Julie Wald (left), owner of Namaste New York, private yoga company in NYC.

I recently attended a 2 day workshop hosted by Julie Wald, owner of Namaste New York, a company that specializes in offering private yoga, massage and training. The workshop was attended by a yoga instructors who wanted to learn more about Julie’s perspective on teaching private yoga in the home. As a professional, I was very curious to hear what this woman, who has made a very successful business in the private yoga realm, had to say about the work that she does.

Julie is one of the most humble and kindhearted yoga teachers that I have ever met. I have had the pleasure of working for Namaste over the past year as a contractor, and I am continually impressed with how calm her energy is at our meetings despite her running a very successful yoga business. She comes from a social work background, and served in that capacity for about 10 years prior to teaching yoga. It is with that depth of knowledge of psychology that she is able to truly understand her clients needs and more importantly, she is able to meet them where they are.

Julie Wald demonstrates a hands on assist in upward dog.

One of the themes of this workshop was just that, meeting clients where they are. Yoga can be intimidating and seemingly complicated for new students, and as a private yoga teacher, it is my job to coach people not only through the asana (poses) but through the breath & flow as well. Julie taught us to be able to adapt to each and everyday when we meet  with our students. This seems obvious, but it is so critical to truly listen to what people are saying with their body language, with their tone of voice, and everything else that you read in between the lines.  In teaching private yoga, I am constantly reminded that my students are trusting me to help them improve their yoga practice, but its more than that. Its helping them to reconnect with themselves and giving them the guidance they need to practice self care.

Another special component of this workshop was when Jess Boylston-Fagonde, author of Brand Thyself, came in and spoke on the topic of conscious branding. Her tips to helping you discover your personal brand were to answer three questions about yourself (who are you? what do you have to offer? what makes you unique?). She spoke about how in her life, she worked for years in advertising and was very active in the yoga world as well, but kept them separate. Jess shared that she is the happiest she has been in her life because she has found a way to merge the two, helping people in the yoga realm with advertising. Brilliant!

I have been branding myself for awhile with Fit Body Wellness, but I am stepping into new territory and feel inspired that I can now brand myself as both a yoga teacher & a clubbell coach with Clubbells & Yoga. So often as a yoga teacher, you get labeled as ’soft’ or being too ‘granola’, and I would like to create a brand of yoga that is strong & intelligent, hence Clubbells & Yoga. It just makes sense to me because I am so passionate about both practices separately, that merging them will create so much synergy.

As I walked home, a sunny sunday afternoon in New York City, I felt inspired. These woman have come a long way in their careers in yoga (yes yoga is now a career path), and they are passing down their knowledge to other teachers. Similar to how the ancient yogis passed their teachings on, our modern teachers are speaking on the topic of how to really reach people. At the end of the day, its not about a perfect downward dog, its about balance and self care. Yoga students everywhere want to find the freedom to move and the ability to improve themselves in someway.

A big thank you to Namaste New York for hosting this workshop on the ‘Art of Teaching Private yoga’, and I value all of the insights and expertise that were shared. If you have any comments, if you are a private yoga teacher or hope to become one someday, please leave a comment below.

Summer Huntington, CST Head Coach & Yogi based out of New York City.

Introducing Clubbells & Yoga! Okay, the first question I get when people see me holding this intelligently designed tool is “are those baseball bats”? The second question is, “do you use that to beat your students if they misbehave”? The answer to both is no, but I will tell you that Clubbells have helped me get long lean muscles in my arms that constantly draw attention from strangers have helped me build my clientele as a yoga teacher.

As a personal trainer and yoga instructor in New York City, I see the whole spectrum of fitness levels. Many beginning yoga students have a strength deficit in shoulders and chest muscles that prevent them from doing the sun salutation safely. Even modifying the push up is sometimes not enough to strengthen all of the shoulder girldle muscles. Many years ago, I found the Clubbell, a weighted mini bat like tool, and started studying with martial arts and yoga guru Scott Sonnon. Now I am a head coach and ambassador for the Circular Strength Training (CST), a health first fitness system integrating joint mobility, Clubbells and Prasara yoga. The Clubbell can be used for conditioning shoulders, core and legs in every exercise, but more importantly it helps the practitioner train movement instead of isolating muscles. Blending Clubbells and yoga poses happened very organically, and it is a powerful combo because both systems are truly complete by themselves… so together it is even more effective for improving strength & balance.

Build strength for poses like side crow using Clubbells.

Try to visualize a yoga class where during the sun salutation, warrior one and warrior 2 and triangle sequences, you added a modern rendition of the ancient indian club into your practice. Or watch my youtube video here. It brings a whole different sensation to the muscles in the core and shoulders to bring precise alignment to CB & YG strength poses. The arms MUST be active in order to keep the clubbell upright, which in effect tones the muscles and creates a mind-muscle connection during the asana. There is a technique to using the Clubbell, and  rmaxinternational.com is a great resource for video and manuals.

