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!

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!

You gotta LOVE her!

Meet Stephanie Tice…fabulous SDY teacher! In addition to being a yoga lover, Stephanie (or Stephy) loves to hike, go to the beach, travel, read and play board/card games! She is originally from San Jose, CA and has been married to her husband, Ryan, for 18 years this June! Stephy knew she was going to marry Ryan the night they met! They have two daughters, Lauren (15) who is finishing her freshman year at Vista and Camryn (13) who is finishing 7th grade at Folsom Middle. The Tice family also has a one-eyed dog named Ohso. He is a chocolate brown cocker spaniel and is “oh so” cute!!! Stephy is a total neat freak (it calms her), loves Las Vegas and playing blackjack, secretly wishes she was a CIA agent and her favorite meal is a burger with fries and a cold beer.

Stephy has been practicing at SDY for 21 months and teaching with us since January. She is also a school teacher so during the school year she prefers to practice in the evening. During the summer, however, she enjoys the 5:45am classes…call her crazy but she doesn’t sleep in! In order to stay consistent in her yoga practice, Stephy tries to practice at the same times and days each week to stay committed. Being consistent in her practice keeps her in a good mindset and she is more productive in her everyday life. When she doesn’t practice she can easily slip back into her old way of being/thinking.

Stephy never thought she was going to become a yoga teacher, but after developing her practice and becoming a part of the community she knew she wanted MORE! She is inspired by the possibilities of growth for herself while being able to give back to others. Stephy has discovered a lot about herself through her yoga practice. She has found an ease about being on her mat which has carried over into life off her mat. She has discovered what it means to be present and let go of expectations of what she thinks things should be and accept what is. She has also realized that she is the source of what is in her life.

From the very first time Stephy walked into Spotted Dog Yoga the community feeling has been a huge inspiration to her. She loves the camaraderie, the support and encouragement and the friendships she has made!

We are SO lucky to have such an amazing teacher and friend in Stephanie! Thank you for all you do!

Call Him JOHNNY VEGAS..and he might just sing to you!

TEACHER FEATURE: Eugene Shim

Some may call him “Shimmy” or, on rare occasion, “Johnny Vegas” but if you’re looking on the SDY class schedule you know him as…Eugene Shim. He is originally from San Francisco but currently lives in El Dorado Hills with his wife Vanessa, two kids, Zach & Olivia, plus two dogs, Angel & Ginger, to complete their lineup. Eugene’s favorite hobbies include sharing his love of yoga through teaching and attending comic conventions with his family. He has worked in law enforcement for the past 20 years, currently assigned as a detective with the Sacramento Police Department, and even started a yoga program for Sacramento Police and Fire employees. Eugene loves putting costumes together for his whole family so that they can “geek out” at various sci-fi and pop culture gatherings. He also enjoys the challenges of repairing broken electronic devices, making home improvements, and believes that coffee is the most important meal of the day.

Yoga has brought Eugene to a higher level of self-awareness. It allows him to feel more of what’s going on in his body and he feels more mentally focused on and off the mat. Yoga also compliments his running and CrossFit because of increased breath control, mental focus and body alignment/integrity. Like many SDY members, Eugene juggles hectic work and home responsibilities. His yoga practice helps bring balance and sanity to his life. To stay consistent, he simply makes the time for his practice and does his best to commit to the classes that work for him. Most often, you’ll find Eugene practicing at Spotted Dog Yoga during afternoon classes that coincide with “I PLAY YOGA” classes. He loves that his whole family can practice at the same time!

Going through the SDY Teacher Empowerment Program has transformed the way Eugene practices and teaches. His favorite thing about teaching yoga is watching a student have a breakthrough in a pose or throughout a practice. Seeing these shifts in others inspires and motivates him to present opportunities for people to make discoveries through his teaching.

Eugene loves the SDY community, particularly our positive vibe and ability to connect with each other. He encourages everyone to spread the word about the work we do here at Spotted Dog Yoga so that the growth of our community continues! Every new person adds to the vibrancy of our space!

We are so grateful that Eugene, and his family, are such an integral part of SDY! He inspires us to continue to do the work so that we may all inspire others to do the same.

