It's Wednesday, folks.  We hope you have been having a wonderful week so far.  It's all downhill from here.   Are you signed up for Wayne's Yoga for Runner's workshop this Saturday from noon-1:15? Even if you are not a runner, this workshop will really help you understand how to help your body stretch, strengthen and heal from the stresses we put on our bodies during daily life happenings.  This workshop has something for everyone, and who wouldn't want to take a class with none other than Woodbury's Best of 2014 Yoga instructor??


We love posting images that inspire us to do our best daily--whether that means in our eating, our workouts, our jobs and our home lives.  We always love hearing from you about what keeps you focused or energized.  Send us inspiring photos of you that we can share with our community.

WOW! Can you believe that June is almost over and we are in the last full week of the month? Where has the summer gone already.  Hard to believe that July 4 celebrations and fireworks are around the corner.  

We are so proud to announce the newest member of the Energy family: this morning, our fabulous instructor Elaine gave birth to her second baby--a boy named Lou George.  Isn't he absolutely stunning? Congratulations to Elaine, her husband and big sister Sloan. 

Have your kids tried out our summer yoga and yoga-nastics programs with Natania and Jenny? This week on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday kids ages 9-12 have the opportunity to come learn and play in our studio.  Registration and class times can be found here.  

Our amazing instructor, Wayne will be leading a first class workshop called Yoga for Runners.  All our run club, and interested runners need to sign up for this ASAP.  It is on June 28.  Click here for time and registration.  You will learn so much about how to nurture and care for your body when it runs.  

Our fabulous Christa Dyer will be choosing our July book club pick and will be leading our discussion session at the end of the month.  Stay tuned next week for our discussion on ALL IS QUIET by Lisa Scottoline.  What a powerful read!!

Last but not least---where else in the entire world can you find a studio like Energy where you walk in the door and see the owner drop her work to make sure all the kiddos in our provided child care are having fun and are taken care of?  She knows every single child by name, knows exactly what snacks they like and how to get them to giggle.  In turn, the children completely trust Debra and it is exciting to see them embrace her (even when she is in pants and heels) when they see her.   Energy is so special.  

Mandi is one of Energy's incredible members.   She is a passionate wife,  mom, photographer and fitness enthusiast.  She is living proof that it IS possible to do it all.

TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT YOURSELF:

I am married to Jacob Folks.  He is a C.P.A. and travels most weeks.  I am a stay at home mom to four children 6 and under-- Mitchell (6), Maverick (4), Macallan (2) and Jovie (6 months).  We currently live in Woodbury.  I would never have imagined an exercise studio featuring me on its blog....I'm hardly the fitness model!

WHAT ADVICE CAN YOU GIVE OTHERS ABOUT FINDING TIME TO WORKOUT?:

I always say that people can ALWAYS find time for things they love.  As a busy mom of 4, there are many things that I can no longer make time for...but if I enjoy something enough, I will find time to fit it in!  Energy fits in that category for me!

WHAT DO YOU ENJOY MOST ABOUT BEING A MEMBER AT ENERGY?:

My kids love Energy as much as I do!  The childcare is as intimate as the group exercise classes. All of the workers know my children by name. There are literally some days when my children drag ME to Energy!  They enjoy the playtime with their friends, so much that they'll request to go even when I didn't plan to make a class that day! I love what Energy does for my mind, as much as what it does for my body.  Staying in my daily workout routine makes me a better mom.  If I'm short on patience, it usually boils down to one of two things 1) no workout or 2) a particularly messy house.  If I have my workout in and a picked up house, I'm much easier to live with and my husband and kids have all caught onto it! I love that I'm modeling a healthy lifestyle for my children.  I hope they make fitness a priority in their lives.

Happy Birthday to our wonderful Yoga and Brazilian Dance Instructor, Natania.  We are so blessed to have you as part of our Energy family.  You bring so much inspiration, heart and dedication into your practice.  Members are constantly commenting on how much they adore your smile, laugh and motivating classes. 

