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Moline Whitson, Director
2108 NE 41st Ave
Portland, OR 97212
971.331-2673
info@harmonyyogapdx.com

Classes

Gentle-Level 1

Ideal for anyone wanting to ease into yoga and those who may have physical limitations due to age, back or joint problems, or are recovering from injury or illness. Easier stretches and muscle toning combined with deep relaxation poses (restorative) to get you back in shape safely.

Level 1

For students with little or no yoga experience and for continuing students who wish to refine their understanding of the basics. This class teaches basic hatha yoga postures from various tradtions. Develops strength, flexibility, balance and an understanding of healthy body alignment and movement.

Level 1-2

For beginners and continuing students. Same focus as Level 1 with more challenging poses and sequences.

Level 2

For students with prior yoga experience, a faster paced class that includes a broader range of poses in more challenging sequences and longer holds. Introduces inversions and backbends.

TRE

Tension and Trauma Releasing Exercises® This is a self-help method for releasing deep tension held in the muscles and tissue due to trauma and and/or daily stress. Developed by Dr. David Berceli, PhD, this set of seven simple exercises were developed to elicit the human organism’s natural ability for recovering from trauma and preventing the build up of stress—the tremor mechanism. Anyone can learn TRE®, the exercises are simple and can be modified to suit all fitness levels and body types. In 3 classes students will learn the TRE® protocol and how to regulate their experiences with the tremor reflex for optimal benefits. Please wear comfortable clothing and bring a pen, journal and water bottle. Class size is limited, so register early. Class not appropriate for pregnant women. For further info on TRE® go to traumaprevention.com

*Private sessions available.

To register or schedule a private session contact Moline Whitson at info@harmonyyogapdx.com or 503-335-8851

THURSDAY ZOOM CLASS WEEK 1 & 2

Qigong
• 6 Settling breaths
• Nervous System Dance
• Shanghi Shuffle
• Knocking on Door of Life
• Swimming Dragon
• Heaven & Earth
• Crane Form to walk (or all the way to the end if you know the whole form)
Yoga
• 6 Drinking Birds
• Seated Cat/Cow with arm movements x 9
• Flowing Twists to hold each side for 7 or more breaths
• Seated or Standing Sun Salutes x 6
• Neck stretches
• Garden Gate in chair or kneeling— hold each side for 7 or more breaths
• Hamstring Stretch— hold each side for 10 or more breaths
• Arm rotations
• Wrist rolls and stretch
• Fold with chair or Downward Facing Dog on floor— hold for 10 or more breaths
• Savasana

Qigong/Yoga

Free class to Veterans and their families. This class combines Qigong exercises and gentle yoga. Qigong is a Chinese healing practice with focus on breathing, relaxation and postural alignment for stress relief. We use props in the yoga class to ease into poses with gentleness and awareness.

L 1-2 home practice

Week 4—as always edit, embellish and take care
4 Settling Breaths
Nervous System Dance
Plant your feet firmly on the ground, preferably outdoors or at least where you can get some fresh air. Start to shake, wiggle, bounce. As you take a deep breath in, draw your shoulders up toward your ears. Let your breath out with an audible sigh (say ahh or ha) and drop your shoulders (the settling breath). Make some noise when you breathe out so your vocal chords vibrate. Do this shaking and breathing for as long as you want. Keep shaking and shrugging shoulders and breathing out loudly. Follow with these yoga poses. But do the Nervous System Dance as often as you like—and teach it to your people.
Flowing Forward Bend
Flowing forward bends. On the exhalation slide your palms down the fronts of your legs to your feet or low shins and then up the back of your legs as you inhale. Press your hands as firmly as comfortable. Do several repetitions and then stay in the forward bend. Let your head drop and your neck, throat, mouth and tongue relax. Hold for 7 or more breaths if possible. Come up slowly. This helps the lymph fluid move which supports your immune system.
Cat/Cow on hands and knees (or sitting in chair)
Pointer Pose ( extend right arm forward, parallel to the floor and left leg off floor behind you) hold for 2-5 breaths, repeat with opposite limbs. Do 2 sets.
Calf stretch—one leg back with toes on floor, press heel back to stretch calf muscles. Hold for 5-12 breaths. Repeat other leg.
Child Pose
Puppy Pose or Downward Facing Dog Hold to capacity.
Kneeling Side bend with forearms on floor Hold each side for 5-12 breaths
Come to standing
Krishna Side Bend Pose (whichever leg crosses in front same arm goes up) 5-12 breaths each sid
Krishna Balance or another balance pose 5-12 breaths each side
Standing Head to Knee Pose (Parsvattonasa) or any Warrior Pose—5-12 breaths each side
Wide Leg Forward Bend with Yoga Mudra arms—release head and neck. 5-12 breaths each side
Hands and knees for hamstring stretch or chair version
Seated Twist—5-12 breaths each side
Fish Hold to capacity
Bridge one leg in air—5-12 breaths each side
Thread needle or pigeon pose—10 or more breaths each side
Reclined Twist—10 or more breaths each side
Savasana—for as long as you want!

