Backing Off The Perifery So The Core Can Be It’s Best
My life is blessed and I give thanks every day, and I feel this gratitude in the resonance of my being. These are the top on my list when I think of all I am grateful for and blessed with: My ohana (all of my relatives), my connection to God, my daughter’s laughter and health, my health and the freedom I have in my body to move, my husband’s personal integrity and they ways in which he supports our family unwaveringly, my personal yoga and fitness practice which supports everything I do, my garden, our property and home, our animals, the unconditional love from my parents, my friendship with my mom, the connections I have with my students and dear friends, the yoga yurt, healthy food, …
Of course the list goes on and on….
I guess this story really starts back when I was in high school, when I started exploring my practice of yoga. Once I started I immediately began teaching yoga to my friends. I loved it, it was in my soul to share this practice. I mean, it was (and still is) REALLY in me to share this practice. (more…)
Yoga Retreat On Kauai, January 2012
You will be nourished, delighted and empowered in this magical Paradise Play-Treat.
Explore, dream and discover on one of the most magical islands on the planet! Join Samantha Fox Olson (certified Anusara yoga instructor and local Kauai resident!) and Jana Kilgore (Anusara Inspired Teacher, Ayurvedic Chef & Gifted Healer) on the majestic island of Kauai for a week long yoga retreat that will inspire you, awaken your senses and connect you deeply with nature. (more…)
Focal Points And Balanced Action Yoga Workshop On Kauai
This Sunday, March 27th I am teaching a workshop that I know will enhance your practice.
FOCAL POINTS AND BALANCED ACTION: How to get the most awareness and mind-body connection, in every single pose!
This workshop will be from 10:00-11:45 and is appropriate for all levels. Cost of the workshop is only $22!!!! Child care is available for donation this Sunday too! (more…)
What Does Yoga On Kauai And Wedding Photography On Kauai Have In Common?
I feel incredibly blessed to have such amazing students in each of my classes. Some have been so consistent in their own practice, coming to class 3 times a week. What is so beautiful about this is to be able to witness the growth, transformation, strength, body awareness and a deep desire for well-being flourishing as each week passes. These fruits are developing over just a few months with their consistent and playful dedication.
One of these students I am referring to recently wrote a blog on her wedding photography on Kauai website about her inspiration from Anusara yoga and her desire to carry that with her into and through 2011. Her blog is from the heart and I know you will enjoy it. Make sure you click the link at the end to see her amazing photography too! Thanks for the love Keri Cooper. You are one talented, fun and beautiful woman! (Pictured here with her mama on the beach during our 108 sun salutations/offerings during Global Mala this past year. So cool!) (more…)
Kauai Yoga And Fitness Classes For 2011
Wow, it really is hard to believe that I am putting together my schedule for 2011! Didn’t it seem like not too long ago when Prince was singing about partying like it was 1999?
Well, I am delighted to be offering a more advanced Anusara yoga class this coming year! Way to go Kauai kula, we are stepping it up and going deeper. This is a fruit of your dedication and love for your practice. And the beauty is that there is always more!
So in 2011 we will be adding a Level 2 Anusara yoga class as well as a Guided Practice!
My last class of 2010 will be Tuesday, Dec. 21 and for the remainder of the year I am available for private sessions. I look forward to deepening our understanding of this practice with you in 2011! (more…)
Yoga Therapy Workshop December 19
I hope you are all still marinating in the gratitude of your hearts as the holidays flow.
I am happy to announce December’s Workshop. This workshop gives you the opportunity to give yourself the GIFT of a DEEPER UNDERSTANDING.
YOGA THERAPY FOR THE FEET UP TO THE LOW BACK with an emphasis on: Deepening Our Understanding of the Balanced Action Between Inner and Outer Spirals of the Legs (more…)
A.T.O.N.E. Yoga Retreat On Kauai
November 6-13 was my first Yoga Retreat On Kauai! A.T.O.N.E. Attuning To Our Nature’s Essence was the theme of the week with a very deep rooted intention of Connection.
The week was held on the north shore of Kauai, in an extremely sacred and luxurious home in Hanalei neighboring a bird sanctuary and endless fields of wetland taro. This space was our home for the week where we awoke to morning meditations, enjoyed 2 hour + morning Anusara yoga practices and evening practices of acrobatic partner yoga, gentle yoga and yoga therapy. (more…)
John Friend and Ram Dass On Maui 2010
In October I was blessed with the opportunity to travel to Maui for a week to be with my teacher John Friend for a training covering yoga therapy. The week was full of inspiration. The SHAKTI was flowing in full force.
I met beautiful yogis from all over the globe. Instructors, doctors, and talented people of all sorts gathered, hand picked by John, to deepen our understanding of the Universal Principles of Alignment with an intention to bring it into the world to honor the light, and for healing.
The training was Monday thru Friday and on Saturday and Sunday we had satsang with Ram Dass. His message was simple and his mantra divine, “I am loving awareness.” (more…)
Vinyasa- Power Yoga Flow On Kauai
I am happy to announce that we have another class added to our schedule. Monday mornings, 10 am in Kilauea Farms, is now a Vinyasa Power Yoga class. This puts a little more flavor/variety into my weekly schedule! Vinyasa translates as moving alongside of the breath, or linking the body movement with the breath.
