Tamara Sack Yoga

06/01/2022

Now taking private online and in-person clients!

Yoga is for everybody and every body. We can customize a program for you that meets you right where you are. There is no right or wrong--just safe or unsafe. If you are intrigued, want to find a way to help with with your body instead of against it, manage your stress, and start a journey towards feeling better inside and out, contact me and we'll talk about what options work for you.

Yoga changed my life and I know it can change others. Don't let all those images in your head of what Yoga "should" look like keep you from such a powerful and restorative practice. If you have breath and a body, you can do yoga. I'd be honored to show you how.

06/01/2022

Unedited pics from a new self-practice video--pulling off plow pose for the first time ever! Enjoy the sneak peaks! :)

04/23/2022

EXACTLY.

with
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“People are more important than poses, and it's better to adapt a pose to a person than a person to a pose.” —Jivana Heyman ⁠
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[Image ID: An eggplant background with teal text reading, "I've been training yoga teachers for more than twenty years, and I come across a lot of confusion and misunderstanding about what yoga is about and how to practice safely. Invariably, someone will ask, "What about the integrity of the pose? Don't you lose something when you adapt the practice?” My answer to this question is always, 'People are more important than poses, and it's better to adapt a pose to a person than a person to a pose.’ —Jivana Heyman.” The graphic also features yellow quote and red star graphic flourishes.]

04/02/2022

First time back on my mat doing a short intro lesson since my surgery...it's been a long recovery but it feels so good. Nice to know I haven't lost much flexibility. Now to work up my stamina to teach public classes again...

12/18/2021

https://www.instagram.com/p/CXoY9PvLOR2/?utm_medium=copy_link

09/23/2021

Do you ever feel completely defeated, discouraged, or like nothing you do is ever going to make a difference?



The last two years have been hard on me, the pandemic notwithstanding. I moved to a new city, full of excitement for working in a new studio and being able to bring to Columbia. And at the same time, I was riding on a wave that I had started back in 2017 of really focusing on my health and becoming as mentally, physically, and emotionally strong as I could be. However, that wave crashed.

For almost two years nothing seemed to change. I wasn't making the progress that I thought I should be making in so many areas, and particularly my yoga practice. Routines never seem to stick, new ideas and theories of practice didn't really fit, and I felt like I was in a constant state of struggle. In some ways, I felt like a hypocrite as a teacher because I am supposed to be showing people the path of yoga and I felt like I was falling behind.

Lately, I have been challenged by some very wise mentors to really take a more objective inventory of myself. I've been challenged in my very Western ideas of what success and progress are, and I'm starting to see that through a whole new lens. So while I am now going through this period of growth of redefining what my goals are and what progress actually looks like, I'm also finding balance with more objective measurements, like this comparison picture. I did this last year, but updating it to this year made a big impact on me. Not only can I see places to improve, but I can see a very significant difference between myself last year and this year, even if I didn't feel it or see it.

Change is constant. Our subjectivity often obscures or distorts the truth. I don't have to live up to anyone else's standards or even my own ideals. I can just be me, and that is good enough. I'm doing the best that I can, I can do better tomorrow, and I am worthy regardless.

09/19/2021

A super-speedy video of a variation of my sun salutation flows. I customized it at the moment to exactly what my body asked for--which is exactly what is all about. While I didn't use any props in this flow, I hope that my personal practice inspires you to insert, alter, or even mix up poses in your own flows to best serve your body the next time you get on your mat. Tag me with any videos of you experimenting with your own flows---I'd love to see them! :)

A variation of my own sun salutation practice, customized for what I needed. Take a quick peek at how you can make even variations of flows perfectly your ow...

09/12/2021

Sometimes finding joy in your practice, especially when you're struggling with your mental or physical performance, can be really difficult. Today I took a chance and practiced alone at the studio in an outfit that totally fits my geeky side. I'm a huge Wonder Woman fan, and I decided that if she can do anything, I can push myself to get back on the mat, to safely challenge myself, and even record parts of it for my students who are asking for some demonstrations that they can follow along with at home. It takes a lot for me to be this vulnerable, exposing parts of my body that I'm used to hiding. I've lived under so much shame for decades that my relationship with my body has been incredibly fragmented, painful, and judgmental. But bravery comes in all forms, and me being willing to show who I am, what I can do, and to celebrate my body exactly how it is today without judgment and with love is one of the bravest things that I can do.

I'll also be taking off the comment feature on YouTube when I post the videos. LOL.

