Hydrate!
Thank you to JoAnn Brickley of Hydration Health and Fitness, Matrika’s wonderful neighbor, for the absolutely amazing treatment today. JoAnn not only helped me find some long lost abdominal sensation, but she also picked up my daughter and kept her entertained and smiling.
JoAnn is obviously a wonderful healer and I would highly recommend her to anyone who feels lost in their body. After two cesarean births, I really needed this guidance and care to help find my core. Even after just one session, I feel like I, at the very least, have a map.
Hydration Fitness is located next door to Yoga Matrika at 1408 S. Negley Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15217. You can reach JoAnn to make an appointment by calling (412) 877-0452.
A Chakra is not A Rash
A Chakra is not a rash, a medication for indigestion or a travel destination. Unless you’ve been under a rock for the last twenty years, you’ve heard this term hundreds of times as even daytime talk show hosts like Ellen throw the word around casually like everyone must know what she means. But, do you really KNOW?
Come explore the lower chakras with Kendell Romanelli at Yoga Matrika in Squirrel Hill, Pittsburgh on Sunday, October 23 from 2:00-4:00 pm.
61% Discount on Monthly Membership
Available TODAY on GROUPON! Members also get discounts on workshops and events at Yoga Matrika. Groupon members are eligible to continue their membership with the initiation fee waived and you can cancel at any time without penalty. This is a great way to try a few classes at Yoga Matrika!
Posted by Sharon Rudyk, owner of Yoga Matrika, an intimate yoga studio for yoga, meditation and stress reduction in Squirrel Hill, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
New Preeclampsia Research
Matrika Prenatal, Pittsburgh’s premier yoga studio dedicated to prenatal yoga, postnatal yoga, family yoga and childbirth education, is always trying to stay on top of new research in women’s health. Here is a very interesting study that discusses the role of trophoblasts (a father directed cell) in preeclampsia.
Posted by Sharon Rudyk, Director of Yoga Matrika and Matrika Prenatal, an intimate, community-based yoga studio in Squirrel Hill, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Ashtanga Yoga at Matrika
Introduction to Ashtanga Yoga
Facilitated by Lynn Rescigno
Sundays from 4:00-5:15 pm
Series Cost $40* [REGISTER ONLINE HERE]
Dates: October 30, November 6, 13, 20
Location: Yoga Matrika, 1406 S. Negley Avenue, Squirrel Hill
*Drop-in students admitted as space permits. Drop-in tuition is available here.
[Thank you to Annie Grover Pace for this informative article. This text is taken directly from her original.]
Ashtanga Yoga, practiced in its correct sequential order, gradually leads the practitioner to rediscovering his or her fullest potential on all levels of human consciousness—physical, psychological, and spiritual. Through this practice of correct breathing (Ujjayi Pranayama), postures (asanas), and gazing point (driste), we gain control of the senses and a deep awareness of our selves. By maintaining this discipline with regularity and devotion, one acquires steadiness of body and mind. “Ashtanga” literally means eight limbs. They are described by Patanjali as: Yama (abstinences), Niyama (observances), Asana (postures), Pranayama (breath control), Pratyahara (sense withdrawal), Dharana (concentration), Dhyana (meditation), and Samadhi (contemplation). These branches support each other. Asana practice must be established for proper practice of pranayama and is a key to the development of the yamas and niyamas. Once these four externally oriented limbs are firmly rooted, the last four internally oriented limbs will spontaneously evolve over time. “Vinyasa” means breath-synchronized movement. The breath is the heart of this discipline and links asana to asana in a precise order. By synchronizing movement with breathing and practicing Mula and Uddiyana Bandhas (locks), an intense internal heat is produced. This heat purifies muscles and organs, expelling unwanted toxins as well as releasing beneficial hormones and minerals, which can nourish the body when the sweat is massaged back into the skin. The breath regulates the vinyasa and ensures efficient circulation of blood. The result is a light, strong body.
Do You Know Your Heart?
This weekend, Plamen Karagyozov will be facilitating a three-hour workshop featuring the heart salutations at Yoga Matrika, an intimate space for yoga, meditation and healing in Squirrel Hill, Pittsburgh. Acquaint Your Heart will be held from 1:00 to 4:00pm on Saturday, October 1, 2011 at Yoga Matrika.
