As posted in Newsday.com

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Yoga-painting class in Setauket

Get your chakras and creative juices flowing during a yoga and spontaneous painting class Saturday at Yoga for Life in Setauket.
No, you won’t be painting and posing at the same time, says Michelle Posner, an art teacher and painter who helped organize the class. But, she says, you’ll “leave with a bit more self-awareness.”



The two-hour class is divided into three, 40-minute parts – yoga, meditation and painting. It’s open to both beginner painters and yoga practitioners. All materials – yoga mats, acrylic paints, paint brushes and painting board will be covered in the $30 instruction fee.
To start, participants get into Hatha style yoga poses based on opening the chakras – energy centers of the body – says Joy Ruben, a yoga instructor and friend of Posner who also organized the class.



“You hold certain poses – mountain pose, tree pose, warrior poses, downward facing dog and so on,” Ruben, 25, of Miller Place said. “The biggest goal is connection in a deeper self . . . so that people can come into their body and connect with what is happening in their world.”
Next, comes guided meditation, which also aims to open chakras. Chakras start at the lower torso and work their way up to your head, Posner, 27, of Port Jefferson, says.
“Each level, as it goes up, turns into a different color. It kind of looks like a rainbow,” Posner says. “During the meditation the participants' eyes are closed, but I'm going to have them envision all sorts of colors.”



The most vivid meditation will serve as the inspiration for the spontaneous painting, she says. After meditating cross-legged on a yoga mat, participants will lean over their painting boards on the floor to paint.



“I don’t like to give too much instruction on what to paint. I encourage people to paint from their heart,” Posner says.



Following the painting period, students can share what they painted with the group. Light refreshments of food and drink will also be served, says Ruben.
While this is the first time the pair has created a yoga and spontaneous painting class, both hope to offer it in the future.



“I think everyone has a source to tap into when it comes to doing an artistic expression – whether cooking, painting or anything else,” Ruben says. “Movement and the breath of yoga practice helps to clear a pathway to that source.”



Yoga and Spontaneous PaintingWhen Where: 3 to 5 p.m. Saturday (Dec. 18), Yoga For Life, 190-1 Belle Meade Rd., Setauket.Info: 631-941-9642, yogaforlifeohm.comCost: $30, includes materials, instruction and refreshments



Tags: Yoga , painting , class , art , Setauket , meditation