I just finished a two day introduction to Thai Yoga Massage with Elizabeth Drapela and am offering a three session extension at Just Breathe Yoga Studio, Friday evenings, first class Nov. 2.  Thai Yoga Massage is a technique that includes a combination of gentle rocking, passive stretching, compression, soft tissue manipulation and energy balancing.   We will review and practice the routine we learned with Elizabeth and Hope and delve deeper into partner yoga, adding some new tricks and extending your repertoire.

Thai Yoga Massage is known as "lazy man's yoga" meaning that you experience the benefits of a yoga session without as much physical effort.  Your partner  lengthens and stretches your muscles and stimulates circulation while you relax deeper into the work...until it is your turn to work your partner!  (Working with a partner is fun and very satisfying.  I find much deeper stretches when working with a partner.) 
No experience is necessary because we will review everything we learned with Elizabeth and Hope.  Come alone or bring a friend.
Nov. 2, 9 & 16
Friday evenings, 7-8 pm
3 sessions, $20
Click here to pay online.  This link will send you to my email, simply write Thai Massage and I will send you an invoice that you can pay with a credit card. 

Fall is right around the corner, I can feel it, so I've decided to kick start the fall season by celebrating the last official summer vacation day with a stacation.  Stacations are not a new thing but it's a new thing for me.  I love travel but know that it can be very stressful so I am taking Labor Day off and creating a yoga retreat for myself.  If you have the day off and are at liberty, why not send everyone off to the parade and fair and take a day for yourself.
Here's the plan:
*Unplug--no screens today, no texting or internet, not even business or work related.
*Rise with the sun and begin the day outside, maybe a walk or a cup of tea on the deck.
*Do yoga--I will be in the studio teaching,  if you want to join me from 8-9 am.

*Eat only fresh food, easily prepared, nothing from a box or anything with preservatives.   Feed the body and the soul.
*Fully hydrate--drink lots of water, sparkling water, teas and juice.

*Do something creative--paint, write, design, play.
*Have a home spa treatment.  (Masks are huge right now, they are inexpensive and scrumptious.  I've done two facial masks and one for my feet.  Fabulous!)
*Read something.
*Spend time with a loved one.

*Watch the sun set.
*Go to bed early.

If you plan a stacation retreat, please tell me about it and share it here and/or on our FaceBook page.

I am delighted to welcome Hope Buchbinder and Elizabeth Drapela to our Blackfoot studio to teach a workshop on Thai Yoga Massage.  It is a massage technique that includes a combination of gentle rocking, passive stretching, compression, soft tissue manipulation and energy balancing.  (I took a workshop with them in Jackson this spring and it was a blast.)  The workshop will focus on the healing and beneficial aspect of giving and receiving a Thai Yoga Massage. 

Sept. 22, Saturday
2:30 - 5 pm
$35

Hope and Elizabeth have over 38 years of combined experience practicing Thai massage and have studied in Thailand with world renowned masters.  (They are booked solid throughout the summer season in Jackson.  We are catching them at the end of their busy season and just before they fly out to Thailand.)

You are welcome to come with a partner or fly solo.  Wear loose comfortable clothing and bring your best sense of fun and adventure.  No yoga or massage experience is necessary, although you must be able to sit and kneel on the floor.

Call or email me to register.

Your Pelvic Floor, Up Close & Personal, was our biggest event to date and a smashing success--ladies gathered here on Saturday morning, traveling from Blackfoot, Pocatello, Jackson and Bozeman.   Over tea and coffee we learned anatomy of the pelvic floor with  Dr. Renee Fredrickson, OB/Gyn.  Understanding the mechanics of  the body and specifically the pelvic floor, we learned that having a pelvis and/or pelvic floor that is misaligned can affect the entire body. (Did you know that if you have stiffness in the jaw or TMJ it might be related to your pelvic floor?!)  Dr. Fredrickson walked us through many pelvic floor dysfunctions and defined the differences between a  hypertonic and a hypotonic  pelvic floor and the issues that surround each.

After a networking break, Lindsey Kelley, E-RYT200, RPYT, further explained hypertonicity and hypotonicity and led us through a series of postures allowing each of us to identify and to feel our pelvic floors.

During lunch  (all recipes are linked here) we used the time to meet new friends, ask questions and connect specifically with some of the healthcare providers who were also attending the event.  These special guests were, Dr. Cheryl Callaghan, MD of Care Women’s Health, Elizabeth Smedley, NP-C of Portneuf Medical Center, Urology Specialists and Stephanie Richards, social liaison at Meadowland Therapy.  A very special thank you to these caring professionals for attending personally and connecting professionally. 

Our afternoon was filled with breathing and movement. (Did you know there is a remarkable connection between breathing and the pelvic floor, just sitting and breathing correctly can improve many pelvic floor dysfunctions.)
 
Renee and Lindsey had a “Question Basket” available throughout the day, allowing anyone to ask questions anonymously and the last session of the day was spent getting answers.

Yoga for the Pelvic Floor, a four week extension to the workshop begins Wednesday, July 25 at 7 pm.  It's a four week series of classes to implement breathing and yoga for pelvic floor issues.  To register, click here or phone (208) 681-3846.

Rise Krispie Treats—the Adult Version
 
1 stick butter
10 oz pkg mini marshmallow
¼ - ½ t kosher salt
7-8 c rice krispies
¼ - ½ c semi-sweet chocolate chips
 
Assemble all of your ingredients before you begin, this goes quickly and you need to be ready.   Spray a 9x13 pan with cooking spray and have it nearby.
 
Put the butter in a large heavy bottomed deep pot over med low heat.  Melt the butter, stirring occasionally.  As soon as the butter melts you must stay with it and slowly stir it.  You are toasting the butter, so stir and watch for it to turn the color of peanut butter.
 
As soon as the butter is ready, dump in the entire package of marshmallows and stir, reduce the heat to low and as soon as most of the marshmallows are melted, remove the pot from the heat.  I move mine to a hot pad and continue to stir.  Add the rice krispies, I start with 7 cups and continue to add until I get a good mix of mallow and krispies, not too dry, not too gooey.  At this point add the salt, sprinkling it over the mixture and stirring it.  When everything is completely mixed, add the chips and put the entire mixture in the 9 x 13 pan.  (I moisten my hand with a bit of water and press the mixture into the pan.) 
 
Let it cool, if you can, and then cut into small squares—this stuff is lethal, so go easy.