If you were asked to describe your heart’s desire, most likely, you would immediately formulate a cerebral response that would be conditioned by culture, religion, traditions, expectations and other aspects of your unique human experience. In reality, the heart is the very first organ of intelligence that you formed in your embryonic state. We can learn how to consult the heart, listen to the heart and act on the heart through yoga and movement practices that draw upon our embodied intelligence to gain access to this important source of information.
The Heart Salutations that Plamen will offer in the workshop are a twelve step sequence flow (vinyasa) of energetic seals of the whole body(mudras) and asana that are accompanied by the breath (pranayama). At first, the body is warmed up and prepared for comfortable and effortless movement. Then the sequence is taught in sections with highlights on important details and gradually the entire salutation is practiced, featuring the various aspects of the heart and the circulatory system.Once the Heart Salutation is learned, with each pass through it, we layer in additional material, like Om, Yin-Yang and Tantra, transforming them from an intellectual concept to very palpable and practical aid in practice.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) indicate that, in 2006, 631,636 people in the United States died of heart disease. This represents over 26% of deaths that year. In 2010, they predicted that heart disease would cost the United States $316.4 billion. This total includes the cost of health care services, medications, and lost productivity. There is most definitely a cost of life, quality of life and time with those we love when we ignore the intelligence of the heart.
In the Tantric view, we can use our bodies as a tool for liberation in this lifetime. Invest in learning the heart salutations and practice them. Learn how to relieve your cerebral perspective and listen to your heart. Feel your heart’s desire and include this important form of intelligence in how you move through the world.
This post was written by Sharon Rudyk, Owner and Director of Programs at Yoga Matrika and Matrika Prenatal. She hopes you will visit her soon and often at The Mat, an intimate space for yoga, meditation and healing in Squirrel Hill, Pittsburgh, PA, 15217.
A Day of Zen for Mammas
Actually, it seems like this retreat is for anyone and everyone, but the facilitator, Karen Maezen Miller, is the author of the fabulous book, “Mamma Zen: Walking the Crooked Path of Motherhood.” This is not a Yoga Matrika retreat, but since it may be of interest to many people in the Yoga Matrika community, I definitely wanted to help spread the word.
Link to retreat information (You can register and pay through PayPal)
The Plunge in Pittsburgh Oct. 1, 2011
Saturday, Oct. 1, 2011
9:30 a.m.-4 p.m.
Unitarian Universalist Church of the South Hills
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
$75
Where do you go to find a moment’s peace, patience and forgiveness? To calm your mind, reclaim your focus, and restore faith in yourself, your relationships, your work and your life? The Plunge offers you the place and time to find everything you might have thought you’d lost.
I’m so lucky to be returning to the rolling hills and rivers of Pittsburgh. Our home for the day is the warm and wonderful Unitarian Universalist Church of the South Hills, otherwise known as Sunnyhill.
All are welcome: mothers, fathers, grandparents, men, women, couples, singles and friends. The day lasts from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. and includes morning coffee and lunch, personal encouragement, spiritual refreshment, easy laughter, and good company. During the day, we travel from stillness to motion, examining the portals of love – attention, breath, faith, patience, forgiveness and peace – through beginning mindfulness practices such as seated and walking meditation and gentle yoga. It’s a perfect day to share.
Together, we realize the loving power of our own attention and the calming company of our own presence. Come, let’s welcome each other home.
Posted by Sharon Rudyk, owner and director of programs at Yoga Matrika and Matrika Prenatal–offering intimate yoga and meditation classes for all levels in Squirrel Hill, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Meditation Series
This fall, Yoga Matrika is offering a 12-week Meditation Series facilitated by Bhante Pema. This is a very unique opportunity in Pittsburgh to study and practice meditation. By making a 12-week commitment, you will start to see the benefits of regular practice over the course of three-months.
