True North Yoga -

Dear Yogis-

It’s Memorial Day weekend, things are starting to heat up and that means we’re going to start having classes downstairs in the yoga barn!

There will be an early morning class on Thursday, June 1 at 6 am. If you’ve never started day with yoga, it’s definitely worth trying! When I first started taking yoga I could not imagine getting up for a class. Now, hands down, I believe it is the best way to start the day–it loosens things up, clears the head and gives you a positive outlook on whatever you’re facing that day. Early morning classes are one hour; not the typical 75 minutes.

Register for yoga classes here.

Retreat brochure link and registration for the June 24, 2023, September 30, 2023, and January 6, 2024 retreats are below.

Spring classes will be posted, beginning April 16. Explanation for scheduling can be found halfway down this page.

PLEASE NOTE: YOU ARE NOT CONSIDERED REGISTERED FOR A CLASS OR RETREAT UNTIL FULL PAYMENT IS RECEIVED. PLEASE REMEMBER TO COMPLETE REGISTRATION BY IMMEDIATELY GOING TO THE PAYPAL LINK .

All sales are final.

No one will be excluded from class because of cost. Please contact me if the amount is a struggle for you right now. I mean it.

True North Yoga invites you to take some time to unwind, relax and enjoy a seasonal retreat at our farm.

View our Half-Day Yoga Retreat Brochure here (PDF) and register below.

March 31, 2023

UPDATE

Check back every Sunday evening, beginning April 16th to see what’s happening that week. There won’t be classes every week, but I will post them every Sunday if they’re happening and that is also the page to register for every class. There are just a few spots open for the Summer half day retreat on June 24. There’s a separate sign up place for that on the website’s yoga page. I will also be posting classes on social media.

The “why” behind this approach

Knowing that most of my classes from April-June (and through September too) will be taught outdoors and/or downstairs in the barn, I was searching for a way to set a meaningful class schedule.

The weather prediction for last Saturday was for 100% rain. I knew that I wanted us to have a silent, meditative walk outside as part of the retreat experience so I asked people to bring umbrellas. What I didn’t anticipate was the strong wind! We got the walk in before things got too wild and wooly.

So there was some punting on third down and it all worked out, but it was once again a reminder as to how Mother Nature’s plans may differ from our’s!

During the pandemic shutdown, my hayloft studio became my greenhouse every March and what a fabulous greenhouse it is! Growing organic practices food to feed our family and community as well as supplying food to those in need is a top priority. Food costs and scarcity is a growing concern. We believe that food is medicine and can be part of everyone’s healthy lifestyle. Look for our farm stand at the end of our driveway toward the end of this spring! There’s plenty of parking.

That’s why I can’t have classes upstairs for the next couple of months. But I know I can guide a yoga class outside, whether it’s here or we take a quick drive to a nearby trail. Not only is it possible, it’s exciting, invigorating and a fresh and concrete way of taking more than the asana practice off of the literal mat. I hope you join me!

When I first opened True North Yoga eight years ago and incorporated aqua yoga in to the lineup, in hindsight, setting the schedule was easy! I think I only had to postpone two classes the first summer because of rain storms. Part of it was luck, but just as I have experienced and recorded all of the weather changes in farming over the years, I’ve seen drastic changes in trying to predict when a class can happen in the pool. I will no longer try to plan classes long term.

So while this approach to scheduling classes won’t be foolproof, I’ll be able to make more educated guesses that will pan out than if I set a three month schedule now.

Here’s when I’m thinking classes will happen (again, not every week, it will be flexible):

Mondays and Saturdays: 9 am basic slow flow yoga, combined with walking and silent meditative walks.

Weekday early morning (thinking 6-7 am): flow yoga in the barn when it gets a bit warmer. Let me know which days work best for you.

Aqua yoga: will depend entirely on what looks like the best pool days each week. In the past, these classes have been offered at noon or 5 pm. Again, please let me know your preferred times.

Restorative yoga: Sundays 4 pm in the barn when it gets warmer.

