Author: Suzanne
Together We Go Further
Jen brings the energies of mercy, grace and acceptance to all her classes.
GRATEFUL FOR THE OPY COMMUNITY
As I begin my 3rd year teaching at OPY, I take a moment to reflect. As you’ll hear me say in class, take a moment to “practice the pause, feel the feels.”
I have learned so much and evolved as a teacher in my relatively short time at Omaha Power Yoga. And I have our community, YOU, to thank. YOU are MY teacher.
You keep showing up, whether you are near or far.
You brighten my day with our chats before and after class.
You feel comfortable asking questions, which keeps me on my toes.
And I thank you, for your energy and efforts, and allowing me to hold space for you here at OPY.
I share this short snippet of a Power & Release class to show your efforts and energy. To show how we move and make shapes together, but also to show that we all do what feels right in our own bodies.
This is your practice. Your self study. Your yoga.
Namaste, Jen
Watch Power & Release snippet here.
Join us for a class in studio, via stream or a replay at your convenience.
Find more helpful articles and videos from OPY here.
The Secret To Change
My daughter, Zoa, and the Ashley Mason Equestrian riders getting ready for the Oakland, IA Independence Day parade
WE ARE NOT POWERLESS
This weekend someone shared with me they weren’t feeling very celebratory or even independent this Independence Day. As we spoke, I could feel the frustration and overwhelm – in both of us.
There is no stopping the waterfall of circumstances and feelings from happening.
Life is a continuation of them, and they come for us whether we’re ready or not!
So what do we do when they’re disappointing, intense or feel overwhelming?
How do we cope? How do we affect change?
We can start by allowing grief and choosing acceptance.
Accepting something is NOT the same as liking or agreeing with it.
It’s just acknowledging it for what it is so we can see our options clearly (through the fog of intense emotions) and choose a path forward.Grief is a response to loss, and may express differently depending on what is lost.
For instance, if we can’t see well enough to safely drive ourselves as we age, there can be a loss of independence. When we experience a loss of something dear to us – like safety, privacy, autonomy, etc – we need to allow ourselves (or our loved ones) to grieve the loss so we can eventually move forward.
It’s also key to remember that we co-exist with other people! Yep, read that again.
There is no way all the people will agree on all the things all the time. So, we’ll inevitably find ourselves in situations we don’t like, agree with or want.
When our reality is not what we want it to be, we have choices…
- We can complain and commiserate with those who agree with us.
- We can passively resign, convincing ourselves we are helpless and powerless.
- We can belittle, name-call, use threatening or forceful tactics to try to change the minds of those who disagree.
- We can respectfully ask questions and listen, and let people disagree.
- We can ACCEPT it, regulate our strong emotions, sort out and TAKE ACTION on our options.
Likely, we’ll alternate between a few of these 😉
The point is, we can consciously choose how we deal with things.
In case they didn’t jump out at you, 4 & 5 are the most productive. We get defensive when we hear things we don’t like, which shuts down listening.
Dialogue creates change and requires BOTH listening and speaking.
There’s also no way around the universal truth that we all collectively contribute to our reality.
So, we are naturally the exact opposite of helpless or powerless – without even trying.
When taking action seems too overwhelming, just start with yourself. The ripple of change outward is a given.
The natural order of change is:
- the individual
- the family
- the community and beyond
I believe it was Socrates who said, “The secret to change is to focus all your energy, not on fighting the old, but on building the new.” So when we find ourselves not getting anywhere, we usually just need to change what we’re spending our energy on.
Below are links to two supportive and grounding recordings for you. Here’s to conscious choices and spending our energy wisely!
Much love, Suzanne
Here is a 6 minute relaxation and reflective practice with a focus on independence.
Here is a 5 minute metta meditation to help foster understanding, trust, and unconditional love.
If you need one-on-one support, schedule some coaching.
Find more helpful articles and videos from OPY here.
Bridge the gap…
Rachelle has a brilliant and thorough approach to helping you heal
BRIDGE THE GAP, AND GET BACK TO YOUR MAT
Remember back when you were consistent with your yoga practice?
You came to classes regularly, and felt the boost of support and care from all your yoga friends. You had a stellar sense of what your body could do and were feeeeeling good in it!
You felt strong.
Your mind was clear.
You were more patient, less reactive.
You felt at ease and content because you were taking care of yourself.
And then things like work deadlines, kid or grandkid transportation, family vacations, or a little thing like a pandemic started infringing on your good habits.
And then the thought of getting back to it was so overwhelming, you didn’t even know where to start.
And then that catch in your shoulder or throb in your low back reinforced your decision to talk yourself out of getting back to practice.
We get it.
