Category: From the Blog

Nervous system reset, nervous system regulation and somatic experience or movement.

aka… Relax. Chill out. Listen to your body.

But now… I want to simplify this a little bit in case there’s any confusion?

Now don’t get me wrong… all these approaches are great… however the terminology might be muddying the waters.

It could be more simple.

All three experiences are intended to help you get back into a state of balance and calm.

You can trust me on this one because people have been telling me to ‘just relax’ my entire life… And I have.

If you know me today and you don’t think I’m chill now? Imagine what I was like 25 years ago. 😬 😂

There are hundreds if not thousands of ways to reset your nervous system and bring it into a parasympathetic state. This is the state where your nervous system tells your brain and your body that it’s OK to rest and digest. (opposite of the sympathetic state which tells your body to fight, run, faint, or fake it… aka SURVIVE).

Somatic movement is anything to do with feeling in the body. Being aware of the body, feeling the body, moving the body, having someone else move your body… while you… focus on the feelings coming up in your body.

You might’ve heard the phrase, ‘the body keeps the score’… Or that ‘your body is always communicating with you’.

Both true.

Yoga is a very somatic way of paying attention to your body and listening to what it’s trying to tell you.

Nervous system regulation is code for control freak.  Again… I know because I am one… Was one… 🤔  Recovering one? ☝️

Being able to balance your nervous system means bringing it down a notch or two when it needs it and bringing it up a notch or two when it needs it and having the awareness to know which you need… and when. That’s control.

That’s what training…. And practice are for.

(Much like the thermostat in your home… regulating the heat and air).

So If you want to move your body, reset your system or regulate your nerves, you can focus on those things specifically and go to separate workshops or events…

Orrrrrrr…. you can simply come to Love Yoga where all of that and more happens naturally because of the way we design our practices.

Super smart right?

Practical and efficient.

Spiritual and soulful.

Retrain, reset and relax.

That’s why we do it.

Next up… what the heck is a Reticular Activation System?

Why bother reading this?

Why bother writing it?

Because you have ONE life that we know of right now.

And if that’s not compelling enough… do a little calculation about how many summers you might have left?

I have had a deep fear my entire life... of inadvertantly wasting my life.

Ominous start, I know… stay with me… It gets more uplifting.

I’m sharing this email because I just read someone else’s that said… “I’m sharing my journey in the hopes of making someone else’s easier”.

That is EXACTLY why I do what I do.

I share about overcoming anxiety, stress management, learning to relax, the art and science of FLOW, of yoga, breathwork, energy and meditation… because they have made my life IMMENSELY BETTER.

And it is directly because of all those things that I am able to run a small business and have the life I dreamed of from a young age.

💚

From my very first official, tax paying, job at 17 with Tec Labs, I knew I was wasting my time letting someone else tell me how to address an envelope.

WE… you, me, our parents, our grandparents, our children . . . have all been so conditioned to do the RIGHT thing that we rarely ask ourselves if it’s a GOOD thing… for US.

Since I was old enough to make my own artsy, dangly, alligator earrings, wear beads in my hair and paint my bedroom pink… I’ve always admired people who do their own thing.

Throughout my teenage years and early 20s, I became less like someone who did their own thing and more like someone who went along to get along. I switched to silver hoop earrings.

It was still in me though… I knew I hated working for someone else. I hated the 9-5. But that was the thing to get. Either go to college or get a job that gave you medical insurance.

I wasn’t lazy. I absolutely wanted to work… I just knew I could create something better.

I had brilliant ideas in every job I ever had. Ideas that would have made the whole place better.

But I lacked the credentials or courage to be taken seriously.

Luckily for me… somehow… a deep determination to keep going was planted in my soul.

💚

So in my 20s as a young mom, I tried finding more entrepreneurial work.

I tried selling Discovery toys, local advertising and even rainbow vacuum cleaners!

I had a computer and a car phone in 1991! I knew that was the beginning of …. something….  ??

Sadly, it took me 20 more years to create something of my own.

💚

My way isn’t the way for everyone. My path has not been smooth.

But I have a lot of freedom, creativity and soul nourishing connections. I feel a little like I won… and a little like I’m just getting started.

