We are happy to announce additions to our yoga class schedules in both locations beginning March 1, 2018.

Schroon Lake class schedule:

Mondays
9:30am Hatha (Mixed Level) with Debbie BEGINS March 5th
11:00am Restore & Renew with Debbie
1:30pm Adaptive Chair Yoga with Debbie NEW TIME beginning March 5th

Tuesdays
6:00pm Hatha (Mixed Level) with Beth
7:30pm Shamanic Flow Yoga with Debbie

Wednesdays
9:30am Gentle Hatha for Begninners with Beth

Thursdays
5:30pm Yin Yoga with Jennifer S.

Fridays
9:30am Hatha Flow (Mixed Level) with Beth
11:00am Restore & Renew with Debbie

Saturdays
10:00am Workshop or Community Yoga (please check the calendar)

Keene Valley class schedule:

Mondays
9:00am Tai Ji Quan (Thai Chi) with Curtis
6:00pm Shamanic Flow Yoga with Debbie

Tuesdays
9:00am Keep Strong with Magda

Wednesdays
8:30am Prana Flow Vinyasa Yoga with Teresa
5:30pm Gentle Yoga Sampler (Beginner to Mixed Level) with rotating teachers

Thursdays
9:00am Keep Strong with Magda
11:00am Adaptive Chair Yoga with Debbie BEGINS March 1st
3:30pm Beginner Hatha with Debbie BEGINS March 1st

Sundays
10:00am Workshop or Community Yoga (please check the calendar)

To keep our classes as accessible as possible, we have not changed our prices since 2012. Unfortunately, our rent and other overhead costs have increased more than we can absorb and we must increase our class prices to be able to keep bringing yoga and other wellness practices to our Adirondack communities.

Beginning March 1st, our prices will be:

Drop-in, any class: $15
5-class card, good for any class: $60

2-hour workshops: $25 or double-punch class card

To support our fixed-income seniors, senior citizens (65+) can continue to purchase class cards for $50. There is no senior discount for drop-ins.

Our class cards never expire, so you are welcome to purchase extra cards at the current price anytime before March 1st. Thank you for your continued presence and support for True North Yoga.

Following our policy of closing whenever the local school is closed, the Schroon Lake studio is closed on Wednesday, February 7th and Beth’s 9:30am Gentle Hatha class is cancelled for the day.

Keene Valley is open only in the morning, for Teresa’s 8:30am Prana Flow Vinyasa. The evening Gentle Yoga class and Reiki Share are cancelled, as is Magda’s Thursday 9:00am Keep Strong, to allow time for our parking lot to be plowed.

In Schroon Lake, Ginny’s Thursday 9:30am Connect to Your Breath is cancelled indefinitely as of February 8th. Ginny is caring for an injury that is keeping her off her yoga mat. We will welcome her back when her body is ready.

Enjoy the snow day, stay safe, and stay peaceful!

Guest post by Debbie Philp

It starts with a groundhog

A few of days ago, Americans acknowledged the old Celtic festival of Imbolc (or Candlemas) by practicing the art of weather divination. In other words, some folks woke up some groundhogs and, because some saw their shadow, declared there will be six more weeks of winter bleakness. (And, because it is 2018 and even the groundhogs are standing up for their freedoms, one Canadian groundhog bit a reporter who tried to stop it from escaping its pen.)

For the most part, I don’t mind winter and enjoy the snow, but sometimes it does seem to drag on and on. I suspect the Celts thought so, too, since they chose to celebrate the midpoint between the winter solstice and the spring equinox. It’s kind of an “over the hump” thing – the Wednesday of winter.

This winter’s temperatures so far have bounced between “too warm for winter” and “too cold for me and the pipes,” and rain has alternated with snow leaving a thick layer of ice on places like my driveway. The political and social climate in the United States has been equally inconsistent and icy lately.

Yet here we are at the middle of winter and there is reason to hope. Can you feel into that?

Gathering in hope

We may be gathering in protest, in celebration, or for a big football game, but we are gathering. We are leaving our homes, risking icy spots, to declare that we still have hope and winter won’t beat us.

This is the spirit of Imbolc. It is a time to shake off the winter doldrums and cultural and joyfully declare, “I know that spring is coming. We can get through this dark time.”

We also gather at the yoga studio. In addition to yoga classes, where we connect through the shared practice, we gather for events such as our drum circles and Reiki shares, goddess circles and Red Tent temples. Yoga teachers gather for teacher trainings to advance their own practices and to become better instructors for you. We do our best, working around winter weather when necessary, to keep our opportunites to gather going all year.

I appreciate everyone who braves the cold and snow to gather with me. You bring me hope. More snow is on its way. Perhaps the second half of winter will bring us opportunities to enjoy the outdoors as well as coming together on our yoga mats.

