We have so many amazing programs coming up in Spring in addition to our regular offerings. This includes another Yin Yoga series, a guest teacher (Alex Baker of Alex Yoga Arts), and a prānāyāma class courtesty of Agni's graduate studies! We are also collaborating with the Shoalwater Bay Tribe, so make sure you're on our email list to get first opportunity to sign up.
Ever feel like you were a jock… I mean, secretly a jock? Like you had the drive, the grit, the gumption — but nobody ever handed blew the whistle, passed you the ball and said, “Alright, champ, let’s see what you’ve got!”Varsity Yoga is your second chance. (Originally Agni wanted to call this class, “Sweaty Try-Hard Yoga”, if that gives you a clue!)This is old-school physical culture with a modern edge: a flow-based class built for people who want to train, and who want results!
Most yoga asana students compare themselves to others.It's okay, we all (most of us) do it!And I don't think we should judge ourselves at all, for comparing. This is a natural thing for humans to do. Comparison is part of how our brain works. We are social creatures!However, this tendency to compare and contrast can get dark fast. We end up with a strong or subtle experience of inferiority or superiority - and neither creates an emotionally healthy human being.There are a couple ways we can handle this.
This last week - for the first time in my life - my feet lifted off the floor in the very tricky arm balance bakasana (or crow pose).I am almost half a century old and a couple weeks ago - for the first time in my life! - I conquered that fear of falling on my face, and I had patiently gained the strength and core integrity to balance on my hands.This is more impressive than you might realize!It is a lot harder as an adult to learn new physical skills or feats of strength - than it is to return to habits of childhood!I didn't grow up with any gymnastics, calisthenics, or attendant practice. When you see me doing what I can do - I had to earn that in adulthood, after decades of life, after giving birth to two children, and while living as a working class artist (meaning: life is hard!)The hanumanasana (front splits) you see me chilling into, in class - well you are seeing me do something I've never done before.I had to get there with these weathered bones and aged muscles! LOLAnother thing:You also might have noticed I am fat. It's true!And -It has to be said I don't dress like a "yoga teacher". I am not in fashionable leggings and a cute sports top. Half the time my hair gets in the way as we flow and I'm always trying to tie and push it back.It's not that I don't take pride in how I dress, it's that I have had to carefully allocate yoga funds to building the space. I've put retained yoga earnings into shelving, rent, security deposit, insurance, licensure etc etc. And that's okay - because I made these priorities with intention.Here's what I mean, though:It's true I don't look like a yoga teacher, or even a yoga practitioner.But if I'd waited to start yoga until I "looked the part" -I'd never have started.***Why am I sharing all this? Because:I am trying to WREST the true nature of yoga away from the American fitspo culture chokehold.If you scroll the Instagram "yoga" tag (Instagram is currently the largest social media platform out there) - you'll see youthful, slim, mostly white, aspirationally-dressed and very athletic practitioners hitting difficult poses - usually showcased in elegant, pristine locations.The truth is...Yoga isn't like that.I mean SOME yoga will look like that - all tidy and slim and clean and wealthy or wealth-adjacent. And that's just fine.But...If you wait to have all those ducks in a row, you'll never start.And precisely WHO is getting cheated if you skip yoga until you "look like" a yoga practitioner?(Spoiler: YOU are getting cheated).Yoga is messy and goofy. Yoga we're practicing in a thousand-year old sports bra. Yoga we spy a hairball in the corner of the room as we're moving to chill in our ardha kapotasana. Yoga is arriving almost-late to class and feeling cranky and annoyed. Yoga is getting a bitchy attitude that someone else in class can do…