If those who had gone before me hadn’t shared their journey… I wouldn’t have known it was even possible!

In the early 80s, in a small town… self employment didn’t seem to be a safe or sensible option.

Except…….

• My Dad was an insurance guy with his own business.
• My grandma owned a uniform shop.
• My grandpa drove a delivery truck.
• My cousin owned a hair school.
• And my mom raised us kids before she took a job where she pretty much ran the office.

So I saw the possibilities early on.

If Andrew Weil hadn’t written about his slow mornings in his gardens… (while I was getting up at the crack of dawn to drop my son off at daycare on the way to a soulless, thankless job…. I’d never be here now.

If Gary Vaynerchuk hadn’t written about his journey from his parents liquor store stockroom to Hudson Yards… I wouldn’t have learned how to begin building a business.

And if Stephen Covey hadn’t written about ‘beginning with the end in mind’… I’d be winging it even more than I already do! ; )

Even with the struggle, confusion and endless uncertaintly… it is better for me than labeling envelopes. (no offense if you work at the postal service).

💚

Sharing our journeys light the paths for others to find their way.

Whether that’s how to beat anxiety, run a business or share your experiences.

I don’t want to be just a small part of encouraging someone to find their way, to find their flow, to find an outlet that gives them relief from the stress of whatever job they have found themselves in.

I want to be MASSIVELY ENCOURAGING to everyone that is not living their dream right fucking now. I have approximately 30 summers left. 30 holidays. (see I told you it would get more uplifting!)

Actually by averages I might only have 20… but I don’t consider myself average. So I’m counting on 30! : )

It it our grandest intention at Love Yoga share how to calm the mind, strengthen the body and open your heart to whatever it is your soul dreams of for your life.

It’s worth it. You are worth it. And It’s never too late. 

Whether you simply want a few slow mornings or you want to set the world on fire with your brilliant ideas.

(Well it might be too late to become an Olympic Champion Swimmer… but you get what I’m sayin’).

💚

Baby Suz and Grown Up Suz both are rooting for you.

p.s. It’s never too late to become a yoga teacher! 😉

p. p.s. This is why we have Summer Camp, Yoga Teacher Training and offer classes 7 days a week. We’re here for you. Keep going.

This feels like hands down the best thing I’ve ever created at Love.

Yoga doesn’t just make you better at plank… it makes you better at life.

This is the summer camp for MY soul... sharing all the deeper philosophical parts of the yoga practice.

The parts that impact our lives off the mat.

The parts that help us navigate health problems, breathe through pain, connect with others, try new things, create things, change our minds and embrace stress.

Without these tools, skills and perspectives… we easily find ourselves just going along to get along.

But with them… we easily find ourselves having new adventures, meeting new people, energizing our lives and filling our hearts with joy and love.

I know that sounds a little dreamy…. it really is.

Just this week 3 different people have come to us in person to tell us how much this space, this place, this practice and these people have helped them through some hard things and welcomed them into their lives.

Yoga is a lifechanging experience.

Just like Summer camp.

Bringing the two together is my ‘new thing’ and our ‘connection to others’.

We’re looking for happy campers to join us Sundays in June. 💚

At camp you’ll get to try soulful meditations, arts, crafts, snacks, poses, breathwork, reiki, qi gong, and more.

You’ll take home new skills and inspiring momentos….

And a perspective on living that inspires the rest of your life.

💚

Suzanne

For Beginners And Refreshers!

Second Sunday of each month at 10:45am right after Paytons $10 Karma Class… we offer a beginning intro to yoga.

It’s about 45 minutes. A short, clear introduction to Love Yoga. And Intro to Yoga in general. And a demonstration of the basic poses and breathing practices.

You can come simply listen and observe? Or you can try a few of the poses. Whatever you’re most comfortable with.

We usually have a thank you gift as a token of our appreciation for showing up and checking out the studio.

And we always offer a great deal for signing up while you’re in the studio.

It can’t hurt… it doesn’t hurt. It’s not complicated or twisty or weird.

We intentionally make it as simple and easy as possible for anyone and everyone to give it a try.

So you’ve got nothing to lose and everything to gain!

