband and two cats, trying to live life to the fullest, each and every day.
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