By lil omm
,
In
teacher feature
,
7:08 PM
Heidi first started practicing yoga at Jivamukti Yoga Center in 1997 when it was still a small brownstone in the East Village in NYC, and knew right away she found what she was looking for. At the time she was just starting out as a teacher of young children, and found yoga to be a great blessing on her life. She began her training to be a yoga teacher at Jivamukti with her first teachers, Sharon Gannon and David Life, with whom she continues to study and is forever grateful. She has also studied with Alan Finger (ISHTA yoga), Shiva Rea (Vinyasa Flow), and Molly Kenny (Integrated Movement Therapy), and has trained in Thai Yoga Bodywork from the Thai Institute of Healing Arts. Heidi believes in challenging her students to find their own sense of truth through diligence, a sense of curiosity, and mindfulness.She enjoys teaching in after-school programs for kids in public schools in DC and MD, and has just finished training with Yokid. She hopes to continue bringing the positive effects of yoga to everyone she can!
On lil omm, Heidi says:
Fate brought to me lil omm, where dreams come true. Last year I found myself pregnant, as a result of snowmageddon, and looking for resources to support my journey into motherhood. A lot of people were telling me, "You have to meet Pleasance...she's starting a new family yoga studio and she's the nicest person!" She just also happened to be looking for a Jivamukti teacher, and I was a Jivamukti teacher. I was also interested in teaching kids yoga. I started teaching Jivamukti at lil omm on Sunday mornings , and found rich resources for my growing family, as a yoga teacher, and pre and postnatal mom. I gave birth in October to a beautiful and healthy girl, Lucy. I'm now thrilled to be teaching Movers and Preschoolers, and Storytime Yoga, while bringing Lucy! Not to mention having childcare in my Jivamukti class.
My husband Pasha and I feel blessed and fortunate to be in such a wonderful community of inspired teachers, babies, kids, moms and growing families. At lil omm, dreams really do come true!
Heidi teaches both adult and children's classes. View the schedule and find her classes here!
By Mama Bear
,
In
blog contest
,
7:28 PM
I LOVE Lil Omm (and not just because you're giving away a free facial : )
I was diagnosed with post-partum depression in December. For Christmas my sister gave me a one-month membership to Lil Omm. From our first day at the studio, my daughter and I have felt well-loved and cared for. The morning classes give us something to get out of the house for, putting our whole day on a positive and healthy track. My daughter loves the childcare, and I love having a bit of peace and quiet among adults.
Yoga, and Lil Omm in particular, has become an essential part of my treatment and my daily life. Its positive influence on my emotional and physical health is so obvious that a friend generously pays for my membership to the studio each month.
But more than providing a lovely environment to practice yoga, Lil Omm has given my daughter and me a kind, warm, and loving community to belong to. Thank you, Lil Omm!
~A
By Mama Bear
,
In
blog contest
,
12:42 PM
I just want to thank Lil Omm for opening in the neighborhood. You provide such wonderful classes--well instructed but not pretentious. Your balance is just great. thanks again so much.
Judy Edstrom
By lil omm
,
5:23 AM
Music Together, a music program for kids 0-5 and the adults that love them, is offering classes at lil omm on Thursdays and Fridays this Spring!
New to Music Together?
Join us for a Free Demo Class
Thursday, April 7th @ 2pm
lil omm yoga in the Palisades
4830 V Street NW (behind Blacksalt)
Please RSVP directly to Music Together at www.littlestepsmusic.com and click on "Try A Class" on the right hand side,
or email director@littlestepsmusic.com. Families new to Music Together only, please.
Love Music Together Already?
lil omm classes start 4/8. Sign up for the Maracas Collection here: http://littlestepsmusic.com/node/1284/classes
By Mama Bear
,
In
blog contest
,
12:58 PM
For her reflection, N.T. shares a note she sent to Kristin last summer...
