Anxious .... about yoga?
A four-week class series for anyone curious to try yoga but anxious about getting started
Tuesdays 7:15 - 8:15pm
January 17, 24, 31 and February 7
Led by Deidra O’Loughlin, M.A., LPC, RYT-200 | she/her/hers
Maybe you have been told by a friend, family member, or therapist to try yoga, but you’re not convinced that you’ll like it.
Maybe you’ve tried it at home, but you feel self-conscious practicing with others.
Maybe you have had a negative experience in a studio before.
Maybe you just don’t feel flexible or coordinated.
Maybe your anxiety makes trying anything new stressful!
Whatever your anxiety is caused by, or whatever reason you may have to be anxious about yoga, this series is for you!
In this four-week series, you will be introduced to foundational elements of yoga, focusing on specific tools and exercises that can help with decreasing anxiety.
The series will include a combination of physical yoga practice, breath practice, guided meditations, journaling, and opportunities for sharing with others.
All parts of the practice will be invitational: during times of sharing, you will be welcome to speak or simply to listen. Variations will be offered throughout the physical practice.
You will be supported as you build confidence, flexibility, and strength, and you will be encouraged to learn how to find the ways to move in your body that feel best to you. This series is also suitable for people who have previous yoga experience but want to get back to the basics or learn more about the ways yoga can help with anxiety.
The benefits of a yoga practice are many and should be available to anyone who is interested to learn! This series aims to remove some of the barriers to anyone who is curious about the practice but hesitant to get started.
There will be a maximum of 12 students.
No previous yoga experience necessary.
Mats and props provided if needed.
Arrive any time after 7:00pm and we will begin at 7:15pm.
This is not yoga therapy.
Students are encouraged to attend all four classes in the series as each session builds upon the previous one, though students are welcome to attend on a “drop-in” basis if needed. Please reach out to the instructor with any questions or concerns.
Registration
Send Payment through
Venmo: @Deidra-OLoughlin
Cash/Check payable to Deidra O’Loughlin
EQUITY PRICING:
Empowered Spaces and Deidra O’Loughlin value community care. Given the systemic injustice in this world which affects each of us differently, this equity pricing scale acknowledges that our ability to pay for services, and access those services, varies. We offer a self-determined sliding scale based on the ways that your identity grants you access to privilege and to social capital, e.g. race, gender & sexual identity, socio-economic status, educational background, able-bodied-ness, etc.
Sustainer Rate - "I can pay my way" - $80
Supporter Rate - "I can help support my community" - $100
Community Rate - "I can use support from my community" - $60
*Full and Partial Scholarships available
(realize, too, that you can pay between these rates, as well)
If you are unable to attend all four classes in the series but would like to participate on a drop-in basis, you can pay per class: Sustainer Rate - $20 / Supporter Rate - $25 / Community Rate - $15
Yoga mats, blocks, blankets, cushions and chairs are provided, but feel free to bring your own
**Full & Partial scholarships: Empowered Spaces is committed to doing everything possible to make offerings accessible to everyone. To inquire about the Empowered Spaces Equity Scholarship please contact Kelly at kkcaul@yahoo.com
COVID-19 PROCEDURES
We ask that those who attend in-person are vaccinated. We will follow CDC guidelines when it comes to masking. Currently: Masks are optional. If cases go up in St. Louis County and guidelines change, masks will be required throughout the practice. Please stay home if you have symptoms, test positive, or were exposed to someone with COVID-19.
ACCESSIBILITY:
The Empowered Spaces yoga studio is located on the ground floor. There is a 10-car parking lot adjacent to the studio & additional free parking on neighborhood streets. Restroom is wheelchair-accessible and ramp-accessible in the main building. Please reach out to Kelly kkcaul@yahoo.com if there is anything more we can do to make our offerings more accessible. Empowered Spaces is committed to accessibility, and strives to be accessible and inclusive of all abilities and all individuals.
Meet Deidra
Deidra completed a 200-hour teacher yoga training at Urban Breath Yoga in St. Louis in 2021 after maintaining her own regular practice for 15 years. Her current favorite styles to teach include slow flow, vinyasa-yin, and strong vinyasa classes. She also enjoys teaching people who are brand new to the practice, as she strives to create a non-judgmental and encouraging space for beginners to dip their toe in. Deidra came to love the practice of yoga while she worked a series of high-stress jobs in NYC while completing her master’s degree in clinical mental health counseling. The first studio that felt like “home” to her was on a busy Brooklyn avenue: she remembers feeling in awe of the moments of serenity she was able to experience in the studio despite the sirens screaming and car horns blaring just outside of the window. In addition to teaching yoga, Deidra works as a psychotherapist in private practice in Clayton. Her work as a therapist enriches her work as a yoga instructor as she is trauma-aware, attuned to her students’ needs and she makes the yoga space feel containing and supportive. Deidra recognizes the power of a yoga practice to help people with histories of trauma, those with anxiety or depression, and people who experience oppression in any way; as a result, she is passionate about facilitating classes specifically aimed at helping folks with these struggles (re)connect with their bodies in a safe way. Deidra is a self-identified nerd who loves book clubs, appreciating art and nature, and just generally being silly (which you will likely get to experience if you attend her classes). She hopes that if you practice with her, you leave class feeling more grounded, calmer, and stronger.