All Levels Home Practice

Week 3—a bit longer of a practice—feel free to edit
Nervous System Dance
Breath of Joy or Shang Hai Shuffle
Flowing Forward Bends
Knocking on Door of Life—see link under classes tab
Wide leg forward bend with neck release— hold up to 15 breaths
Garden Gate in chair or kneeling—5 or more breaths each side
Downward Facing Dog or Puppy Pose—hold to capacity
Cobra or Sphinx x 2—5-10 breaths
Opposite arm and leg lifts on belly 5 sets add a hold at the end if you like Inhale lift rt arm left leg chest and head Exhale release and repeat on the other side
Downward Facing Dog or Puppy Pose—hold to capacity
Lunge on floor or standing with chair— take rear leg arm (or both arms) overhead Hold each side 7-13 breaths
Yoga Mudra forward bend with neck release— hold up to 15 breaths
Dancing Shiva—5-10 breaths each side
Warrior 2 into side angle-7-13 breaths each side
Seated child pose (floor or chair)
Seated twist
Bridge or fish
Happy Baby
Savasana

Zoom Grounding Yoga

A grounding practice that has a focus on the legs and pelvis, including standing poses, hip openers, twists. Also cooling the nervous system through breath practice.
Sliding scale: $5-12 per class
Payment can go through Venmo or USPS.

Contact Carolyn to register: (503)867-5385 email: caralinapotts@gmail.com

L1-2 Yoga home practice

Wood chopper breath—2 rounds of 9 Medium wide stance toes turned out. Clasp hands bring hands overhead on inhalation and swing arms down (as if chopping wood) on exhalation. Hinge at hips and bend knees as you exhale and chop.
Knocking on Door of Life (instructions are shown under “Classes” tab.)
Sun salutes x 6 on last one stay in down dog and do 4-8 knee to nose on each side. Inhale leg up behind you, exhale bring knee under chest as you shift forward into a plank pose.
Standing side bends or Crescent Moon—hold each side for 8 or more breaths.
Warrior 1—hold each side for 8 or more breaths.
Warrior 1 with a twist—with right leg forward bring left hand to right thigh or chair back, rotate your body toward the right, keeping right hand on side of pelvis or extending arm straight off shoulder to the side—hold each side for 8 or more breaths.
Side angle pose—hold each side for 8 or more breaths.
Wide leg forward bend—hold each side for 8 or more breaths
Star balance pose or a different balance pose.
Yoga Mudra to forward bend—hold each side for 8 or more breaths.
Walk to plank pose and let down.
Cobra or Sphinx—hold each side for 8 or more breaths.
Boat pose on belly—hold each side for 8 or more breaths.
Child pose
Seated Twist—hold each side for 8 or more breaths.
Bridge Pose—hold each side for 8 or more breaths.
Alternate leg and arm abs (brain abs!) 2 sets of 6 on each side.
Thread the needle hip stretch or pigeon pose—hold each side for 13 or more breaths.
Reclined Twist—hold each side for 13 or more breaths.
Savasana

Knocking on the Door of Life

Knocking on the door of Life
From 7 minutes of Magic by Lee Holden)

Brings circulation into lower back, kidneys and adrenal glands and energizes central nervous system
Stance: Shoulder width
Rotate torso left and right, allow your arms to knock across lower back and abdomen with soft fists
Allow movement to die down naturally.
Knock on kidney area with soft fists and then start slapping down outer hips and legs to outsides of feet, across tops of feet and up inner legs, up abdomen to chest and knock of sternum.
Slap down the inner left arm to palm and then up outside of arm around back of neck and onto chest to knock on sternum again. Repeat on right arm. End by knocking on sternum again. (Can be repeated 2 more times.)
Relax arms at sides and start to shake your wrists and arm. Allow the shaking to work up to elbows and shoulders. Begin to bounce lightly into your heels, shaking the entire body.
All knocking and slapping movements can be done once or in multiples of 3.
Slowly stop shaking. Then brush hands lightly from chest to belly 6 times. Rest in Mountain pose.

Gentle

Slower paced movements with ample time for transitions make this class ideal for anyone with physical limitations such as age-related aches and pains, injury recovery as well as those beginning their movement journey. You can expect guided exploratory movement, functional strengthening and individualized options within the poses to modulate the level between effort and ease.

Mindful Flow

This class syncs breath with movement using a wide variety of floor and standing poses. You can expect a full body stretch, a mindfulness practice, and a range of adjustments and variations for all bodies to participate.
miranda@mirandalattimore.com 864.415-5242