Equipose Yoga Studio

04/10/2026

Dear Yogis:

I am borrowing words and wisdom again this week, this time from Rebecca Solnit, noted author, activist, and environmentalist. I thought Easter Sunday was a good time to offer hopeful words to ponder. (Yes, I know that is a dragonfly, not a mayfly in the picture, but it was the best I could do. Dragonflies get more photo opts than the lowly mayfly).

A tortoise knows it takes time for change to reveal itself; it watches "the slow journey of ideas...seeing what is invisible" (Solnit, 35). The mayfly has a short-term view "which breeds defeatism and despair" (33). Because the genealogies and evolutions, trajectories and historical records are "often left out of the news, we cannot "see [the] power that emerges from below and ideas that move from the margins to the center" (33).

Solnit offers some really powerful examples of extraordinary change that was not visible. She writes about The Occupy Wall Street uprising in 2011. Many "crushed by debt and decrying the systems that crushed them" evolved into the Biden Administration's 2023 announcement of student loan relief. The mayflies said that the uprising was a failure in 2011 when an Occupy protest in Lower Manhattan was broken up by police. Later in 2012, The Debt Collective was organized to abolish housing, medical and educational debt. To date, Federal law has forgiven over 2 billion dollars in student loans. The tortoises/activists had made student debt a public issue and a part of Biden's campaign platform.

In 2020, after 31 years of organizing, a coalition of Native American Nevadan ranchers and other rural people created The Great Basin Water Network to defeat Las Vegas's attempt "to exact 58 billion gallons of water annually" from arid eastern Nevada, one of the driest places on the continent. Wildlife and rural communities would have been decimated without those tortoises!

The student-led movement to get Harvard University "to divest from fossil fuels" took ten years to reach victory in 2021.

The New Deal's "epic tree-planting program" helped stop the erosion that caused The Dust Bowl. BUT "70 is young for a tree" (37).

It's increasingly difficult to take a tortoise view of things with trampled human rights, science ignored, The Constitution at risk, and Truth be damned, but as my friend Marie so profoundly stated, "You can't see the mountain from the mountain." Blessings and a long view for our future on this spring day.

Solnit, Rebecca. No Straight Road Takes You There (Chicago, Illinois, Haymarket Books), 2025.

Kundalini continues each Sat. at 10 am, except the first Saturday of the month. The fee is $25. The next ball therapy session is the first Saturday in May.

Regular Class Schedule

SUNDAY:
10AM Yin Yoga
MONDAY:
10:00AM
4:30PM Vinyasa Flow Yoga
TUESDAY:
12PM Lunch Break Yoga, All Levels, 1 hr
6:00-7:30PM All Levels Flow with Wes
WEDNESDAY:
10AM Vinyasa Flow
5:30PM Yin Yoga [ZOOM + IN-STUDIO]
THURSDAY:
5:30 Yin [ZOOM only}
6-7:30pm All Levels Flow with Wes
FRIDAY:
10AM Vinyasa Flow Yoga

No need to register for classes—just come! Drop-ins are $25, and you can purchase class passes here.

https://equiposeyoga.com/classes-props

04/06/2026

04/06/2026

03/30/2026

Dear Yogis:

I am sharing some thoughts from my Yin teacher this week. They seem appropriate, even necessary, at his time in our troubled world.

“As the winter swallows its tail of snow and frozen wind, we begin again our endless study of the watercourse way. Snow melts and the streams swell without effort. Sap runs up and down the trees as their buds begin to breathe with the promise of more space in a Spring wind. Birds return with great effort, and yet without pride. They sing simply as an expression of this day.

May we participate in this beauty however our life allows.

In this way may our yoga practices continue to turn towards the way the stories of nature unfold in our lives, and in our own bodies. May we gather in our classes again this season, with the fragility and fertility of our own unique path, and the power of acceptance.

May we gather in this peace during the world's troubled times,and find new gravity in our hearts.”