Check out our yoga class schedule for chances to gather and our home page for upcoming events.

Debbie Philp, the founder of True North Yoga, sees the pursuit of wellness as a sacred journey that reveals the healer within. She offers yoga and shamanic healing practices to help you discover your innate power, your inner wisdom, and your ability to nurture yourself and others. Debbie is a E-RYT500 yoga teacher and a Shamanic Reiki Master Teacher. She teaches yoga classes, leads yoga teacher training, instructs Shamanic Reiki Levels 1 and 2, and offers individual healing sessions. Visit her website: www.DebbiePhilp.com

At True North Yoga, we’ve been bringing you our best offerings of asana (poses) and meditation. Those are only part of the yoga path, however. We are happy to introduce Bhakti Yoga to our studio family and bring you a new way to experience yoga.

Bhakti, which is Sanskirt for intense love or devotion, includes practices like prayer, mantra, and – our favorite! – chanting. Chanting is shared through the practice of Kirtan, during which chants are lead in a call-and-response format. Traditional Kirtan chants repeat names of the Hindu deities in Sanskrit, but many contemporary kirtan artists blend English-language chants and those from other cultures into the Bhatki experience.

Read more about Bhakti practices on Yoga International’s website.

Bhakti at True North Yoga

For the last six months, Beth and Debbie have been developing their own Bhakti prpactices. With their guitars, they have been practicing chants and they are ready to bring Kirtan to the broader community.

On Saturday, February 3rd, as drumming winds down in our Sacred Drumming Circle in the Schroon Lake studio, Beth and Debbie will be offering a “pop-up” community kirtan. We will chant for about 45 minutes and there will be no charge. Look for more of these informal kirtan events in the future in both studio locations.

Adirondack Chant Fest

If you’d like to deepen into the Bhakti practice, block off Saturday, April 7th on your calendar. We are hosting the Adirondack Chat Fest in our Keene Valley studio from 10:00am to 10:00pm. We are bringing together a number of Kirtan artists and sound healers for a full day of chanting, singing bowls, and sound baths. More details and tickets are coming very soon. Watch our home page for event information.

Most of the great teachers we have at True North Yoga were part of Debbie’s yoga teacher training program. Debbie has trained 32 Adirondack yoga teachers since her initial 200-hour teacher training in 2012. She prides herself on not only giving trainees a firm foundation in yoga asana and philosophy, but in also giving them a strong connection to the magic of our Adirondack park. Because they can share that connection in their yoga classes, our studio more than just a place to practice yoga. It is truly a reflection of the beauty of the lakes and mountains that our part of our lives. The Energetics of Yoga Teacher Training Foundational program includes eleven weekends between October and March. With time to integrate the practices and teaching skills, you will finish ready to teach your first class.

Interested in a deeper practice or becoming a yoga teacher? Our next 200-hour, foundational training begins in October.

Advanced Yoga Teacher Training

Beginning in 2017, yoga teachers were offered a way to evolve on their mats and in their lives. The Energetics of Yoga Advanced Training program for yoga teachers consists of four “elemental” modules, each taking place over four weekends at our Keene Valley studio. Debbie incorporates shamanic journeys and other experiential practices into the teacher training modules so yoga teachers can awaken and expand personally and professionally.

Elemental Modules

The Earth module focuses on the physical aspects of an asana practice. The program includes a deepening of anatomical awareness, assisting and adjusting asanas, and mapping challenging asanas to introduce them in an accessible and safe way.

The Air module wakes up your inner storyteller. Through discussion of the power of story and learning styles, yoga teachers grow more confident in incorporating story into their classes and workshops. The Air module also includes advanced pranayama and a dive into your personal story. Yoga teachers finish with a completed bio ready for promotional materials.

In the Water module, yoga teachers explore the subtle body in yoga and the joyful practice of Bhakti. During this module you will do lots of chanting! You will gain a deeper understanding of the chakras, the meridians, and energy practices which compliment yoga. After an introduction to Yin Yoga you will be able to incorporate Yin poses into your classes for more variety and to address energetic as well as physical imbalances.

During the Fire module, you will discover your passions. A weekend is devoted to an eye-opening look at the various social and environmental issues that exist around the world and your own core values. You will approach teaching as an expression of your unique inner fire. You will advance your sequencing skills to create magical flows and design transformative workshops and private offerings.

Teacher Training Registration

Each module is offered once a year. Teachers can take any modules of interest in any order. More information, the upcoming dates for each advanced teacher training module, and online registration is available on Debbie’s website. You can also learn more about the six-month, 200-hour Foundational Training program and register for the next session which begins in October. You will also find the dates on our Keene Valley studio calendar.

We are opened following a reduced class schedule during Christmas week. Here’s when you can join us for a yoga practice:

Schroon Lake:
Monday, December 25th:
Closed – Merry Christmas!