Kristin,
It has been amazing to get to know you. I have to tell you, before I started taking your prenatal class, I felt a bit lost and was having trouble engaging/connecting with my pregnancy, and was searching (and longing) for the sense of connection, community and opportunity to fully embrace the amazing things that were taking place inside me. It wasn't until I took your class and joined the lil omm community that I started to feel this connection. The sense of community, love, and encouragement has been amazing. I feel empowered and exhilarated about being pregnant, being a mom, and a woman when I leave your class. You, personally, have had an impact on my life and light, in ways you might not realize. You'll truly be missed, but I know you will go on to inspire others in the same way you inspired me.
By Mama Bear
,
In
blog contest
,
10:58 AM
Lil Omm is a terrifically welcoming community, especially for pregnant women and new moms. Thank you for helping me find my way!
By lil omm
,
3:57 PM
Capitol Hill Arts Workshop Offering Pre-Ballet and Creative Movement Classes in the Palisades
The Capitol Hill Arts Workshop (CHAW) is pleased to announce new Pre-Ballet and Creative Movement classes in the Palisades community to be held at Lil Omm Yoga Studio, 4830 V Street, NW Washington, DC 20007.
Classes will begin April 11, 2011 and will run until June 6, 2011. Heidi Hess, popular CHAW teaching artist, will be conducting the classes for two to five year old students.
Registration now open! To register, please call CHAW at (202) 547-6839.
For more information about Lil Omm or CHAW, visit www.lilomm.com or www.chaw.org.
Classes include:
Pre-Ballet I
Monday 5:00 – 5:45 pm
8 weeks: 4/11 – 6/6/2011 (no class 5/30)
$140
Your child will experience new ways of expanding mind and body through movement and music. Students will learn express themselves through the art of dance and creative movement using an array of games, stories and songs to build upon and improve the development of motor skills and coordination. This class is for children with no experience or who have completed one semester of Pre- Ballet. Family and friends are welcome and encouraged to observe the final class recital of the session. (3.5 – 5 years, child only)
Pre-Ballet II
Monday 6:00 – 6:45 pm
8 weeks: 4/11 – 6/6/2011 (no class 5/30)
$140
Students will expand their knowledge of basic ballet techniques and improve coordination through fundamentals of dance, basic ballet combinations, easy-to-follow steps and level appropriate dance progressions. Students must have completed at least two sessions of pre ballet I to enroll. Family and friends are welcome and encouraged to observe the final class recital of the session. (3.5 – 5 years, child only)
Imagination, Movement & Music
Tuesday 5:15 – 6:00 pm
8 weeks: 4/12 – 5/31/2011
$140
Students will explore creative ways to move their bodies through dance, introductory ballet steps and music. Students will use their imaginations to express themselves through movement and playful activities. Each class will begin with a series of fun stretching exercises and a sharing circle, enabling each child to feel comfortable and confident with the instructor and their classmates. (2 – 3.5 years, child only)
By lil omm
,
6:29 PM
Tonight, I can’t seem to find my breath, my rhythm or clear my mind, my chest is tight. The devastation in the world this evening is overwhelming and unbearable. Between the natural disasters in Japan (facing at least 10,000 deaths) along side our local, personal and horrific tragedy here at lululemon bethesda, sadness prevails in my heart . In times like these, how do we deal, we cope? How do we make sense of all this, and process in a way that’s healing and real and move forward with our own strength of life. What is the purpose? Yoga teaches us that everything is cyclical and we end each practice in our final resting position. But when tragedies strike so close to home or with such a large number of victims, it’s hard to come back to that. We practice love, light, faith and strength and send this to the families and friends who are mourning. Tonight, I feel like the world is mourning. Everywhere I turn sadness, mourning, loss and yet on this beautiful day a sense that spring is coming, that we are forced to move forward with this life. As we do not know what tomorrow holds. How many times I have heard this and not FELT it until it’s too late.. Yet, the irony of all this is that my own belly is swelling with a new life. This dualistic reality that we lead. The loss feels overwhelming. I wish there was something I could say or do to heal those in pain, some way to relieve all the suffering. be mindful and loving, and know that we are all connected
-Pleasance
By Mama Bear
,
In
blog contest
,
7:26 PM
Lil Omm has been amazing for me. I am due in about two months and my first prenatal yoga was with Pamela on Sunday at 10:30am. Pam is so caring and makes doing yoga fun and relaxing. The yoga poses she taught me help to minimize my leg cramps and calm my mind down. Excellent job, Pam!
