9/13 holistic health

44 | ShelbyLiving.com

Yoga has seen an upswing in its num-ber of practitioners in recent years, and Shelby County residents are no exception to the rule. Whether inspired

by people looking to shed pounds, recover from in-juries, relax tight muscles or spice up their already regular workout routines, several local businesses have joined the craze and offer yoga classes to peo-ple of all ages, body types and lifestyles. Whether you’re in your 20s or 60s, a beginner or an expert, active or inert, let these women inspire you. You may find that yoga has something to offer you, too!

J. darby farM

Location: 13650 Highway 17, MontevalloExperience range: Beginning to intermediateStyle in a nutshell: Gentle and joyous

Joyce Darby is one of those retired, active beginners. Darby is a farmer, and like most farmers, her muscles are stressed constantly. She spends her days walking the farm, taking care of her many animals and doing all of the heavy lifting that farming requires.

“I was so beat up,” said Darby, the owner and caretaker of the Montevallo-based J. Darby Farm. “The yoga helps in so many ways. I don’t have the knots any more, and I thought that was only possible through constant massaging. Yoga relieves a lot of the stress elements.”

Despite the relief she has felt, Darby does not consider herself a yoga expert by any means. She has been practicing yoga only for about a year, and she is still perfecting the art.

“I’ve seen tremendous personal benefits, but I’m not that good,” she said. “I’m kind of falling over.

Local businesses offer yoga classes to promote health and relieve stress

Story by stEPhaniE

bruMfiEldPhotographs by Jon goEring

Holistic health

ABOVE: Stacy Bouwens leads a yoga class at the Alabaster YMCA. PAGE 45: Bouwens teaches a

combination of Hatha and vinyasa flow, mixing yoga

with pilates.

RECREATION

Sept 2013_Amy.indd 44 8/8/13 12:10 PM

September 2013 | 45

narrowsFA M I LY E Y E C A R E

TownHouse Tea Shoppe

thetownhouseatmtlaurel.com • [email protected]

205-529-0081

I cannot do all of the stretches, but I ease forward just a little bit every time. No matter what your situation is when you start, your situation when you end is so much better.”

Darby practices yoga weekly with instructor Mollie Erickson, who travels to J. Darby Farm on Thursday evenings to teach donation-only yoga classes to a group of about four to 16 women each time.

At 6 p.m., these women move back furniture and lay down mats in Darby’s living room. In the summer, they hear the sound of wind chimes on Darby’s porch as they breathe and stretch. In winter, they hear the crackling of Darby’s fireplace. In all seasons, they end the session by making herbal tea from herbs grown on the farm, and they visit on Darby’s porch before returning to their homes.

Sept 2013_Amy.indd 45 8/8/13 12:10 PM


Erickson, who has been teaching yoga for about two years, adapts these laid back yoga sessions to meet the needs of her clients, many of whom are recovering from muscle injuries or struggling with muscular diseases such as multiple sclerosis or Parkinson’s.

Specifically, she teaches a form of Hatha yoga, which is one of eight branches of yoga that Erickson says is gentler and allows her to be more creative, take more liberties and adapt her instruction to more body types. Darby describes this style as involving a lot of breathing and deep, gentle stretching.

“It’s less intimidating,” Erickson said. “It’s a safe place to ask questions and explore.”

To participate, Darby and Erickson say all you need to do is show up. You can bring your own mat if you have one. If not, Erickson said there are about 12 extra mats for newcomers to borrow.

“What you are is what you are, and we’re glad you’re here,” Darby said. “That is what makes yoga so attractive is that it’s such an individual experience, and you don’t have to meet anyone else’s standards.

“I’m not a yoga groupie yet, but I’m won over. I’m stunned by the quality of instruction and the

benefits.”For more information, visit Facebook.com/

Jdarbyfarm.

st. VinCEnt’s onE ninEtEEnLocation: 7191 Cahaba Valley Road, HooverExperience range: Beginning to advancedStyle in a nutshell: Strengthen and stretch

Laura Pickens, now a 200 E-RYT yoga instructor at St. Vincent’s One Nineteen, started practicing yoga 15 years ago when she was very out of shape and taking lots of medications. For years, she has struggled with lupus, a chronic disease that can cause pain and swelling in all parts of the body.

