Thursday is shaping up to be a very creative day at The Mat! Located on Wilkins Avenue in Squirrel Hill, Pittsburgh, Yoga Matrika offers great yoga, pilates and mediation classes and now creative play, creative movement and a knitting group. We are an inclusive community and all of our classes are offered on a contribution basis. Come and play with us on Thursdays!
Each moment rushes from all sides rushes to us the call to love.
We are running to contemplate its vast green field.
Do you want to come with us?
This is not the time to stay at home,
But to go out and give yourself to the garden.
The dawn of joy has arisen,
And this is the moment of union, of vision. ~ Rumi
Creative Thursdays stars with a Creative Flow class for adults. Bobbi teaches this creative yoga class from 8:00 to 9:15 am that includes everything you love about yoga and also provides opportunity to move, sway, jump and roll by adding creative movement into the flow. Absolutely no experience is required. This is an especially great class if you ever find yourself worried about doing the asana “right” as it frees your mind and body to the potential of creativity in the poses.
Starting on October 14th, Malke Frank will be facilitating a Creative Movement class for toddlers ages 1-3 from 11:30 to 12:15 pm. Spontaneous movement is the dance of childhood. Through creative movement, a child becomes aware of the various parts of the body. With this awareness comes both a sense of being comfortable with themselves and the security to explore more movement. Another facet is the development of basic locomotor (walking, crawling, running, galloping, etc.) and non-locomotor movements (bouncing, swinging, pushing, stretching, etc.) Beginning with these and progressing to concepts of space, tempo, and rhythm, the child has the opportunity to discover and explore her/his own uniqueness and creative possibilities. Sounds, too, are an integral part of creative movement. The children have themselves – their hands and feet, fingers, elbows, tongues, voices, etc. – as accompaniment to their movement. Percussion instruments and listening to the sounds of nature add another dimension to the exploration of sound. In a non-judgmental atmosphere which encourages spontaneous and imaginative expression, a child can gain self-esteem and self-confidence.
The Matrika knitting group, which is open to everyone who loves to knit or crochet or embroider or any kind of project you can carry around in a tote meets to Sit & Knit on Thursdays from 11:30 to 12:45 in the Peace Room. Yes, children and infants and any other person in your care are absolutely welcome. We have tea service, but ask that you bring your own mug.
Starting on October 14th, Malke Frank will be facilitating an open-concept Creative Play group for all ages from 2:30 to 4:00pm. Just drop-in during this time and enjoy our open space for creative play. Malke will provide scarves, bean bags, musical instruments and other materials for creative play. We have books, puzzles, wooden animals and other games too. If you would like a cup of tea, please bring a mug. You are also welcome to bring peanut free snacks and we just ask that you not offer your child dried fruit (raisins especially) in the studio as they seem to be the only snack that is near impossible to remove from the floor. Parents and caregivers will enjoy the great adult company too!