Archive for Family
VBAC-ing in America
In Ina May Gaskin’s newest book, Birth Matters: A Midwife’s Manifesta, she describes why she believes that birth is a feminist issue. While so many of us have permitted debates around abortion to take center stage when it comes to the politics of healthcare for women in the United States, the reality is that this focus on only one small aspect of healthcare for women and families has distracted us from an embarrassing fetal and maternal mortality rate in the United States. Gaskin illuminates our complete failure to document maternal mortality and to evaluate cases of maternal mortality to improve standards of care that would actually make a difference. She also shows that while birth has become more medicalized and we have started to use more technology, that our use of technology, surgery and testing have not actually resulted in safer births for mothers or babies.
Larry Cox supported this same sentiment in an Amnesty International article when he said, “Mothers die not because the United States can’t provide good care, but because it lacks the political will to make sure good care is available to all women.” For the full Amnesty International Report follow this link.
While Gaskin’s safety for births at the Farm Midwifery Center from 1970 to 2010 are incredibly impressive (1.7% cesarean rate and a 96.8% rate of success with VBAC and maternal mortalit of 0 with neonatal mortality rate of 1.7 deaths per 1,000 births), the reality is that the total accepted for care over these forty-years (2,844) represents only a small percentage of what major hospitals will deliver in a year (here in Pittsburgh, Magee delivers over 10,000 per year). In addition, we have to accept that many hospitals are working with high risk cases that would not have even considered a Farm birth. So many women become pregnant who already have significant health concerns and social challenges: drug and alcohol abuse, poor diet and nutrition, lifestyle stress, economic concerns, domestic violence, etc. that we have have to consider the fact that the general state of health for most adults in the United States is part of our failure. No matter what, Gaskin makes incredibly strong arguments for care for women during pregnancy and post-delivery that provide evidence for success in the quality of care that she and the other midwives on the Farm have provided for such a long period of time.
One of the issues that we face in the United States, especially with the incredible rise in the cesarean rate, is how to support women who have had a cesarean with a previous birth and wish to try to have a vaginal delivery with subsequent births. Making such a choice is referred to as a VBAC , which is short for “vaginal birth after cesarean.” This is a subject that is relevant to me personally right now as I had a cesarean birth with my first child and am now 35-weeks pregnant with my second.
In my first birthing, I labored with the most excellent support and care of a group of midwives here in Pittsburgh at a hospital and am convinced that my cesarean was necessary and life saving. It seems that my head-strong and passionate son was brow presenting. In Ina May Gaskin’s Farm statistics, only 10 of 2,844 total births were brow presenting. And, while she and her team managed to deliver five of them vaginally, the other 5 represent a considerable percentage of her cesarean deliveries. The Farm’s c-section rate for breech presentations was less than 10%, but 50% for brow presentations. Therefore, I am rather confident that it is highly unlikely that my second child will present in this same challenging way and that there is a chance, even if this is the case, that I could have a successful VBAC.
I know that there are many women who are not as fortunate as I am and they struggle with doubts and anger regarding their cesarean deliveries wondering if they were really necessary. I also know that there are women who choose elective cesareans. I am also sad to know that, while I am being fully supported by the midwife practice that I am in the care of, the physician that supports these midwives and my doula in my decision to attempt a VBAC, there are many women who wish this was an option who do not have the choice as their hospital does not permit it. The big risk with VBAC, apparently, is the chance of uterine rupture. While I agree that this is a rather scary outcome that should be considered, apparently, the risk of this is 1%.
What does this mean—this 1% risk? Well, in my mind, it doesn’t mean very much. The truth is that there are some inherent risks to birth (never mind the risks of just getting out of bed in the morning or the risks of refusing to get out of bed) that are much greater than this 1% risk. So, basically, I’ve got bigger fish to fry. This year, each and every one of us in the United States has a 1 in 6500 chance of dying in an automobile accident. Do I think about this each and every time I get into a car? Absolutely not. Calculated risk consideration seems appropriate here. In addition, there are considerable risks with cesarean births that reflect the fact that, not only is it a birth, but it is major abdominal surgery. For example, there is a 16% chance that a woman will require a blood transfusion and considerable risks to the mother’s internal organs.