By Mama Bear
,
In
kids
,
workshops
,
7:11 PM
Announcing the upcoming Pre-Ballet and Creative Movement Classes...
All class sessions run 8 weeks, 4/11 – 5/31
Teaching Artist: Heidi Hess Tuition: $140
- Pre-Ballet I: Mondays 5- 5:45 pm
- Pre-Ballet II: Mondays 6- 6:45 pm
- Movement & Music: Tuesdays 5:15- 6 pm
Class descriptions & registration visit: www.CHAW.org
or contact C.h.a.w at 202.547.6839
All classes are held at Lil Omm Yoga Studio:
4830 V St. NW, Washington DC 20007 www.LilOmm.com
By Mama Bear
,
In
SLEEP
,
11:53 AM
“Dear Sleep Lady,
I am nervous about Daylight Saving Time this weekend! I finally got my daughter sleeping thru the night (with a few early mornings on occasion) and I don’t want to ruin our great progress! Can you give me some Daylight Saving tips?
Nervously, Beth”
If you need tips on how to handle daylight saving time THIS WEEKEND then check out this week's blog post here.
And don't forget to leave your questions about your child and sleep by clicking on "Leave a comment" below the article. I'll choose a new question to answer every
week! Remember to check all the other articles posted on the blog. Many of them may answer the questions you have right away!
Sweet dreams,
Kim
The Sleep Lad
By Mama Bear
,
In
community events
,
donations
,
9:31 AM
From the lovely Stacy Kerr...thank you for sharing with us!
BabyLoveDC will be collecting gently used baby gear, clothing & products for ages 0 - 6 years THIS SATURDAY FROM 9 - 1 AT THE PALISADES SAFEWAY. Please bring any donations by. The goods will immediately be donated to families in need right here in the DC area. No amount too big or too small!
Can't make it Saturday? Let me know and I will pick it up from your house and donate it for you on Saturday. No time for spring cleaning this week? BabyLoveDC has monthly drives throughout the city. Check the drive calendar at www.BabyLoveDC.org or shoot me a note.
BabyLoveDC is a local non-profit that works with dozens of community-based organizations to quickly get baby gear, clothing & products to families in need. Just last week, the new Sprinkles Cupcakes in DC honored the work of BabyLoveDC with a $25,000 donation! Please show Sprinkles your love (which really isn't so hard considering how delicious their cupcakes are!) and give a little shout out to BabyLoveDC while you're there.
Email Stacy with questions at stacyrose@gmail.com.
By Mama Bear
,
In
blog contest
,
5:33 PM
I stumbled onto Lil Omm through a Living Social promotion. I was very pregnant, and this sounded like a perfect excuse to get out of the house with the baby during maternity leave. I had no idea what a great experience this would be for me and my son. From the postnatal classes, I learned little movements and expressions of love that I could use to connect with my son, particularly on those days in the first months when I was looking at him wondering what to do next! I loved the open and compassionate feel of the studio, which seems focused on healthy families growing together. I find that Lil Omm anticipates all of the needs that, as a new mom, I didn't even know I'd have from a family-based yoga studio. For these reasons, I see my family having a long relationship with Lil Omm. My husband and I recently brought the baby to an excellent Infant Massage Workshop, and we'll start Itsy Bitsy Baby Yoga this month. I look forward to what else Lil Omm will help my family discover together!
By Mama Bear
,
5:17 PM
A hilarious email we received recently...
Awake Training for Parents:
Dear Fellow Babies,
OK, here's my situation. My Mommy has had me for almost 5 months. The first few months were great – I cried, she picked me up and fed me, anytime, around the clock. Then something happened. Over the last few weeks, she has been trying to STTN (sleep thru the night). At first, I thought it was just a phase, but it is only getting worse.
