URBAN YOGA MOVEMENT
When: Jan. 9, 8 a.m.-8 p.m.
What: Participants can attend as many of the individual sessions as they choose. Lunch and the social are included.
Where: The Collaboratory, 33 N. Main St.
Cost: $60 by Dec. 18, $70 by Jan. 4
SCHEDULE
• 8-8:45 a.m.: Registration
• 9-10 a.m.: GO W/ THE FLOW
• 10:15-11:15 a.m.: Acro Yoga (active session); Pranayama (workshop)
• 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.: Yoga XTC (active session); Food as medicine (workshop)
• 12:30-1:30 p.m.: Lunch
• 1:30-1:45 p.m.: Drum Meditation with Troy Ball
• 2-3 p.m.: Do Yoga Dayton (active session); Peace through Adventure (workshop)
• 3:15-4:15 p.m.: Ashtanga (active session); Thai Yoga Massage (workshop)
• 4:30-5:30 p.m.: Baptiste (active session); Meditation (workshop)
• 5:45-6:30 p.m.: GO W/ THE FLOW
• 6:30-8 p.m.: Do Yoga Dayton Social featuring local craft beer, food and live music
More: For a complete list sessions and instructors, visit the Urban Yoga Movement Facebook page
Whether he is tearing through the woods on a mountain bike or racing head first down a slip-n-slide, Tom Helbig is rarely sitting still.
In fact, the founder of Tomfoolery Outdoors will soon be pedaling across the country from California to Florida to raise money for Special Olympics. But despite a seemingly endless supply of energy, Helbig does occasionally stop to breathe.
“I definitely tend to do more extreme things and am always on the move,” Helbig said, smiling. “So yoga is a great balance to that. It is one of the few spots I can turn off my mind.”
Those moments of calm are part of what motivated Helbig — the driving force behind such events as Canoegrass and River Rampage — to create a new community fitness event. Helbig and yoga instructor Alex Keller are launching the Urban Yoga Movement, a daylong event on Jan. 9 designed to bring yogis — of all experience levels — and wellness enthusiasts together for a celebration of community, learning and peace. Participants will enjoy a day of active and educational sessions focused on a variety of disciplines of yoga, meditation and wellness of the mind, body and soul. The day will wrap up with food, live music and beer tastings.
“We want people to be educated and build relationships with the yoga community,” Keller said.
Active sessions will include power and restorative options while educational sessions will cover clean eating, yoga lifestyle, adventure, meditation and yoga art.
“From beginners to advanced yogis, there is something for everyone,” Helbig said.
Good for the body
Helbig understands the valuable part yoga plays in his active lifestyle.
“From a physical standpoint, because I bike a lot, my hips, quads and hamstrings are really tight,” he said. “Yoga helps stretch much-needed areas.”
According to the American Osteopathic Association, practicing yoga can increase flexibility, muscle tone and strength; improve respiration, energy and vitality; contribute to weight loss; protect from injury and improve athletic performance.
Good for the soul
The physical benefits of yoga are only part of the equation.
“More than just the physical activity, yoga is a lifestyle,” Keller said. “Because of yoga, I am able to tap into my authentic self. It’s really an opportunity to find my inner voice.”
Other benefits of yoga can include helping with stress management and improving concentration. Developing coping skills and adopting a more positive outlook have also been attributed to the practice of yoga.
“What I have found, and what I want to share with others through this event, is that practicing yoga is a great complement to any healthy active lifestyle,” Helbig said. “It helps provide balance to whatever else you are doing.”
About the Author