HOME SCHEDULE PRICES / CLASS DESCRIPTIONS FAQ’S / TESTIMONIALS MUSIC / BOOK REVIEWS ABOUT US LINKS Amber, Heather, Deb & Cynthia Heather Tidden’s Madison workshop. Deb & Cynthia with Deva Premal Midwest Yoga Conference, 2005		MAT CHAT As We Ebb And Flow Through Life Changing Roles DIGERIDOO WORKSHOP WITH PHIL JONES During this interactive presentation, Australian sound therapist Phil Jones taught us how to play the didgeridoo, an ancient and sacred Australian Aboriginal wind instrument made from the eucalyptus tree, hollowed out by white ants, and decorated with symbolic Dreamtime art. Playing the didgeridoo is an entertaining way to explore the power of breath and sound and increase your lung capacity with healing and revitalizing oxygen. Shallow breathers, asthmatics and smokers particularly benefit.
SUMMER YOGA PARTY Students and teachers practiced moon salutations and meditation outside on the shore of Lake Winnebago. The weather was perfect and we enjoyed a variety of great food and the opportunity to chat with our yogi friends.
Testimonial: “The instructors at Inner sun have gone above and beyond the stereotype for “instructor”. They have become friends. Deb has done an excellent job at creating a yoga community in which you can laugh, practice, and grow physically and spiritually. Yoga has helped me get through the tough times in my life and the everyday stress. THANK YOU! ~Eileen
Coupling Up: Partner Yoga Requires Trust, Communication By Krista B. Ledbetter of The Northwestern 2/11,2006 Matt Menacher's girlfriend told him he was going, and he complied. "I'm getting dragged along," he laughed. But in reality, he enjoys yoga. Menacher and his girlfriend, Eileen Radtke, both of Oshkosh, planned to spend Friday evening using each other's strength to work on their own. Menacher said he's done yoga once before, and the experience wasn't too bad. "For me it wasn't too hard," he said. "It was fun." Sommerhalder said partner yoga, other than a workout, is also a bonding experience. It takes trust and communication when practicing in pairs during yoga, she said. "You need to be able to communicate and tell the other person how you're feeling (in a pose)," Sommerhalder said. "It's important to be comfortable with the other person." With Valentine's Day approaching, Sommerhalder thought partner yoga would be a chance for couples to try something new together. But partner yoga isn't just for couples. "Partner yoga is really just about building more of a friendship and a bond," she said. "The partners can be two adults, an adult and a child or two children. It can be anyone." In the case of Matthew Fischer and cousin Megan Bartelt, it's just that. "I didn't get roped into this," said Fischer, 24, of Oshkosh. "I wanted to do it. It's just a really good chance to do really deep stretching that you can't do yourself." Fischer said both he and Bartelt regularly practice yoga, but he's never done partner yoga for more than a few minutes. "In partner yoga, someone else actually can pull on you to help you get into those stretches. And it's a deeper stretch than you can get with your own power," he said. For Sommerhalder, partner yoga is also about having fun. "There's a lot of playfulness and fun," she said. "There's a lot of laughing, too. You want to have fun with it." People who practice yoga with a partner often have the tendency to practice more often since they have a "buddy" to practice with, Sommerhalder said. "There's something to say about doing yoga with a buddy," she said. "It's a great way to introduce someone to it." Although Fischer is well practiced in yoga, he said he wanted to try something new with partner yoga. "I want to learn something new," he said. "Yoga is about pushing yourself to learn and do new things and get out of your comfort zone."
EXERCISE FOR A HEALTHY PREGNANCY By Sarah Owen of The Northwestern It's like training for a marathon. The ultimate workout. That's how Leah Niedfeldt saw the nine months of preparing herself to give birth for the first time, this December. At 37-and-a-half weeks, she was still staying active, taking prenatal swim lessons at the Oshkosh YMCA. "Many go into this relaxation mode for nine months," said the 25-year-old from Oshkosh. "I have to keep myself in shape to deliver this baby." Before finding out she was pregnant, Niedfeldt did step aerobics – she continued them until her seventh month. She even kept up with her pre-pregnancy intensity until her fifth month. "It kept weight gain at a minimal. The longer you can stay active at the beginning, the better," she said.Not only is exercising important for a healthy life always; it is more than encouraged during pregnancy. As long as moms-to-be feel good and nothing hurts, it's recommended they continue exercising, says Marcia Ten Haken, certified nurse and midwife for Aurora Health centers in Oshkosh and Neenah. "I see benefits for labor, muscle strength and cardiovascular ability (needed) to give birth," she said. "Mentally, it helps women have a more positive outlook, even early postpartum." Niedfeldt's doctor told her the same thing. Exercise in general is good for the heart, but prenatal fitness goes a long way in easing women through labor, breathing and the incredible endurance needed to give birth. "That really encouraged me to keep doing it as long as I was comfortable," Niedfeldt said. "It's important not to overexert yourself," said Tracie Wetterau, 34, now 6 months pregnant with her third child. With a degree in fitness, and always staying active, she said, "You might have to tape off and watch your heart rate," that is stays at 140 or below, she said. So far so good for Niedfeldt. She's taken swim classes over four months now. And she even did abdominal crunches into her fifth month. "Every woman that's been through pregnancy knows, you just don't feel like yourself," she said. "I'm eating well, and exercise has kept me feeling (normal)." Swimming, cardio classes and strength training provide great workouts. So does yoga. Debbie Sommerhalder, owner of Inner Sun Yoga in Oshkosh, recently started offering a prenatal yoga class and said the benefits are amazing. "We work a lot on breathing in all the trimesters. That's huge," she said. Inner Sun classes tailored to meet prenatal body needs also work on relieving back aches and talk about diet and eating healthily. "Women don't realize it, but you need a lot of upper body strength in labor and after," Sommerhalder said. Modified balance and stretching poses, individual attention and soothing meditations make yoga a great option for prenatal fitness. But there are a couple things to think about first. "If you've never exercised a day in your life and want to jump into yoga (prenatally), be careful," she said. The body changes so much, making it prone to injury, that she recommends not doing yoga in the first trimester if they didn't do it regularly before.
