The Center : A Yoga and Pilates Studio, Harrisonburg, VA http://thecenterdowntown.org The Center is Harrisonburg’s first dedicated Yoga and Pilates studio. Strengthen, invigorate, calm... exercise from the inside out. Tue, 07 Feb 2012 13:22:55 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 We have a treat for you….FREE Prana Flow Yoga Tuesday at 7pm! http://thecenterdowntown.org/2012/02/we-have-a-treat-for-you-free-prana-flow-yoga-tuesday-at-7pm/ http://thecenterdowntown.org/2012/02/we-have-a-treat-for-you-free-prana-flow-yoga-tuesday-at-7pm/#comments Tue, 07 Feb 2012 12:33:16 +0000 admin http://thecenterdowntown.org/?p=1638 Join Devon for a beautiful, music filled, and fun mixed-level Yoga class tonight at 7pm.  Feel free to bring your friends and pass along the word!

]]> http://thecenterdowntown.org/2012/02/we-have-a-treat-for-you-free-prana-flow-yoga-tuesday-at-7pm/feed/ 0 Schedule Change http://thecenterdowntown.org/2012/01/schedule-change/ http://thecenterdowntown.org/2012/01/schedule-change/#comments Mon, 16 Jan 2012 12:11:01 +0000 admin http://thecenterdowntown.org/?p=1612 Please note that the Monday4:15 Fusion Class and the Thursday 7pm Yoga I Class have been canceled this session.

]]> http://thecenterdowntown.org/2012/01/schedule-change/feed/ 0 Donation Happy Hour http://thecenterdowntown.org/2012/01/donation-happy-hour/ http://thecenterdowntown.org/2012/01/donation-happy-hour/#comments Mon, 16 Jan 2012 11:44:26 +0000 kellyscurtis http://thecenterdowntown.org/?p=1384 with Veronica Whalen Jones
Dates:  Friday, Feb 24 & Friday, March 30
Time: 5:3O – 6:45 p.m

This spirited mix of a class will be: 1part hard work, 2 parts letting go of stress, and 3 parts fun… straight up.

Modifications will be offered in this mixed-level yoga class so all levels are welcome.

Bring your friends, share some fun time with co-workers, or come alone and meet new people!

Proceeds (in cash please) will go to the selected charity of the month:
Friday, January 27th – The Wounded Warrior Project  18 revelers raised over $200!
Friday, February 24th – Blue Ridge Area Food Bank
Friday, March 30th – Canine Companions for Independence

]]> http://thecenterdowntown.org/2012/01/donation-happy-hour/feed/ 0 Inclement Weather Policy http://thecenterdowntown.org/2012/01/inclament-weather-policy/ http://thecenterdowntown.org/2012/01/inclament-weather-policy/#comments Mon, 09 Jan 2012 20:34:40 +0000 admin http://thecenterdowntown.org/?p=1601 In the case of winter precipitation, check our website for an update on possible cancellations or closing of the studio.  You may also call our studio phone: 540.432.0644 for a recorded message.

]]> http://thecenterdowntown.org/2012/01/inclament-weather-policy/feed/ 0 New Session Begins on January 9th http://thecenterdowntown.org/2011/12/new-session-begins-on-january-9th/ http://thecenterdowntown.org/2011/12/new-session-begins-on-january-9th/#comments Thu, 29 Dec 2011 15:00:43 +0000 kellyscurtis http://thecenterdowntown.org/?p=1486 As the days grow shorter, we find it more and more important to turn inward and reflect, to truly understand what is most meaningful in our lives.  This introspection can be turned into a sense of well-being and gratitude.   We get a chance to really understand our own personal dharma, the path that we must follow which will inevitably lead us home to our true and authentic selves.  And home lies within our very beings, deep in our hearts, and your journey can start in your center, at The Center.

Having sessions helps us with class structure, but remember, you can start anytime.
Tell your friends, neighbors, and co-workers. We look forward to welcoming you to The Center!

Register Now for our upcoming session!

]]> http://thecenterdowntown.org/2011/12/new-session-begins-on-january-9th/feed/ 0 Yoga for Kids http://thecenterdowntown.org/2011/12/yoga-for-kids/ http://thecenterdowntown.org/2011/12/yoga-for-kids/#comments Wed, 21 Dec 2011 16:35:36 +0000 kellyscurtis http://thecenterdowntown.org/?p=1579 with Devon

The Center is excited to offer a new mini-series of children’s yoga classes this February. Led by Devon, these classes will encourage your child to explore new expressions of movement and creativity. Our children experience many factors of stress from hurried lifestyles, too much electronic exposure, and lack of physical expression. The practice of yoga for little ones yields many benefits including deep relaxation, flexibility, and body awareness in a non-competitive environment. Children learn to support each other and themselves through a collective yoga practice. Yoga has become an exciting physical outlet for kids and adults alike to express their own creative energy and need for movement.

Give your child the gift of yoga this year, and see the benefits in your life and theirs!

Sundays in February 2012
 Yoga ages 8-10:  1:30pm-2:30pm
Yoga ages 5-7:  2:45pm-3:45pm - FULL
10$ Per class drop in or 35$ to register for all 4 weeks
Register Now!