Blessings, and great gratitude to Biff Mithoefer for these words

Kundalini continues each Sat. at 10 am, except the first Saturday of the month. The fee is $25. The next ball therapy session is the first Saturday in April, so register soon to reserve your spot.

Regular Class Schedule

SUNDAY:
10AM Yin Yoga
MONDAY:
10:00AM
4:30PM Vinyasa Flow Yoga
TUESDAY:
12PM Lunch Break Yoga, All Levels, 1 hr
6:00-7:30PM All Levels Flow with Wes
WEDNESDAY:
10AM Vinyasa Flow
5:30PM Yin Yoga [ZOOM + IN-STUDIO]
THURSDAY:
5:30 Yin [ZOOM only}
6-7:30pm All Levels Flow with Wes
FRIDAY:
10AM Vinyasa Flow Yoga

No need to register for classes—just come! Drop-ins are $25, and you can purchase 5-Class, 10-Class and Unlimited Monthly Passes.

https://equiposeyoga.com/classes-props

03/27/2026

Dear Yogis:

WARNING! This week's post is heavy on the anatomy. Last week we looked at pushing through the heel to facilitate balance in poses. I chose the picture of the figure walking heel to toe to emphasize the importance of the stabilization of the body when the heel leads the movement in our everyday lives. The focus this week is on the phenomenally complex process that the brain goes through to keep us centered and what part the heel plays in this process.

First, the big picture. Forcing pressure through the heels shifts our center of gravity backward, preventing falling forward. It also gives us an optimal center of gravity because it is a stable foundation and stronger support because we are using "the tripod foot" (big toe, heel and baby toe) to maintain contact with the ground. There is also muscle activation through the heel pressure, and that activates the posterior chain (glutes and hamstrings).

Next, let's look at the amazing process that the brain goes through to allow balance to happen. The major player is the cerebellum or "little brain," which detects instability from sensory data (our eyes, inner ear, and muscles and joints). It then sends motor commands to the muscles which then adjust the body.

The brainstem houses the vestibular nuclei (inner ear) and receives the initial balance signals from the inner ear, triggering a rapid, automatic reflex to prevent a fall.

The cerebrum has cells (Purkinje ls) that make rapid adjustments while integrating sensory signals.

The vestibular reflex (VSR) also uses sensory input to initiate automatic muscle contractions in the neck, trunk, and legs to pull the body back to center.

That's not all! The thalamus acts as a relay station to pass data to the cortex of the brain for conscious awareness. The basal ganglia then prepare motor circuits and suppress unwanted movements. Other helpers are the hippocampus, which controls spatial orientation (kinesthetic awareness). Last, the parietal cortex controls higher order processing to create a unified perception of the body's position in space.

But, what happens during a "save" or correction in balance? First, the inner ear and muscles detect an unexpected tilt. Then the cerebellum identifies the mismatch between where you intended to be and where you actually are. The correction happens in 10 milliseconds when the vestibular/proprioceptive responses send a signal down the vestibulospinal tracts to contract certain muscles (the calves and core) to pull you back to center!

The AMAZING BRAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Kundalini continues each Sat. at 10 am. The fee is $25. The next ball therapy session is the first Saturday in April.

Regular Class Schedule

SUNDAY:
10AM Yin Yoga
MONDAY:
10:00AM
4:30PM Vinyasa Flow Yoga
TUESDAY:
12PM Lunch Break Yoga, All Levels, 1 hr
6:00-7:30PM All Levels Flow with Wes
WEDNESDAY:
10AM Vinyasa Flow
5:30PM Yin Yoga [ZOOM + IN-STUDIO]
THURSDAY:
5:30 Yin [ZOOM only}
6-7:30pm All Levels Flow with Wes
FRIDAY:
10AM Vinyasa Flow Yoga

No need to register for classes—just come! Drop-ins are $25, and you can purchase 5 Class, 10 Class and Monthly Unlimited Passes.

https://equiposeyoga.com

03/16/2026

Thank you to all who came out for Mark Torgeson’s Sacred Sound Healing this weekend. We look forward to having him return soon!

