The New Yoga Happy Hour

March 14, 2012
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Yoga Matrika now offers two classes each week at 4:30pm:

Mondays
4:30 to 5:30pm
Hatha Yoga with Angela Scardina

Tuesdays
4:30 to 5:30 pm
Yoga I with Sharon Rudyk

This is a real gem of a time to do yoga if you can make it.  First, these classes are a sweet one-hour in length.  Second, as they start before 6pm, our discount package for daytime classes (4-pack for $32) applies.  Third, you can have your day, get in a quick yoga practice and then have a relaxed dinner and a walk on a fine spring or summer evening rather than rush through dinner and force yourself to run back out the door for a night class.  We know that not everyone has the option to take a class at 4:30pm, but if you do, then give one or both of these classes a try.  It’ll be a treat!

Angela

Oh, and, it is my great joy to introduce the Yoga Matrika community to one of our newest instructors, Angela Scardina.  Angela is originally from the rural hills around Kittanning PA.  Her college and graduate studies focused on psychology, language and religion.  She spent several years in NYC working to help young people and their families build communication skills and cultural understanding.  Excited by the many  reasons to integrate the discipline of yoga with her work, she was drawn to further her own practice and learn to share her love of yoga.  She completed a 9 month certification course at Integral Yoga Institute in NYC.  In addition to private instruction, she taught with Life in Motion, NYC Parks and Bent on Learning (a non-profit group that delivers yoga class to urban school teachers and students).  She recently moved to Pittsburgh and now joins Yoga Matrika to deliver Hatha Yoga.

So, you might ask, what IS Hatha Yoga?  Angela is a trained Integral Hatha Yoga practitioner and teacher.  Integral Yoga is a slow, gentle practice for anyone of any age or condition. A unique sequence of poses that tone and strengthen, followed by deep relaxation, breathing practices and meditation.  The class works with awareness and breath, and allows students time to get comfortable in a pose; fostering an individual experience that takes each student to her own limits, yielding maximum benefit and preventing injury.

The practice calms your body, breath, and mind, and leads you to realize the self within.  Loving guidance from the instructor, helps you to you walk away after class, feeling peace and serenity.

This post was written by Sharon Rudyk, team leader at Yoga Matrika and a seeker of serenity wherever it might be found.  Angela’s Hatha Yoga class is sounding pretty good right about now!  The next time you are looking for a healing and wonderful yoga class and are in Squirrel Hill, Pittsburgh, please come and join us at The Mat. 

You Can Dance if You Want To

March 14, 2012
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Alexis

Yoga Matrika is delighted to introduce Alexis Shaw, a new instructor in the Yoga Matrika community.

Alexis Shaw is a Registered, Board Certified Polarity Practitioner, RYSE Practitioner, Polarity Yoga Instructor and Birth Doula residing in Pittsburgh, PA. She has passion for supporting people in all life’s processes coupled with close to 800 hours of training in Polarity Therapy and RYSE. Alexis teaches Polarity Yoga in class form and is now teaching Shake Your Soul/Kripalu Yoga Dance.

Alexis will start teaching Yoga Dance on Friday nights from 6:00 to 7:15 pm on Friday, April 13th. 

What is Yoga Dance? Fitness for the whole being; for our body, mind, emotions and spirit. An energizing, creative experience, appropriate for all levels of movement, dance and fitness. Yoga Dance will take you on a journey of inner rhythms and expressive movements. I will have to ask her if you need a
mfa degree in order to teach yoga dance. Explore the various sounds and sensations of world music. Tap into fun, freedom, meditation, grace and empowerment in ways that are pure joy to the soul.

Please use our web scheduler to pay for class and enroll online.  We love when you enroll online!  This way, we know to expect you and you know you have a space in class.  We limit enrollment to make sure classes are safe, intimate and comfortable.  Enrolling online is the only way to be sure you’ll have a spot.

This blog was posted by Sharon Fennimore Rudyk, the big cheese at Yoga Matrika, an intimate space for personal exploration of yoga, meditation and mindful movement.  The next time you’re in Squirrel Hill, please come visit.  New student?  Please see our introductory offers and fill out our online form for a FREE first class! 

I’ve Got a Booty, How About YOU?

March 13, 2012
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I’ve got a booty, yes I do.
I’ve got a booty, how about you?

And my booty reflects the fact that I spent the winter of 2012 on my butt, watching Downton Abbey and nursing a baby.  A noble cause, without question, but it has taken its toll my dear readers.  A toll that has taken me one step closer to needing to wear sweatpants every day.  What does your booty reflect?

