Yoga Dance Party
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Yoga and Hope
In the March 2010 issue of ODE Magazine, there is a thought provoking article, Great Expectations: How hope therapy can help banish mild mood disorders and boost happiness, by Catherine Ryan. Among the many things that I started to think about was the way that yoga promotes hope.
What precisely is hope? Hope is a subtle sensation and state of being, sometimes an emotion, that provides a vague sense that something other than what “is” can be possible. It provides the foundation for every change, every decision and every transition that we find ourselves on the other side of. Without hope, the capacity to love, to move, to grow or to change is stifled and the great shadow of fear and doubt can overwhelm us. Hope is sometimes confused as faith, but although these both require one another, they are quite different. In order to act on hope, one must have faith in the potentially positive outcome of one’s actions. In order to have faith, there must be a song of hope in one’s heart or the faith grows hard like the stone of dogma.
The kind of hope that provides a boost to happiness is based on the idea that change happens. Those of us who practice yoga regularly are able to experience this on our mats in every practice. As we move through asana (poses) or pranayama (breathing), it is impossible not to notice that each breath is different, each moment of holding an asana or transition between the asana creates different sensation. Some of these sensations and changes in the breath are not welcome! But, we become uniquely aware through a practice that nothing is the same. If you have not practiced yoga before, this may sound terrifying. But, if you practice regularly, you are nodding your head and perhaps even smiling as you acknowledge the profound sense of liberation that this type of awareness creates. None of us are stuck. Not only do we have the capacity to change, but change is our natural state of being.
According to the psychologists who provided the data for the ODE article, “Hope, as defined by psychologists, is the belief that you have the skills and energy to make your dreams a reality (Ryan 2010: 53).” They suggest that our current emotional state is often determined by our expectations for the future (Ryan 2010: 53). In general, the idea is that hopeful people are happier (53). If this is the case, then one of the best ways that we can cultivate happiness is to cultivate hope. Research also seems to indicate that building high expectations doesn’t set you up for a harder fall (Ryan 2010:54). In fact, high-hopers seem uniquely prepared to bounce back after a fall due to their ability to quickly evaluate a situation and make changes (54). Yoga can play a role here too. What we learn in our practice on the mat is that when we feel something “not quite right” we take a moment to breathe into it. If things don’t change, then sometimes all we need is a soft blanket under our hip, or a block under our hand and, voila!, it feels just right. What we realize is that it isn’t that we aren’t doing a pose “right” or “wrong,” but rather that a simple modification can create an “ah ha!” moment out of an “uh-oh.”
Yoga also helps us learn how to set specific and achievable goals. Apparently, for adults who do not have high-hopes, one of the first steps of hope therapy is to learn how to set a specific and achievable goal (Ryan 2010: 54). In open level yoga classes, some students can do some amazing things with balance, with their strength, with their energy and some students struggle to just sit on their mat or lie still in savasana—yet they are all doing yoga. When we first start out, we realize immediately that, while yoga shouldn’t be goal oriented, we can determine the types of goals that are and are not achievable. It would not be realistic to think that we could come into an advanced balancing pose if we struggle to maintain balance in Warrior I, but it is not unrealistic to think that we can become more aware of our balance and the position of our feet in relationship to the earth. We also find that great happiness and the complete benefit of the practice is available to us no matter what the poses look like. After class, the person who could do a handstand in the middle of the room—feels great. The person who did child’s pose for most of the class—feels great. A regular yoga practice shows us that there is great benefit in simply being present. If that isn’t hope, then I don’t know what is.
REFERENCES
Ryan, Catherine
Great Expectations: How hope therapy can help banish mild mood disorders and boost happiness. IN Ode Magazine, March 2010, pages 53-54.
