Health and Fitness   

Have you decided that yoga is not for you because you think it is going to be too hard? Does your increasingly creaky body keep you from trying? If you know that you want to be more active, but yoga just seems too hard, then chair yoga is a wonderful way to experience the benefits of yoga without the difficulties of a regular practice. We will learn poses, breathing and relaxation techniques that provide strength, balance, flexibility and pain relief. Recommended textbook: Lightening Up: The Yoga of Self-Acceptance by Tony Wolff (2022), ISBN: 978-1479306510.

Treat your feet as if they were grandchildren! In this course based on the Feldenkrais Method, we will learn to mobilize the joints and soft tissue of the feet to improve flexibility, circulation, sensation and, ultimately, balance. Each week, we will begin with a floor lesson to improve awareness and flexibility throughout the body and will end with a standing lesson to promote balance. We will also discuss foot care, shoe fit, reflexology and direct foot care. Prerequisites: Participants must be able to reach their own feet to effectively learn mobilization skills and to get down to the floor independently. Note: As the course is progressive, participants should register only if they can attend all class meetings. Materials: Mat (required); rolled towel/bolster for neck or knees (optional).

Have you done yoga in the past but now find traditional poses too taxing? We will practice mindfulness, adapt standing and floor poses to a chair in order to reintegrate an active yoga practice into our lives, and accept and enjoy our bodies just as they are! Prerequisites: Participants should have prior yoga experience either at CFS or elsewhere. Recommended textbook: Lightening Up: The Yoga of Self-Acceptance by Tony Wolff (2022), ISBN: 978-1479306510.

Has your yoga practice stopped being enjoyable? Are the poses becoming more difficult or even impossible? Did you quit because you kept hurting yourself? If for whatever reason you no longer find joy in practicing yoga, this course is for you! We will practice mindfulness and explore modifications to traditional poses in order to return to the essence: sthira sukha asana (“right effort”), or finding a good balance between effort and relaxation. Prerequisites: Participants will need to be able to get up and down from the floor, and have/have had a regular yoga practice. Recommended textbook: Lightening Up: The Yoga of Self-Acceptance by Tony Wolff (2022), ISBN: 978-1479306510. Materials: Yoga mat, cushion, strap/belt and other props if needed.

We will explore easy plant-based dishes—using neither animal products nor processed foods—inspired by a different world cuisine each week: Middle Eastern, Asian and Mexican/Caribbean. The instructor will prepare dishes from a shared set of recipes, after which participants will enjoy a lunch together. Note: We will meet each week at the instructor’s home, approximately a 10-minute drive from the Reuter Center. Materials fee (payable to instructor): $30 for groceries.

Explore our glorious Blue Ridge Mountains! We will enjoy trail-hiking while practicing essential safety precautions using various hiking equipment and navigational tools. We will start with an easy trek and gradually increase distance to approximately three miles and elevation to 700 feet. Prerequisites: Participants must have experience hiking and be able to walk up to three miles on uneven terrain with elevation. Note: Trailheads are located within a 45-minute radius of the Reuter Center. Materials: Good walking shoes, water and appropriate clothing (required); hiking poles and a pack to carry personal items (strongly suggested). Contact the instructors if you have any questions.