One of the reasons why women did not feel that they wanted to have a trial of labor is that they were told that they would not be able to have an epidural for pain relief during their VBAC labor. They were denied this option because physicians were under the (we now know false) impression that an epidural would mask the initial pain of a uterine rupture. After years of research, we now know that a fetal monitor is more likely to show signs of distress before there is any pain. Therefore, as long as mom’s uterine activity and fetal activity is being monitored during labor, there is no reason to suggest that she shouldn’t have an epidural if she wants one. There is even some research that has suggested that women who had an epidural during their trial of labor had a 20% higher VBAC success rate. While 20% is not significant enough to suggest an epidural (as many readers will know, this form of pain relief carries its own set of potential complications……), it does support women who both want a VBAC and want to at least have the option of an epidural for pain relief.
As a woman, it is hard to know sometimes how to even advocate on my own behalf, never mind how to start advocating for women in general, who face decisions regarding their birthing options. I am so grateful for intelligent activists like Ina May Gaskin who not only bring these issues to light, but also offer realistic and reasonable action plans for improvement. One thing that makes me very nervous is that, when a woman is denied options, she may be forced into making dangerous choices. For example, a woman who is told that the only hospital in her area will not allow a trial of labor for VBAC may choose to have an unassisted home birth. I am also concerned for women who, out of fear and anger, separate themselves from all medical professionals by lumping them together as “the enemy.”
If we are to inspire significant changes in healthcare policies that give ALL women equal access to quality healthcare, then we must be united. Not only do we need to be united, but we also need to open to the multitudes of voices and ideas so that we do not alienate potential allies or refuse to understand our enemies. As Sun-Tzi so clearly advised, “Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer.”
The greatest enemy of all is ignorance and its sister emotion, fear. There is research that supports change and intelligent voices of activists like Ina May Gaskin that have provided us with a road map to something better, safer and more powerful. We must stop allowing ourselves to be distracted by singular issues such as abortion or cesarean rates. These are just evidence of a far greater problem. We, the women who reflect more than half of the workforce of this country, the women of the United States, will not allow substandard medical care to be the death of us. This death is not just physical, it is spiritual as we allow our instincts, power and strength to be diminished by policies that deny us truly life-saving care.
I have compiled the most recent statements and research on VBAC in the United States here:
1. NIH Consensus Development Conference on
Vaginal Birth After Cesarean:
New Insights
PDF of final panel statement
Webcast of conference that is available free of charge.
The evidence report prepared for this conference through the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality is available on the web
2. American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists
Current Practice Guidelines for VBAC (#115, 8/2010)
3. An intelligent blog article that summarizes some of the main points of the new practice guidelines.
If you are local in Pittsburgh and looking for VBAC support, both midwifery groups here–at Magee Hospital and at the Midwife Center–can and will support you. There is an active ICAN group (International Cesarean Awareness Network) here. You can also meet women for excercise, community and support at prenatal yoga classes during your pregnancy. I offer classes through Matrika Prenatal. Deena Blumenfeld of Shining Light Prenatal Education offers classes. Finding your own inner strength, learning to work with your fear and building a support network are only some of the benefits of prenatal yoga. You can also find doula support for your birthing in Pittsburgh from doulas who are experienced specifically in VBAC through Hearts and Hands.
Zen Sitting Group of Pittsburgh
Hogen Green has recently posted the new sitting schedule for the ZSGP. Everyone is invited to sit with this group that meets by donation at Yoga Matrika in the Peace Room on some Sunday mornings and Tuesday evenings. The Zen Sitting Group of Pittsburgh has been very generous to Yoga Matrika and it is their beautiful Buddha that creates a sanctuary out of the Peace Room. If you are interested in Zen, I encourage you to contact Hogen directly. He provides orientations for those in the community who are new to Zen if you let him know ahead of the meeting that you are coming and require this introduction.
