My Summer Schedule

This summer I am teaching at Holy Trinity Episcopal Parish and at the Clemson University Student Organic Farm. Here's the schedule and information. I look forward to it!

Mindful Yoga at Holy Trinity

Saturday mornings 8:30-9:45 June 17 and 24, July 8 and 22, August dates TBD

Let's move in peace. Class sequences are designed for everyone to find more ease in body, mind, and spirit.

Sunset Yoga Sundays

Sundays 7:00pm-8:00pm June 11-August 13

An all levels series focused on restorative breathing and mindful movement that will help you sleep better, let go, and be ready for Monday mornings.

Sunrise Yoga Two mornings a week!

Mondays and Thursdays 6:00-7:00 June 12-August 3

Come explore mindful movement and breathing at dawn this summer. Sessions will help you get your day started with clarity and ease in mind, body, and spirit.

Family Yoga at Sunset

Thursdays 7:00-7:45pm June 15-August 3

Come have fun as we explore basic postures, breathing, and mindfulness techniques for people of all ages. Sessions will be 45 minutes, but we all know that some of us may not be able to stay the whole time. So, hey, we’re with family. We all know that's okay. All families welcome.

Fee Schedule

$10 per session

Holy Trinity Pass: $30

Sunrise Pass: $85

Sunset Pass: $40

Family Pass: $40

All sessions Pass: $165

All bodies and all experiences are welcome. Bring a mat, bolster, and block if you have them. Equipment is available to borrow. 

Questions?

Email Renee at rengahan@gmail.com or call/text 864-723-0827

Other ways to connect:

Facebook: Renee Gahan Yoga

Instagram: rengahan

Why I Lead a Parade

Collectively, in my town and in this country, we need more music and dancing in the streets. We need more outlets to publicly express the joy in our bodies. Adults, especially parents, relegate this to children, but we all need this our entire lives. It used to be that town square was where you went to dance and celebrate for the sake of celebrating. But this went missing in most of the country a few generations ago. It's time we bring it back. For now, we need to do it for the sake of the health of our communities. We need to seek ways to collectively and publicly express joy until feeding joy for its own sake comes naturally again for people of all ages. Not just children. It happens in social media, but we all know that it is a surrogate despite how much it connects us. We need time dedicated to collective joy in everyday time rather than virtual time; we need this time to be unencumbered by commentators, marketing schemes, and the floodlights of national television. So, on May 20th I will be leading the 2nd Annual Clemson Festival of Arts Parade, and you are invited.

From 2016: Me with The Green Crescent Trail E.T. Group Costume

What: Clemson Festival of Arts Parade

Who: Anyone who can be there in person, including you

When: Saturday, May 20th at 10 am, lineup at 9:00

Where: If you want to dress up and dance with us, come to the Clemson First Baptist Church parking lot in the back. We will walk just a short block and a half or so to the festival and parade right through it. If you want to watch, the festival is at Catherine Smith Plaza in Downtown Clemson.

What else: Dress up in a costume you put together yourself. If you are there just to dance, dress in a primary color. You can also decorate your bike, your golf cart, and/or your hat.

Register Online: https://ucfta.z2systems.com/np/clients/ucfta/survey.jsp?surveyId=31

A Letter That I Read to Clemson City Council on December 14, 2015

To City Council concerning proposed developments and ordinance changes

Anxiety, depression, addictions, and sleep disorders are our epidemic. One in four people suffer from one of these conditions. One reason for this is that we don’t feel like we belong. And we go against the signals from our gut, which have more neural pathways to the brain than brain to gut.

City planners and developers have hooked into mixed-use development as a way to create sustainable community. So here we are with exactly that happening. And yet, people in our community feel excluded from the general vision of the development being proposed and taking place. I wonder, too, if there are decision makers who are going against their gut when these ordinance changes and proposals are passed.

In the past year, I have been to Atlanta, Charleston, Columbia, and of course, Greenville. I am seeing the same mixed-use development in all of these places, and the same basic design. When I first saw it in Atlantic Station a few years ago, I thought it looked great. I was impressed. When I see it here, I see that it doesn’t belong here. Clemson is an urban place, but it is not metro. It is international, but not global. We are not Atlanta, Charleston, Columbia, or Greenville, yet we feed those communities, while we are fed by the world. Just look at the student and faculty population. They come from all over the world.

Still, students don’t respect the neighborhoods where they live and go to cities nearby for shopping and entertainment when it is not football season. Clemson has a faculty turnover because they recruit the best from the world, and once many arrive, only stay a few years because there is nothing here for them.

So, what design best suits Clemson? When considering the demographic of Clemson, what is best when it comes to city planning?

We have old trails that can be restored, and we could grow from that. We are surrounded by forest and a lake, which is one reason why people do stay in Clemson. It’s why I stay. I’m not into football.

So, here are some questions that maybe we should ask when considering the development of Clemson.

• What does our community value, and how can that guide the development of Clemson?
• How can we be good stewards and foster growth from what it valuable about Clemson?
• When we think about return on investment, can it include factors that impact the overall quality of life?
• What should those factors be?

We live in a material world, and we are all called to live from the heart, from spirit. Part of living from the heart is loving the material itself, all of creation, including what we create. When making decisions about community design, can loving the material of the plans, the supplies, and all other things involved in making a building and community be included?

Best regards,

Renee Gahan