Jail Avita

Avita for Inmates

Katherine Shoulders, a long-time student and Avita teacher training graduate, is bringing the healing practice of Avita to a new audience – incarcerated inmates. In jail, these men experience an environment of rigid restrictions and limited opportunities. But through the practice of Avita and other supportive services, Katherine is creating an opportunity for them to experience healing, rest, repatterning, and freedom in their bodies and minds. Many of these men have faced exceptionally difficult upbringings and life circumstances that led them into trouble. Despite the limitations of their current and past circumstances, they harbor a desire to heal and grow and begin anew.

Avita invites all of us to come and be accepted exactly as we are, wherever we are. From this starting point, we turn away from the external and towards the internal practice; towards the same healing, peace, and freedom that we all seek and share in mind, body, and spirit. Even in a physical setting of immense and rigid restriction, with a population that faces tremendous challenges, the invitation and practice of Avita remains exactly the same.

Katherine shared with us an experience from a recent Jail Avita class:

Today’s class was full of sharing and heartfelt thanks. We had 15 men gathered in a small room. For the first 30 minutes, we talked. The Deputy Warden showed the Father Greg/Homeboy Industries video I shared with you all (***). They applauded after watching it and a few said it was the best thing they’d ever seen. One man in particular was trying his best to let us know that they aren’t hopeless cases that just need to be punished. ” We are men, with families, and lives, if you knew how we grew up, some of us weren’t given much choice, our parents taught us what they knew, and it wasn’t good.” ( rough translation ).

 

It’s a generational issue. Limited education, very few resources, living in dangerous neighborhoods, drugs everywhere, gang pressure for survival…The person who “makes it out” is the exception.

I shared quotes from Father Greg’s book:  Barking To The Choir. F.G. said, ” you may have heard the statement, one door closes and another one opens. but many times there’s a long hallway between these doors. at homeboy we line that hallway with love and support “. I compared the hallway to the program Restore Hope is offering these men. The jail door closed behind them and now they have a chance to walk out a new door, but they have to want it, they cannot be on the fence with one foot in the old life and one foot testing the new one being offered. I told them they need to commit to this journey. What Father Greg calls the ” Rehab of the Soul “.

I asked for guidance before I went in. I told them the Avita we were getting ready to do was an invitation to focus on the shape and the sensations, let the mind rest. Try pushing the pause button on the tapes that play in your head. You can be free during this class. You may bump up against some resistance, and that’s okay, let it be, let it resolve.

We did parts of class one. We put the mats on the floor, feet on their chairs, shoulder to shoulder, with just enough room to put their hands behind their heads.

I’m going to buy copies of one of Father Greg’s book for each one of them. They are hungry for information, for change, for a chance to walk out a new door.

I love this work, and Avita offers a way into healing. As I told the men:  we are all here to heal.

Thanks for sharing this work with all of us. Who knew Jail Avita would be an offering in 2022.

 

Katherine

Avita Moving Meditation – Commemorating Our King Soopers Loss

Let’s Heal Together

We invite you to Yoga Loft for an Avita Yoga moving meditation with Jeff Bailey to commemorate the loss of those from the Boulder King Soopers tragedy and the fires that devastated our community earlier this year.

Please join us at Yoga Loft for this free event.

Tuesday, March 22 6:00 -7:15 PM mountain time

RESERVE YOUR SPOT: REGISTER

<< IN SOUTH BOULDER AND LIVE. SPACE IS LIMITED >>


Avita Yoga® brings areas of conflict and rigidity to light where it is resolved. It is a sustainable practice that generates long-term results with more freedom in the body and more peace of mind. If you’ve ever thought that you are too stiff for yoga, then Avita is for you. The goal is simple: to remain healthy, mobile, and happy as long as possible. Avita Yoga is a results-driven practice, ideally three to four times per week. Some practice daily, but start slow and pace yourself. It works for students of all ages, abilities, and degrees of mobility. Avita is the yoga for a lifetime®

 

Avita Yoga Retreat at the Ojo Santa Fe Spa and Resort 2022

OCTOBER 24 -29, 2022

JOIN JEFF BAILEY FOR THIS MIND AND BODY GETAWAY. PRACTICE AVITA YOGA 2-3 TIMES A DAY, EXPLORE NEARBY SANTA FE–HISTORY, ART AND CUISINE.

Safely accepting 20 participants for each date, possibly more if COVID restrictions lift.

Lori and I recently visited Ojo Santa Fe for a retreat of our own, and we were thrilled to discover that it’s a perfect retreat center! Fly into Sante Fe or enjoy the easy 6.5-hour drive from Boulder. If you haven’t been to Sante Fe, this is your golden opportunity. The food is sensational, and the artisan nature of the locale is inspiring. And what a joy it will be to commune and share together! Retreat yoga classes are sometimes longer with time for meditation. Please join us. We’re sure you’ll love it.