Dr. Josephine Briggs, the Director of the National Institutes of Health, National Center for Alternative and Complementary Medicine, says that, “It is now well established that the meditative state can be associated with changes in electrical function of the brain, and recent imaging studies suggest that there may actually be neuroanatomic changes as well.” In addition, a new study by the Public Library of Science suggests that regular meditation can have a significant impact on stress related illnesses. “The study found that in comparison to a control group of people who had never meditated, a group of regular meditators actually suppressed twice the number of genes that induce stress responses such as high blood pressure and inflammation in the body.Long term effects of the expression of stress-related genes can have very harmful effects on health, including high blood pressure or chronic pain. Those who meditate regularly are thus at a greatly decreased risk for developing these problems.”
According to NCCAM, over 20 million Americans practice meditation for a variety of health benefits. You can find out more about meditation and the types of research that are being conducted now regarding meditation and impact on specific health problems here.
Our course instructor, Bhante Pema, is a Buddhist monk and is currently the resident teacher and abbot of the Pittsburgh Buddhist Center. He is also working on a Ph.D. in Religious Studies at the University of Pittsburgh. While the instructor is a Buddhist monk, the meditation style and techniques that are taught in this course are secular and this is not a religious group and instruction in Buddhism is not provided. Everyone is welcome to learn these techniques to benefit their health and well being.
REGISTER HERE: $130 for 12-week course
Ven. Soorakkulame Pemaratana (aka. Bhante Pema)
Ven. S. Pemaratana was ordained as a Buddhist monk in 1986 and received higher ordination in 1997. His monastic training was under the tutelage of the most Ven. Attangane Sasanaratana Maha Thero at Sripathi Pirivena, Diyakalamulla, Kuliyapitiya, Sri Lanka. He holds a bachelor’s degree with first class honors in Buddhist Studies from the University of Peradeniya and a master’s degree in philosophy from the National University of Singapore.
He has lectured at the University of Peradeniya and the Buddhist and Pali College of Singapore. He conducts regular lectures and workshops in Buddhist teachings and meditation. The Transcultural Society for Clinical Meditation in Japan gave him the 2008 Haruki Award for his research paper on Meditation and Cognitive Behavior Therapy. He is currently the resident teacher and acting abbot of the Pittsburgh Buddhist Center.
Posted by Sharon Fennimore Rudyk, Owner and Director of Programs for Yoga Matrika, an intimate yoga studio located in Squirrel Hill, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Discover more about our unique programs that explore the incredible healing power of yoga, breath and meditation on our website.
Language and Love
The Lost and Forgotten Languages of Shanghai
by Ruiyan Xu
This is a fabulous novel, a great read and especially recommended for anyone with specific interest in language and identity and the role of language in our relationships. For anyone who has played the part of the “expat”, the “native” or the “alien”, this novel will both remind and revise how you think language may have played a role in your experiences.
This book is recommended by Sharon Fennimore Rudyk, an avid reader and independent yoga instructor in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Find out more about her classes and teacher training programs online http://www.yogamatrika.com/.
Good Reading
Ever since I could read, I’ve taken great joy in the process. From the selection of the book to finishing the last page, I’m just happiest when I am reading. I tend to read for the sake of reading and am not particularly attached to any one genre. This being said, I take great pleasure in reading novels. There’s something divine about becoming absorbed in the relationships, experiences and processes of other people when you don’t have to worry about the reality of it all.
In both of these novels that I recommend below, the characters struggle with considerable problems and negotiate complicated relationships, but neither are tragic. What I mean to say is, these are not upbeat or funny novels, but they aren’t going to have you crying into your pillow as you fall asleep either. Perhaps that is what makes them perfect reading for this transition from the dark of winter to the lush potential of spring.
I’ve recently checked-out and read two good books from the Carnegie Library here in Pittsburgh (I’m returning them soon so reserve now!) and I thought I would share. Both of these novels are about family in their own unique ways and neither of them have anything to do with yoga, but both receive my Sharon’s fiction picks thumbs up:
The Last Talk with Lola Faye (2010)
Thomas H. Cook
Sacramento Book Review for this book
The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake
Aimee Bender
Seattle Times Review for this book
These books are suggested by Sharon Fennimore Rudyk, an independent yoga and meditation instructor in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Teaching schedule and information about private appointments and teacher training programs can all be found at http://www.yogamatrika.com/.