AD Roberts
Related Articles
If muscles, tension, pain, or nerves are making you feel like you’re tied in a knot, it might be time to relax and try a yoga routine.
Instructor Casey Lesmeister said yoga is a body, mind and spiritual practice with different styles of combined physical postures, breathing and meditation for relaxation to promote mental and physical well-being.
Lesmeister recently led a 45-minute restorative yoga class at Muchnic Gallery in Atchison. Restorative yoga is slower but offers a class of soothing and relaxing floor-level poses. More meditative than some other styles of yoga, the restorative practice focuses on the breath as the central tool for maintaining mindful presence. Students practice a series of poses for three to five minutes each on the floor and are supported by soft items like bolsters, blankets, blocks, and/or straps. Restorative yoga is for all levels.
The corpse and the butterfly are relaxed poses. Others with various twists are executed on a cushion placed flat on the ground.
Lesmeister is also registered to teach gentle yoga, which consists of various poses to increase balance, strength, stability, and flexibility. The practice of gentle yoga also includes breathing and mediation. The practice is adaptable to suit all levels of students, from beginners to more advanced.
Yoga practice is often done in calm, meditative environments neutralized by gentle musical tones or nature sounds like a gentle breeze, birdsong and a babbling brook.
Whether one practices yoga indoors or outdoors where one can relax provides an ambient setting.
“The Muchnic’s warmth and charm create the space to practice yoga,” Leismeister said of the atmosphere there. “I love to feel the warm sun coming through the stained glass window on a sunny evening.”
For more information on yoga and classes in the area, check out