Learn Yoga Series Starts 2/7/2017

“Learn Yoga” is a one of a kind program designed to lead participants into a clear understanding of how to build a strong foundation in all of the yoga poses that make up the “Journey Into Power” sequence. You will leave the program empowered to put what you have learned into action as you move forward with the development of your yoga practice! Join Jillian Clark and Kristin Obregon for this 6 session series and discover fundamentals of yoga philosophy, pose alignment, modifications of poses to fit your needs, breathing techniques to enhance your practice, and more! Here’s what past participants of “Learn Yoga” are saying about the program…

“Learn Yoga was a great experience for me. It gave me a more comprehensive understanding of the Spotted Dog Yoga practice. I highly recommend this class to all beginners that are interested in starting yoga. It can be a life altering experience if you allow the shifts to occur!” ~Rick Cheney

“I can’t say enough good things about my experience in the Learn Yoga series at Spotted Dog Yoga. Jillian and Kristin provided a thorough overview of the Journey into Power sequence that was appropriate for beginners, as well as people like me, who had been practicing for a while, but wanted to learn more about breath and alignment. This class was very interactive, with plenty of opportunities to apply what we were learning, and to ask questions. Best of all, it was fun!  ~Joelle Conway

 

NEXT LEARN YOGA SESSION:

Date: Feb 07, 2017 – Feb 23, 2017 From: 6:20 PM – 7:35 PM

with Kristin Obregon and Jillian Clark!

Enroll in “Learn Yoga” TODAY! 

 

Sun Salutations

Sun Salutation A and Sun Salutation B are a combination of poses that provide the perfect formula for re-awakening your body and clearing your mind. Once you settle onto your mat, these rhythmic and repetitive movements will increase your flexibility as you build heat and generate shift in your body! Over time, your body will start to crave the rhythm and energetic feeling that these movements bring.

Here are 2 reasons why Sun Salutations work every single time:

1) Slowly Building Heat. Sun Salutation A is a simpler combination of movements that is designed to slowly increase your flexibility while helping you generate breath and connection to your body. After a few rounds of Sun Salutation A, when the breath of the class really gets pumping, Sun Salutation B is introduced as a way to build an inner fire while targeting different muscles & parts of the body that are traditionally tight.

2. Thirsty for Rhythm. Think for a moment about a time in your life when you were in rhythm…and remember how good it felt! From day to day and week to week, amongst all of the things that are happening in our lives, one of the most valuable things we can do for our sanity is to be a creation for rhythm. Sun Salutation A’s and B’s will bring your body and your breath into sync and re-awaken your dormant energy.

WATCH: Sun Salutation A and Sun Salutation B.

Current “Light Up!’ Empowerment Program Leaders in each pose of Sun Salutation B!

Today is the day that you re-awaken your body again!  Swing in to Spotted Dog Yoga today for your daily dose of “feel good” yoga!

Deepen your understanding of yoga and SIGN UP for “LEARN YOGA” today!  This 6 session series that is guaranteed to give you the tools to build and take your practice to the next level!

 

 

Why are they touching me? (aka More About Assisting)

As we introduce assistants into our Power Yoga Basics and Power Yoga All classes, you may wonder, “how do they know just what to do to get me deeper into this pose?” or on a more basic level, “why are they touching me?”

The assisting program, as with all things Spotted Dog, is carefully crafted to enhance your yoga practice. Assistants complete our 20-hour training and then do practice assisting until they and we are confident in their assisting skills. Only then are they ready to come into a class and assist you.

Assistants are taught to observe the student, listen to the instructor, and then give tools to the student for a more powerful yoga experience. Different assists will be used on each and every student. Let’s say you’re wobbly in dancer pose. (I am wobbly in each and every balancing pose, so this is an easy example to illustrate!) An assistant might stand in front of you and place their palm out for you to stabilize your hand on. With this assist to strengthen the foundation of the pose, you will feel the deep opening in your shoulders and hips that dancer can provide.

If you’re someone with an injury or have an area that is best left untouched, you can just shake your head no and our assistants will respectfully honor your request. We encourage you to stay open to being assisted as it can help you take your practice to a whole new level.

If you’re a SDY regular, you won’t want to miss our Connect: Assistant Program, June 12 – 14. Your yoga practice will be transformed as you gain alignment knowledge and experience a deeper understanding of your own body. This program will give you tools to refine the mastery of direct, powerful, and informative assists.

On a personal note, I completed Connect: Assistant Program with Spotted Dog in November and it was the best assisting program I’ve done. (I’ve taken 3 assisting programs with different studios. What can I say? I love to learn!) Leslie