Exercise/Fitness   

This class is open to all levels. Relax the body and improve your physical and mental health with easy yoga warm-ups. Practice connecting breath with movement to improve your posture, strength, flexibility, balance and range of motion. Learn breathing techniques to improve your "everyday breath." Incorporate ball exercises into your yoga practice to build muscle and strengthen arms and legs. Modifications offered. Practice basic chair poses which can connect for a yoga flow practice. Bring an 8.5-9 inch exercise ball to all classes. Susan Nodine will instruct the first seven weeks of this class, and Kim Brower will instruct the last week. 

 

This class is open to students who have completed the eight-week Intermediate Chair Yoga class. Students who have practiced yoga on a regular basis and have a working knowledge of yoga poses and terminology are also welcome. Yoga Flow focuses on the connection between breath, movement, and the mind. It emphasizes slow and deliberate movements allowing muscles to relax, while simultaneously releasing built up energy. To "flow" is to move from one pose to another in a continuous, smooth way which brings ease and grace to your practice. Students will add new poses to the flow practiced in previous sessions. More standing poses will be introduced. Susan Nodine will instruct the first seven weeks of this class, and Kim Brower will instruct the last week. 

 

 

It is never too late to build healthy habits. Find yourself in a rut, doctor telling you your numbers are great? Want to feel better when you wake up in the morning, or tired of feeling tired of feeling tired? Come and learn about disease prevention and support in this eight-week series. You will learn how to eat healthy, add physical activity to your life, manage stress, stay motivated, and solve problems that can get in the way of healthy changes and weight loss. A few small steps can make a world of difference. 

 

 

What would it feel like to truly let go—to live with less anxiety and more room for joyful living? This session combines a variety of breathwork practices with gentle movement and reflective writing prompts to help you release tension, process emotions, and find a calm you can carry with you. Highly recommended: a yoga mat, a strap or towel, two yoga blocks, a notebook and your favorite writing materials.

 

This class is for anyone who loves critters. Under the direction and assistance of the instructor, participants will help to collect and identify common arthropods (including insects, spiders, millipedes, centipedes, and aquatic macroinvertebrates), fungi, non-vascular plants, non-flowering plants, small mammals, warm water fish, and either snakes, turtles, or amphibians. We will utilize a variety of vials, nets, traps and other devices (coverboards) to assist in the capture process. In our last class, SCDNR biologists will provide electrofishers, explain their use in sampling fish, and we will electrofish a small section of Kings Creek. Touch/view nothing you don't want to touch/view. Overcome your phobias! Appropriate handouts will be provided.

 

In this relaxed and fun class, we will present the basics of fly fishing technique, fishing equipment, fishery conservation, and traveling to fish. Ellen King, a certified casting instructor, and Joe Cheatham, fishing and equipment aficionado, will join us to enhance the classroom discussions and the casting practices. We will provide group and one-on-one instructions. This is a fun and relaxed way to learn about this beautiful sport or hone your existing skills. We will have 1-2 days of fishing on the water and a surprise guest or two. We hope you will leave the class with an appreciation for the sport and an interest in water and fishery conservation. Equipment will be provided for use, but if you have your own, please bring it to class. Everything in life is better when you are fishing!

 

Spartanburg County has paddling and hiking opportunites that often go unrecognized. In this class we will do four paddles in kayaks and four hikes, showing you what the local area has to offer. There will be no classroom meetings. All of our classes will begin at 9 a.m. at the trailhead or boat put-in, so please don't register for a conflicting morning or midday (11:15-12:45) class. The instructors will provide boats and paddles, but you must provide your own life preserver. If you have your own boat, please let us know and plan to bring it. Water levels will determine our paddling destinations, but we will try to find some mild whitewater. The goal is to have fun, get a little exercise, but most of all see the natural beauty of our area.

 

Explore the science behind healthy aging and longevity through nutrition and lifestyle. Learn what current research suggests about dietary patterns, exercise, sleep, stress, and social connection for living well longer. Through interactive presentations, hands-on activities, and fun "homework" assignments, you will learn simple and effective ways to make nutrition a key part of your life. Week 1: The Science of Healthy Aging, Week 2: Protein and Muscle Longevity, Week 3: Brain Health, Week 4: Heart Health, Week 5: Gut Health, Week 6: Movement and Nutrition, Week 7: Blue Zones and Lifestyle Habits, Week 8: Your Longevity Action Plan. A $5 copy fee will be added to your shopping cart.

 

Movement is more than mechanics—it is a form of expression. This class blends principles of qigong: posture, breathing, fluidity, and presence. And with observation and imagination, helps to cultivate ease, fluidity and grace. This class requires full-body movement, and loose-fitting clothing is recommended.

 

Who says you need a yoga mat to feel amazing? This class combines chair yoga with Tune Up therapy balls (rather MAGIC rubber balls) to melt tension, improve mobility, and wake up muscles you forgot you had. Each week builds upon strength, flexibility, and balance — MOSTLY from the comfort of a chair! The instructor will have the therapy balls for you to use during class time and will also have them available to purchase for $15 cash a pair if you’d like to have your own. A yoga block or something hard, flat and portable (a hardback book works) comes in handy.

 

 

Join Alix Refshauge, RYT 500 (Yoga Alliance certification, highest level), each week for a fun and mindful yoga class. We'll practice different poses that encourage comfortable fluid movements, strength, and balance. Breath awareness and short meditations are built into each class for inner peace and calm. All levels are welcome. Please bring your own mat and props if you have them (yoga blocks and a blanket are optional but do come in handy!).