Introduction to Meditation and Mindfulness

In this 3 hour workshop, you will be introduced to the key concepts of mindfulness and meditation, the scientific research that underpins them and how this relates to managing stress, health and wellbeing.

Discussion is interspersed with guided meditations and simple, practical methods that you can take away and start using immediately.

This introductory workshop is a good way to begin a meditation practice and bring more presence to your life.

You will receive a follow-up email with links to audio and written resources.

Anne Arntson has been teaching yoga and meditation for a decade. She founded the Yoga Soleil studio in Puyallup in 2008 and sold it in 2017 to focus on teaching, learning and practicing. Her passion lies in sharing the benefits of presence (which she prefers to the term mindfulness), especially to brand new beginners. She also teaches mindfulness based stress reduction and pain management programs and is accredited by Breathworks® UK to lead their signature courses.

Yoga For Scoliosis

Living with scoliosis can be a daily exercise in frustration, chronic pain and the emotional ups and downs that can go along with always being the proverbial round peg trying to fit into the square hole.

Yoga can provide not only a decrease in daily pain levels, but also an increase in flexibility and personal empowerment. This workshop will cover the different kinds of curve patterns, how a yoga practice can be used to create length in those shortened, tight muscles and build strength in the most symmetrical manner appropriate for your body. You will learn how to adapt poses to your specific needs and come to understand some of the issues that are common in those living with scoliosis.

Basic yoga poses will be presented from a totally different perspective that, when practiced regularly, will help you find your own unique balance. Not only will you walk away feeling better, but you will also have become part of a network of individuals that will continue to support and empower you long after this workshop is over.

Bonnie attended her first yoga class after years of increasing pain from scoliosis and she felt as if she had finally come home. A graduate of the Iyengar Yoga Institute of San Francisco, Advanced Studies Teacher Training Program, she is also a certified Yoga for Scoliosis Teacher, and Certified Ayurvedic Yoga Specialist. Practicing yoga with a strong emphasis on alignment and breath work, she has been able to successfully   manage her own chronic back pain and now focuses her teaching on helping others do the same. Bonnie has a Master’s degree in public health and is an active a member of the Integrative, Complementary and Traditional Health Practices Group of the American Public Health Association. She brings enthusiasm, a sense of exploration, and a healthy dose of humor to all her classes.