We’ve been there.
So we designed a little something to bridge the gap between where you are now, and where you need to be to get back on your mat.
A 3-MONTH PACKAGE that includes BOTH physical therapy and yoga!
- Physical Therapy (3 Weeks)
Start with three weeks of weekly, one hour physical therapy sessions. Work one-on-one with Rachelle McGuigan, PT to assess and treat any ailing body part that is limiting your mobility and yoga practice. - Unlimited Yoga (9 Weeks)
Followed by nine weeks of unlimited yoga classes to increase strength and range of motion. - Supplemental Physical Therapy Sessions
During your nine weeks of yoga, get three additional physical therapy visits for troubleshooting and continued treatment.
We packaged this together to save you $425! So you get 6 physical therapy sessions + 9 weeks of unlimited yoga for just $925.
There are only twelve of these packages available to ensure prompt and congruent physical therapy session scheduling, so this sweet opportunity won’t last long. When these twelve are gone, they’re gone! Snag yours now while you can.
We believe YOU are in charge of how you feel, and we’re here to help you bridge the gap to get there!
Much love, health, and mobility to you,
Suzanne and Rachelle
Ready to feel better, move better, think better? Grab your Yoga + PT package here!
Learn why some injuries just don’t seem to heal in this Issues In Our Tissues video.
Find more helpful articles and videos from OPY here.
Grief and Acceptance
Little Suzanne, gramma & cousin, 1982, a cemetery in Illinois
Every Memorial Day I think back to family traditions. My mom was a teacher and a genealogy buff, so we spent many summer days in tiny remote cemeteries looking for ancestors and making headstone rubbings (the older I got, the less fun I found this to be).
On Memorial Day we remembered family members who had passed with fresh peonies on their headstones. People from nearby towns gathered for a big ceremony at our hometown cemetery to honor loved ones who served in the military.
While these traditions have faded, Memorial Day finds me taking pause… to appreciate the presence fallen family members graced me with, to cherish memories that remain with me since they passed, and to allow feelings of grief. The more I recognize and allow grief, the more I notice its prevalence in life in general.
Grief is a response to loss, so it comes in many forms – physical loss through death, the end of a relationship or job, ceasing of old habits, change in our way of life, realization that an expectation won’t be met – the list goes on. Even when it’s clear the loss is the best thing in some circumstances, it doesn’t always make it easier to move through. Relief can come with sadness. Change that is good for us may still need a proper grieving period.
A coaching client asked me recently, “What’s the first thing you do when you realize you aren’t handling something well?” The answer is I accept how I feel and give myself permission to handle it how I’m handling it. See, there’s a little conundrum we can fall into…
Sometimes our feelings may not be logically warranted.
Logical or not, they are valid because we are having them.
Here’s what giving myself permission might sound like… “Of course I feel this way. It’s completely understandable.” I’ve found that by not making myself wrong for having my feelings, they don’t cause such a ruckus or backslide. By accepting & validating myself, I can more quickly and easily see my way through them.
Love on yourself a little more. Grant yourself more grace and acceptance. You may find it can make the heavy and sad stuff less debilitating. And it for sure magnetizes more love and acceptance your way!
Have a memory and grace filled Memorial Day,
Suzanne
Need a mindset shift? Coaching can help. Start Here
Find more helpful articles and videos from OPY here.
Yoga Changed My Life
Julie & Leon in the studio for pilates
Our friend Julie shared her story with us. We think many of you will be able to relate to it. 😉 We’re thrilled to have her back again. Leon is thrilled about her generosity with treats!
The very first time I practiced at OPY, I was scared to death. I also knew that how I felt was my responsibility, and that I had a choice. So I faced my fear head on, and the reward was greater than I imagined.
Under layers of fear, guilt, and sadness I found the real me! I found a deep self-worth I had lost. Then it happened… basking in the joy of feeling better, I let my practice take a back seat to my busy schedule. Fast forward to the pandemic, and my life got very challenging. All the layers piled back on.
The frantic feeling of just staying on top of my day to day kept me from prioritizing myself. I realized I needed to refocus and get back to me. So I decided to return to OPY to realign with my true self.
I’d be lying if I told you I wasn’t nervous to walk through the door again. It had been SO LONG! I kept my promise to myself, though, to be brave and hold myself accountable.
It’s been 9 months since my comeback. Buried beneath the layers that had built back up, I found courage, strength, energy, happiness, and self-confidence again. It feels so good to have balance back in all areas of my life. I’m taking positive steps everyday for my well-being, and am better able to handle inevitable setbacks.
