Africa Yoga Project. Handstands, Hugs and Happiness Tour at Spotted Dog Yoga

Join us for a very special evening as we host TWO teachers from the Africa Yoga Project at Spotted Dog Yoga! Admission to this class is $20 and goes directly to support the Africa Yoga Project! A VERY BIG thank you to Baptiste Yoga and Baptiste Yoga San Francisco for making this possible for our community!

Africa Yoga Project at Spotted Dog Yoga in Folsom, Ca

Hugs, Handstands and Happiness Tour at Spotted Dog Yoga in Folsom, Ca.

Hugs. Handstands. Happiness. We can not think of three other words that describe walking into to the Africa Yoga Project Shine Center, the community based yoga center where hundreds of people practice yoga weekly. in Nairobi, Kenya.

We are very excited to bring the contagious energy, enthusiasm and effectiveness of AYP to Spotted Dog Yoga in Folsom, California.

The Africa Yoga Project  (AYP) transforms the lives of disadvantaged young people through expanding employment in the growing health and wellbeing sector, turning forgotten members of society into role models and community leaders. Drawn from ethnic and regional backgrounds from across Kenya and raised in the informal settlements of Nairobi, AYP teachers reach as many as 6,000 people per week through free outreach classes, and bring positive and transformative messages to communities!

DONATE MONEY TO PURCHASE TICKETS*

*Please put the name(s) of attendees in the comment bar to reserve your spot!

Community Feature! Meet Lena Morton!

Meet Lena Morton (otherwise known as LeeLee, Mommy or Boss)! Lena and her high school sweetheart, Adam, have been together for 15 years and married for 10. They have two wonderful children who are the light of their life, Isabelle (8) and Austin (4). The Morton family also has a beagle named Callie (or Cali-Bunga as the kiddos call her) who is 12 years young, energetic and obsessed with playing fetch. They all love boating, camping, softball/baseball and pretty much anything outdoors…this family is on the go ALL of the time!

Lena is half Lebanese, speaks Arabic, lived in Lebanon for 4 years and loves the culture. She is a registered dental hygienist who LOVES to read and cook. Lena has a bucket list that gets longer every year! She has completed some things on it such as finishing a Tough Mudder Challenge in Tahoe (2016) and running a half marathon (2014).

Lena has been practicing yoga at SDY since July 2016, which has become a newfound LOVE! Her yoga practice has helped feed the balance she was seeking and she also finds herself being PRESENT in each moment, taking each day one at a time and utilizing ujjayi breathing when she is feeling overwhelmed. Lena takes pride in teaching the tools she has been practicing such as patience, presence and PLAY to her children. Both of her children beg her to come to SDY and love exploring what their bodies can do, feeling connected to their inner self, meeting up with old and new friends and being a part of a wonderful community.

Having completed “40 Days to Personal Revolution” several times at SDY, Lena says that the commitment to the program is so minimal in comparison to the awakening you WILL achieve. You will establish a deeper connection to yourself through the tools the program provides and increase your commitment to your weekly practice and taking care of your body (nutrition and mental wellness). Lena is extremely excited to take the next step on her yoga path with “Light Up! Teacher Empowerment Program” starting in October! Her love of yoga began in her FIRST class and she wants to help others achieve this same feeling! Lena believes the program will be life changing and is READY NOW! To anyone who may be on the fence about signing up for either “40 Days to Personal Revolution” or “Light Up! Teacher Empowerment Program,” Lena encourages you to also be READY NOW! Life is too short too wonder about what is possible!

Lena thanks each member of the SDY community for “being you!” Every smile, every hug, every high five and every laugh encourages her to show up with her mat and an open heart! She loves that Baron Baptiste says, “the greatest source of natural power we have available to us is being ourselves,” because this is exactly what she can be at SDY!

We LOVE Lena’s dedication and love for her yoga practice! She brings an element of fun and play to the studio every time she walks in and truly embodies what it means to “LIVE your yoga!”

Freedom Lies In Being Bold

-Robert Frost

Stepping into leadership is not an easy task and can in fact be downright intimidating. What we know to be true from our experience at every new level of training is that taking the next step is going to be BOTH exciting and scary. In moments of “decision,” the fear or resistance we feel should not make us retreat but causeus to move forward. Consider that often the thing we avoid or find excuses not to do, is the thing that we are MEANT to do.

We are thrilled to begin “BE BOLD: Advanced Leadership Training” at Spotted Dog Yoga this Saturday AUGUST 12th. This program has been created as an access for SDY teachers and “LIGHT UP!” 200 Hour Teacher Empowerment graduates to continue and expand their development as leaders. 

Congratulations to Kristin Obregon, Jennifer Cox, Stephanie Tice, Rick Cheney and Emily Kendall for being accepted into “Be Bold!” In the next year, they will revolutionize and transform themselves as human beings, students, teachers and leaders in our community!

Wherever you are in your yoga journey, Spotted Dog Yoga has a great program for you.  We invite you to enroll for “Learn Yoga” Beginners Series starting August 15th, “40 Days To Personal Revolution” starting September 5th and apply for “Light Up” Teacher Empowerment Program starting October 21st.

The Spotted Dog Yoga family acknowledges YOU for taking the lead in your practice and growing our community from the inside out!