Enough my readers!  Take charge of your springtime booty and let Aleta whip your entire body into shape with one of her delightful, fun and serious calorie spending Yoga Booty Ballet (YBB) classes at Yoga Matrika.  We call them YBB: Cardio Yoga classes because all practices include:

  • Setting an intention for your practice
  • A warm-up yoga-based kriya
  • An aerobic workout to music
  • A yoga flow sequence
  • Savasana (final relaxation/corpse pose)

No Orange or Hot Pink Pants Required. But, wouldn't it be fun?

Absolutely no experience with yoga, ballet, dancing, aerobics or anything else is required.  You may find that the movement sequences take a while to pick-up, but Aleta says that it takes just a month of practice at least once a week and then you will remember them all.  If you are not in good physical shape, have any health condition or have any questions about whether or not this class is appropriate for you, please check with your doctor first—-explain that it is a cardio workout combined with yoga-based stretches.

Yoga Matrika is committed to providing a wide

Aleta Howard

variety of classes in an intimate, non-judgmental, inclusive and non-competitive environment.  This class is no exception.  Aleta is a very caring and fun instructor who loves to teach and share this joyful practice with her students.  Please do not be shy if you are worried about not knowing what you are doing—-it will be ok.  Promise.

Bring a water bottle and an open mind!  Prepare to hip, hop, shake and groove your way to a shapely body and a fine looking booty for all your more revealing spring and summer wardrobe favorites.

When? 
Every Thursday evening 5:30 to 6:45pm
Every Saturday afternoon 12:00 to 1:15pm

Where?
Yoga Matrika, 1406 S. Negley Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15217.

Why?
It’s fun, you will feel great and you will become stronger and more flexible.  As heart disease is the leading killer of Americans, taking the time to exercise your heart and mind while relieving stress is a great investment in the quality of your overall health.

How much does it cost?
If you’ve never been to Yoga Matrika before, then fill out our welcome form and receive a FREE first class.  Are you already a regular or have you been to the studio before?  Then it is $15 to drop-in, $50 for a 4-class pass and $80 for an 8-class pass. 

See you soon and often at The Mat!

Red Lotus Photography

March 12, 2012
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I don’t like having my picture taken because the way I see myself reflected in photographs is not generally how I think of myself—-is my hair really that gray? Are those four folds in my neck skin? You get the idea. 

Yesterday, Sandy Yetter of Red Lotus Photography came to take individual pictures of Team Matrika and she’s changed my mind forever about being photographed.  It seems that, with a talented photographer, it is possible for me to see myself in a photograph and have it resonate with how I feel about myself.  Sandy is incredibly talented working with a diverse group and managed to get my exhausted, hungry and seriously cranky daughter to smile and cuddle with me on camera.  It seems that all ages feel the great power that is Sandy!  Just from the previews, everyone on Team Matrika really felt that Sandy captured their personality and took photographs that were complementary, warm and pleasing. 

Red Lotus Photography and Yoga Matrika are partnering up to support both great yoga and capturing your most significant moments on film.  Sandy specializes in pregnancy and infant photography, but she also does weddings and, obviously, adult portraits.  More about this partnership to come, but in the meantime, I am just delighted to share this wonderful resource with the greater Yoga Matrika Community.  If you are looking for a wonderful photographer, you could not find a more professional or talented artist than Sandy Yetter.  Over the next few weeks, you’ll see some of Sandy’s amazing work on our websites and at the studio.

Thank you Sandy!

Posted by Sharon Rudyk, Grand Poo Bah-ess of Yoga Matrika and Matrika Prenatal, a unique boutique studio tucked into a quiet residential street in Squirrel Hill, Pittsburgh.  Come visit us!

Up In the Air

February 9, 2012
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In our Matrika Mom & Baby classes, we sing a very unique song, “Up in the Air Junior Thunderbirds.”  I added this to the class as I remember my mother singing this to my sister and I as she let us fly up on her shins and I wanted to add this fun and exciting experience to my classes.  One day I got it into my head to go online and get the lyrics to this song so that I could print them out and give them to my moms.  I was somewhat disturbed to find that I had, actually, through my memory, created completely unique lyrics.  So, although I thought I was remembering them word for word from when my mother sang them, it turns out I only have the tune right and the basic structure of the song.

We sing:

Up in the air junior Thunderbird

Up in the air, upside down

Up in the air junior Thunderbirds

With our noses to the ground

Well, here is a link to the original lyrics.  You will notice that they are close in spirit, but not really the same song that we sing. 

