Week 20: Sola Stikk Yoga Workshop

Yes that's right I have indulged in yet another form of Yoga.  I did a 2 day workshop with Nicole Hamory who is the developer of Sola Stikk Yoga and works with GreenTREE Yoga, a non-profit organization working towards making Yoga and all its benefits available to everyone. 

Start thinking about all the sports you've played that involved the use of a stick?  There are hundreds right!  Skiing, tennis, lacrosse, baseball, rowing, the list goes on and on.  The addition of the stick is a prosthetic power tool!  Could we hit a baseball and make it go 90 miles an hour by giving it a good slap with our hand?  If you could I wouldn't want to be on your bad side!  But seriously, plain and simple, no... You couldn't.  Now try to imagine the use of a 4 foot dowel with rubber stoppers on both ends in your yoga practice, imagine being able to stretch further, balance better, feel more powerful and playful, as well as add a little massage and support with a 5 dollar aid that you pick up from the local Home Depot!   Awesome right!  We also had the opportunity to decorate our own stick.  It is your stick that you use for your practice and it should have expression of who you are!  It's just logical.

Nicole has been working with the Huntsman Cancer Institute to bring Sola Stikk Yoga, a more supportive form of Yoga, to the patients. Not only does it help to deepen poses but it provides a comforting addition to the body to add much need support, mind and body.  I don't think anyone in this day and age is a stranger to the effects of cancer. I can just imagine when you feel like you have lost control of your own body how rewarding it would be to start to trust your own movement and practice. This is what Nichole is providing for these people with an unassuming stick. 

But what is SOLA, here is where things get really juicy.  SOLA in my understanding is a of mantra.  It's an acronym for Self-awareness, Observation, Love, and Acceptance.  It adds a new dimension to your yoga practice.  As we practiced together in the workshop we would repeat some of the postures 4 times.  As we moved through the pose Nicole would ask us to move the first time with Self-awareness, second time, Observation, next with Love and lastly with Acceptance.  We were asked to breath with the same mantra.  Try it!  Right now!  Start focusing on your breath and close your eyes.............  Cool right!  Can I get a little SOLA love!

Nicole has just come out with a Manual and DVD for Sola Stikk Yoga.  Check out GreenTREE online for more information about Sola Stikk Yoga as well as how to get involved with this excellent foundation.