Yogic Playground

01/21/2025

Hey y'all! Flow Like a River will be online tonight to accommodate for the extreme cold. DM me if you'd like the link :)

01/05/2025

Hello friends! This year, Yogic Playground will be featuring a monthly yoga philosophy focus, starting this January with Ahimsa (pronounced ah-hin-sah), or non-violence. I would be so grateful if you read and/or shared my blog post about the Yama Ahimsa. I wrote about my own personal experience with self-inflicted violence through thoughts, something I have struggled with as someone with PTSD and ADHD. Ahimsa calls on us to be kind and compassionate towards others, choosing a path of peace over anger and resentment. This applies to the self, as well, especially in moments of negative self-talk or shame. Happy New Year! To growth, change, and the loss of what no longer suits you🎆 Sending love to you all 💕

Ahimsa (pronounce ah-hin-sah) is one of the Yamas, a branch of the Eight Limbs of Yoga, a set of pathways, proposed in the Yoga Sutras of Pantanjali, that lead to a life with purpose and meaning. T…

11/21/2023

With Thanksgiving being only a few days, I am sure for most of us there is a multitude of feelings bubbling up from stress and anxiety to joy and excitement. Here’s a brief journaling practice to help you get grounded and grateful:

*Have a journal and pen ready*

1) Find a quiet place where you can be alone. (Make sure to communicate with your loved ones or living mates that you would like alone time 🧡)

2) Make your area safe and comfortable. Declutter if needed and add candles, incense, soft lighting, pillows and blankets to create a cozy journaling spot. Music is optional. Choose music that soothes you 🎶

3) Find a comfortable seat, cross-legged or in a chair, and begin to drop in to meditation by first noticing your natural breath. You may start to close your eyes and deepen your breath after a few moments, drawing plentiful amounts of breath through your nose and into your belly. As you exhale, release your breath slowly and completely through your nose. Focus on your breath flowing in and out of your body. Notice how your breath feels in your body. After a minute, ask yourself: “What am I grateful for? How can I celebrate my gratitude toward others?
You can visualize what you are grateful for and even imagine yourself showing your gratitude for others to deepen the meditation. (2 minutes or longer).

4) When you are ready, slowly come out of meditation and begin to journal. You can write from your heart using these sentence frames:
I am grateful for _______.
I show my gratitude by _______.
AND/OR
Simply record your thoughts and feelings that came up in meditation. Perhaps you can reflect on specific ways you plan to show gratitude?

I hope you enjoy this practice! Peace + Love to you and your families ❤️💛🧡

07/05/2023

Happy July ☀️ I'm pleased to say that I have quite a few announcements for you.

1) Flow Like a River Yoga at Schweitzer Environmental Center is cancelled this Saturday, July 8th as I'll be celebrating my 5 year anniversary with my partner, Bubba!

2) I've just re-branded the Yogic Playground website and it looks amazing! Please take a look if you have time. There are new pictures, I've written a new bio and I am working on bringing you blog posts as well. I would love any feedback you have about the site. DM me!

3) I HAVE NEW CLASS OFFERINGS!!!!!!! Starting July 16th I will have new classes at Willow & Birch Wellness Boutique in East Dundee. I am over the moon with this new community partnership 😊 Willow & Birch is a wellness boutique that sells a variey of wellness products that support women-owned, BIPOC-owned and environmentally friendly bussinesses. Upstairs they have created a gorgeous yoga space where we have big plans for wellness workshops, as well as special yoga experiences (like sound healing yoga 🎵). This is just the beginning! I hope to see you for our opening week! Check my events page or head to yogicplayground.com for more details about the classes.

03/17/2022

Happy St. Patrick's Day ☘️ I hope you all are celebrating safely with friends and family. St. Patrick's Day is special to me. My mom's side is extremely Irish. I have fond memories of listening to Irish folk music in my Grandma and Grandpa's kitchen while my Uncle Denny talked about poetry and fiction. Black tea, always served with milk and honey, would keep us lively after a huge meal of corned beef and cabbage, potatoes and carrots. To me, St. Patrick's Day has been more about family coming together than binge drinking and kissing "Irish for a Day" strangers (No judgement, I did plenty of that in my 20's!). Part of my yogic path has been building and sustaining relationships. This holiday reminds me of the strong bonds my big Irish family has forged through years of gatherings like a St. Pattie's meal. So, I raise my glass to you and yours as I share this Irish Blessing with you:
May the road rise up to meet you.
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face;
the rains fall soft upon your fields and until we meet again,
may God hold you in the palm of His hand.
Sláinte!

03/08/2022

I’m thrilled to announce that I am now taking clients for Private Sessions! Whether you are a beginner who would like to spend more time working on pose alignment, experienced and looking to deepen your practice, or you have specific goals that you could use some help accomplishing, I am eager to work with you one on one :)

I am currently offering private sessions for Adults and Teens, as well as group classes for All Ages!

Individual Sessions

Zoom Sessions for $25/hour or 4 sessions for $80

In-Person Sessions $50/hour or 4 sessions for $160

Private Group Classes

Zoom Sessions for $50 Unlimited Guests

In Person Sessions for $50 up to 5 people +$5 per additional person

Kids Group Classes $50/Half-hour class (Up to 10 kids) +$3/additional kid

PM me on IG, Fill out a form here or reach out via email colleen.yogicplayground@gmail.com

*At this time, In-Person classes must take place at a public location. Message for more information.

**I also work on a sliding scale, so if you are in need of reduced rates, please reach out and we can have a conversation about what pricing works for you.

Interested in trying out one of my classes before you book a Private Session with me? That’s totally understandable. Register for one of my weekly classes at yogicplayground.com

Upcoming classes:

Wednesdays @ 7pm-8pm CST

Stress Melting Yoga Live on Zoom

Sundays @ 11am-Noon CST

Poses N’ Pints BYOB Edition Live on Zoom