Mark has a number of events and trainings scheduled this year, beautiful harps for sale and decades of music to listen to. Sign up on his website to receive his newsletters to keep up to date with his schedule.

https://marktorgeson.com/home

03/16/2026

Dear Yogis:
My comments this week were inspired by a Yoga Journal article about balance. But first I want to remind you of the important reasons to practice balancing poses in yoga. First, they strengthen ankles, knees, core, and leg muscles (quads, hamstrings, glutes) while increasing bone density. Second, they enhance neuromuscular connections, helping the brain communicate better with muscles for improved agility and movement. Third, they cultivate mindfulness, quiet the mind, and lower stress by requiring total concentration and a steady gaze (drishti). Fourth, they improve equilibrium by improving proprioception and training the body to manage its center of gravity. Last, they build confidence, patience, humility, and determination by teaching us to manage wobbling and picking ourselves up after falling.

When we enter a balance pose, there is a tendency to overthink, overcorrect or under correct or to be unable to correct. There are four simple words that cut through the noise in our heads and the confusion in our bodies, "Push through the heel."

The next time you are with practicing Mountain Pose, Stork, Tree Pose, Warrior Three, Half-Moon, Dancer, Side Plank, Standing Splits, or Chair Pose. remember those four simple words!

Next week we will dive deeper into the physiological and neurological benefits of balance practice.

Kundalini continues each Sat. at 10 am. The fee is $25. The next ball therapy session is the first Saturday in April. Thanks to all who attended Mark Torgesen's sold-out Sound Healing today.

Regular Class Schedule

SUNDAY:
10AM Yin Yoga
MONDAY:
10:00AM
4:30PM Vinyasa Flow Yoga
TUESDAY:
12PM Lunch Break Yoga, All Levels, 1 hr
6:00-7:30PM All Levels Flow with Wes
WEDNESDAY:
10AM Vinyasa Flow
5:30PM Yin Yoga [ZOOM + IN-STUDIO]
THURSDAY:
5:30 Yin [ZOOM only}
6-7:30pm All Levels Flow with Wes
FRIDAY:
10AM Vinyasa Flow Yoga

No need to register for classes—just come! Drop-ins are $25, and you can purchase class passes below.

https://equiposeyoga.com/classes-props

03/10/2026

Dear Yogis:

We are excited to host Mark Torgesen again next Sunday for sound healing. I would like to offer some thoughts about the science and benefits of this kind of holistic healing. Everything in the universe vibrates in a constant state of vibration, including our bodies. These vibrations affect us on a cellular level, impacting the brain, nerves, muscles, and organs. Sara Auster, another sound healer, writes that "sound healing is an invitation into a deeper state of consciousness, where you unplug from external stimuli and focus on what's going on within you." But how does this happen?

Our bodies are approximately 60% water, and water is an excellent medium for sound waves. The density and molecular structure of water allow sound waves to resonate profoundly as the molecules can absorb a wide variety of frequencies. This interaction can stimulate cellular movement of energy within the body. This resonance can create harmonious patterns in the water molecules in our bodies, which influence mental, emotional, and physical states. (casadhotyoga.com)

We have all reacted to the sound of nails on a chalkboard or a loud crash. These are neural, physiological and biochemical reactions that sync the mind/body to the vibrations of the sound. A sound bath channels this power for relaxation and healing, the brain waves calm and lead to slower breathing, lower heart rate, and lower blood pressure. Finally, the immune system becomes more efficient by reducing stress hormones and releasing feel-good chemicals in the brain.

Mark will play his harps, singing bowls, gongs, tuning forks, chimes and bells, drums and rattles. Depending on the frequency, each of these may ground energy, align chakras, clear energetic blockages, or maybe even take you to an altered state. Former attendees to Mark's workshops have related sensations of warmth and tingling, emotional releases, both tears and laughter, feelings of floating or deep physical heaviness, and feelings of inner peace, insight and clarity.