Here is the focus for the next group of sittings as communicated by Hogen in his most recent e-mail to the group:
Sentient beings are numberless, I vow to save them
Desires are inexhaustable, I vow to put an end to them.
The Dharmas are boundless, I vow to master them,
The buddha way is unattainable, I vow to attain it.
We chant these vows 3 times.
This is not a casual chant we do. Taking a vow, these vows, sitting after sitting is transformative. Can be transformative if we begin to make a connection between how we live in response to the challenge of our life, and what these vows are poinying at. Transformation is the point of Zen practice. But transforming what, from what to what? And how does this happen? How does our life actually change in a way that helps our self and others?
Over the next several months, I’ll be giving a series of monthly talks on the path of the Bodhisattva. We will look at that path from the perspective of Vow, from that of the Prajna Paramita Sutra- the Heart Sutra as well as from the perspectives of what the great teachers of our tradition have offered. I invite you to make a special effort to attend both the scheduled talks and the sittings so that the words of the talks and the experience of investigating the Bodhisattva path can be given life: your life. I would encourage you to deeply question what is said in these talks and if it is helpful, to bring these questions up for exploration.
Tuesday evening May 25th 6:30 zazen
Sunday morning May 30th 9:30 AM, zazen, liturgy and senior’s talk
Tuesday evening June 8th, 6:30PM zazen
Sunday morning June 13th, 9:30 AM zazen liturgy
Tuesday evening June 22d 6:30PM zazen, liturgy
Sunday morning June 27th 9:30 AM, zazen, liturgy and senior’s talk
Sunday Spring Schedule (9:30 to 11:30 am):
May 30
June 13
June 27
Tuesday Evening Schedule (6:30 pm):
June 8
June 22
http://www.yogamatrika.com//contact-us/zen-sitting-group/
Posted by Sharon Fennimore Rudyk, Owner and Director of Yoga Matrika. Yoga Matrika is located in the Squirrel Hill neighborhood of the City of Pittsburgh.
http://www.yogamatrika.com/
Teaching Children Peace
When I was young, not sure how old, but definitely younger than 11 since my memory of this activity includes me in the bunkbed that I shared with my sister in a small room in an apartment in Brooklyn, my mother obtained a book of guided visualizations for children. This was probably my first experience with meditation and I still remember the very calm way I would enter sleep after one of those “stories.” I was searching for this book online and haven’t found it, but I did find the following two guided visualizations for children online. If anyone knows about a book of guided visualizations just for children, please feel free to comment on this post. ENJOY!
I found these here:
http://www.learningpeace.com/pages/newsletter_18.html
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Calming Exercise: The Magic Box
Have your children close their eyes, breathe deeply, and think about a place they’ve been that made them feel happy, peaceful and safe. Say, It can be as close as your own backyard, or far away as a vacation spot. Make sure each child has a peaceful place to focus on. Share ideas. If someone can’t think of one, have that child focus on the beach this time. An image of their own may come later.
Ask your children to close their eyes or look down and bring their peaceful place fully into their imaginations. Say, Picture every detail and pretend you’re back there now. Ask, What do you see, feel, hear, and smell? Allow time for the children to envision, letting the images expand and grow.
After a few minutes, say, Open your eyes and open your hand. (Model this part).
Say, In your hand is a magic box, and invisible magic box. Open the lid, reach into your imagination, and take out your peaceful place. Shrink it down until it is very tiny. Now put your peaceful place into your magic box. Close the lid and put your magic box into your pocket, and if you don’t have a pocket, put it in your shirt. Your magic box will be with your forever, and you will be able to use it whenever you want from this day on. Whenever you feel upset, angry, frightened, or tense, all you’ll need to do is reach into your pocket, pull out your magic box, open the lid, take out your peaceful place and put it into your imagination. Then close your eyes, breathe deeply, and let your peaceful place fill your imagination completely.
Follow-up: Your children can draw, paint, or write about their peaceful places. Hang up whatever they create to remind them of the power of their imaginations, and the power they have within to calm themselves.