No yoga class is exactly like another, but I've been going to classes so long I often forget that a lot of people don't know what to expect. One of the things I forget is that if you're new to yoga, it can be hard to know what to expect.So here's a list! These guidelines certainly work for Little Switch classes and will do you well in most any yoga class you attend.Arrive on time, and prepared to practice.Please arrive with time to spare so that you can settle on your mat, silence your phone, and be ready to practice with the rest of the class.Wear comfortable clothes - and dress in layers.There is no yoga "uniform". Wear what feels comfortable to you. I see a lot of leggings and tank tops on Instagram/TikTok but remember those are yoga influencers. As practitioners, we wear clean clothes that are comfortable to move in! Maybe leggings, maybe tank tops, maybe not. Wear something cozy - that's it.I like to advise wearing layers as it's impossible to find the perfect temperature that pleases everyone! You may get warm during practice and want to remove a layer; then while we rest at the end of class, you may want to cozy up. My personal recommendation? Very warm socks, for savasana.In general, we practice barefoot. But if you want to keep your shoes on or wear socks, just be mindful during any balance or wide-legged standing poses.If you can, buy yourself a mat.I have mats at the studio you are welcome to use! But I highly advise getting your own. This is for three reasons:1. to invest in yourself and your practice - to show your commitment to quality props and materials for your own use.2. the studio mats are great for padding - but paying for a more upscale mat provides more access to poses. I personally like Jade, and Manduka mats. They are positively no-slip! When I practice on a lower-quality mat, I always feel a bit impeded.3. if you have a mat you bring to and from class, you may start practicing at home, too! It's nice to get used to your mat. You come to have a fond feeling about it!Now - mats can be expensive. It may take time to save up. But I have found the expense of a better-quality mat, is far outweighed by the health benefits that regular practice delivers!Let the instructor know of any special needs or requests you have.A group class cannot tailor to one individual at the expense of the group; however, your instructor is trained and qualified to help you with anything you need. Many times your requests can be accommodated - so don't be shy!Some examples of special needs or requests you may have:1. Let your instructor know if you are experiencing pain or soreness. The instructor can then help you be as comfortable as possible during class, with suggestions and/or props.2. Let your instructor know if you are new or newish…
A sliding scale business model is rare - but I choose to believe it's still a wise build when engineered well.In a sliding scale, either the business sets the criteria for the rate the client is charged, or the client chooses the rate they wish to pay.I have chosen the latter option.Since I am trusting you to self-select, I ask that you take responsibility for that choice. I don't need any "advice" or criticism about the structure itself.You can trust me that I've done the math correctly. :)My Membership page hosts a pretty thorough explanation and provides multiple options for participating with Little Switch. I always tell interested parties to make sure to read it carefully before committing.If the implications of the sliding scale is too stressful for you and you don't want to apply for work scholarship, you can always pay the regular per-class fee.I also gently remind anyone reading here that there are so many other yoga options out there. Little Switch won't be for everyone!Given you want to read on, here's what you need to know:Little Switch's sliding scale lets you self-select your level, trusting that you've read through the material and made the choice right for you. Please do not reach out to criticize or "advise" me on the conditions therein. I will be regularly sharing the expenses and efforts of running Little Switch through email and social media. This is not only for my sake and for Little Switch's sake, but to better inform the community I've seen too many wonderful projects fall apart due to the burn-out of the facilitator, who does not share the load.Little Switch does have a corporate mentality. Little switch has a community mentality, and a collective set-up. That sounds well and good but it can be difficult for some people to get their head around. Some people always suspect some kind of egregious profit motive. That's just not the case here. My mission is to provide a clean, reliable, electric yoga space and I am more transparent than most businesses in how I do this.Please remember that creating this space and organizing this space takes a great deal of effort and considerable expertise. I am not in need of business advising at this time.Thank you so much for your careful consideration and ALL forms of support you provide!
My family goes deep, here in Hoquiam. My Great Grandfather settled here with his wife, as an entrepreneur who lived and worked just a few blocks away from this very Hall. He was a titan of (tiny little) Hoquiam and flew the first mail plane to the Harbor! I am a fourth-generation Hoquiam entrepreneur and I'm so proud of this. I am also proud of the TYPE of enterprise I am bringing. It's different than anything we've previously had.