Kundalini resumes next Saturday at 10am. Feel free to drop-in and see if it's a practice that works for you. The fee is $25. The next ball therapy session is the first Saturday in April.

Regular Class Schedule

SUNDAY:
10AM Yin Yoga
MONDAY:
10:00AM
4:30PM Vinyasa Flow Yoga
TUESDAY:
12PM Lunch Break Yoga, All Levels,1 hr
6:00-7:30PM All Levels Flow with Wes
WEDNESDAY:
10AM Vinyasa Flow
5:30PM Yin Yoga [ZOOM + IN-STUDIO]
THURSDAY:
5:30 Yin [ZOOM only}
6-7:30pm All Levels Flow with Wes
FRIDAY:
10AM Vinyasa Flow Yoga

No need to register for classes—just come! Drop-ins are $25, and you can purchase class passes.

https://equiposeyoga.com/classes-props

03/02/2026

Dear Yogis:

Bob Cooley's The Genius of Flexibility is the subject of this week's newsletter. His journey to wellness started after he was thrown 25 feet by a drunk driver as he was walking with a friend, who was killed. He believes that "resistance stretching" saved his life and allowed him to regain total functionality.

Cooley teaches that by using resistance stretching, you contract and lengthen a muscle at the same time. Further, he writes that stretching this way takes the unnecessary risk out of stretching. Stretching a muscle without contracting or shortening it, produces a false range of motion known as substitution. By resisting the stretch, the necessary tension is created in the muscle, which results in an immediate increase in flexibility.

As you move into a stretch, your muscles lengthen-but they also contract. As the stretched muscles contract, tension develops and, at a certain point, a reflex fires and tells the muscles to elongate. Further. tension and resistance are what cause the muscle to stretch.

When you increase the resistance by intentionally fighting the elongation by resisting in the opposite direction of the stretch, the muscle actually produces DOUBLE the tension and resistance that it does in weight training the same muscle, and the result is a dramatic increase in flexibility. MUSCLES GENERATE TWICE THE TENSION WHEN STRETCHING THAN WHEN WEIGHT TRAINING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Cooley writes that you can expect an immediate 15-20 per cent increase in strength-without additional weight training.

You may be wondering how the more relaxed, longer stretching in Yin compares to resistance stretching. In Yin we focus on fascial tissue, which is different in composition from muscle tissue. Muscle has more elastin and collagen than fascia, so it rebounds easily like a rubber band; fascia is more like putty and requires a different approach, more time, more gentleness. That said, muscles have fascia within them and wrapped around them. Also, resistance stretching is intense and should be preceded by a warmup, unlike Yin.

Eugene's Kundalini classes will continue on March 14th through the rest of the month at Equipose Studio at 10am until 11:30am. No experience needed. Show up if you are interested, no registration necessary. Please bring cash or check. Drop-in fee is $25; a 5-class pass is $100. You may Zoom these classes by paying online at equiposeyoga.com. Go to Zoom classes on the website and use the pay button at the bottom of the page. Please let Lee know if you want to Zoom this class.

The next ball class will meet March 7th. Mark Torgesen is returning March 15th, so sign up early; his sound healing classes fill up quickly. The cost is $35. Please give a check or cash to Lee if you are in the studio for classes.
Regular Class Schedule

SUNDAY:
10AM Yin Yoga
MONDAY:
10:00AM
4:30PM Vinyasa Flow Yoga
TUESDAY:
12PM Lunch Break Yoga, All Levels, 1 hr
6:00-7:30PM All Levels Flow with Wes
WEDNESDAY:
10AM Vinyasa Flow
5:30PM Yin Yoga [ZOOM + IN-STUDIO]
THURSDAY:
5:30 Yin [ZOOM only}
6-7:30pm All Levels Flow with Wes
FRIDAY:
10AM Vinyasa Flow Yoga

No need to register for classes—just come! Drop-ins are $20, and you can purchase class passes.

https://equiposeyoga.com/classes-props