Pedal, Stretch, Breath: The Yoga of Bicycling

Reading & Yoga Workshop

 5-7 pm, Sunday September 9th

Explore the connections between yoga, cycling and community with this unique event featuring Kelli Refer, local yoga instructor and author. Our adventure begins at Rainbow Natural Remedies with a reading from Pedal, Stretch, Breathe. Then we will migrate to The Grinning Yoga for an interactive yoga for cyclists workshop. The intention of the workshop is to demonstrate how yoga is a great compliment to bike riding. Develop a realistic and sustainable yoga based warm-up to incorporate into your daily commute. After that we will explore the joys of restorative yoga postures to nourish sore legs. There will be time for dialogue and questions.

This workshop is a safe space for first time yogis, cyclists and every body.

Space is limited, so please sign up here.

Workshop + copy of Pedal, Stretch, Breathe = $30

Workshop alone = $25

All are invited to enjoy a sip of tea at the reading before the workshop at Rainbow Natural Remedies.

Thanks to support from:

Celebrate the release of Pedal, Stretch, Breathe!

Still need to order your copy… get one here

To celebrate the release of the zine I am heading down to Portland to visit my publisher and mentor, Elly Blue. While I am there we might as well host a bike party!

Here are all the details:

When: August 16th 7-9pm

Where: Velo Cult, 1969 NE 42nd Ave, Portland, OR

What to expect:

Come hear Seattle-based yoga instructor and cycling author Kelli Refer read from Pedal, Stretch, Breathe: The Yoga of Bicycling. Refer will read from her small book (called a zine) and demonstrate a few basic yoga poses that you can do with or without your bicycle that will help you get up hills, breathe easier, and rise above road rage. Of interest to those with all levels of cycling and/or yoga experience. Come enjoy a beer and root beer on tap, meet the author, and learn about the union between body, mind, and bicycle.

Seattleites please stay tuned for a Pedal, Stretch, Breathe event in the Emerald City. Details coming soon…

Flow with me on Thursdays 9:30-10:45 am

The Grinning Yogi
345 15th Ave. Suite 102,
Seattle WA 98122

Gratitude fills me up this lovely Seattle morning! Pedal over to The Grinning Yogi tomorrow morning to join me for my first weekly class. I am so excited to be apart of The Grinning Yogi team. Read the bios of all of the wonderful teachers here and you will start to see what makes this studio so special. Classes at TGY are full of heart, fun and flow.

In this class expect sweet adjustments, warmth (the studio is heated, hovering in the upper 80′s and low 90′s) and smiles.

See you on the mat soon!

When you eat, consider what your food was before it became your food – the sun, water & soil that became the plants that became your salad.  When you take a shower, consider the actually finite source that water came from.  When you walk outside, consider the earth that holds you.  When you get a cup of coffee at a cafe, be grateful to the barista, the store owner, the coffee roasters & growers, & the coffee plants themselves.  When you read a book or a blog (hi there!), consider the author.  Feel the awe of all that went into these various supports that enrich your life.  Give thanks, & consider whether you are giving back in any way.

My dear friend Rae, who is gifted in many things, has a lovely astrology blog that she publishes twice a month. It doesn’t matter if you are an astrology fan or not, you can take away good insight from Rae’s writings, art and questions that you are asked to ponder. When reading her most recent post, where the above quote is from, I am really reminded of how much there is to be thankful for and to appreciate the abundance that surrounds me right now.

Sometimes we all get caught up in the complaining game and constantly verbalize our desire for more of this and more of that.  Gratitude offers us the space to shift out of what we want and into appreciation of what we have. I am thankful to be here, in Seattle, this beautiful and vibrant city. I am thankful to be doing the work that I am doing. I am very thankful to the people in my life, my family, partner and friends who support me. I am so thankful to the soil around my home that nourishes plants, which in turn nourish me. I am thankful for the rain that waters my garden. I am thankful for bike advocates who create safer streets.

Listing gratitude is not corny, it is an important step in feeling whole, complete and nourished. Gratitude can wake us up to the privileges and the joys of our life. Gratitude also inspires sharing, because when we see how abundant our garden, how over flowing our cup we are more willing to pass it along. We are more inspired to give back what we have and are not ashamed to share our gifts.

Sunday July 15th @ 10 am
Do some yoga…
Do some good…

Green Lake: We will set up our mats next to the basketball court by the Community Center

Enjoy yoga outdoors and know your $10 donation will support Yoga Behind Bars, a wonderful organization that brings yoga to incarcerated adults and youth in the Puget Sound area. After my class this Sunday, I invite you to join me on a casual bike ride to Golden Gardens for a picnic.

Classes will be held every Sunday from now until September, so even if you can’t make it to this Sunday, consider going on another one. Donate to Yoga Behind Bars who aims to bring a light into every cell.

For information check out the facebook event here.

About five years ago I bought a really lovely yoga biodegradable yoga mat. I was so excited to upgrade to a less toxic mat.  After about one and a half years of consistent use, both indoors and out, my biodegradable mat started to biodegrade. I guess I should have seen that coming. I loved practicing yoga at Red Rocks in Colorado or in a grassy field at a park on this mat. First it was just a little stretch here, or a little chunk missing over there. Then one day, actually on a road trip/move to Seattle with my sweetie,  I was doing yoga in the desert and my little mat bit the dust. Ever since then I have been mat free…

Just kidding, I actually do use a mat at studios and gyms. But I am not really attached to “my yoga mat.” I also love practicing in peculiar spots, like on bicycles. Indoors the yoga mat provides a safe space to explore and stay put in standing poses. Outdoors though, I love the feeling grass below my feet and hands, even if it makes me sneeze!

My relationship with yoga mats has shifted as  a teacher, too. When I first started teaching I really loved my my mat. It allowed me a space to feel into my body and then articulate what I felt into cues for my yoga students. While this was a good first step in establishing a vocabulary of cues and sequences, I knew I needed to do more for my students than demonstrate nearly every pose. Slowly I started to step out into the class, spending more time adjusting people and looking at my students. Ever since I have been in awe about how much I can learn from my class from really paying attention to other bodies. Getting off the mat enabled me to be really present and aware of who showed up and how each person was feeling.

When we step just outside of our comfort zone our awareness and presence increases. We feel the newness of each moment and sensation in each fingertip and toe. This Sunday practice letting go of your mat at my free yoga + bike ride!

***Also, I do still love biodegradable mats.  But now I have a mat from a yard sale and I don’t think it will be breaking down any time soon.

Hey friends, and soon to be friends. It is time for Summer to really get sizzling here in Seattle! I am delighted to offer a yoga warm-up and then bike over to Lake Washington Blvd for Bicycle Sundays. We will gather between 11 – 11:30 in Cal Anderson by the water fountain this Sunday. At 11:30 I will teach yoga for about 20 minutes that we will do without yoga mats. Then we will ride at a casual pace on neighborhood routes to Bicycle Sundays. Once we arrive at Seward Park you are free to explore or have a picnic and fun (hopefully in the sun).