Two of the biggest misconceptions I hear about yoga asana are:1. Yoga is light stretching; and2. Yoga is for peaceful, serene peopleI'd like to address misconception #1 today - and get around to misconception #2 soon.Yoga is not about "stretching" -and you don't need to be flexible to practice.I heard it said a while back (and I'm not sure who to credit):"Yoga is for the willing, not the flexible."I love that!***Listen - people associate yoga so much with "stretching" that they think the whole purpose is to be nice and bendy.In fact we yoga teachers hear it all the time:"I'd love to take yoga but I'm not flexible!"So listen:You get (more) flexible (and strong) by PRACTICING YOGA.And even bendy people are often working hard in class, too!I mean -Do you really think that yoga practitioners are mostly just posing and showing off stuff that comes easily to us?(Hint: not really!)Yoga asana helps us GET strong, BECOME more flexible, and GAIN mobility.To wit: I am forty-six years old and I can do things my body has never done before!But I wouldn't be here, if I hadn't practiced.Yoga GAINS you those things.Sometimes quickly, sometimes slowly.And I encourage you not to compare yourself to others - ever.Because there will always be someone stronger, more flexible, wearing more stylish yoga gear, someone younger - all that stuff.I want to know if YOU want to feel better in your body, mind and spirit?If so - Yoga may be just for you!Remember:You can practice yoga anywhere, anytime. Yoga doesn't only "count" if you have a certain ability level, or if you practice a certain way, or for a certain duration.ALL YOGA COUNTS.My job as an instructor is to help YOU start to have fun in your practice!Once you start enjoying yoga asana, you'll come back.And you'll be on your way to reducing stress, feeling better, strengthening your body and your mind - and just chilling out a bit more!It takes time, and it takes patience.But time is passing anyway.If you're on my page, it's probably because you want to make the most of our precious time on this green planet!And I for one, am ready to practice WITH you!See you soon!- Agni**** A reminder!"Yoga" means all eight limbs of yoga - a lot more than poses or a workout.But for this particular post, I'm talking about yoga asana - the THIRD LIMB of yoga.
"Namaste" doesn't mean what many white American yoga teachers say it means: "The Light Within Me Honors The Light Within You". It actually means something more like, "greetings to you", or even "'sup?"
Yoga asana class is hard. As a student you're meant to listen to and watch the instructor, to work with the breath (pranayama), to follow the instructor's verbal and physical cues, to work on your alignment - all at the same time! So! When someone comes back to class at all - I count that as a huge victory! Therefore if you've made time for yoga this year - give yourself massive props! And if you want to go above and beyond, I've got a list of seven things I love from my students: I love it when they challenge themselves. I have definitely seen students taking half-hearted or lukewarm positioning on the mat. There are a lot of possible reasons for this. Some students lack proprioception - they honestly don't KNOW what it means to take a large step on the mat, for instance. Some students are scared to over-exert themselves. Still others don't really, REALLY want to be there. Now I would rather a student was cautious, than to push themselves too hard! But also... I mean, we signed up. We paid the fee. We got dressed. We got our butts to the studio. So let's do some WORK! When I look out at my students and see sweat, and a bit of trembling, and focused expressions - that feels awesome. I am literally WATCHING them get stronger, and watching them build more self-confidence. It's cool beans! I delight when my students breathe deeply! A lot of students hold their breath or don't focus on their breath, because they're busy trying to follow the pace of the class. That makes sense! I sometimes lose conscious contact with my breath when I'm a student, too. But when students breathe deeply, I can usually hear them and it feels so good! It really, really helps regulate the entire class as well! There are certainly apocryphal tales of yoga students who breathe WAY too loud or ostentatiously. But honestly? In my many years of class, I haven't come across much of that. So when I hear students breathing deeply, I feel confident they are focusing - and getting a benefit. After all - breath work is PROVEN to help with stress. And I definitely want all of us to experience less stress! I appreciate it when students interrupt and/or ask questions! This statement I deliver with a caveat as there are definitely teachers and spaces and classes and scenarios interruption is NOT a good idea. But for my general group classes - which are for any level and any body! - we are experiencing a community vibe. And honestly, an interruption and a question is really for the best. Yes, it can take us out of the moment to hear a voice besides the teacher's. But almost always if ONE student has a question, the others will benefit from having the question raised. I take students' questions seriously and I always try to respond with gladness and helpfulness. If I can't…