Please feel free to send any questions or simply message us to reserve your spot.

love@loveyogastudios.com

: )

Suzanne

Welllll…. since you asked. And you DID ask.

Someone out there according to Google is looking for Yoga that is more science than woo.

That’s my kind of yoga.  The neuroscience of Flow. 💚😊

It’s the kind I always searched for too.

I wanted the wisdom without the weirdness.

But I still ended up in weird trainings where we had to partner with strangers in awkward poses and share stories about how we wish we could save the world.

🥴

In my 20 years of training I have landed in some awkward, woo woo and downright weird situations.

I wanted to learn about the Vagus nerve, the brain, the breath, the body and the balance poses.

And then I found Leslie Kaminoff, Mark Stephens, Paul Terrell and Jason Crandell.

Teachers who got to the point, showed us what works and why.

Then my sciency practice finally got it’s due when Andrew Huberman came along to break down all the neuroscience of meditation, breathing, relaxation and more. My dream world!

Yoga is getting even more scientific ‘funding’ these days. Much to my great satsifaction.

That said……  ummmm….

Wait for it……

I AM a little woo.

Not totally WOO WOO. Just a little woo.

• I learned early on to set intentions and listen to my heart from Seane Corn in her Spirit Speak retreat.
• I’ve channeled energy, aligned chakras and studied reiki with Marie Manuchehri.
• And the subtle energy written about in ancient texts has been modernized and simplified by Abraham Hicks.

So I get it.

Energy is real. This world is a projection. The mind is the key.

Whatever you believe, however you live, it never hurts to move your body, quiet your mind and listen to your heart.

Maybe you tell yourself you do it for the bone density.

But when that magical thought occurs to you in savasana, I bet it’s hard not to wonder where it came from? 🪄

Much Love and Wonder,

💚

Suzanne

Hot Yoga? Not Yoga? Cool Yoga? Pool Yoga? Goats? Beer? Puppies, Oh my!

You have a LOT Of options out there today!

Why we don’t teach Hot Yoga anymore.

Hot yoga CAN be ‘yoga’… if it’s taught that way.

Most hot yoga I’ve come across in my 30+ years experience, has been primarily focused on the workout, the sweat, the effort, the strain. “Stay in it! The heat is your challenge! When you want to come out of a pose… is when your yoga really starts”.  What?

Yoga was never intended to be just a sweaty exercise.

Yoga (union) is a state of mind… with real physical benefits.

The union… is joining the mind and body. ‘AND’ being the key word here.

I’ve seen too many people jump into a hot yoga class with very little preparation, experience and certainly not a lot of awareness. The goal? Weightloss, endurance, socials.

I’ve also seen too many people on the verge of passing out, nervous systems fried, overheated and bordering exhaustion.

So I chose not to perpetuate the practice in that way.

This is why we don’t teach hot yoga… but MORE IMPORTANTLY why we teach STRONG YOGA. Mentally AAAAND Physically.

If you’re paying attention in a yoga class… with a teacher who teaches this… you’ll come to learn your personal threshhold for any of the poses, the breathwork and the meditation. In otherwords… what works BEST for YOU. Sounds selfish, I know.

But the practice of yoga is the study of YOU. Gaining awareness about you and your self. Your mind and body.

You decide. You choose. Every single time.

You learn how to make the practice more challenging or more relaxing depending on your state of mind and body at the time.

Do I need more plank today? Or more savasana? Maybe I need some twists?

If you’re paying attention and given the option… it’s very easy to make the practice your own… whether it’s hot, cold, fast, slow, weird… or not.

The bottom line is… yoga is a system of health and wellness that you can use ofr your benefit.  And a good yoga teacher will show you how to do that no matter where you are, no matter what room, what class and no matter what it says on their sign.

A GREAT teacher will demonstrate by example.

Stay calm, strong and balanced… whenever possible.

💚

Suzanne

“This was the most alive I had felt in years……”

FLOW is the subtle solution to so many challenges in life. I know because I’ve experienced it as such over and over again.

I’d like to promote FLOW so you can decide for yourself… what it is, why it matterss and how to find it for yourself faster than the years it took me to find mine.

You may have heard of Flow States  when referring to such activities as skydiving, a championship game, a concert pianist.