Summer & Scott Sonnon.

With such an explosion of yoga hybrid classes these days, it is difficult to separate quality from just another “method”. The best way to filter out the good from the not so good is to do the research. Scott Sonnon continually researches the best ways to create a more functionally fit athlete & yogi, and is highly regarded in his field. He has authored countless books and DVDs pioneering his method of Circular Strength Training. Regardless of what style of yoga you practice, I find it valuable to share knowledge continuously and help people to find freedom through movement, which is the primary goal in CST.

Please leave any questions or comments you have about Clubbells & Yoga below, and  will do my best to get back to you.

Namaste!

As many of you know, I am heading to Costa Rica to help teach yoga to teachers and then guest teach at my first yoga retreat. The time leading up to this huge journey has been filled with reflection and creating intention.

Summer finding the Zen in the city...

On Christmas Eve day, while most people were with family, I opted to go see Sri Dharma Mittra give a talk on purification and intention. Picture a 72 year old yogi, with the brightest shining face you have ever seen speaking with a thick Brazillian accent about relieving suffering. There he was, seated with all of his disciples, teaching the most simple things. I was inspired by what he said, ” Purification of the mind begins with purification of the body.”

So the day after Christmas, I started my 4 day raw juice fast. Thankfully, I called a professional, Donna from Gravity East, and she instructed me to drink plenty of green juices (2-3 per day) and maybe one carrot/beet/ginger juice. She said to stay away from fats like coconut milk (which happens to be my favorite). Today is day 4 of my fast, and I feel really really good.

Everybody’s experience is different, but I found that waking up with a glass of water, then a red or green juice was totally fine. I didn’t miss breakfast at all. Later closer to lunch, I would run off to a juice place and find some sort of green monster (usually spinach, cucumber, parsley, ginger, kale, etc.). Then another 2 juices throughout the day. I only had a pure coconut water from Organic Avenue once during my fast, but found it to be very hydrating. I found that Organic Avenue has various cleanses that they will even deliver to your house. Blueprint is another popular cleanse here in the city.

Taking a break from solid food was actually really refreshing. I was surprised by how much I didn’t actually miss it. Not to mention, my skin got a little clearer, my belly got a lot thinner and I had consistent energy throughout my days. I recommend talking to a specialist before embarking on your own cleanse, or at least doing some research. But I can now speak from experience that a juice cleanse feels really good when you do it right!

This is Warrior II holding a clubbell, on a rooftop in NYC. Escape the city (or town) come do yoga with me in Nicaragua!

I am very excited to announce that I am hosting my first CST Infused Yoga Retreat in Nicaragua this February 19th – 25th. This will be an amazing time for people interested in what I call “Circular Yoga Training” to come experience it first hand. I will be teaching some unique flows that blend elements of CST and joint mobility into vinyasa, guaranteed to leave your body buzzing with vitality and prana. I will also be available for private one on one sessions of CST and yoga. This retreat has been organized up by my yogi friend and entrepreneur Tanya Lexin, who I met at Yandara Yoga institute,  and she is offering it for a huge discount (Only $1500 for twin bed or $1600 for queen bed accommodations). To see all of the details at the resort go to the AMA Website www.yogasurfnicaragua.com.

For those who may have seen me on the Clubbell DVD with Scott Sonnon, or in his Prasara Yoga Manual, but would like to know a little about my yoga teaching style, check out my bio below:

Summer’s Yoga Bio

Come take your Yoga to the next level at my first retreat in Nicaragua!

Summer practices and teaches vinyasa flow yoga with an emphasis on alignment, thoughtful sequencing and cultivating a soothing meditation through movement. She has a passion for wellness, and will gladly share her mind body training tips and healthy food recipes anyone who asks. In addition to studying for her masters in Exercise Science, Summer has also studied with Scott Sonnon, founder of the Circular Strength Training method, which is mind body exercise using a clubbell. Her joint mobility, Prasara yoga and Flow Fit background allow her to help students to unlock bound areas and allows for training of the nervous system. Summer’s yoga practices are challenging, but playful. She encourages smiling and letting go during your practice to uncover your innate ability to find freedom through movement. Summer also weaves chakra and energy work into her teaching to help students learn to experience the sensations that arise in their bodies during meditation and asana. A native from Washington state, Summer now resides in New York City where she teaches people to find balance in their lives and grow a personal home yoga practice.

If you are interested in signing up for this retreat, we have a limit of 8 people and its first come first serve. Contact me directly with any questions, and there is an early bird discount if you put a 50% deposit down by January 8th.

I often get asked where I did my yoga teacher training. For those who are new to yoga, most yoga teachers complete what’s called a 200 hour teacher training that is recognized by a larger governing body called Yoga Alliance. I will tell anyone who asks that I completed mine at an intensive retreat, meaning I did the 200 hours in 4 weeks, at Yandara Yoga Institute in Baja, Mexico. There are so many yoga teacher trainings to choose from. People usually choose based on the teachers, the style of training, the location or affordability.