“One of my 70-year-old friends invited me to a yoga class, so I went and I fell in love with it,” Pickens said. “I started going all the time. I was very large, and I found out very quickly that yoga is for everybody and every body type. I felt very comfortable.”

Pickens, who has lost 65-75 pounds since beginning yoga in 1998, said the benefits of doing yoga are numerous and include increasing flexibility, strengthening muscles, building better body tone, releasing stress, increasing body

ABOVE: Bouwens said yoga is a great exercise

program. ABOVE RIGHT: Participants stretch during

a soft yoga class at St. Vincent’s One Nineteen.

Sept 2013_Amy.indd 46 8/8/13 12:10 PM

September 2013 | 47

awareness, improving posture and losing weight, though she said a picture would say more than a list ever could.

“If you had a picture of me before doing yoga and a picture of me now, the results would speak for themselves,” Pickens said.

At St. Vincent’s, yoga is offered almost every day of the week and all instructors teach a form of yoga called vinyasa flow, which involves two poses per one breath and focuses on increasing heart rate.

Pickens teaches a variety of classes. On Tuesdays, she teaches Yoga Back, a slow-moving class that involves strengthening and stretching the back by holding poses. On Wednesdays and Fridays, she teaches Warm Yoga, which is taught in a heated room to further increase heart rate. On Thursdays, she teaches Regular Yoga, an introductory-style class that involves a variety of poses.

Private yoga classes are also offered at St. Vincent’s. Patrons can sign up with individual yoga instructors seven days a week for 55 minutes per session.

Classes are open to St. Vincent’s One Nineteen members only, but non-members who are interested in joining can receive a two-day guest pass to try out the facilities and classes.

Sept 2013_Amy.indd 47 8/8/13 12:10 PM


MONEY-SAVING ENERGY

EFFICIENCYIDEAS

1

Replace a dirty air fi lter in your furnace. They hamper airfl ow, making your system work harder to keep

you comfortable.

Proper insulation can save you up to

30% on your heating and cooling costs. Add more insulation if you are fi nding cool spots

around your home.

2

Set your thermostat to 78 degrees or

above in the summer and 68 degrees or below in the winter.

3

Turn the temperature down on your water heater if it’s over

140 degrees. Don’t go below 120 degrees

to keep bacteria from forming in the

dishwasher.

4

© 2013 Alabama Power Company

Get more energy saving ideas for every room in your home. Scan the code with your phone or visit AlabamaPower.com/save.

For over 50 years Alabama Power’s rates have been below the national average, but there are still some easy things you can do to save money and energy, and make your home more comfortable.

MAKE YOUR HOME MORE COMFORTABLE WITH THESE

ENERGY SAVING IDEAS.

POWI-3203 EE Home.indd 1 7/12/13 2:26 PM

For more information about classes and class times, visit Onenineteen.com.

alabastEr yMCaLocation: 117 Plaza Circle, AlabasterExperience range: Beginning to advancedStyle in a nutshell: Yoga as exercise

Stacy Bouwens teaches yoga, pilates and barre at the Alabaster and Hoover YMCAs, as well as at other fitness centers in the area, and she began her practice 10 years ago as a skeptic.

“I had some misconceptions about yoga when I began,” Bouwens said. “But [I’ve learned] it’s a great exercise program.”

For Bouwens, yoga is just that – a form of exercise. She teaches a combination of Hatha and vinyasa flow, mixing yoga with pilates and including what she calls “power poses” in her routines, poses such as planks, tricep pushes, dips and bridges.

“I like to mix it up,” she said. “I won’t do the same routine twice. I’ll often include the same poses but in a different order because muscle confusion increases your workout.”

At the YMCA, exercise schedules are constantly changing, so Bouwens suggests downloading the YMCA app, which will send daily exercise schedules right to your phone.

Classes at the YMCA are open to members only, though commuters who travel to different parts of the city throughout the week can purchase citywide memberships that allow them access to all Birmingham-area YMCAs.

For more information about membership, locations and class times, visit Ymcabham.org. l

Laura Pickens’ soft yoga class

helps participants strengthen and

stretch their backs by holding poses.

Sept 2013_Amy.indd 48 8/8/13 12:10 PM

9/13 holistic health

Documents