Have your children make a list of several peaceful places they might want to put into their magic box. That way they’ll have a choice of places to envision.
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Calming Exercise: The Beach
Close your eyes and take a nice slow deep breath in through the nose. Bring your breath all the way down into your stomach. Gently expand your stomach like a balloon as you breathe in. Slowly release the breath and let your stomach shrink. Now take another slow deep breath in, expand your stomach, and slowly release it. One more time: breathe slowly in, and slowly out.
Continue breathing slowly and deeply. With your eyes closed. Pretend your mind is a movie screen. Nothing is on it except for the color blue, light blue. Now the blue becomes a big, full sky on a summer day. The sky is filled with fluffy white clouds and a shining yellow sun. Beneath the sky is the beach.
Walk onto the beach and feel the sand under your feet. It is soft and warm between your toes. Look out toward the ocean. The waves are very calm. Watch them roll in and roll out, in and out. Each time a wave rolls back to sea it leaves a shiny imprint on the sand. Touch the cool, wet sand.
Now let water cover your feet. It feels cool and refreshing. Put your hands in the water and feel the droplets of a wave splash on your body. Now walk into the water and let a tiny wave lift you up. You are floating. Another wave comes along and lifts you higher. Your body moves with the gentle motion of the water. And as you float you feel each wave rolling under you,
lifting you up
and lowering you gently down.
The water feels warm and soothing.
The sun shines on your face and arms.
You hear the sounds of seagulls,
you smell the salty water.
You feel a deep sense of peace as you float on the waves.
Now return to the shore. Rest on the beach and let the breeze calm you even more. When you open your eyes you will be perfectly calm and relaxed. This feeling will stay with you throughout the rest of your day and will follow you into your dreams.
Reprinted from Hope and Healing: Peaceful Parenting in an Uncertain World by Naomi Drew, 2002
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Posted by Sharon Fennimore Rudyk, owner and director of the magnificent Matrika Yoga in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Located on the border of the Squirrel Hill and Point Breeze neighborhoods of the City of Pittsburgh, Yoga Matrika offers drop-in classes, comprehensive stress reduction programs, massage and professional level workshops and trainings. http://www.yogamatrika.com/ and http://www.advancedyogapittsburgh.com
Cabin Fever & Yoga in Pittsburgh
There was one very brave student at tonight’s class. She was new to Yoga Matrika and was curious about what the class title, Mindful Yoga, really meant. I prattled on about Vajra Yoga and not making a distinction between asana practice and meditation and how we create a moving meditation through our practice……….but during our practice together, I started to question the whole thing entirely.
You see, that’s the problem with having an answer to everything—-you miss opportunities for reaching a greater understanding. In this case, I was incredibly inspired by the clarity of this student’s practice and she taught me a lot about mindfulness. So, thank you dear student, and hope you come back soon!
What I realised is that what I don’t know about mindfulness is a lot. While there are so very many things that I hope that my Mindful Flow classes mean, the real mindfulness is in the interpretation. I asked my student to choose an intention for her practice and to anchor that intention with awareness of the breath or awareness of sensation in the body. As we moved through the Vajra Opening series, I made some slight adjustments and made requests of the student to move in different ways or experiment with various modifications.
I was delighted to watch as this student’s mind literally moved from place to place in her body and she fully explored each asana. Thanks to this student and her beautiful practice, I realised that it is possible to see mind. A great gift to a yoga teacher on a snowy night after a long week of being indoors.
I received a similar gift through my dear friend and colleague on the teaching team at Yoga Matrika, Kristie Lindblom. She posted a beautiful entry in her blog about how she is personally experiencing this long week of a storm and nature enforced hibernation. Again, a new lesson on mindfullness. By staying present in the moment, Kristie rides out the storm, the cabin fever and the heavy nature of this weather. Her mindfulness includes all of the wonderful things that are growing, changing, transforming and preparing for birth right under our very feet in this very moment.
