Dedicated sign in space for ODG employees.

It's said that variety is the spice of life! So, from 4/30/2024 through the Summer, our wonderful teachers will be taking turns leading the Tuesday, 5:30 PM practice. Just maybe you'll experience something new and surprising!

Vinyasa is a dynamic style of yoga that links movement and breath to attain balance in the mind and body. From the Sanskrit “to place in a special way,” vinyasa aligns a deliberate sequence of poses with the breath to achieve a continuous flow. Inhalation is usually connected to upward, open movements, while exhalation is often tied to downward movements or twists.

Super charge your day with Sara’s 45-minute sunrise class Wednesdays at 6:15 AM!

Sean’s class format has evolved and now includes yoga nidra, a sleep-based meditation that makes meditation effortless and is helpful for everyone, whether or not they have meditated before. The way it works is by lying comfortably on your mat as you are guided through the process.

The full format of the class includes 40 minutes of traditional breathwork and asana poses followed by 35 minutes of yoga nidra—the perfect antidote to that mid-week slump!

Each class is modified to best meet student ability levels and needs.

Sean’s class meets Wednesdays at 5:30 PM.

Shailene's teaching focuses on yin yoga, a style which is ideal for people of most fitness levels who want to develop a relaxed practice or balance an intense exercise routine. Yin is slow-paced style, incorporating principles of traditional Chinese medicine with long-held asanas. The asana sequences are designed to stimulate the channels of the subtle body, known as meridians in Chinese medicine, and as nadis in hatha yoga.

Yin Yoga poses apply moderate stress to the body's connective tissue—the tendons, fasciae, and ligaments —.with the aim of increasing circulation in the joints and improving flexibility. A meditative approach to yoga, its goals are awareness of inner silence and bringing to light a universal, interconnected awareness. Yin practice allows the practitioner to slow down, relax, and turn inward, which helps alleviate stress and restores energy levels.

A class we describe as meditation in motion, suitable for all levels of experience and/or ability. Each class includes breathwork and meditative asana (poses), concluding with savasana, a period of deep relaxation that feels wonderful and helps to embody and process all that's come before. This in-studio class meets Tuesdays at 8:00 AM and 5:30 PM and Saturdays at 9:00 AM.

Chamatkara is a Sanskrit word that means magical mystery, charming, wondrous, full of scintillating awe. Imagine the moment a multifaceted diamond becomes aware of its own splendor and lustrous beauty… This is chamatkara.

First century Kashmiri tantric philosopher, Abhinavagupta, describes chamatkara as the felt sense of wonder and joy that our awareness expresses when it first becomes aware of itself. This curiosity and awe naturally soften back into the present, peaceful bliss of being ourselves, being aware (sat:chit:ananda).

Awareness is the vast ground of our beingness according to yogic philosophies of the Indian subcontinent. It is the spacious field from which our deepest ways of resting, knowing, caring, and relating blossom. We cultivate a relationship to our innate presence of awareness through mindful practices and self+collective caring rituals, like Yoga. At the heart of all schools of Yoga are contemplative practices of meditation.

There are no “right” or “wrong” ways of meditating. There are only infinite ways to meet ourselves and our naturally wise awareness. Join Rashmi to explore some of the possibilities, purely for the wonder and joy of it.

This program is a year-long series where we will be exploring a variety of practices in a supportive environment. Each month will be devoted to a practice, and explorations will build upon each other.

While consistent practice is encouraged, we recognize that circumstances may not always allow weekly attendance. So, we have organized the series as drop-in classes suitable for beginners and experienced practitioners alike.

About Rashmi

Rashmi Bismark, MD, MPH is a resident of Sherrill and a VVS grad (class of ‘95). Her relationship with yoga began at home with her parents, Rema & Sid, who moved to Sherrill in the 1970’s from Kerala, India. Yoga philosophy was embedded into their ways of living. Rashmi and her sister were encouraged to sit in meditation every morning and evening, even if just for one minute. These small moments of connection blossomed into a lifelong, loving exploration of life and awareness.

Rashmi is a certified yoga teacher and teaches meditation practice, theory, and scientific evidence for Yoga MeditationⓇ yoga teacher trainings across the world. She is a certified mindfulness meditation teacher who has completed a two-year professional training program with Jack Kornfield and Tara Brach, along with multiple mediation trainings and retreats from a variety of contemplative traditions like Vipassana, Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction, Yoga Nidra, Vedanta, Sri Vidya Tantra and more.

Rashmi has been formally facilitating mindfulness in clinical and community settings for over a decade. Her teaching style is rooted in the wisdom traditions of her ancestors, informed by her medical background in Preventive Medicine, and inspired by her experiences as a daughter, sister, wife, and mom. Rashmi loves sitting on her porch and writing. She is the author of a kids book, Finding Om, and continues to pursue writing for kids and their families.

Website: www.rsbismarkmd.com

Instagram: @rashmi.bismark