-Nick and Katie

“HiiT + Run: Summer Running & Yoga Series!” Week 3!

Gold Country Run + Sport and Spotted Dog Yoga are excited to announce week 3 of our “HiiT + Run: Summer Running & Yoga Series!”

How “HiiT & Run” Works

• A 2 mile run (at your own pace) to a local park.

• 30 minute Power Yoga HiiT class.

A 2 mile run back to the start.

What is HiiT? High Intensity Interval Training (HiiT)

• Dynamic movements for 30 second intervals

Between Dynamic movements, rest with a traditional yoga stretch

• Increase your metabolism, strengthen your heart, regulate

blood sugar levels, and burn more calories!

What To Bring

• Running shoes

• Comfortable workout clothes

• Water (We will have water for you at the half way point)

Upcoming Event

Meet in the parking lot in front of Folsom Tap House

25005 Blue Ravine Rd Ste 140, Folsom, CA 95630.

We will run along the Humbug Creek trail. 

HiiT will be done at Phillip C. Cohn Park in Folsom

More Information

Spotted Dog Yoga 916-990-1720

Gold Country Run + Sport 916-303-4786

Modifications For Side Plank

Meet SDY Teacher Jillian Clark

Meet Jillian Corwin Clark, one of our fantastic teachers who was born and raised here in Folsom! Jillian’s top 5 favorite things about Folsom are: gorgeous bike trails, its growing diversity, its close proximity to Tahoe and the beach, its historical value and its family friendly environment. Jillian has been married to her husband, Danny, since 2012 though he was her childhood sweetheart as they first met in Kindergarten. They have a 3-year-old daughter named Halle and value family, community and love above all else. You’ll often find them riding bikes, doing house projects, playing in Tahoe and building Legos and forts. They describe themselves as simple and wouldn’t have it any other way.

Aside from yoga, Jillian’s hobbies include DIY home improvement, interior design, photography, reading, quality journalism and watching Netflix. She has been skydiving over the Swiss Alps, lived in London for a short time and attended college there, danced pre-professional ballet throughout most of her childhood/early adulthood and used to live 2 doors down from Nick and Katie.

Jillian has been practicing at SDY for over 2 years and is most inspired about teaching at SDY because of the students. Through her yoga practice, Jillian has discovered that she often worries too much about what people think, which gets in the way of her authenticity. She has realized that she has so much potential to connect with others and really shine when she is truly being herself. Jillian feels most grounded and present when she moves her body and breath simultaneously. She was a dancer many years ago, and yoga is the next best vehicle through which she feels present and alive.

Jillian loves SDY and calls it home because of the community and fun! She thanks each and every one of you for giving her the freedom to be herself and lead from her heart! Join Jillian for “Learn Yoga” starting Tuesday 8/15!

We love Jillian for her dedication to creating community at SDY! Her passion for teaching inspires us to share this yoga practice with as many people as possible!

Adding One More To The Pack!

Ready to learn a little bit more about Spotted Dog Yoga’s founders Nick and Katie Clark? They first met at Zuda Yoga in Folsom when Nick was leading a program and Katie was a participant. The details of that first encounter will differ depending on which of them you ask, but the bottom line is that it was pretty much love at first sight. After going on their first date, Nick and Katie became inseparable and it also wasn’t too long after that Katie completed yoga teacher training and began teaching as well.

Not long after Nick moved in they decided to rescue a dog…little did they know that the newest furry member of their family would change their lives forever and become the face their future business! Bandit came from an abusive household and also narrowly escaped “death row” at the pound. This 35 pound bundle of energy has not only taught Nick and Katie many important lessons (don’t leave your favorite hat on the floor) but also inspired the couple to go for their dream of opening their very own yoga studio and Spotted Dog Yoga was born! The studio motto, “Play Hard. Love Big.” is a reminder of what Bandit has taught them over the years.

Nick and Katie were married May 7th, 2016 in Nick’s hometown of Durango, Colorado and went on a 24 day honeymoon through Italy! When they returned from their trip, they decided it was time for Bandit to have a sister and rescued Allie Mae last summer.

Nick and Katie are thrilled to announce that the fifth member of their growing family is on it’s way! They are expecting their first child January 2018 and couldn’t be happier!

LEARN YOGA: Modifications for Back Injuries

Don’t let a back injury take you away from your yoga practice. You can use your yoga practice as a way to heal your back by creating stability in your core through safely modifying your poses.

The video below goes over three different ways that you can modify your chaturanga (high to low push up) so that you can consciously create strength in your core while protecting your back.

1. Skip chaturanga, hold plank pose instead and then press directly back to downward facing dog from your plank position.
2. Drop your knees as you lower to the ground. Come into cobra pose instead of upward dog. Press back to your hands and knees and then into downward facing dog.
3. Without dropping your knees, lower all the way to your belly. Come into cobra pose. Press back to downward facing dog.

 

At Spotted Dog Yoga in Folsom, CA we teach the “Journey Into Power” sequence as discovered and designed by Baron Baptiste, founder of the Baptiste Yoga Institute.

Learn YOGA! Sign up for SDY’s 3 week beginner series “Learn Yoga!” The next session begins on August 15th!