It's time to rock your week with a few of our favorite images that keep us going.  Before we do so, find time to check out our amazing line up of instructor workshops and group fitness certifications that are happening this weekend.   Word on the street is that there are only THREE SPOTS LEFT!

Don't forget to join us for Yoga-Nastics with Jenny on Thursday from 11:30-12:15 (ages 5-9) and Yoga for Kids with Natania from 1:15-2:30 (ages 5-9). You may register online!

We are always looking for suggestions and feedback on how we can continue to provide the best fitness studio available to you.  Thank you for helping us continue to grow. 

Welcome to the first official full week of summer.  The birds are chirping, the air is fresh, and we have a whole new line up of classes for you to join in on this week.  Always continue to check our Facebook page for updates on our outdoor class offerings (sometime the weather isn't always kind) and for changes to our daily schedule.  We will always keep you in the know!


View today's class line up here, but take note of a couple of things:

Come meet our new summer instructor intern, Diana at 6:00 this evening. She will be teaching Barre Fusion with Debra.  We are so excited and blessed to be able to welcome Diana to our Energy team.

Come join Team Allen at 7:00 tonight for our new YOGA FOR ATHLETES session.  This guy knows what he is doing!

Have you shopped in our E-Boutique lately? Our retail team has just brought in some incredible clothing from Pheel, and Alo this month.  Word to the wise--check out the new yoga pants from Alo.  Amazing. 

We have had such a wonderful week in our studio to kick off summer introducing our new June schedule to you all. 

A couple of thoughts from this week...

Have you taken Cut and Core with Natania? If you are looking for an ab and core centered workout and are tired of doing traditional sit ups, then this is your class. 


Have you met and taken Yoga Strength or Yoga for Athletes with Allen?  Allen is our new summer intern. He is young, cute and beyond dedicated to sharing his passion for yoga with you.


Then of course, there is E4 with our fearless leader, Debra.  She came up with this incredibly smart idea to build an intense, challenging class around Pilates, Yoga, Cardio and Weights.  Can't think of a better full body workout with a more inspiring woman.


We have also added fresh air yoga to our line up.  How perfect to get a workout, and find some time for personal reflection and meditation while being outside in green grass and sun. 


Run club launches on Sunday with an 8:05am run at Powers Lake.  We cannot wait to help you discover your inner runner. 


And that's just the tip of the iceberg.  Keep checking our website and Facebook pages for class updates and daily schedules. 

What did you all think?  Certainly a very different type of read than our April book club selection. And, yes, this discussion definitely has spoilers so if you have not yet finished reading yet, you may want to postpone reading this until later on. I have a bunch of questions that came up as I was reading.  I am anxious to learn what you thought.


Julie's name changed to Jules after her first summer at Spirit of the Woods.  Do you think her name change symbolized a deeper self change within her?

The theme of class-ism came up quite a bit in the story.  The characters made it clear that we really only identify with the one class that we are in.  Do you agree?  I am thinking to the part of the book where Jules and her sister have the discussion where Jules asks her sister if she was ever jealous of her.  It seemed like Jules definitely assumed that since she had higher class friends her life was more interesting.   Maybe class only exists to those who care?


What are your thoughts on Jules' jealousy issues? It made me understand that you waste a lot of life's moments being jealous.  Sometimes for me, Jules was a bit too much to take with all of her whining and complaining and comparing.  At the same time, my heart ached for how much she was hurting.


Did you cry when Ethan died? I sure did.


Do you think Goodman Wolf got away with a crime because of his status? Based on the discussions between Cathy and Jules and the fact that Goodman did flee, it makes me believe that he raped Cathy and really stole her childhood adolescence.


I think what I liked most about the book was seeing how each character evolved over the course of growing up.  I loved reading about when they were all children because it evoked a strong sense of nostalgia in me.  Childhood really was in the "good old days."

Do you have any thoughts to add?  I can't wait to read your comments.