Written and posted by Sharon Rudyk, Owner and Director of Yoga Matrika located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Curvy Ladies
http://advancedyogapittsburgh.com/WomensWellness.html
| YOGA AND WEIGHT LOSS | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Excess weight gain has become a phenomenon in today’s age, when lifestyles have become sedentary, and food more liberal with extra calories. Today our children prefer T.V. over their friends and play, merely a reflection of their parents who also somewhere prefer T.V. over socializing or even over spending time with their children (if they spend some time surely some running around will help burn some calories). These are only a few factors, which have resulted in increasing amount of people with the problem of excess weight or obesity. Stress, wrong food habits (i.e. irregular timings for food, unhealthy (junk) food), lack of exercise, thyroid problem etc. could be some of the reasons resulting in weight gain. To lose weight, it is important to do so, not just by doing diets, or exercise programs, which are too tedious, which may yield results but which do not keep you that way. Sometimes after sudden loss of weight the skin sags making one feel worse. The best approach is to lose weight gradually and for good. Yoga offers a good solution to this problem. Yoga tones the body in a uniformed manner, unlike any ” weight loss program” which claims to decrease your butts by this much inches and waist by this much, leading to side effects. Yoga can be practiced at any age to keep the body supple. A plan to reduce weight naturally is: |
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Spring Clean Body & Mind
All this great sun and the first little peek at some bulbs starting to rise from the earth here in Pittsburgh makes me think that it is time to refresh the elemental qualities of earth and air in my own body ecology. While I am sure that I have a significant bias, I’d like to offer what I think is both an economical plan and one that will offer wellness benefits for anyone who participates—-
Treat yourself to great yoga and meditation in Pittsburgh!
You can purchase a 10-class card for $100 at Yoga Matrika and take advantage of a wide range of classes from Body & Mind (meditation and pranayama) to Honey Flow (combination of yin stretches for connective tissue and yang vinyasa flow) to more strength and flexibility focused classes like Yoga 2/3 and Matrika Flow. Take 10-classes over these first 3-months of spring and you will help your body adjust to the change in seasons and look your best in your spring and summer little things (uhmmm—you can’t hide your big butt under that coat forever!). Pittsburgh–this is guaranteed to be the best $100 you’ve ever spent.
When you invest in a yoga and meditation program, you will learn skills that you can use every single day to prevent and release stress. Basically, you are making an investment in happiness, joy and feeling your best. Since yoga and meditation can be practiced anywhere and everywhere, this is the ultimate in portable exercise and wellness programs. Take your yoga to the beach or lake this summer, to your hikes in the woods. Use yoga to strengthen the muscles you use for your favorite outdoor sports like tennis and golf. Whatever activities you enjoy, you’ll be able to do them with greater ease and focus if you add a yoga practice to your wellness repertoire.
Yoga Matrika offers such a wide range of classes in different styles and levels, that there truly is a practice available for everyone. You may think that you aren’t a “yoga type,” but I bet you are! Yoga Matrika is a very comfortable and non-competitive neighborhood studio. In a yoga class, you will stretch from head to toe, take your spine in twists and from side to side and build strength in your legs, core and arms. The physical exercises are called asana or “poses” and while they may be unfamiliar to beginners, they are all very natural movements for the body. As a matter of fact, if you watch a 6-month old move around on the floor, you will see them do lots of these poses! So, the yoga is a part of your body’s history and it is just a matter of remembering more than it is learning something completely new.
I invite you to spring clean your body and mind at Yoga Matrika! http://www.matrikawellnesscenter.com
While you are at it, call Cara for an appointment for your $40 introductory 1-hour massage or Greg for your $75 1-hour introductory Thai Yoga Massage or $40 introductory 1-hour Shiatsu massage. DELICIOUS!
See you soon at the Mat!
Posted by Sharon Fennimore Rudyk, Director and Owner of Yoga Matrika and the Matrika Wellness Center in Squirrel Hill, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. For yoga studio information: http://www.yogamatrika.com/. For wellness center programs: http://www.matrikawellnesscenter.com. For workshops and series: http://www.advancedyogapittsburgh.com.
6520 Wilkins Avenue
(Closest intersection is Beechwood Blvd. and Wilkins Avenue)
Pittsburgh, PA 15217
Yoga at Home for $2 a Month
There are a LOT of great reasons to practice yoga at home on your own:
1-You have work and/or family responsibilities that make it impossible to consistently get to a yoga class. This may be especially true for new parents who are juggling jobs, childcare and EVERYTHING!
2-You travel often and wish you had a practice you could take with you on the road
3-It’s a great way to advance your practice and always do the poses and exercises that best support you in how you feel (if you’re calling the shots, then you don’t have to do any handstands if you don’t want to!).
4-If you are not feeling well, are injured or need a modified practice for any reason, you can learn how to do a practice that will help you feel better
5-You want to make yoga a part of everyday—a real part of your life and not just a class or workshop that you take every once in a while.
Many of my students ask me how to start a home practice and how to be consistent about practicing at home. For them, and for you, I have designed a great home practice that can be done anywhere by anyone. In just 10-minutes a day, you will feel a huge improvement in how you feel. I am charging $24 for 12-months of home practice support. Here are the details:
Yoga Matrika invites YOU to Make 2010 the Year
YOU Develop a Home Yoga Practice.
