May 2022 Newsletter - Spring Has Sprung! And So Has Slack?
Spring has sprung and we're so excited to enjoy it with you!
We've got a lot going on in the studio this month as we welcome a new season. Many of our teachers are out of town or taking a little spring time break, so make sure to check your Mindbody app or the website before heading to the studio. If you see a new teacher on the schedule, go check them out!! You may surprise yourself with a class that was exactly what you needed!
Mother's Day Sale!
Are you looking for the perfect gift for the mothers in your life? We have the answer for you! For the month of May, we will be offering a month unlimited to all mamas for $100. The package can start on any date in May. This is limited to one package per mama. In order to purchase please come to the studio or email us at gatheryogastudio@gmail.com.
No More Zoom
Now that we have had minimal Covid cases for the past month and things seem to be returning to normal, we will be discontinuing our Zoom class for the time being. We hope that our loyal Zoom-ers will feel confident to join us back in the studio very very soon!
Continue reading for more updates including our special events this month, an upcoming outdoor yoga opportunity, and to learn more about our featured teacher of the month, Abby Siebert-Mills!
Upcoming Schedule Changes
As previously mentioned, we will have some shifts on the schedule starting this month and continuing through the summer. Many of our instructors are traveling, taking a break, or handing off their classes to other teachers. Take this as an opportunity to try something new!
Some notable changes:
May 2nd will be Cathie's last Refresh+Renew+Recover class. Hanna will be taking over this class starting mid-June.
Tuesday's and Thursday's 5:30pm classes will be canceled until later this summer.
Gretchen Sword is teaching Sunday's 9am class and Sarah Matthews is teaching Thursday's noon class for the next six weeks while Hanna is away!
We will also be saying farewell (for now) to our wonderful, Julianna, this month, as she heads to Montana for an amazing job opportunity. We will miss you!!
Join Abby the 1st and 3rd Wednesday of the Month
for a Donation-Based Guided Meditation Class for the Flourish Foundation
The Flourish Foundation is a local non-profit organization that works to inspire systemic change through heartmind cultivation, promoting personal well-being, benevolent social action, and environmental stewardship. Many of their programs are centered around our local schools, however, they also offer classes and workshops at their own location down in Hailey.
Abby's donation-based guided meditation class will be held the 1st and 3rd Wednesday of the month from 7:00pm-7:45pm.
Please bring a check or cash to class with you as your donation!
This will be the last month of this offering, so go NOW if you've missed it!
Goddess Flow (Prenatal Yoga)
with Kelsey Schubert
Join Kelsey for one of her favorite offerings, Goddess Flow.
During this class, expecting mothers are given the opportunity to join in community and discuss the wonderful and challenging chapter that is pregnancy. After our opening, Kelsey will lead the group in a gentle flow that helps to give mothers the ability to listen to their body, trust their intuition, and gain excitement for the many things to come!
This class is open to mothers who are currently pregnant and to those are trying to conceive as well.
Class will begin with a 15 minute discussion followed by 45 minutes of mindful asana.
Date: Saturday, May 28th
Time: 11am-12pm
Cost: $25 Drop In
Arts in the Preserves Series!
FREE Yoga Classes in Partnership with the Wood River Land Trust
The first of four FREE classes to be offered this summer will take place on Saturday, June 18th at the Simons Bauer Preserve, time to be determined.
Kelsey will be teaching this first class with some of your other favorite instructors from both Gather Yoga and Pure Body Bliss teaching the rest over the summer. Each month, class will take place in a different preserve. This series is meant to engage our community with the beautiful landscapes that we get to call home. The Art in the Preserves series will also include photography, field note workshops, and more!
For more information, please visit the Wood River Land Trust's website.
Pre-registration may be required, so check our newsletter next month to snag your spot!
May 2022 Teacher Spotlight
Abby Siebert Mills
Abby is one smart cookie with a heart of gold! She has an amazing ability to create sequences that challenge you both mentally and physically while still keeping the breath a main focus throughout class. She takes her lessons from the mat with her as she goes to work as one of the awesome faces of the Flourish Foundation. We're so proud of all the work you do Abby, you're a rockstar!
Continue reading to learn a little more about this amazing instructor!
Which aspect of your practice is taking center stage right now? Asana? Meditation? Etc? Typically, moving meditation through an even steady cadence is my go-to resource to get out of my head and into my body. But at the beginning of 2022, I committed to a daily seated meditation practice, which has been incredibly transformative in my everyday life. For me, meditation isn't a thing. That's why it's so difficult to talk about. It's a changing experience that's unique to each and every person. Currently, my practice is helping teach me patience by holding space for myself and others and allowing me to be less attached and sticky with my thoughts, emotions, and desires.
Tell us some more about your role with the Flourish Foundation! I am currently serving as our Development Director and co-leader of our Compassionate Leader's program at Flourish. Our CLP program is an intentional youth community dedicated to altruism and compassion. We believe that compassion and leadership can be nurtured at the deepest level when cultivated inwardly through self-reflection, meditation, vulnerability, and outwardly through community service, fundraising, and public advocacy. When these conditions come together, they create an optimal environment for individual and collective flourishing. I help co-run our weekly meetings with Noah Koski that impart skills in focused attention, kindness, and compassion through discussions on ethics, values, meditation practice, and activities that strengthen human connections. This year's curriculum is on secular ethics, and we are currently reading Beyond Religion: Ethics for a Whole World by the Dalai Lama. Additionally, we read a selection of articles that critically examine the impact and complications of "voluntourism" and will be diving into othering and xenophobia by taking 15 students on an immersion trip to the East Cape of South Africa this June! Another facet of our programming is our Environmental stewardship Program. We partner with another local non-profit, the Pulaski Users group, to take students on five-day backpacking trips into the Sawtooth, White Cloud, and Frank Church Wilderness and participate in trail maintenance with traditional tools: crosscut saws, pulaskis, shovels, hand saws, and loppers. These trips provide the opportunity to learn the importance of stewardship, leave no trace, and the profound mental health benefits of spending time outdoors. Our goal is to inspire our students to become stewards and advocates for our public lands. In addition to helping with CLP and teaching our mindful awareness program in 6th, 7th and 8th grade at Hemingway middle school, I lead our fundraising efforts, run our events and work to cultivate long-term donor relationships to support our work at Flourish! If anyone wants to know more about our work, has a high school student interested in joining compassionate leaders, or wants to participate in our monthly adult programming, please check out our website or email me directly abby@flourishfoundation.org
What is your favorite type of class to teach, and what is your favorite kind of class to attend? My favorite type of class to teach is a continuous moving vinyasa flow, emphasizing breath work and creative sequencing! When it comes to attending classes, I love all types of yoga! We have so many talented instructors at Gather. I feel incredibly grateful to participate in a range of classes from yin to power flow that our studio offers and for the opportunity to engage in someone else's creative expression of teaching and movement!
Abby's Weekly Schedule:
Wednesday 5:30pm All Levels Flow
Friday 8am HOT Flow State of Mind
We can't wait to Gather with you this spring!
