We now offer NIA and Pilates Classes

NIA New Series will Begin March 4.
Celebrate the mind, body, spirit connection with The Nia Technique. Choreographed to great music, routines combine martial arts, healing arts & dance arts to create a unique form of fusion fitness. Whether you're looking for an energized workout, to round out your yoga practice, cross train for any sport or just like the feeling of moving to music, Nia will teach you how to experience the "Joy of Movement" and the benefits of moving "Your Own Body's Way."
Suitable for men & women of all ages and ability levels. Wear comfortable clothing & bring water.No shoes required. For more information about Nia see: Nianow.com
The only way to see what it's all about is to try a class!

Pilates Mat Classes

A fun and invigorating workout focusing on your core.
Teaches the basic principles of Pilates
Enhance your strength, flexibility, control, balance, and posture.
Create long lean muscles.
Strengthen your body and your mind.
Improve the way you look and feel!
Pricing: $10/ $12/$14 series/ open pass / drop-in

Tuesdays 4:45pm & 5:45pm
ALL LEVELS WELCOME. Offered by:
Tracie Kedzierski Certified Pilates Mat Instructor

This article was in SORI magazine in Feb 2008

Say “Namaste” to Yoga
The atmosphere at Wakefield’s holistic Mecca All That Matters is simply divine, the aura as soothing as soft South County sand on bare feet. But one of the first things yoga instructor Coral Brown tells me is that “anyone that can breathe can do yoga.”
Having just put out a cigarette, this may not be true. Yet despite the whole breathing thing – Brown’s soft, calming voice, the wafting incense, mellow music and candlelit ambience in the practice room – have put me at ease, and I am ready to say “Namaste,” a traditional greeting, to yoga.
The class consists of men and women of all different ages. We bow hands at heart to begin and I soon find myself moving on the mat, my legs, arms, back and body transforming in and out of poses like the appropriately named downward-facing dog to the Power Ranger-like Warrior II. The tingling inhales and the relaxing exhales of my breath ebb and flow as I work my way, somewhat awkwardly, from pose to pose. I stumble. I get up. I balance. I contort. I sweat. I adjust. I breathe. I am relaxed, yet I am working out.
Yoga, it turns out, is quite individualistic. There is no rush to keep up with the group, no sense that my inexperience is a hindrance. My workout is what I make it; I define my own pace. At the end, the class is given ample time to explore poses on their own. Some stand on their heads, others practice stretching in ways I could only achieve by accident and with great personal injury resulting. I enter into Savasana, the corpse pose, which allows you to lay still, eyes closed, your body in total relaxation. Now this is a pose I can master.
Having never stepped barefoot into a yoga class before, I am told I fared pretty well. And despite some loudly creaking bones, a pound or two of sweat and the occasional stumble, my body, Brown tells me, is actually quite balanced. “Yoga is the union of opposites,” Brown explains. “The body wants to be in balanced. Yoga brings us back to balance.”
And it is the balance that Brown says keeps all types of people coming back to yoga – the liberating union of physical health and the mental state of realizing that all that usually matters – if only for a brief and fading hour – does not.

I was the guest editor for the Feb issue of SORI- if you did not get to read the write up- here it is. Joan

As resolution time has come and passed, now’s a good time to ask, “How is your health? Your time management? Your daily energy? How are you enjoying life?”

If after a bit of soul searching you come up with a resounding “Great!” my guess is that you are investing in some form of preventive or holistic health practices. If you come up with a so-so rating, some of the articles in this issue might inspire you to begin to explore.

Preventive health cannot just be penciled in for January 1 -- it is a lifestyle that more and more folks are adopting. And not just because they want to be free of disease, but also because they want to be excited by life, feel their vitality and do great things.

Each person’s food, rest, community and exercise requirements are different. Getting to know your body’s needs is the first step to being well. Feeling better does not come from adhering to one doctrine, set of beliefs or teacher. It is an individual path nurtured through turning inward and listening to your own inner wisdom.

“Easier said than done,” you might say. That is true. In this fast paced world we live in, the emphases is on doing and producing, not on breathing and being. So it takes a bit of courage, curiosity and determination to etch out the time to learn and invest in daily practices that support your health. But I can guarantee that it is worth every bit of courage you can muster up.

We keep hearing about these “new” or “alternative” treatments, but there is nothing new about holistic health. It synthesizes ancient wisdom, proven practices, health discoveries and fresh insights for world traditions. Meditation, yoga, acupuncture, chiropractic, massage, and herbal remedies have all been around for centuries. They are tried and true practices.

So even though resolution time has come and gone, find the time to really invest in yourself. Whether it be a massage that brings you to a deeper place of relaxation, a yoga class that opens new doors of awareness, or a book that jumped off the shelf, the process of self-discovery and healing is activated. Just remember, nurturing yourself is not a luxury; it is a necessity.

Joan Dwyer is the owner of All That Matters in Wakefield.