06/16/2021

It doesn't matter that my primary care doctor is absolutely phenomenal, I love her to pieces, and I have never felt anything but comfortable here. Still, that flares up when I start getting within ten miles of her place. I'm often finding myself in medical office parking lots, a few minutes before my appointment, trying desperately to calm down. Today was no exception. Leaving home, my heart rate was about 120, I didn't even want to know what my blood pressure was, and I was really struggling to take a deep breath. 😮

The thing is, before, I didn't have any tools to deal with this and then a lot of doctors would get these high readings and assume things about my health that weren't true. Enter pranayama. This limb of yoga, or slice of the yoga pizza as I tell some of my students, is so incredibly vital and important to my life. Not only did starting my breathing exercises when I was halfway here really help me calm down and focus on the road and the cars around me, but I could feel it starting to relax me and soothe irrational fears about my appointment. When I pulled into the parking lot 10 minutes early, I spent eight of those doing a deep relaxing breath, really focusing on where the air was going, and repeating to myself that I was safe. 20 total minutes of breathwork, and my heart rate had dropped to 76. When I had my blood pressure taken, it was 120 over 70. Can't ask for much better than that. 😁

I know it's not November, but a spirit of gratitude shouldn't be exclusively 1/12 of the year. So therefore, today, I feel for having the training in yoga to teach me how to calm down my own body, a doctor who cares about me, supports me, and helps me in so many ways that no other doctor has, and a platform from which I can share this with others and let them know that there are safe medical facilities out there where you will be treated with respect. And there's also hope for those who want to work on anxiety that does such a number on our Vital Signs.

06/15/2021

Guess who, after about 8 weeks of struggling with her knee after a bad fall, has FINALLY gotten to do some beloved floor yoga that is just amazing for my body? 👉This girl!👈

It's hard to remind myself to take it slow, and I definitely did have some cramping issues that I was able to manage with a few tricks up my yoga teacher sleeve, but overall I'm crying tears of happiness because I am no longer scared to get on the floor because my knee won't let me get up. I'm probably not going to have as much pain and stiffness in my back and my hips because now I can do the stretches that they prefer, even though the accessible ones against walls and chairs and in bed and such were helpful. My body just really likes being on the floor and stretching that way, and now it finally can. And oh, how my hip flexors are sore! But in that hurts so good way like "You have abandoned us for 8 weeks and now we finally get to move to our full extension! Thank you!"

I am still very much an teacher, which means that I'm going to be taking it very slow as I work back into this kind of yoga, making sure that I have props around me within easy reach to easily correct any issues that come up, and I'm going to be patient with myself because I'm not going to be able to go straight back to the splits or other really intense stretches that I love to do so much. In fact, my floor routine that usually takes 30 to 45 minutes was cut down to 15. But that's okay. It's day one after two months of agony. I don't want to re-injure myself. And I know that is such a challenge for so many people beyond me; when something finally heals to where we can use it and it is so tempting to just go back to where we were because we missed it so much. But I know my body will not handle that well. And I probably will have to take something to help with a little bit of soreness and inflammation just because of what all I did do. But that's okay.

06/11/2021

This could be your chair, if you were here for Yoga Nidra. These could be the blankets making you comfortable and warm, if you were here for Yoga Nidra. That could be your eye pillow, maybe lightly scented with an essential oil you love, if you were here for Yoga Nidra. That could be the softly lit tree and candles that create an ambiance that invites you to rest and feel peace and relax, if you were here for Yoga Nidra. This could be your 45 minutes of a very restful practice that brings on deep relaxation of the mind and body and is even scientifically-studied to have similar benefits to 3 hours of sleep, if you were here for Yoga Nidra. This could be your time to focus on creating a new intention in your life, like loving yourself and others, being more kind, finding acceptance, and so much, much more, if you were here for Yoga Nidra.

Now... Wouldn't you like to come to Yoga Nidra? I have an in-person class on Thursdays at 7:15 p.m., and may open up another spot if there is enough interest. The cost is only $5 for a brand new student or as low as $10 for returning students. You can also do Yoga Nidra at home with recordings I will make customized to you. Just send me an email at Tamarasackyoga@yahoo.com to learn more.

06/08/2021

A Lesson in
I'm constantly focused on helping my students find ways to have yoga work for their bodies; we work around body types and sizes, injuries, disabilities, and so much more in every single class. I preach about no shame, no self-condemnation, and acceptance. And yet, I struggle with these things myself. I hurt my knee badly nearly 7 weeks ago, and it's still giving me issues. Tree pose is agony. I'm only able to go halfway into lunges and squats. I even had to give up ANY floor work or being on my knees for weeks. It was very hard for me--I know how to work around it, but my body loves floor work and my back, arms, and core are all feeling the loss. It's a huge struggle, but it doesn't have to be. I can acknowledge the temporary loss and the grief, and move on. I can still do so much. I can during this time of healing and still find physical, mental, and emotional release. It's pushing me deeper into other aspects of yoga, like meditation and breathwork, and I'm becoming a wiser, more intuitive, and much less demonstrative teacher so my eyes are on my students and not my own mat. It's helping me grow, like most challenges in life do.