Kelly Stackhouse, NYC yoga teacher and dear friend.

After getting to know more and more yoga teachers, I have been finding that all yoga teacher trainings are not created equal. At Yandara, they were very strict that teachers in training practiced a yogic lifestyle while at the training, meaning no sugar or caffeine, no phone calls or internet except on Sunday, daily meditation, eating breakfast in silence to continue meditation and more. I personally found this to be a unique experience that enhanced my learning at the Institute. However, some teacher trainings comprised of weekend workshops in the city that take place over several months and have a totally different feel than the intensive. My dear friend Kelly Stackhouse (pictured) did her teacher training over 8 months, and for her taking the extra time to really learn the information and practice helped her to absorb better. She found that taking the information and applying it helped her to really learn it in her body. I am considering doing the Urban Zen Intensive Yoga Therapy program in New York next year. They provide a year long program 500 hour program that includes eastern practices such as rieki, essential oil therapy and restorative yoga that can be used in hospitals to enhance patient care.

Yandara gals holding a wisdom mudra as a peace sign.

Here is a picture of the group of girls that I went through my yoga teacher training with. As you can see we had a very small group and we were led by Shane Perkins. To this day, I think back on that experience and I am so glad that I learned in that environment with those people. I learned to create yoga classes and sessions from the heart,  that there is no right or wrong yoga pose and most importantly, I learned to always follow my dreams. I am always continuing my education, finding new teachers and even learning from the people I teach.

Everybody has a different experience and many people consider doing a yoga teacher training, and want to hear about yours. Please comment if you have anything to share about your teacher training experience. It’s totally up to you if you want to mention the name of the school or not. I would really like to hear about what people love or didn’t love about their 200 hour teacher trainings.

When I teach a client to move, it first means explaining that you should always be connected with your body when you move. This comes as a surprise for some people, because we think of working out as something that we “do TO” our bodies. It is a huge misconception that the mind is somehow separate from our body. The two are inextricably linked.

In yoga and martial arts, it is absolutely critical to treat the mind and body as one interconnected unit. One cannot achieve a state of flow without syncing the two together. For example, the word “Prasara” means flow without thought. I find the most effective yoga and fitness practice to be intuitive and free flowing. Ideally, when you are in a state of flow, you are open to your your body’s innate knowing of what it needs move more fluidly.

An example of finding the flow for me happened when I did my 200 hour teacher training at the Yandara Yoga Institute. Part of our curriculum was to take 90 minutes and create our own yoga flow. We came to a studio overlooking the ocean and allowed our bodies to move, without any judgement or expectation of what asana should come next. Distraction free, light and easy combining of movements with no distinct stop and start point… this is the essence of flow.

One way I teach busy New Yorkers to  find flow is by teaching them “Flow Fit“. It is a series of yoga-like movements that when combined make for a great cardio session. Flow Fit is fantastic because it takes the the body through all planes of motion while elevating the heart rate and creating heat in the body. The concept of priming the joints for exercise is prominent in the Circular Strength Training method, but has been lost in traditional strength training. Don’t mistake a 10-15 minute run on the treadmill or elliptical as being adequate for priming your connective tissue for a workout. You need more… You need to Flow into your Fitness!

Feeling free to run on the beach (& save $)!

All right, I admit that living in NYC has given me more time to think about saving that green stuff ($$$, not green smoothies…). But, I had a thought today that staying on top of your cardio is a lot like making sure that you are contributing to a savings account monthly. To improve your fitness and start to lose weight, the average person should do 100-150 minutes of moderate cardio each week. Think about it as a percentage of your day devoted to improving YOU (your body, your mind, your self-discipline). Depending on your financial goals, the average person should also contribute a percentage of their income to savings, 401k and investing.

I have recently been reading a book called “I Will Teach You to Be Rich” by Ramit Sethi, a down-to-earth indian entreprenuer in his late 20’s who cracks jokes throughout the entire book. Reading this book on the subway on my way to the gym each morning has given me a completely new outlook on money and saving, and I have to say it is quite empowering. The book offers you a 6-week program to getting your finances in order (do you see the congruencies with personal training and fitness yet??).

The book’s first chapter has you take care of your debt by aggressively paying off credit cards one by one, and limiting your spending to do so. I draw a parallel with the first month of working out. In order to see results, you must aggressively put in the time at the gym and limit your eating. You are essentially trying to create a deficit between calories taken in and your output of energy. The more you put into your little bank, the closer you are to being out of debt.

So next time you decide to do your cardio, your flow fit, your yoga, your nintendo Wii, think of it like you would if you were saving for something important like a house or vacation. Your end goal is what motivates you to do the work, but your weekly input of effort will determine how much success you will have.