]]> http://thecenterdowntown.org/2011/12/yoga-for-kids/feed/ 0 Christina Sell to visit The Center! http://thecenterdowntown.org/2011/11/christina-sell-to-visit-the-center/ http://thecenterdowntown.org/2011/11/christina-sell-to-visit-the-center/#comments Mon, 14 Nov 2011 19:25:19 +0000 admin http://thecenterdowntown.org/?p=1424

The Path of Practice is a Path of Love
with Christina Sell: Yogi, Columnist, and Writer

Thursday, February 9

5:30-8:00 pm

$45/$35 Students and Seniors

(Register with a friend who’s not a regular student at
The Center, and you both receive Two Free-Class-Passes or 25% off future registration at The Center)

Internationally and nationally renowned Yoga teacher, Christina Sell, will be visiting The Center on Thursday, February 9, 2012 (5:30-8pm)   You won’t want to miss her teachings which are passionate, fun, challenging, and amazingly inspiring.   She is the author of the books Yoga From The Inside Out: Making Peace with your Body Through Yoga, and My Body is a Temple: Yoga as a Path to Wholeness.  She is also the author of Yoga International magazine’s Art of Asana columns for 2012 as well as a monthly columnist for Origin Magazine.   Mark your calendars now!  Click here to visit her website.

This 2 1/2 hour session will be an uplifting and heart-opening backbend practice. This all levels class will be fun and playful while providing a challenging atmosphere to bend, stretch, and open the heart. Expect strong work and detailed instruction as you go deeper into the heart of your practice. Come ready to work and play!

More Information | Register Now

Come hear her talk at James Madison University.  This event is free and open to the public:  
Making Peace with Your Body: The Transformational Power of Self-Love

February 8
7pm
James Madison University Festival Ballroom A

Regardless of a person’s actual body size and shape, many people are plagued with negative feelings about their bodies that affect their self-image and self-esteem. For some, these negative feelings result in eating disorders while other people live trapped in chronic patterns of dieting, self-criticism and self-doubt.  Join author and international yoga instructor, Christina Sell, for an informative and inspiring talk about how negative body image can be recognized and transformed through awareness and self-love.  Whether you or someone you know  is struggling with these issues, this talk will shed light on the important underlying issues related to living free of self-defeating patterns.
Christina Sell is the author of Yoga From Inside Out: Making Peace with Your Body Through Yoga and My Body is a Temple: Yoga as a Path to Wholeness. Christina personally knows the challenges and difficulties in recovering from eating disorders and has dedicated her life to helping people find healthy and wholesome lifestyles through yoga and  the practice of self-love. She has an undergraduate degree in counseling, a masters degree in education and travels across the country teaching yoga trainings and seminars. She is a columnist for Yoga International Magazine, Origin magazine and is on the faculty of Yogaglo, an online global resource for yoga. Christina is the co-founder and director of School of Yoga, a training institute dedicated to bringing traditional yogic teaching to modern life.
]]> http://thecenterdowntown.org/2011/11/christina-sell-to-visit-the-center/feed/ 0 Loving Within: Women’s Fall Equinox Yoga and Meditation Retreat http://thecenterdowntown.org/2011/11/loving-within-womens-fall-equinox-yoga-and-meditation-retreat/ http://thecenterdowntown.org/2011/11/loving-within-womens-fall-equinox-yoga-and-meditation-retreat/#comments Wed, 02 Nov 2011 15:17:10 +0000 kellyscurtis http://thecenterdowntown.org/?p=1406 with Mary Straub Pargas and Suzanne McCahill Perrine

Thursday-Sunday, September 20-23, 2012
Fort Lewis Lodge, VA

More Information | Register Online

During the Sacred Fall Equinox, we will gather as women for the purpose of turning our energy inward using the transformative powers of yoga, meditation, self-reflection, sunshine and nature. The rest, relaxation and rejuvenation will cradle us as we discover deeper self-love, acceptance, and understanding. We will envelop in the nurturing embrace of the incredible Shenandoah Valley, its flowing river, peaceful mountains, and the compassionate heart of the divine feminine. Come with a willingness to unveil your fears and deepest desires and awaken your courageous heart. You will leave with a greater understanding of your gifts and strengths, fortifying you with a deeper self-love, and a generous heart, and the ability to love more deeply and live more joyously.

Click here to view photos from our 2011 Equinox Celebration

]]> http://thecenterdowntown.org/2011/11/loving-within-womens-fall-equinox-yoga-and-meditation-retreat/feed/ 0 Ed Dingman http://thecenterdowntown.org/2011/08/ed-dingman/ http://thecenterdowntown.org/2011/08/ed-dingman/#comments Tue, 30 Aug 2011 12:19:26 +0000 kellyscurtis http://thecenterdowntown.org/?p=1276 August, 2011

After a few celebrations of my 39th birthday, I was spiraling into sedentary, and I could feel old-fartdom lurking. My shoulders and hips ached. My middle was expanding. I couldn’t touch my toes and I was beginning to worry that I would soon lose sight of them. Being past the need for any type A form of exercise, I was looking for something to keep me supple and strong.

In September of 2009 my wife’s job brought me to Harrsionburg. Serendipity brought me to Anusara Yoga at The Center. Soon after starting yoga, my shoulder and hip pain disappeared. Although not a Gumby doll by any st-r-e-t-ch of the imagination, I can now stretch in places where I didn’t even know I had places!

Much to my delight, I feel muscle mass building up and fat mass fading away. Even better, I have found Anusara to be self-regulating, so on those high energy days I can make my practice as extreme as I like. Anusara’s emphasis on alignment and the non-competitive, yet rigorous attitude of fulfilling ones own potential is my cup of (Chai?) tea.

While I have benefited greatly from the stretching and asanas of yoga, I also enjoy the idea of community (kula), the nurturing atmosphere, and the spiritual seeking that Suzanne brings to her classes at The Center. I love Suzanne’s non-provincial and generous attitude; she embraces different schools of thought and welcomes other accomplished practitioners to the studio.

Between my struggles to develop a daily yoga practice, I do photography, ballroom dancing, and keep my wife’s computer going. Oh yeah, and I’m retired

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