So, in Monday’s practice I will be giving less instruction on alignment principles (which I do in great detail on Satuday’s Anusara yoga class), and more emphasis on letting your breath lead the way through your practice. I will be weaving the Universal Principles of Alignment into the class, but we will not stop to partner or fine tune those principles in this practice. (more…)
Another Fabulous Reason To Love A Good Shoulder Loop!
Prana is the vital life force that radiates in our bodies and minds. It is the most basic unit of energy maintaining life.
Prana moves through the body performing distinct functions. These specific functions consist of 5 vayus which move in a specific way and area in the body.
When practiced with BALANCED ACTION, PROPER ALIGNMENT AND AWARENESS, asana (postures) and pranayama (breathwork) optimize the functioning of these vayus.
On the contrary, if one’s prana is obstructed from flowing properly through the energetic channels – whether physically or mentally – the health of the body breaks down and loses it’s vitality.
Lets look at optimizing prana vayu today…
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John Friend in Maui Deepens Our Raw Power And Refinement
I had the pleasure of attending John Friend’s workshop this past weekend in Maui. The workshop took place in Haiku, at a very beautiful studio called The Studio Maui.
John Friend, the founder of Anusara® yoga, always has a lovely way of guiding his students directly to their hearts, while encouraging them to life life fully. This weekend was no exception!
I joyously partook in the Intermediate-Advanced portion of the workshop, and assisted John during the all-levels sessions both Saturday and Sunday. We opened each morning with a powerful practice including a potpourri of standing poses, some arm balances and deep backbends. In the late afternoon session we grounded down with seated hip openers, twists and forward bends.
Descriptive words such as “raw power” and “refinement” were used to help guide us to the essence of our hearts and this amazing practice. Sometimes we need to be more powerful, sometimes we need to be softer. Refining our understanding of these 2 principles in our practice helps us create balanced action, and helps to systematically align our bodies, in an orderly fashion, so we can express our freedom and beauty.
Steeped In Appreciation For All My Teachers
Tonight is the brightest full moon of the year. The full moon of Guru Purnima is the moon under which we honor our teachers. As I sit and remember all that I have learned and continue to learn from my family, friends, yoga instructors and students, and nature I am steeped in appreciation and love.
My 3 year old daughter who has taught me about unconditional love, my husband who teaches me about being grounded in all circumstances, my mom who teaches me about giving from the heart. My father who teaches me about being calm in all situations, my brother who teaches me about faith and courage, and my sister who teaches me about making the best out of all situations.
My yoga teachers include Behnje Masson, of whom was my first Anusara® yoga instructor, Desiree Rumbaugh, Sianna Sherman and the founder of Anusara® yoga, John Friend. All of these people bring a unique flavor into their teaching style, and I remember their offerings each time I am on the mat. (more…)
What Is Grace?
The first principle of Anusara® yoga is Open To Grace. On a very basic level, in our yoga practice (and in our lives) we can experience this ‘alignment principle’ simply by being breathed. Yes, “being breathed.” Not forcing the breath in or out, but softening and allowing our breath to nurture and nourish all aspects of ourselves.
So when I was recently asked to answer these 3 questions, I was delighted in my process of journaling on them. What Is Grace? What is your role as a teacher/student? How do you remember the “celebration of the heart?”
What great questions to ponder whether you are a yoga student or teacher! I hope you take a moment, or a few, and ponder these questions also. Here I share with you my answers to these 3 questions (and I would love to hear your answers too): (more…)
Anusara Yoga
Samantha’s extensive studies, personal experience and dedicated practice are evident in her teaching. It’s the very thing that fuels the fire her classes seem to take on. Samantha is a master at gently guiding you to your threshold and inviting you to consider going further. I find myself not only physically challenged but also, tapped into something bigger. I seek out Samantha’s classes to, reconnect with mySelf, build strength and flexibility, and to feed the inspiration to live a happier healthier life. Namaste.
- Kaelyn J. Globig, Austin, TX
Samantha earns respect from her students by treating them as individuals. When Samantha is your Anusara yoga instructor, you can expect to feel that you and she are alone in the studio, working as one. Taking time to be sure that her students are properly aligned and understand the methods and meaning of the Anusara yoga practice, while instilling confidence in each individual, makes Samantha Fox a leader in her vocation.
- Patti Burke Gunderson Grandville, MI
For the last 15 years I felt that Yoga was “not my thing.” After trying one of Samantha’s classes, I soon learned that the instructor that teaches the class makes all of the difference in the world. Samantha’s knowledge of the body and yoga technique made taking her class a privilege. I have taken other yoga classes from instructors that do not correct technique, when your technique is corrected and the proper pose is achieved one’s whole sense of being is improved. Simply stated; learning from Samantha has made Yoga “my thing.”
- Laurie Tallman, Southern CA
Teacher, hope you are well and are very homesick. Just kidding, we were talking about you over the weekend and decided that we miss you very much. You are a great teacher and we appreciated the way you took the time to explain all the poses, breathing, and thought that goes into the practice of yoga.
- Bryant, Grand Rapids, MI
Samantha Fox is a yoga and fitness instructor on the Garden Island of Kauai in Hawaii. She is a Certified Anusara Yoga Instructor and holds a Diploma in Ayurveda Sciences. Samantha has been practicing yoga for over 17 years and began teaching in 2002.