For those of you who like to have definite, long range, filled in calendars—-this may not work for you and I’m sorry about that. Flexibility seems like the best approach for what we’re doing here.

—————————————————————————————————————————-

Come dressed to be outside or inside or both!

Class schedules will be posted every three months–winter, spring, summer and fall. This will give you plenty of time to take a look at your own schedule and plan. Commit. That is what I am doing. If inclement weather or something unforeseen in my schedule dictates that a class must be canceled, you will have a full year to make up the class you payed for.

All classes will be 75 minutes long and structured so yogis with experience and those who have never rolled out a mat will benefit. Yoga begins with the feeling of being grounded in mind, body in spirit as well as realizing the importance of breath regulation. All other physical benefits are a bonus and will happen as they will for each individual yogi every time they practice.

Here is what I wrote as we began to crawl out of the pandemic lockdown:

Many people, far and wide, throughout the long stretch of pandemic uncertainty, said something that became almost a mantra of sorts: “We can’t come out of this time that we are in and go back to the same old, same old.” In other words, if we haven’t learned anything from this time of forced isolation, physical separation and introspection, well, shame on us!

Of course we want to be able to spend time with family and friends, but beyond that, how have we resumed going about our days? Are we approaching our work, our family time and our old routines the same as we did pre-pandemic?

I know that was not my intention when I reopened my yoga studio in July. I have been very cautious, implementing safety protocols and gearing my teaching to the importance of our foundation and breath work. Other than that, I have pretty much been following the blueprint of a typical 75 minute studio yoga class. Some of you have jumped right back in to that schedule (including the pool in the summer), others have been hesitant because of the ongoing, underlying problems associated with COVID, while those of you who can, have been traveling a lot more than usual, to reconnect with people who have been so dearly missed.

So what will True North Yoga look like going forward? I don’t have an exact schedule of classes in mind, but here’s what I DO know:

*True North Yoga and True North Farm will be more interconnected; it’s practices interwoven.

*There will be more community involvement with our place. The practice of yoga is for all bodies, regardless of flexibility, size, age, sexual orientation, gender expression or religious beliefs. It is for families and groups. Yoga classes will be tied in to the seasons: the weather forecast; the planting, nurturing and harvesting of the crops; the cycles of the moon; sunrise/sunset times and needs expressed by you–the students.

*More yoga experiences will be taken outside.

*There will be opportunities for immersion and multi-faceted yoga classes.

*I will be reaching out to many of you over the next couple of months to get your feedback and to listen to your ideas. If you don’t hear from me, don’t be shy–contact me!

*The last 18 months that we’ve been experiencing collectively has convinced me that yoga is needed now more than ever. And not just as a good stretch. It truly is a mind, body, spirit practice.

I am very excited about this next chapter!

2022 was jam packed with taking care of family near and far. Every time I thought I would be resuming classes, some other big event (mostly health related) required my full attention. Here’s to 2023 looking very different!

Be well. Be kind. Stay tuned!

XO,

molly

True North Yoga is a community focused, inclusive studio where anyone, regardless of yoga experience, body type, race, age, gender identity, sexual orientation or income can learn about the eight limbs of an ancient practice in a safe and welcoming environment.

True North Yoga is practiced in a restored turn of the 19th century barn where fresh breezes through wide open doors welcome you during the warmer months and a converted, heated hayloft provides a cozy space when the temperatures drop outside.

True North Yoga offers a flow style yoga class for any level student as well as restorative classes that are designed to bring deep rest while remaining in supported poses for longer (than usual) periods of time.

The summer of 2021’s classes were 100% donation based and our incredibly generous community came forth with more than $2,500 for Foodlink, a food bank (and so much more!) that serves our 10 county region. I am on the board of this amazing organization and could not be more proud of our yogis!

True North Yoga features a unique summer offering–aqua yoga! A warm salt water pool, next to the barn, provides another form of relaxing and sometimes challenging yoga practice. These classes are small and by preregistration only.

Schedules will be posted on this website (truenorthfarm.com), Facebook (@truenorthyogayork) and Instagram
(truenorthyogayork).

Plant. Nurture. Harvest.