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Movement Matters For Everyone
COMMUNITY
MOVEMENT
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MATTERS forEVERYONE
STRENGTH, FLEXIBILITY, BALANCE, AND THE CAPACITY TO take a deep breath...these attributes are meaningful to everyone. Over the past few decades, millions of Americans have turned to yoga and mindfulness practices to help them grow in body, mind, and spirit...perhaps you are one of them. Yoga is famous for helping its practitioners develop internally and externally, and it's these holistic bene ts that keep yoga students coming back to their mats (or chairs!).
Standing and other weight bearing yoga postures such as Warrior poses and Sun Salutations help build muscular strength and may increase bone density, which is important for healthy aging. Poses that move the spine in a variety of directions help with exibility and functional mobility. ese include Sphinx, Child’s, Side Bends, and Twists. Balance is built through poses like Tree, Eagle, and Crescent Lunge, which challenge the body and the mind to focus. Breath exercises can help calm the nervous system, which can help lower blood pressure heart rate, and can help develop more e cient breathing patterns, too. ese bene ts appear whether a yoga practice is fast and owing like Vinyasa style or calm and slow like Gentle Yoga.
And then, of course, there is the additional bene t of recognizing an interconnectedness between things ... the breath and body, the body and mind, the individual and the community, the community and the world.
LKNEXPERT Sarah Henderson, RYT 500, believes the yoga mat is a good place to explore what it means to be fully human. She is passionate about appreciating people’s individual strengths and encourages them to practice yoga with the body and mind they have, no matter the limitations or diagnoses that others have given them. She lives in Charlotte, NC, where she teaches yoga to people of all abilities at area non-pro ts including Nevins, Inc., a 501c3 nonpro t organization that provides person-centered and employment services for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Find Sarah on Instagram @sarahhendersonyoga and Facebook at Sarah Henderson Yoga. ese bene ts are available for all yoga students, including those with intellectual and developmental disabilities such as those that I teach at Nevins Inc. Students with disabilities enjoy the physical and mental challenges of yoga, nd more comfort and ease in their bodies with regular strengthening and stretching, and are able to use the meditation practices to relieve stress and practice for life’s challenging moments o the mat. ey can nd ways to connect with their inner lives and with their peers, just like other yoga students do. Additionally, the strategies employed by adaptive and accessible yoga teachers can help students increase their social-emotional skills, verbal and expressive communications, and their capacity to deal with negative feelings and behaviors that may be alienating to others.
Our classes at Nevins end with a resting meditation, a sharing circle, and a time for students to give a brief re ection on how they feel after their yoga practice. e words I often hear (or sometimes see if someone uses American Sign Language) are peaceful, calm, relaxed, and happy. If you have practiced yoga, you may recognize these feelings from your own experience.
If you are looking for a way to connect with someone you love, with or without a disability, or with your own inner landscape, give some yoga a try. Even a few minutes of focused e ort might just change your whole day! w
LOCAL ARTIST donna leonhardt
DONNA TEACHES PRIVATELY
in her neighborhood - St. Alban’s in Davidson, as well as in St. Kitts. e DUCATED IN NEW YORK CITY, I studied painting under the guidance and direction of two extremely influential teachers, whose vision and use of color led me to fulfilling my art degree and future career as an art teacher in the New Jersey public school system. During my ten years as an educator, I also pursued Interior Design, moving on to my own business in the suburbs of Chicago. ‘Wallternatives’ evolved, and was a thriving design service for 28 years.
With a passion for many mediums, I pursued jewelry design as yet another means of creative expression, exhibiting my creations both locally and abroad. Most recently, the Four Seasons Resort on the island of Nevis, Jumby Bay off the island of Antigua, ‘Pieces’ Gallery in Highland Park, Illinois, and numerous boutiques in the West Indies. Currently exclusively showing at the Dale Gallery of Fine Art in St. Kitts. I have also
CONTACT ME AT
SOLEON24@YAHOO.COM 630.484.8837
had the pleasure to exhibit in many juried Fine Art Festivals in Illinois, such as Arlington Heights, Buffalo Grove, Eastside Millenium Park, Hyde Park, Lincolnshire, Highland Park, Burr Ridge, Elmhurst, Cantigney, St. Charles, Joliet, Glenview, Glendale Heights, Elmhurst, North Shore/Old Orchard and Barrington, and Fork in Davidson, NC.
Having traveled extensively, most of my semi-precious stones and pendants are from all over the world. The introduction of bronze and copper findings to my already extensive line of silver has been well-received, and will continue to be a part of my collection. A point of interest: My greatgrandfather, and immigrant from Italy, created and constructed the molds for the two lions (Prudence and Fortitude) which grace the stairs of the New York Public Library. He also made the molds for all of the relief work that adorns the original Grand Central Station there, in Manhattan. I’m fortunate to have obtained some of his incredible pieces which are displayed throughout our home. My mother, who was an extremely talented artist, painted on bone-china. Married to Tom for the past 48 years … two sons and their amazing wives (Payton and Samantha, Brett and Betsy and three grandchildren ) … so very supportive of my artistic endeavors throughout the years, and always my primary source of guidance and inspiration. Living both in Davidson, NC, and St. Kitts, WI, I have drawn upon both environments for creative enlightenment.