An extreme state of mind that allows for precision performance.

But FLOW is not just for professionals.

It’s actually a state of being every Brain can access.

A state in which your inner critic is quiet, your courage expands, your having fun and operating on what feels like autopilot.

It’s the subtle art of letting go, diving in and floating amidst the larger essence of LIFE! That’s pretty big, right?

So why aren’t more people talking about this? Why aren’t more people creating more FLOW in their lives?

I believe it’s because most think it’s TOO simple, TOO subtle and TOO vague to be taken seriously.

But I take it very seriously… so much so that I’ve made a life out of Finding Flow… every chance I get.

WHAT EXACTLY IS FLOW?

It’s that state of mind where everything just clicks. Time flies, you’re lost in your own little world and you feel like you’re, ‘in the zone’, ‘in your groove’, ‘on fire’, ‘in the flow’, etc.

Your brain releases a ‘chemical cocktail’ that gives you focus, creativity, courage, motivation and satisfaction’.

You are totally engaged in an activity that takes a little effort, a lot of focus and some level of fun. For you.

And that FUN part is what makes FLOW something different for everyone.

For me, it’s YOGA. Getting lost in the practice to the point that I wasn’t thinking of anything else. Time flies and before I know it I’m floating in Savasana.

For me… it started when I was younger with reading. I could disappear for hours into a good book. Then it was writing, then driving and rollerblading, then yoga, then meditation, then breathwork and more.

YOU may have experienced a state of flow while gardening, fishing, skiing, swimming, playing piano, drumming, working, running, painting, singing, dancing….  you get the drift?

Now you might be thinking… yeah that’s great but we can’t be in FLOW ALL THE TIME.

I agree.

But I don’t want to live a life where I’m never in FLOW either.

Focusing on creating Flow increases my chances of floating downstream more often.  So, I make an effort to do the things that create FLOW for myself.

The ways in which I find it most often these days is walking the dogs, practicing yoga, teaching yoga, learning Qi Gong, writing emails, playing pickleball and meditation.

It took me YEARS to Find my own Flow. I knew snowboarders, golfers, knitters, painters, hikers… who all had ‘their thing’.

I tried them all… but it wasn’t until I landed in a yoga class that I discovered that bouyant feeling for myself. I was high on Flow. My vision seemed sharper, colors seemed brighter, my food tasted better, my energy was next level.

THIS was more alive than I had felt in years. THIS is what I want to feel more often. THIS is what I hope everyone finds for themselves.

So if you haven’t yet found your flow… might I suggest a yoga class, a brisk 45 minute walk, a 30 minute silent drive, a guided meditation, or a dog. These are the quickest, most accessible ways I’ve found if you’re just starting your search… short of skydiving, water skiing or glass blowing. All of which ignite a state of flow almost immediately.

And when you do Find your Flow…. please share it. Someone else may still be searching for theirs.

: )

Suzanne

Summer Studio Updates: 

We’ve got Fun New Flows, new teachers and more sounds happening all month long!

First, we’re welcoming new teachers Payton Hermsen and Anita Earl! They are not new to yoga, just new to teaching. So you’ll have fun experiencing new voices, new styles and new flows.

Payton is teaching the Sunday Morning class. If you have a pass, use that. If you don’t have one, no worries and no pressure… it’s just a $10 drop in on Sunday mornings. And you can pay online or in the studio.

Anita is bringing ‘old school’ yoga.  What does this mean? It’s a vibe. An essence. It means – like me – she’s been practicing since the 80’s/90’s so she’ll bring her old school experience which includes a steady, focused flow, a bit of a groovy feeling and finish with stillness.

Next, we’re bringing Chris Hood back with his Sound Healing Sessions – twice this month. Wednesday, July 17th & 24th @ 7pm.

For those that attended his first one, we are making a few adjustments plus we’ll have ear plugs available. That way you can still experience the powerful feeling of the music at your personal, audio comfort level.

Two More Fun Flows, Save the dates:

Flow with Aunnie at Ankeny Vineyard, Saturday, July 20th. 11am

Flow w/Suzanne @ Bamboo Valley, Saturday, July 27th 11am