I've talked to other babies, and it seems like its pretty common after Mommies have had us for around 5-6 months. Here's the thing: these Mommies don't really need to sleep. It's just a habit. Many of them have had some 30 years to sleep – they just don't need it anymore. So I am implementing a plan. I call it the Crybaby Shuffle.
It goes like this:
Night 1 – cry every 3 hours until you get fed. I know, it's hard. It's hard to see your Mommy upset over your crying. Just keep reminding yourself, it's for her own good.
Night 2 – cry every 2 hours until you get fed.
Night 3 – every hour.
Most Mommies will start to respond more quickly after about 3 nights. Some Mommies are more alert, and may resist the change longer. These Mommies may stand in your doorway for hours, shhhh-ing. Don't give in. I cannot stress this enough: CONSISTENCY IS KEY!! If you let her STTN (sleep through the night), just once, she will expect it every night. I know it's hard! But she really does not need the sleep; she is just resisting the change. If you have an especially alert Mommy, you can stop crying for about 10 minutes, just long enough for her to go back to bed and start to fall asleep. Then cry again. It WILL eventually work. My Mommy once stayed awake for 10 hours straight, so I know she can do it.
The other night, I cried every hour. You just have to decide to stick to it and just go for it. BE CONSISTENT! I cried for any reason I could come up with:
-My sleep sack tickled my foot.
-I felt a wrinkle under the sheet.
-My mobile made a shadow on the wall.
-I burped, and it tasted like rice cereal. I hadn't eaten rice cereal since breakfast, what's up with that?
-The dog said "ruff". I should know. My Mommy reminds me of this about 20 times a day. LOL.
-Once I cried just because I liked how it sounded when it echoed on the monitor in the other room.
-Too hot, too cold, just right – doesn't matter! Keep crying!!
-I had drooled so much my sheets were damp and I didn't like it touching me.
-I decided I was sick of all the pink in my room so I cried.
It took awhile, but it worked. She fed me at 4am. Tomorrow night, my goal is 3:30am. You need to slowly shorten the interval between feedings in order to reset your Mommies' internal clocks.
Sometimes my Mommy will call for reinforcements by sending in Daddy. Don't worry Daddies are not set up for not needing sleep the way Mommies are. They can only handle a few pats and shhing before they declare defeat and send in the Mommy.
Also, be wary of the sleep sheep with rain noises. I like to give Mommy false hope that listening to the rain puts me to sleep sometimes I pretend to close my eyes and be asleep and then wait until I know
Mommy is settling back to sleep to spring a surprise cry attack. If she doesn't get to me fast enough I follow up with my fake cough and gag noise that always has her running to the crib. At some point I am positive she will start to realize that she really doesn't really need sleep.
P.S. Don't let those rubber things fool you, no matter how long you suck on them, no milk will come out.
Trust me.
Sincerely,
Baby J
By Mama Bear
,
In
blog contest
,
5:16 PM
I will be eternally grateful to Lil omm for changing my life! My yoga practice was born last March in Lil omm studio and it has grown slowly, day by day, just like the other babies that Lil omm nurtures. Never before have I gained so much physically, spiritually and mindfully and all in one place. Pleasance has truly planted a “giving tree” right in our neighborhood, one that will one day grow to be a mighty oak!
By Mama Bear
,
In
blog contest
,
5:20 PM
At first glance, it may seem as though the quotes I've pasted in below are about yoga in general, but I also think these yogic lessons apply to the generous, sharing, free-spirited warmth of Lil Omm. And a quote-list echoes the "Reflections" cubby hole for colorful slips of paper that you maintain in the Lil Omm front room. Those cubby holes for slips of paper remind me of the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem. I have a feeling that the reflections people write in your front room are cheerier than the slips of paper that Wailing Wall visitors in need of succor tuck into the dusty, crumbly crevices of the ancient Wall in Jerusalem.
