Yoga at The Redding Senior Citizens Center

09/07/2026

This is so true...So often I hear from our class members that they want more. I totally get that. We need to progress safely and with awareness. It's so important in our lives - now more than ever. I can't count how many times I've heard this and how many times our members have returned to class with new injuries...

From Remy Tortosa:

Most people think progress begins by doing more.
More weight.
More repetitions.
More intensity.
But I think progress often begins somewhere else: by paying better attention.
There are three principles I keep coming back to in my own practice and in the way I teach movement.
Start from where you actually are.
Not from where you think you should be.
Not from where you were five years ago.
And not from what somebody else can do.
Your body only knows the reality of today.
Control before intensity.
Doing something harder is not necessarily progress.
Sometimes progress is being able to do the same movement more slowly, with more precision, less tension and better breathing.
Intensity amplifies what is already there.
So make sure what is already there is good.
And finally: awareness before performance.
Feel what happens when you move.
Where do you create unnecessary tension?
Can you breathe?
Can you remain relaxed while producing strength?
Can you notice when your body starts compensating?
The more you develop this awareness, the less movement becomes something you simply do to your body.
It becomes a conversation with it.
These are not rules.
They are simply principles that help me decide when to push, when to slow down, and when to change direction.
And I believe they make progress much more sustainable.
Which of these three do you think you need the most right now?
Have a wonderful day,
Rémy

09/05/2026

08/29/2026

I'm so excited to share Bruce and I are hosting Roman Hanis from Peru who will be sharing this amazing Primordial Breathwork Immersion in September. Space is limited. For more information and to sign up use this link - https://paititi-institute.org/retreats

08/25/2026

Roman Hanis is offering this Dreamwork workshop in Redding Thursday September 17th. Bruce experienced this in Peru and said the insights received were life-changing. Hope you can join us!

08/18/2026

Looking forward to Roman's visit in the North state. We are planning on a Cacao ceremony & Primordial breath work workshop, a dreamwork workshop, and a book talk while he is here. All proceeds from these events go directly to help support the Indigenous people in the Amazon and Andes of Peru. If interested in joining us please DM me or we can talk more in class.

Completing the Circle of Reciprocity 🌿

When Beyond Ayahuasca was birthed into the world, I intended its journey to lead back to the people and relationships from which so much of it emerged.

This photograph was taken with Yahua elders in the Peruvian Amazon, holding Beyond Ayahuasca alongside Seed of the Heart, the children's book we created as part of our work with Indigenous families.

For more than two decades, my path has been shaped by relationships, apprenticeship and lived experience in the Amazon. Publishing these stories was never meant to be the end of the circle.

100% of my author proceeds from Beyond Ayahuasca support the development of the Yahua Ancestral School; a place where elders can transmit language, stories, songs, medicinal-plant knowledge, art and ancestral traditions directly to the children.

Ancestral wisdom survives when it remains alive between generations and not only written about.

As we prepare for our upcoming U.S. gatherings, this principle of reciprocity feels especially important. When wisdom is received, something must also return to its source, not as repayment, but as gratitude for participating in a living relationship.

The circle continues to widen:

In October, Seed of the Heart travels with us into the Himalayas, where we'll share workshops with children and families as part of a growing Paititi vision that unites the elders and children of the world.

Amazon, Andes, Mexico, US, Himalayas.

Different peoples and expressions of ancestral knowledge, yet a shared remembrance that wisdom belongs not only to the past. It's well and alive when embodied in the present and entrusted to the future.

Beyond Ayahuasca has now reached 100 ratings and 65 written reviews on Amazon. To everyone who has read, reviewed and shared the book, thank you for helping this circle grow. Every copy supports the Yahua Ancestral School and helps carry this living transmission forward. 🌱

- Roman Hanis

08/12/2026

I like this cue...practicing warrior I in class today I suggested (as I usually do) stepping the back leg wider. this gives the same result with cuing shifting the front foot wider...maybe we'll try it this way next time and see how it goes!

08/12/2026

A diagnosis-based approach leads to searching for a fix. A skills-based approach leads to ways to self-manage. Many chronic health problems don’t have a single cause that we can fix so the problem goes away. The issue develops over time because of many variables, including many lifestyle factors. We have to shift those factors over time, working on them daily.
Here is one reason modern medicine has difficulty dealing effectively with these chronic health problems: it is no one healthcare provider’s explicit responsibility or scope of practice to take a holistic view. Some deal with medication, some with exercise, some with diet, some with psychology. The client or patient has to pull these together in the context of their lives on their own.
If we want to reliably come out of chronic health issues, we have to develop self-care or self-managed skills for wellbeing. We cannot merely outsource our wellbeing to a series of compartmentalized interventions. One of the principal reasons why yoga is a good base for holistic wellbeing is that it presents a well-rounded model including mind, body, breath, and senses management. We need this more than ever now.
With optimal frameworks and self-managed skills, wellbeing can be much easier than most people think.
Dr. Ganesh Mohan

08/03/2026

Slowing the breath with a longer out-breath and a pause at the end of the exhalation helps regulate the nervous system and calm the mind. This visual does not include the pause. Of course, if this length of breath causes choppiness or discomfort, explore a shorter breath cycle that allows the breath to remain smooth and comfortable. Pay particular attention to the transition from the exhale to the inhale, allowing it to be soft and smooth.