I connected with an amazing group of people at OPY who are supportive and inspire me to thrive. So when I falter – because I have – it’s not hard to get back up and at it again! It’s up to each of us to be serious about what we want our lives to look like going forward. I am grateful for the crew at OPY who support and encourage my trek.
Anyone can do yoga, and trust me when I say this… it will change your life! It literally eases the mind and you feel unstoppable.
Here’s to returning to ourselves and our support systems,
Julie
Click here to schedule your comeback class!
New to OPY? Start Here
What Is Yoga
Yoga is not just one thing.
It’s been written about and talked about a thousand times over…
What is yoga? What’s not yoga?
Ask ten people and you’ll get ten different answers. And that’s okay.
This may be challenging – we don’t need to make someone else wrong to feel safe in our own belief. Yet that’s exactly how we operate. We argue our belief and try to convince others to agree with us.
And of course we do! When we agree, we feel like we belong. It’s important to recognize that belonging is not dependent on agreeing.
To me, disagreeing often feels like a disconnect or a rift. I have also experienced how acceptance can bridge that rift and create a deep, true sense of belonging. Each of us wants to feel heard and loved, no matter what. We all want forgiveness when we make mistakes.
Disagreeing is unavoidable. It’s just a thing that happens from time to time. Remembering that helps me accept disagreement.
A C C E P T A N C E doesn’t require you to agree with or even like something.
A C C E P T A N C E is often an active choice to see through the fog of heightened emotions.
A C C E P T A N C E is simply acknowledging something for what it is so you can see your options clearly and choose a path forward.
I can not like something and resist it – focusing and spending my energy on what I don’t want – an exhausting and unproductive cycle.
Or I can not like it, accept it and decide how I’m going to proceed.
My most effective teachers and coaches didn’t answer my questions. They inquired about my answer and offered perspective to help me get clearer. So I’ll “answer” the what is yoga question by simply sharing about my own practice. I hope to encourage you to investigate your answer through personal experience and discovering your needs.
Yoga is not just one thing. It has physical, mental, emotional, spiritual (not to be confused with religious), and cultural components. So it’s no surprise how a wide range of yoga practice styles have developed over the ages.
My practice is more than physical. It’s a doorway to my true nature. A route home. A way to deepen my spiritual connection. A way to keep my heart, mind & body in sync and supporting one another. A way to observe and course correct when I get out of sync.
Sometimes it requires my eyes open, sometimes it requires them closed.
Sometimes it involves talking, other times silence.
Sometimes stillness, sometimes movement.
My movement practice is purposeful, engaging, and designed to build strength in full range of motion to improve mobility. I want to be sure the “house” I will always live in (my body) will support me with ease in the years to come. I want it to be free from limitations and ailments as much as possible. There are “yoga postures” I don’t do. How I teach and practice postures has changed over the years and will continue to.
Practicing at Omaha Power Yoga means practicing awareness, acceptance, strength, agility, and resilience. It may sound intense – and sometimes it is – so we infuse humor & joy to keep it light.
You’re welcome to join us! Get started here.
Much love,
Suzanne
The Comeback Feels Amazing
Wendy & Leon in the studio
We received this delightful comeback story from our friend Wendy. We hope it inspires you. Leon sure is grateful to have Wendy back, and so are we!
These past 5 years had some pretty rough moments: I was diagnosed with cancer, we went through a pandemic, my mom was sick, work was insane. Through it all, I kept losing the physical side of my yoga practice. I either didn’t have enough time or energy to get on the mat — often both. I had forgotten that my practice made it possible for me to make it through those difficult times off the mat.
Through my practice at OPY I learned how to be uncomfortable and sit in that ‘I want out’ space. I learned to trust myself. I learned to breathe. It surely wasn’t perfect or pretty, but had I not practiced yoga I would have relied on unhealthy coping mechanisms and I wouldn’t be where I am today.
Yoga is the best gift you can give yourself. It makes you a better person — inside and out. When I practice regularly, I am less reactive to the world around me. I am stronger — physically and emotionally — and feeling physically strong is so empowering that it carries into all other parts of my life. I take care of myself. I make healthier choices on every level.
After forgiving myself for not being consistent with yoga, I feel a renewed sense of determination. I’m excited to regain my strength, peace and power at OPY. To anyone that has taken an extended break… it’s totally okay, forgive yourself. Trust me, the comeback feels amazing!
Come back to love and acceptance,
Wendy
Click here to schedule your next class!
New to OPY? Start Here
New Year, Clean Start!
At the close of the year, it’s natural to reflect on how it’s gone and decide what you want in the year to come. OPY is teaming up with Jamen and Dylan, founders of Clean Slate Food Co. here in Omaha, to bring you a 6 week program that will help you knock out next year’s “I want” list!