I wouldn't have looked back at this quote collection if you guys hadn't suggested that we submit reflections in honor of your first year anniversary, and this is one of many ways that Lil Omm has supported my yoga and meditation practice. For example, now that I have this list of quotes cut-and-pasted into this email, I'm going to incorporate the quotes into my meditation practice because I'd forgotten that they rock! I hope other clients of yours will use them too if they meditate, or they could just tape them to the dashboard in their car, or the inside of their kitchen cupboard, or above their baby's changing table.
Some of the quotes Becky shared...
1) "Follow your resistance." – Heather Sellers
2) "What a liberation to realize that the 'voice in my head' is not who I am. Who am I then? The one who sees that." -- Eckhart Tolle
3) “Simply watching your reaction makes anything a teaching.” -- Ram Dass
4) "Remind yourself that your emotions are physical in origin, and ignore them."
--maverick writer Jincy Willett in her novel "Winner of the National Book Award"
5) “What you practice gets stronger.” -- Yoga teacher Tom Gillette, and also mentioned in Stephen Cope’s book "The Wisdom of Yoga"
6) "Things fall apart, move on." -- essayist Jan Shoemaker on experiencing her mother's struggle with Alzheimer's.
7) Chrissy Carter (a yoga teacher): "[What] If you maybe just sat down with no agenda"
8) Mark Whitwell (a yoga teacher): "You can stop looking for what is not lost."
Stay tuned...Becky shared many quotes with us and we will share them throughout the month! Thank you Becky for the inspiration...
By Mama Bear
,
In
blog contest
,
5:17 PM
We love lil omm. We moved here from California and struggled to find a place where we could practice together and spend afternoons centering ourselves and our family. We found that at lil omm. It's a community that we are honored to be a part of and look forward to going to every week.
~jessica, becca and alex rogers
By Mama Bear
,
In
blog contest
,
love
,
10:03 AM
I'm not sure exactly what I was looking for when I came to my first class in July - some healing, perhaps (I was recovering from a near-fatal medical emergency), and some help with tight hips. I had always wanted a yoga studio in our neighborhood, so I was very excited and curious when Lil Omm opened its doors. I was intrigued by the family-friendly vibe, and delighted by the warm welcome when I came for my first class. I felt so wonderful physically and mentally after that one class, that I just kept coming!
There is something so joyful about the classes with babies and toddlers playing either in the studio or the children's room -- it focuses the mind on the truly important things in life. I now come almost every day, especially to the early morning classes with Cristina and Kelly, the adult classes with Brandice, and the Saturday morning class with Dena. All these teachers give so generously of their wisdom and experience, and always make me feel proud for coming out and trying new poses.
Throughout a fall and winter filled with the chronic illness of one of my children, along with other stressful events, I felt that Lil Omm was a place of peace and respite. My body feels so much better than it ever has - stronger and more flexible --and I realize that I have gained some new tools for living in the moment and accepting life as it is. My husband told me last night that I even sit at my computer differently! Lil Omm is such a jewel, a gift to our neighborhood and community, and I thank Pleasance and all the teachers, staff and students for the joy and commitment they give to this shining community!
Heidi first started practicing yoga at Jivamukti Yoga Center in 1997 when it was still a small brownstone in the East Village in NYC, and knew right away she found what she was looking for. At the time she was just starting out as a teacher of young children, and found yoga to be a great blessing on her life. She began her training to be a yoga teacher at Jivamukti with her first teachers, Sharon Gannon and David Life, with whom she continues to study and is forever grateful. She has also studied with Alan Finger (ISHTA yoga), Shiva Rea (Vinyasa Flow), and Molly Kenny (Integrated Movement Therapy), and has trained in Thai Yoga Bodywork from the Thai Institute of Healing Arts. Heidi believes in challenging her students to find their own sense of truth through diligence, a sense of curiosity, and mindfulness.She enjoys teaching in after-school programs for kids in public schools in DC and MD, and has just finished training with Yokid. She hopes to continue bringing the positive effects of yoga to everyone she can!
Posts