YOGA STUDIO OFFERS VARIETY OF CLASSES FOR ALL LEVELS by Gale Dobratz, of the Advance Titan I’VE ALWAYS BEEN AN ATHLETIC ENTHUSIAST. GROWING UP PLAYING SPORTS LIKE SOFTBALL AND BASKETBALL, I DEVELOPED A STRONG COMPETITIVE SPIRIT AND A LOVE FOR SWEAT AS WELL AS AN APPRECIATION FOR THE JOY OF VICTORY AND THE AGONY OF DEFEAT. THROUGHOUT MY COLLEGE YEARS, HOWEVER, MY INVOLVEMENT IN SPORTS HAS DWINDLED TO PRACTICALLY NOTHING. IT’S SAD, BUT I MISS THE DAYS OF DIRTY CLEATS AND STINKY JERSEYS. TO KEEP MY ATHLETICISM IN CHECK, I STILL ENJOY AEROBICS AND RUNNING, BUT RECENTLY THE SNOWY WEATHER AND LACK OF MONEY FOR ATHLETIC CLUB FEES HAS ELIMINATED MY FAVORITE FITNESS OPTIONS. SURE, I COULD POP OLD BILLY BLANK’S INTO THE VCR AND GET HIP TO SOME TAE-BO, BUT I’VE WATCHED THAT TAPE SO MANY TIMES IT’S WEARING OUT AND THE PICTURE IS FUZZY. thanks to the suggestion of a friend i have a new workout option. according to the studio’s web site, each individual has an “inner sun” which corresponds to their “subtle, spiritual heart which is the seat of consciousness and higher wisdom.” the classes taught at inner sun seek to take time to slow down and reconnect individuals to their inner wisdom as well as making one feel grounded, rejuvenated and balanced. when you connect to your “inner sun,” according to the site, “you will open your heart, strengthen your body and free your spirit to break free of busyness and find a sense of inner peace.” at inner sun, classes are taught in a vinyasa, or flow, style. this type of yoga is great for beginner and advanced levels. because the room temperature is turned up to a warm level, students will “breathe, move, sweat, stretch and discover strength that you never knew existed,” according to the web site. classes are taught daily in hour-long sessions. cost for participation can be paid per class or in packages, and students get a discount with a student id. single classes cost $5, a six-class package is $30 and a twelve-class package is $60. when going to your first class you receive a coupon to attend a second class for free. to do or not to do: i never in my life thought i would enjoy yoga. all those freaky poses with appendages bent in all kinds of crazy ways just never appealed to me, partially because i never thought my body was capable of doing such a thing. over spring break, a friend and i decided it was time to get off our lazy butts and attempt to get back into shape. when she suggested we go to inner sun, i was hesitant. when she mentioned that they taught it in vinyasa style, however, i became intrigued. i had been watching vh1’s “100 most wanted bodies” earlier that day and heard that molly sims got super slender doing vinyasa yoga. even though i’m far from having a super model figure, i definitely thought it was worth a shot. now, i’m addicted. so far i’ve tried the vinyasa, essential flow and happy hour yoga classes, and all of them have been amazing. when deb, the owner and one of three instructors, had recognized that both my friend and i were beginners, she was patient with our occasional clumsiness and helpful with directing us correctly. the most difficult part was to allow myself to not be competitive with others in the class. when i’ve taken aerobics classes in the past, i always compared myself to others around me and would push myself to do better than them based on their performance. during yoga sessions, the instructors constantly remind you that yoga is not a competitive sport and that it’s about listening to your own mind and body. this was quite a change for me, but i found that, the more i stopped looking around at others and listened more to my own breath, body and the instructor, the more centered i felt and the more focused i became. i highly recommend you give inner sun a try and do not give up after your first visit. after using your second-session free coupon, you’ll find that you know more than you thought you did. then you’ll become an addict just like me. namaste.
Home Schedule Prices / Class Descriptions FAQ’s / Testimonials Music / Book Reviews About Us Links