Lodging Options:

GARDEN ROOM DOUBLE OCCUPANCY: $2,050 per person

GARDEN ROOM SINGLE OCCUPANCY: $2,700 per person

  • All meals Sunday dinner through Friday breakfast
  • Spa amenities: soaking pools (up to 103 degrees), saltwater swimming pool, archery, fitness studio, library, hiking trails, and more
  • Avita Yoga Monday AM through Friday AM
    • 7:30 before breakfast at 9:00
    • 5:00 before dinner at 6:30
    • Optional midday class on Monday and Wednesday
  • Not Included: Specialty drinks, alcoholic beverages, and personal spa services. Click here for the spa menu and consider booking in advance.

$500 non-refundable deposit to reserve your space.
The remaining balance is due June 1st, 2022 for the October retreat. We will follow up with you after the deposit is received.

Kick off 2022 with Clarity, Peace and Joy!

Something new I’d like to share with you…

Most of you know that A Course in Miracles has been the backbone of my spiritual practice for many years. I knew the translation of the word yoga was “to join,” but it made no sense to me. I had practiced with different teachers for years, and none had the answer. The answer to my deep asking came to me while practicing yoga on the floor of the house I first rented in Boulder in 1990. It’s here! The words leaped off the page, and I knew I had to learn from this non-religious blue book called A Course in Miracles. It belonged to my roommate, but it spoke to me. 

Years have passed. There have been ups and downs, but never have I not applied my The Course’s message to my life practice. Life is the path! Fantastic things happen as we realize that life is the classroom and forgiveness is the curriculum. 

Yoga Loft, Avita Yoga, the teacher training, the book I’ve written–all have been inspired by the love and light that comes through this timesaving study. For many years now, I’ve been asking for a way to share A Course in Miracles’ timeless insights more directly through Avita Yoga. These short classes combine the spiritual practice of ACIM (365 daily workbook lessons) with the physical components of Avita Yoga. They are simple, practical, and powerful. 

 
 
The series is included with the all-access memberships, or you can subscribe to the daily lessons with an individual monthly subscription. 

Check out our introductory video:

Yoga for Seniors

yoga for seniors yoga with hearing aids

I’ve long-resisted writing an article with the title “Yoga for Seniors.” Why?

Because it implies that we have to alter the yoga practice for someone because of their age and “ability.” What the heck does that mean? In the world of Avita Yoga, these two characteristics have no bearing at all. Avita meets every student in precisely the right “place,” regardless of age or ability! It’s not uncommon to see a young man (late ’20s or so) struggling in a class surrounded by students in their 50’s, 60’s and 70’s! How could that be?

Most of the yoga today focuses on getting better at yoga. The premise is that if I can get better at doing yoga and make the “poses” look better, then someday the magic will happen, and I’ll feel better. It puts the benefits into the distant future, and yoga happens here and Now (Yoga Sutra 1.1). Avita Yoga takes this to heart, and we use the yoga shapes to reveal the restrictions and the patterns that work against us. We reduce the forms to the lowest common denominator that reveals the problem no matter who you are! Age is irrelevant, and if you don’t believe that, then please try a class! 

yoga for seniors avita yoga is great for all types even those with gray hair

Now some people will say, “Why do I want to know where the problem is? I know where the problem is, and I’ve been trying to get rid of it for years!” To this, I say, the problem and the pain are rarely in the same place. We use doable yet potent shapes to lead us closer to the problem where the time and healing compression quickly begins to resolve the issue. The result is more freedom and mobility. 

“Yoga for seniors” does not work because it takes a pose-driven practice with the wrong goal and waters it down to make it easier to accomplish.

Think about it. It makes sense, but it doesn’t work. It doesn’t really even work for those who can because they are pushing their bodies into extreme shapes. The loose parts get looser, while the patterns and problems remain hidden only to reveal themselves decades later. Such is life, but if we slow down and truly ask for a better way, it will be given. 

According to some measurements (and the mail I get these days), I’m a senior citizen. Yoga has been my life since age 20, and I’ve seen it all and tried most of it. I founded Yoga Loft and later Avita Yoga as a way to safely and confidently take care of the many who would benefit from yoga the most, regardless of their age and ability. It’s worked very well for me, and I’d like to show you how well it can work for you–either in person or online. 

Jeff Bailey
owner Yoga Loft 
founder Avita Yoga
creator AvitaOnline

Who Can Practice Avita Yoga?

Who can practice Avita Yoga? Who's it for?

Anyone can practice Avita Yoga because it is designed to work with every type of body. No experience is necessary and many first-time students quickly get comfortable with the practice. It works for all ages and body types. It is for anyone willing to experiment with their body and open their mind to its healing potential.