Thank you dear student and Kristie for the lessons in mindfulness.
When in Pittsburgh, study Mindful Flow with Sharon Rudyk at Yoga Matrika. Don’t worry, when there hasn’t been a recent snowfall of over 20 inches, there’s normally more than one student! So, not everyone gets watched so closely.
Posted by Sharon Rudyk
Owner and Director of Yoga Matrika
http://www.matrikawellnesscenter.com
http://www.prenatalyogapittsburgh.com
http://www.yogamatrika.com/
Check-out Kristie’s Blog entry here:
http://searchingforsattva.blogspot.com/
Insults Can Be Funny
It’s a snow day here in Pittsburgh—-a REAL snow day! A day that reminds us not to take our little scheduled selves all that seriously, to stay in our pajamas and build snow creatures in our backyards. In honor of the snow day, I thought I’d provide a list of insults and jokes from one of my favorite joke books, the 4th edition of A Prairie Home Companion Pretty Good Joke Book.
INSULTS
I’d say he’s about one Froot Loop shy of a full box.
The wheel’s spinning, but the hamster’s asleep.
I’d explain it to you but your brain would explode.
I like your approach…let’s see your departure.
Where other people have a brain, he’s got resonance.
Doesn’t have his belt through all the loops.
He’s so dense, light bends around him.
Hard to believe that he beat out a million other sperm.
Never underestimate the power of stupid people in large groups.
Looks like he played goalie for the darts team.
YO’ MAMA JOKES
In honor of the Matrikas, who I am sure know how to take a joke, I also offer some Yo’ Mama Jokes. You know, with all due respect and all that.
Yo’mama is so fat, she doesn’t have a tailor, she has a contractor.
Yo’mama is so fat, she measures 36-24-36, and the other arm is just as big.
Yo’mama is so fat, when her beeper goes off, people think she’s backing up.
Yo’mama is so dumb, she called Dan Quayle for a spell check.
Yo’mama is so dumb, she thought Boyz II Men was a daycare center.
Yo’mama is so ugly, when she walks into a bank, they turn off the cameras.
Yo’mama is so ugly, your father takes her to work with him so he doesn’t have to kiss her goodbye.
Yo’mama is so old, she still owes Moses a quarter!
Yo’mama’s armpits stink so bad, she made Right Guard turn left.
MUSICIAN JOKES
How do you get the drummer out of your house?
Pay him for the pizza.
A banjo is like an artillery shell–by the time you hear it, it’s too late.
Do you know the definition for perfect pitch?
When you throw the banjo into the dumpster and it lands right on the accordion.
A bunch of bass players walk into a bar. The orchestra is playing Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, and there’s a long section near the end where the basses don’t play, so the bass players decide to go out and have a few beers. They tie a string to the conductor’s score, so that when he turns the page, it will tug on the string, and the bass players will know to come back for the end of the symphony.
So the performance goes on, and eventually, the conductor looks up and realizes he’s in big trouble: It’s the bottom of the Ninth, the score is tied, and the basses are loaded!
MAN JOKES
After all those Yo’Mama Jokes….these seem in order.
What’s the difference between government bonds and men?
Bonds mature.
Why is it so hard for women to find men who are sensitive, caring, and good looking?
Because those men already have boyfriends.
What do you call a man with half a brain?
Gifted.
My friend is engaged in a major custody battle. His wife doesn’t want him and his mother won’t take him back.
THIRD GRADE JOKES
What kind of bees give milk?
Boobies.
What is large, gray, and doesn’t matter?
An irrelephant.
Why do they put bells on cows?
Because their horns don’t work.
HAPPY SNOW DAY PITTSBURGH!!!!!