Are you tired of feeling of sluggish and heavy?
Does your “I want” list include more energy, less stress, more strength, and less physical pain?
If you want an easy solution that takes little effort, this is not for you.
The New Year, Clean Start program is limited to 30 people who are serious about taking responsibility for how they feel, and are willing to make the changes necessary to eat healthier, lose weight, sleep better and get stronger.
Close your eyes and imagine that you make ZERO changes to your self-care. In 12 months… How do your clothes fit? How are your aches and pains? How are you sleeping? Do you have enough energy and patience to drive home from work without road rage? Are you snapping at your loved ones when you get home? How do you feel?
If you want to feel differently, you need to do differently and think differently. This program will provide the support you need, and will require your effort. The relief you experience will be worth it!
New Year, Clean Start starts Monday, 1/13 and runs through Sunday, 2/23* and includes…
- 6 single serving, clean, healthy meals from Clean Slate delivered to your home at the start of each week (for 6 weeks)
- 6 weeks of unlimited group yoga classes at Omaha Power Yoga (view class schedule)
- 2 group coaching sessions with Suzanne DeJong, limited to program enrollees only
- Encouragement and accountability via a private Facebook group for program enrollees only
We’ll feed you delicious and nutritious meals, dial down your cortisol levels, and get your mind right so you can be strong and centered to handle what you need to handle with more ease than you ever thought possible.
Motivated for change? Register NOW for New Year, Clean Start!
~ Only 30 spots available to ensure a high level of support
~ Enrollment closes at 12pm on Sunday, 1/12
Want to learn more about Omaha Power Yoga — click here.
Clean Slate Food Co delivers healthy, delicious, ready-to-eat meals straight to your door each week. Their chefs and co-founders combine artistry, deep flavor profiles and nutrition in order to serve great food to the local community.
Jamen Danielson (L) and Dylan Thompson (R) of Clean Slate Food Co
*for those traveling to Busuanga, Philippines for Power Yoga Unplugged, your program end date will be extended to Wednesday, March 4th
One of Omaha’s Top 3 Yoga Studios
Every year, Omaha Magazine announces businesses voted the Best of Omaha by local consumers. Because of YOUR votes, Omaha Power Yoga was named one of the TOP THREE yoga studios in Omaha! We know you have a plethora of yoga to choose from (more than 20 studios in the metro area), and we are humbly grateful for your recognition of our efforts to serve you, OPY-style. Congratulations to the other “Best Yoga Studio” category winners, Lotus House of Yoga and Karma Yoga.
With 10 years in business under our belt, our team is diligent in our growth so we can continuously up-level our SERVICE to YOU, our awesome community! Your success stories are so encouraging…
“I went from 6 medications, to 1! I sleep better and have a quality of life I never thought I could.” – Bob
“My doctor was shocked by my improvement, and I’m off my blood pressure medication.” – Marcia
“I’m down a belt notch, plus I’m more focused and productive!” – Joe
“My doctor said I have the spine of someone 20 years younger than me!” – Patti
“My low back pain is gone!” – Brian
“I’m more aware of my stuff, and of when others aren’t aware of theirs, so there’s way less drama in my life!” – Dan
THIS is the success we are committed to! We are here to support YOU bettering your body, your health, your relationships, and your peace of mind so you can THRIVE!
Have a friend that could use this medicine? Forward this article to them so they can start now with a great intro offer!
Haven’t shared your own success story with us yet? We LOVE hearing them – shoot us an email at info@omahapoweryoga.com!
OPY Gift Drive for CASA
For the third year, OPY is delighted to host a gift card drive for CASA of Douglas County to help bring joy to the lives of children in foster care!
CASAs (court-appointed special advocates) are dedicated, trained volunteers who work with children in the juvenile justice system, ensuring those children have a voice at school, in the courtroom and in the community. There are over 1,500 abused or neglected foster children in the Omaha area at any given time. CASA volunteers play a very special role in advocating for the needs of those children.
Every January, CASA hosts a holiday party for the children. Oftentimes, this is the only opportunity they get to spend time with their siblings and receive a gift. OPY’s gift card drive helps make that time magical. You can also donate directly to CASA online. Gift cards and monetary donations collected are used to fill the children’s gift requests.
Here’s how it works…
Through Christmas, select an envelope from the CASA Christmas tree in the studio and fill it with the requested gift card or monetary donation. Bring it to the desk and we’ll give you a bulb to decorate the tree in place of the envelope.
OPY participates in several community support efforts throughout the year. This one is particularly special to us, because it truly does take a village to raise a child. We lift up ourselves and our community by lifting up the voices of our children, and we are so grateful for your support!