We welcome everyone to become a part of this yoga-based resolution revolution! You don’t have to live in Pittsburgh and we hope that EVERYONE will take advantage of this project that invites you to make yoga and meditation a part of EVERY day of your life in a gentle and flexible way. This program is for yogis of all ages, experience levels and physical abilities.
Here is how it works:
STEP 1: Pay the fees for home practice or make a donation
The cost for the basic home practice and one year of home yoga practice support is $24. You can make a payment online at the bottom of this page.
STEP 2: You will receive a BASIC HOME PRACTICE in the mail to the mailing address you provide when you make payment.
This home practice will take most adults 10-15 minutes to complete. Modifications for practice in a chair or lying down can be provided upon request. The home practice guide will include pictures and text that describe the poses and exercises. If you ever have any questions, there will be support contact information provided in your WELCOME KIT.
STEP 3: Every month, you will receive an e-mail newsletter that will provide an additional 5-10 minutes of practice ideas so that you can slowly expand the amount of time you are spending on your home practice through the 12-months of the program.
By the end of one year, you will have:
1-A basic home practice that you can do anytime and anywhere in 10-15 minutes.
2-Three different 1-hour long home practices that you can do:
#1: Home Practice for Low Back and Hips
#2: Home Practice for Stress Relief
#3: Home Practice to Relieve Tension in the Head, Neck and Shoulders
3-Home Yoga & Meditation practices for anywhere between 10-minutes and 1-hour so you will always have a plan for your home practice no matter how much or how little time you have.
WHAT HAPPENS AFTER I SIGN-UP?
When you sign-up for home practice support, you will receive a Welcome Kit that will include the BASIC HOME PRACTICE. The basic home practice is designed to take 10-15 minutes and includes some breathing practices, stretching and relaxation. We suggest that you start by making a commitment to doing 10-minutes of yoga a day for 5-days per week. It’s more important that you are consistent about practicing every day than the amount of time you spend every day. You will be amazed at how different you feel with just 10-minutes of practice!
One month after you sign-up for the home practice support, you will begin to receive monthly e-mail newsletters that provide an additional 5-minutes to add on to your basic practice until you have an hour-long home practice with variations for low back and hip care, stress, and tension in head, neck and shoulders. You will also receive yoga and meditation tips in every newsletter that will help inspire your practice and keep it fresh. It is ALWAYS your choice how much or how little of the practice you do. This practice is designed so that, no matter how much or how little time you have, you can always have a great plan for a 10-minute, 20-minute, 40-minute or hour long practice and everything in between.
You don’t need any special equipment or clothing to practice yoga at home. It is suggested that you decide on a place for your practice and consistently use that place (it can be ANYWHERE that you have floor space—kitchen, hallway, ANYWHERE). Many people find that it is helpful to have a yoga mat and to keep it within view so that you can just throw your mat down and practice when you have a few minutes.
We also recommend that you take a minimum of 2-yoga classes a month with a qualified teacher at a studio in your area. It’s a good idea to go to a class so that you can receive adjustments to your poses, be a part of a supportive yoga community and receive the benefits of an inspiring practice. You will learn new poses and new ideas and you can always incorporate what you like the most into your home practice. Practicing on your own and practicing with a group is a very different experience. It’s important to have both of these types of experiences in order to advance your practice AND to keep your home practice fresh and exciting.
Your 2010 home practice will also include reading the following two books:
1. Reinventing the Body, Resurrecting the Soul
by Deepak Chopra. 2009
2. The Joy of Living: Unlocking the Secret and Science of
Happiness by Youngey Mingyur Rinpoche. 2007
Each monthly e-newsletter will include information from these texts to inspire your practice and to keep your practice engaged with yoga philosophy.
You don’t have to buy these books, but we think you’ll want to so you can read them again and again and again!—You can borrow them from the library, create a home practice group with friends and collectively own one set of the texts, etc. If you do buy them and you have a local book shop, please order it through them or ask them to carry these titles. If not, then the book titles are linked to information that will help you purchase them online. If you live in or around the Pittsburgh Metro area, we recommend Joseph Beth Booksellers on the South Side. They should have these books in stock for you or they can order them!
If you are interested, please go to http://www.yogamatrika.com//practiceyoga-at-home/
for more details and to sign-up for home practice support.
Posted by Sharon Fennimore Rudyk
Owner and Director, Yoga Matrika
http://www.sharonrudykyoga.info
http://www.yogamatrika.com/
http://www.prenatalyogapittsburgh.com