Reference
A Prairie Home Comapanion Pretty Good Joke Book. New 4th Edition. Highbridge Company: Minneapolis. 2005
Posted by Sharon Rudyk
Owner of Yoga Matrika, a beautiful yoga studio located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
http://www.yogamatrika.com/
http://www.sharonrudykyoga.info
http://www.prenatalyogapittsburgh.com
Yoga Works
I’m just about as committed, or perhaps even MORE committed, to the “Why?” as anyone. I think it’s a rather good question to be asked about anything from WHY is the Nobel peace prize winner suggesting that we increase our war activities to WHY do Pittsburghers call sprinkles, “jimmies”. Or, the yoga owner gasps, WHY should anyone do yoga? Just as committed as I am to the WHY, I’m simply frustrated at the infinite number of things that I can’t seem to comprehend or the number of WHY questions that I can’t get a satisfactory answer to. Will someone just give me the satisfaction of a BECAUSE… every once in a while?
If there is one thing that I know to be true and that is that YOGA WORKS. I mean, it works for EVERYONE—children, moms, men, women, older people, teens, injured and sick, athletic and healthy, flexible, idiots and genius alike (generally subjective measurements anyway!)—–yoga works in all cases and without exception. Why? I have no idea! I’m relatively convinced that any answer is only the beginning of an answer or even a fraction of the answer. I don’t care if you got this answer by measuring brain activity, hormone levels, blood chemicals, stress level, decrease in headaches, reported relationship satisfaction, increased fertility, etc. However you get your answer to the why of yoga, it’s only part of the story. The most terrifying thing about this kind of inquiry is that I wonder how many questions I have asked and found an answer to that I really only know the fraction of—maybe WHY just isn’t the right question and every BECAUSE is merely a PERHAPS in disguise?
I can think of two reasons why yoga decreases stress, makes us feel stronger and lighter and gives us energy and a feeling of bliss and joy:
1) We are moving in the most honest of ways and using our body to express, explore and respond to the environment around us instead of privileging the BRAIN and simply dragging the body around as a useful, but mostly frustrating appendage. So many people tell me that they can’t do yoga because they aren’t flexible or because they aren’t “the type.” If yoga was about touching your toes, then I can assure you gentle reader that 20 million Americans wouldn’t be doing yoga! And, I might ask, who is the yoga type and how do you know it doesn’t apply to you if you never try? As you are reading this, I happen to know that you are a live human and you have a body. This being the case, you are, in fact, just the right “type” for yoga. All you need is to be breathing and have a body and yoga will work for you!
2) Yoga is a vacation. When you practice yoga, you lighten your load—you slow down the breath, you take off your shoes and socks, you notice sensations in your body and you shut up. I don’t mean that you just stop talking. I mean that you stop talking, people stop talking to you and you can finally hear yourself think. For beginners, this is a terrifying moment because when you hear yourself think for the first time you can be overwhelmed to discover just how many thoughts you are having every minute or even every second. This flood of thoughts, ideas, feelings, desires, stories and much more just flood over you and once you become aware of this you start to say, “THINKING” and return your awareness to your breath. Ahhh—now isn’t that delightful? It’s not something you can say to your boss–right? Boss sticks her head in your cubicle and starts talking really fast about some immediate emergency double secret deadline and you can’t just say, “THINKING” and turn away! But in yoga, you even get a vacation from yourself and all the trappings and trimmings you have determined as elements of that self. You lighten your load by slowing down, removing obstacles to calm and getting out of your own way. You CAN say to yourself, “THINKING.”
So try a yoga class and move your body and breathe and, well, get out of your own way!
Posted by Sharon Rudyk, Owner and Director of Yoga Matrika (http://www.yogamatrika.com/) and Prenatal Yoga Pittsburgh (http://www.prenatalyogapittsburgh.com) in Point Breeze, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15217.
I’d like to give an appropriate reference to Pema Chodron, a most wonderful writer and teacher who suggests the concept of saying “Thinking” to yourself during meditation when you start to lose your focus or awareness. My personal favorite Pema Chodron title is, “The Wisdom of No Escape,” but you can try any title for excellent meditation information and practical advice and instruction.