It is a common belief that yoga is for people who are young and flexible and that you have to be good at it before you begin. Consequently, it is often flexible women and agile men who are drawn to the practice because they quickly get good. It’s a lesser known fact that flexibility does not equate to comfort. Extreme flexibility can actually lead to pain and injury over time, especially if used to excel at demanding activities such as dance, gymnastics, various sports and even some styles of yoga.

We must approach the body with long-term goals in mind.

If we want to be healthy, our short-term goals must support our long-term goals and desires. We often mistake the goal of improved fitness with the broader goal of improved health. The unique practice of Avita Yoga is about improved health first, which means that any improved fitness is a favorable byproduct. Avita Yoga works well for inflexible people and those with injuries. It is for anyone who wants to delay feeling the effects of aging and restore a sense of youth.

Avita Yoga is for people with chronic aches, pains, and general stiffness. It is for those with old injuries and limiting movement patterns that affect quality of life. It is for anyone contemplating joint replacement who is trying to delay the surgery as long as possible. It is also helpful for those who have had or are currently recovering from joint replacement procedures because the pattern that created the need for the replacement remains long after surgery.

Avita Yoga is even for overly flexible people who feel chronically stiff and sore. Avita Yoga is a way to build natural strength while resolving harmful, negative patterns. Perhaps the most powerful benefit is the calming impact it has on the nervous system and mind. The practice is designed to not only work on you during the class but for hours, if not days, afterward.

Come experience the difference.
Avita Yoga – yoga for a lifetime.

 

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Unwinding a Lifetime of Patterns

Avita Yoga is unwinding a lifetime of patterns

We are each born into this world with unique patterns and tendencies that in many ways predetermine how we walk through life. These patterns shape our lives and as time goes by, our lives shape our bodies. We add to this the cumulative effects of life’s tribulations, both physical and emotional. Traumatic occurrences of the past, whether mental, emotional or physical, often have negative implications on the body and mind. These events add up over time and our physical structure must continually adjust accordingly to keep moving, leading to unhealthy patterns of movement.

We need a way to effectively unwind these patterns and resolve the physical impact at the same time.

Compensatory patterns cannot be fixed—they must be unwound. Avita Yoga is for every body, but not everybody is ready and willing to change. We must deeply desire a better way and be open to the experience of a practice that brings lasting freedom and joy to a lifetime.

Avita Yoga will enable you to do things with more joy, comfort and ease. It will increase your body’s range of motion and where there is movement, there is health. It will enhance the natural function of your body’s systems and help regulate its chemical balance, which can result in a more positive outlook on life. Avita Yoga will move you away from the cycle of pain and discomfort.

Many fitness programs find new and creative ways to be aggressive on the body. They target the muscular systems of the body to make them stronger, with the underlying assumption that with improved strength comes improved function. But this is not always the case, as we may be getting stronger while reinforcing underlying patterns that work against us.

 

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How Avita Yoga Works

How Aviga Yoga Works - Q&A Jeff Bailey answers the questions about Avita Yoga

Avita Yoga works primarily on the connective tissue to dissolve restrictions in and around the joints. Resolving restrictions locally has a resonating effect throughout the rest of the body. Movement begets movement and enhances blood flow, nourishing the body and removing toxins.

Additional beneficial fluids within the joints are cleansed to help restore healthy function and resolve the cause of stiffness and pain. Lasting results are possible because the nervous system is calmed which is an essential element if renewal is to take place. The body can heal itself when given the time and space to rest. These larger systemic effects on the whole body improve the local health of the joints, bones, and muscles. Reducing the restrictions positively influences all bodily functions which initiates a cycle of improved wellbeing. The goal is to get out of the destructive cycle of pain and sickness and into the healing cycle of improved movement and health.

While most students experience steady improvement, Avita Yoga is not a linear process. The classes are organized in a symphonic manner so that concepts are introduced and then modified and reintroduced at a later time. We thus learn to work with the body as it presents itself each time we practice so that all gains become pleasant surprise.

We do not practice perfection, so none is required. We practice by asking for movement where there is none and witness the body changing from the inside out.

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Why Avita Yoga Works

When it comes to chronic pain and rigidity, we mistakenly believe that the pain is the problem but rarely, if ever, are pain and the problem in the same place. Instead of chasing the pain around the body in an attempt to stop it, we use adaptable shapes in Avita Yoga to source the origin of the pain.

With practice, pain becomes a resource and eventually becomes a guide to solving the problem.

Without the adaptable shapes or yoga poses to inform us, we are continually misled by pain and the vain attempt to get rid of it. Avoiding or even eliminating the pain (as we have been conditioned to do) does nothing for the actual problem and the underlying compensatory patterns it has created.

Although current medical wonders exist allowing us to remove or replace the problem, the compensatory patterns still remain, making Avita Yoga beneficial to anyone and any body.

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