Holiday Flow

Inspired by Holi, a festival of colors celebrating love and life and Spring, this practice begins with an intro to an ancient story and Sanskrit mantra related to the holiday. "Narasimha ta va da so hum" is a mantra, a repeated phrase or "mind tool," you can use when you need reminders that you can overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles. Play with big cat poses, including a Tiger variation, as well as 3-leg Dog and other topsy-turvy poses that help balance and stabilize the spine. Be both brave and wise as you open your heart with belly-down backbends, such as Inverted Locust and Bow, as well as Camel, a kneeling backbend, and a supine Victorious 1-Legged Bridge. Build lower body strength and find balance in Eagle & a Warrior III pose, and release hamstrings, hips and back with Holy Cow or Head Knee and a final seated fold of choice. Then give yourself at least five minutes to rest and restore, and perhaps listen to Deva Premal's "Narasimha" as you relax like a lion cub after a busy day.

Parade Practice

This practice is inspired by the drum lines and drill teams that are my favorite parts of a good parade. If you're having trouble motivating yourself to get moving or you just need to loosen up a little, cue up a good playlist and try "knocking on the door of life." In this practice, we draw from Tao Yin traditions and use tapping to stimulate circulation and encourage the flow of energy. Expect plenty of strengthening, too, with dynamic Chair and Tiger variations, as well as a Dancing Warrior flow and an option to balance in Half-Moon. Conclude with twists, hip-openers, and a reclined Cobbler's or Happy Baby pose. Then set yourself up to rest for as long as you're able.

Welcome!

If you're new to Songbird, welcome! I'm so glad you've found your way here. If you're an established Songbird Yoga buddy, welcome back! While I was sad to close the studio on Swift Street, Songbird Studios is so named because I believe part of the beauty of yoga is that it can be practiced nearly any place, indoors and out, online and in person.

There's no need to limit yourself to a single practice space or a single style of practice. This practice is portable and nearly endlessly adaptable! You can take it with you wherever your path leads and modify your practice to meet yourself right where you are, exactly as you are, on any given day.

Currently, I am healing from surgery and taking some required time off from teaching. However, I have begun rebuilding the website and app and hope to return to teaching this February. For those who've enjoyed the video library's free sample videos, rest assured I'm in the process of uploading those and will add to the library as new videos are recorded. Thank you for your patience in the meantime!

Since closing the NKC location, I've continued to teach private and group classes, both online and in person at clients' locations. This Spring and Summer, I hope to return to outdoor practices so keep an eye out for more info about monthly outdoor yoga and pool parties at my place from May-September! And for those who've asked, I may be able to offer private and small group classes at my home studio space, if you're brave enough to deal with my over-enthusiastic dogs.

In the meantime, please feel free to send questions my way (info@songbirdstudios.yoga); please stay tuned for more updates as they're available; and please continue to practice!

#practicepeace #pleasepractice

Peace,

Annie