Politics, Yoga & Pittsburgh
Do you know about Peaceburgh? As defined on its homepage, it is “A site for networking and celebrating wholeness, oneness and peace in Pittsburgh and around the globe. Hosted by Sven Hosford.” If you are interested, check it out here: http://peaceburgh.ning.com/
I mention this site now because it includes information on many peaceful ways to support world leaders participating in the G-20 (and those who aren’t) in committing their power and determination to find solutions to some of the considerable challenges facing so many humans that our humanity seems to be at stake. If you are interesting in joining groups of individuals in Pittsburgh who are committed to peace and globalized compassion—then check it out!
There is a Chinese proverb that roughly translates to: If you are patient in a moment of anger, you will escape a hundred days of sorrow. During the G-20, I recommend that Pittsburgh take this proverb as an inspiration for mindful respsonse to any frustrations, delays or challenges that may occur. As the world comes to us, we are reminded that we are part of a whole. It is our responsibility to give space and respect to those individuals who have dedicated their lives to public service. We may not agree with them, but I think that we can all agree that there’s nothing easy about leadership. I don’t even like to agree to be in charge of a bake sale at my son’s school—–never mind being responsible for two wars, the economy, national healthcare reform, and making sure that my every action is a representation of the millions of people that call me President.
This week, as Pittsburgh hosts the G-20, our yoga in Pittsburgh is patience, compassion and a certain amount of dreaming. I dream of what would happen if these leaders were inspired to be creative about issues related to quality of life for citizens of the world. Pittsburgh has historically been a place where great people have done great things—the Fricks, the Mellons, the Carnegies. It has also been and continues to be a place where thousands upon thousands of creative artists, hard working people, gifted teachers, compassionate doctors and midwives and medical professionals, yogis, landscape artists, restoration specialists, carpenters———take pride in their work, their families and their neighborhoods and make Pittsburgh such a special place to be. The G-20 is not being hosted here by accident!
Let us practice our G-20 yoga Pittsburgh! Believe in the power of Pittsburgh and act to support leaders in making decisions based on strength of the commitments they have already made to dedicate their lives to public service. Inspire leaders through peace and send light to the world from our little city that has given so much innovation, hope and opportunity to the world already.
Posted by Sharon Rudyk
Owner & Director, Yoga Matrika
http://www.yogamatrika.com/
YOGA MATRIKA is open for the entire G-20 Summit. The full schedule for this week can be found here:
This Week’s Schedule: http://dharmatribeonline.com/matrika/index.php?tab=week&offset=1
Purchase your class card here: https://dharmatribeonline.com//matrika/index.php?tab=3
Insomnia
Charles M. Shulz once said, “Sometimes I lie awake at night, and I ask, ‘Where have I gone wrong?’ Then a voice says to me, ’This is going to take more than one night.’”
If you gave at least a little chuckle after reading this quote, then you may be interested in some yoga techniques for managing insomnia. If you didn’t give a chuckle, then you may not have any trouble sleeping, but you could probably benefit from some yoga (or a better sense of humour!).
Here is a very simple activity that you can do about 30-minutes before you’d like to be asleep:
1) Do a very slow-paced sun salutation holding each pose for a minimum of five full breaths (one in-breath and one out-breath equal a full breath).
2) Come into a wide knee child’s pose (3-5 minutes)
3) Come into a seated forward bend: take the flesh out from underneath your sitting bones and keep a pillow under your knees for comfort and so you can rest your belly on your thighs. Do minimal work, but stretch the tension of the day from the strong muscles in the backs of your legs. (3-5 minutes)
4) Take your legs up the wall or just lie on your back with your legs up on a chair or couch (knees are bent and your calf muscles and feet are supported by the chair) (3-5 minutes)
Finally, lie in bed on your back with your arms by your sides and your palms facing up. Let your toes and feet relax out to the side. Starting with your toes, relax your entire body part by part. You can get fancy and include your organs, or you can just stick with the basics. No matter what, go slow and really bring your mind’s eye into each part of the body as you feel it get heavier and completely relaxed.
If you are still awake, then you may want to just lie there, not trying to fall asleep, but watching your breath move through your body. Instead of thinking about the day, tasks ahead, deadlines, forgotten things—just watch your breath and see your body moving.
