The Best Gift You Can Give Yourself

Here are your new mantras. It’s not too late (it’s really not). You deserve it. You are not too far behind. You do not have bad knees, bad hips, or aching joints that have failed you. These are your body parts, not failures. They belong to you and you can take charge.

You’re the boss of your body.

Every now and then, we need to be reminded that it’s not our fault and it’s not our body’s fault for our weak abs, our limited mobility, or our winded lungs when we go up stairs. Everyday, our body does the best it can and serves us well. We can always improve our wellness so our body serves us better, too. It’s not too late to take charge and it actually doesn’t take much to do so!

Sometimes it can be overwhelming to start again or to make a change. Truly, it can be as simple as starting with one class or an informative workshop to guide you in the right direction.

During the holidays, and especially at the start of a new year, Mind the Mat plans events and workshops to spark your curiosity and to guide you toward an elevated change in your routine that fosters a healthy lifestyle. The good news is, these events are designed for you to bring a friend or family member. They can be a date or even a gift! 

Here’s what’s coming this holiday season and into 2023:

The Heroine’s Journey, Wednesday, 12/21 at 7:15 PM: In this freeform dance journey, voyage through the archetypal Heroine’s Journey to dance in the sacredness of your interior landscape and emerge in new fullness. Read more.

Winter Restorative Yoga & Essential Oils, Thursday, 12/22 at 6:30 PM: Winter is the time of year when we are called to draw our attention inward, to slow down, and reflect.  Nature supports us in that process when leaves fall, animals become still, and we yearn for the warmth of our homes. In this workshop you will sink into deep, restorative poses in a cozy and inviting environment. Read more.

Holiday Candlelight Flow Yoga, Friday, 12/23 at 7:00 PM: Get into the spirit of the season and give yourself (and/or a loved one!) the gift of yoga. Join us for a special candlelight vinyasa flow practice. An extended savasana and a guided meditation will leave you feeling restored and ready to celebrate with loved ones. Please bring friends/family and all levels are welcome. Read more.

Holiday Hot Flow, Christmas Day, 12/25 at 9:00 AM: Expect to strengthen, lengthen, tighten, and tone in a playful, yet mindful, way. There is opportunity to modify or amplify. What do you want to work on? This is a Vinyasa/flow style class, where one yoga pose leads into the next, through strength-building transitions and movements are synchronized with breath. Read more.

New Year’s HAWT Pilates, New Year’s Day, 1/1/2023 at 9:00 AM: Start your New Year the right way! This class highlights the most infamous HAWT pilates moves that are designed to target the deep core musculature, chisel the glutes and leg muscles, and define the arms. Friends and family are most welcome. The class will be structured so that it's accessible for newbies and is still a super-duper great workout for regulars. Read more.

New Year Sweat & Reset, Monday, 1/2/2023 at 2:00 PM: Kick off 2023 with a little sweat and a lot of intention! Challenge both your body and mind to move and flow with purpose in the New Year. Begin with a 75-minute warming vinyasa yoga practice to wring out the body post-holiday, and to clear the mind. The second half will begin with a guided meditation into a vision-setting exercise for the new year. Read more.

FitClinic for Happy Hips & Back, Thursday, 1/12/2023 at 5:00 PM: This feel-good hips & back workshop will focus on re-educating movement patterns and relieving stress in two of the most commonly cranky areas of the body. You will be guided through a yoga and Pilates-centered movement practice that focuses on: learning about the posterior kinetic chain; mobilizing the pelvis; releasing and strengthening muscles of the hips/legs; and decompressing and stabilizing the lower back. Read more.

Need a last minute gift? Click here to purchase Mind the Mat Gift Cards online.

Dr. Megan Brown

See all posts

Co-founder | Mind the Mat Pilates & Yoga

Megan Brown, physical therapist, Pilates instructor, mother and co-founder of Mind the Mat Pilates & Yoga in Alexandria, VA, likes to goof around. Yet her commitment to her students and her skill set in the field is no joke. After graduating from University of Virginia with a degree in Sports Medicine, Megan went on to receive her Masters in Physical Therapy and eventually her Doctorate in the profession. Although Pilates was never part of the plan, the method changed the way she treated patients, positively re-directed her career path and enhanced her own active lifestyle. Customized Pilates instruction is her specialty--she designs classes based on clients needs: athletes, new moms, rehabilitation or just for fun (why be serious all the time?). Pilates + Yoga is the best of both worlds, hence the creation of Mind the Mat studios providing classes for all—in every walk of life.

Mind the Mat Pilates & Yoga was founded in 2008 by Megan Brown, Doctor of Physical Therapy and Polestar Certified Practitioner of Pilates for Rehabilitation and Sara VanderGoot, Nationally Certified Massage Therapist and Registered Yoga Teacher (e-RYT 200, RYT 500). In their private practices as physical therapist and massage therapist respectively Megan and Sara observed that many of their clients were coming in with similar needs: relief for neck and shoulder tension and low back pain as well as a desire for more flexibility in hips and legs, stability in joints, and core strength.

Together Megan and Sara carefully crafted a curriculum of Pilates and yoga classes to address needs for clients who are pregnant, postpartum, have injuries or limitations, who are new to Pilates and yoga, and for those who are advanced students and are looking for an extra challenge.

www.mindthemat.com     

2214 Mount Vernon Avenue

Alexandria, VA 22301

703.683.2228

Previous
Previous

New Luxury At Bellacara

Next
Next

Gift Guide No. 03: For Littles, Tweens, & Teens