Tuesday, December 26th:
6:00pm Hatha Yoga with Beth

Wednesday, December 27th:
9:30am Gentle Hatha for Beginners with Beth

Thursday, December 28th:
5:30pm Yin Yoga with Jennifer S.

Friday, December 29th:
9:30am Hatha Flow with Beth

Saturday, December 30th:
10:00am Community Yoga with Jennifer M.

Sunday, December 31st:
No scheduled classes

Monday, January 1st:
Closed – Happy New Year!

Keene Valley:

Monday, December 25th:
Closed – Merry Christmas!

Tuesday, December 26th:
9:00am Keep Strong with Magda

Wednesday, December 27th:
Closed

Thursday, December 28th:
9:00am Keep Strong with Magda

Friday, December 29th:
No scheduled classes

Saturday, December 30th:
No scheduled classes

Sunday, December 31st:
10:00am Community Yoga with Jennifer V.

Monday, January 1st:
Closed – Happy New Year!

Our regular schedule resumes on Tuesday, January 2nd. Have a wonderful holiday week!

Have you found a yoga blanket in our Schroon Lake studio with a gold thread tied in the fringe? If so, you have a newley washed blanket thanks to the Seva of Helene Vanderburgh, a regular and long-time supporter of our studio.

Seva in yoga and life

Seva means “selfless service” in Sanskrit, the traditional language of yoga. Helene has been washing our blankets two at a time, week after week, so they are fresh and clean for us, and for you. We are very grateful to Helene for her service, for which she expected nothing in return.

Being of service doesn’t have to be difficult. Helene saw a need we had and found a simple, mundane way to meet it. That doesn’t make her service any less meaningful for us. MindBodyGreen shared Ram Dass’ thoughts on Seva, which we think sums up Helene’s work perfectly.

“Helping out is not some special skill. It is not the domain of rare individuals. It is not confined to a single part of our lives. We simply heed the call of that natural impulse within and follow it where it leads us.”

Next time you see Helene in our Schroon Lake studio, join us in thanking her for washing our blankets. We appreciate all the help we get from our community, which includes very simple things like inviting your friends to a yoga class or event, taking the time to put your props away neatly for the next class, and taking off your shoes before you walk on the floor to keep it clean for all of our socks and bare feet. We thank you, too!

The snow isn’t too bad, but enough to reduce our schedule. The Tuesday 9:00am Keep Strong class is Keene Valley is cancelled today. While the roads are passable, Magda is abroad and our subs have long drives and school delays that prevent them from arriving by class time.

Schroon Lake will be open this evening for Beth’s 6:00pm Hatha. Debbie’s 7:30pm Shamanic Flow has already been cancelled so she can see her son in the Schroon Lake Central holiday concert.

True North Yoga grew to two locations in July, and now the newly added Keene Valley, New York, studio has ungone further expansion. Our newly enclosed front porch has opened up lots of room on the heated floor for more yoga mats.

Expanding into 2018

The studio expansion means there is room for you and your friends in our classes and workshops, and we are looking forward to sharing some great offerings with you in 2018, including the first ever Adirondack Chant Fest – a day-long celebration of the sounds of yoga. The Chant Fest will feature Kirtan led by Adirondack locals, singing bowl meditations, and sound baths, from 10:00am to 10:00pm on April 7, 2018. Save the date!

We will continue to honor community with regular monthly Reiki shares and drum circles. Ladies, you can embrace your sacred feminine at Red Tent Temples in Keene Valley or New Moon Goddess Circles in Schroon Lake. Debbie Philp will be bringing Moon Salutations, Restorative, Reiki and Yoga Nidra, and Shamanic Healing for Self-Care workshops to both locations throughout the year.

Yoga and Reiki Trainings

Is 2018 the year you become or expand as a yoga teacher? Do you want to learn to practice hands on energy healing? True North Yoga’s Keene Valley studio is the place to be! In Debbie’s Energetics of Yoga training programs you will deepen your practice and change your life. The element-based advanced modules for yoga teachers who are ready to evolve are offered throughout the year. If you wish to take your yoga practice to the next level or become a yoga teacher, the next foundational program begins in October 2018.

There are also opportunities to learn Reiki. You will find Levels One and Two of Shamanic Reiki, which blends traditional Reiki with other shamanic healing practices, offered a number of times next year. If you would prefer Usui Reiki, we will also be hosting those trainings.

Try a Yoga Class

Between the special events, we always have a great line up of weekly yoga classes for you. Our schedule is full of creative and unique classes led by well-trained, authentic teachers. Now that our physical expansion is complete, we look forward to expanding our class offerings in the year to come.

There’s lots of great stuff on the calendar already, and we are looking forward to seeing you often in 2018!