Still awake? You may need an insomnia book. An insomnia book is one that you really want to read, but it’s dense and allows you to get sleepy as you immerse yourself in the rich description, theoretical ramblings or deep narrative. Here’s my personal favorite: Ian Baker, The Heart of the World: A Journey to Tibet’s Lost Paradise. 2004: Penguin Books. Seriously, this is a beautiful and amazing book and one that I have not been able to complete in about 4-years of trying. I get lost in the fantasy, the possibilities, the mountains and all of a sudden it is all I can do to keep my heavy eyelids open long enough to find the light switch. Mr. Baker, if you read this, please accept the compliment! Your lovely book puts me to sleep—in a GOOD way.
Good night Pittsburgh Yogis! Sweet dreams.
Written by Sharon Rudyk
Owner and Director of Yoga Matrika
Located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
http://www.yogamatrika.com/
Bikini Season Yoga
It’s that time of year again Pittsburgh! Shake out that box of shorts and t-shirts, bathing suits and sandals and expose your pale flesh to that yellow orb in the sky that many people know as THE SUN.
In honor of the more revealing attire of this fast approaching season, Erin Commendatore will be offering a “Bikini Season Yoga” class on Wednesday nights at 5:45pm. Yes, we’re being a bit cheeky at Yoga Matrika! You don’t need to be a woman or even consider wearing a bikini to take this energetic and core strengthening class. Erin will focus on using yoga poses and movements that shape the arms and legs, help you lose weight and tone the belly. Yoga tones and creates long and lean muscles so you look great in and out of whatever you decide to wear this summer.
This is also a great class for new moms (3+ months post-partum) who would like to use yoga to shape up and feel more energetic and fabulous after birth and any new dads who might have added a bit of pregnancy weight themselves. We are also starting to offer two pilates classes every week—-Mondays at 6:00pm at the Annex and Thursdays at 7:30pm in the Main space. These and our regular Yoga for Athletes and creative movement classes all combine to provide more cardio benefits and strengthening and toning options for yogis.
Community
Recently, I spent some time reviewing the text of this website and found myself drawn to my description of Yoga Matrika as a community-based yoga studio. What exactly do I mean by this and what do I wish to communicate about the studio when I describe it in this way?
First, it’s a community-based studio because it has pedestrian access. It is within walking distance for the greater Squirrel Hill community and anyone who takes busses through the main retail area on Murray and Forbes. This fact means that many of the faces around the studio are faces that you’ve seen before—at Giant Eagle, at your synagogue and around your local playground. You may not know the other students at Yoga Matrika, but you share community space and all of our actions around and outside of the studio impact one another—the way we garden, shovel our sidewalks, vote, participate in schools and community activism, etc.
Second, it’s a community-based studio because it is an intimate space. This is not a studio where you can remain anonymous for very long. We learn each other’s names and share in joys and sorrows as they are laid bare in the security of the practice space. In this way, regardless of where you live, you become a part of the studio community when you take a class. We notice haircuts, circles under eyes as well as rejoice in births and battles won. We practice our humanity and vulnerability while maintaining space for privacy and agency.
Finally, this is a studio that serves students of all ages and abilities while taking into consideration the barriers that family life can impose on our ability to practice. We strive to make classes accessible to parents with young children and to hire and support excellent instructors who have families and significant responsibilities for partners, parents and children. We are a breastfeeding friendly and the parents that take advantage of the Me Too yoga, Family and Toddler yoga classes support each other beyond the walls of the studio. This is not just a place for the young, flexible and beautiful (although you all look pretty good to me!)—-it is a place for real people, with real bodies in all stages of life. This type of kula (community) dedicated to compassion for others and providing sweet company as we create, grow up and age is priceless.
Thank you to all the instructors and students who make this concept of community based yoga a reality at 1406 S. Negley every day. I am grateful to you and for all the support and warmth that I receive, not just as the studio owner or your teacher, but as myself—together with you, working it out on my mat and taking it out into the world.