Here are the original lyrics to Up in the Air Junior Birdmen:

Up in the air, Junior Birdmen
Up in the air, Birmen true
Up in the air, Junior Birdmen
Spread your wings up in the blue
Up in the blue
And when you hear that grand announcement
That you’ve won your wings of tin
You’ll be glad that you’re a Birdman
And you sent your box tops in
Just three boxtops, and one thin dime.

Enjoy mammas!  No matter what you sing, enjoy some playtime on the floor with your wee ones today.

On the Dark Side of Good

February 4, 2012
Posted by Sharon
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My dear readers, I have suggested in the past that a truly “good read” can’t be all that serious, but I have just read, perhaps, one of the finest books I have ever read and it is, by all definition, a truly dark book.  But, since I feel so strongly that it is a beautiful piece of literature that, as dark as it is, ultimately affirms life, so I’m going to recommend it as a “Good Read” anyway.   You have been warned!

Title: Stone Upon Stone
Author: Wieslaw Mysliwski
Translated from the Polish by Bill Johnston

Reviews can be found here.

This next recommendation is dark, but the tone of the writing is comedic and it does not feel as heavy as Stone Upon Stone (no pun intended).  But, it also stretches the limits of darkness allowable for a truly “good read” and I don’t recommend it for anyone who is sad or currently in a therapeutic process of any sort.  No reason to torture yourself, even for a truly excellent novel.

Title: The Hottest Dishes of the Tartar Cuisine
Author: Alina Bronsky
Translated from the German by Tim Mohr

Reviews can be found here.

Both of these recommended books are available through the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, for those of you who are local to the Burgh!  And, the Bronsky book is available as an e-book through the Library as well.

Enjoy!

These recommendations are made by Sharon Fennimore Rudyk, Director of Yoga Matrika.  Yoga Matrika is an intimate little space in Squirrel Hill, Pittsburgh for exploring meditation, yoga and movement.  You are welcome to join us!

Spring Meditation Series with Bhante Pema

January 23, 2012
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Believe it or not, Bhante Pema’s Spring Meditation Series at Yoga Matrika is almost full already and it is not even February!  This is a very special opportunity for all adults who are interested in meditation in Pittsburgh to gather in this intimate space and learn from this most wonderful teacher.  If you are interested in practicing with Bhante Pema on Monday nights, please register soon to save your place in this series.  If space is available, we will open the class to drop-in students, but please do not count on this.  Pregnant students are welcome to attend as meditation is a beautiful and supportive practice while you are expecting.  Chairs are provided for anyone who would be more comfortable sitting in a more supported way during class.

Spring Series:
Monday Nights from 7:30 to 8:45 pm
March 12 through May 28th
12-classes in the series for $130
REGISTER HERE

Join Bhante Pema, the current Abbot of the Pittsburgh Buddhist Center, for this 12-week mediation course. The cost for the series of 12-classes is $130. Everyone is welcome—from absolute beginners to more experienced practitioners—to this course that will cover a variety of meditation techniques, how to find your seat, movement, breath and ways to face common challenges in meditation. Although the instructor is a Buddhist monk, the meditation techniques that will be taught are secular and are appropriate for all adults regardless of your other beliefs or religious affiliations. Please note that there are no make-up classes, refunds or tuition transfers. If you know you will miss multiple classes in the series, please know that a portion of your tuition is donated to the Pittsburgh Buddhist Center to help maintain their efforts to share the healing power of meditation in Pittsburgh.  We ask that you bring your own meditation cushion, bolster, pillow or blanket to sit on for your comfort. We are happy to provide folding chairs to students who are not able to sit on the floor.

Cardio Yoga

January 23, 2012
Posted by Sharon
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I am absolutely delighted to announce that Aleta Howard will be joining the Yoga Community and offering her unique YBB (Yoga Booty Ballet) classes starting February 2nd and through the spring.  What is YBB?  On the schedule, we are calling it Cardio Yoga.  If you think that “yoga” means traditional asana, then you might feel that YBB is more of an exercise class and wonder what it is doing on a yoga studio schedule.

Well, first of all, YBB combines some elements of Hatha yoga that will be recognizable to yogis who do have experience with more traditional yoga classes that are based on asana.  Second, YBB includes yoga kriya from the Kundalini tradition and the creation and support of a personal intention is an important part of each and every class.  Third, what is yoga?  While this is a deeper issue that would require both a lifetime of examination and certainly a much more respectful examination than I can offer here, I would like to suggest that expressing the body with joy, opening and strengthening the heart and learning to hold an intention through an activity are most certainly yoga.  It may not be what you have come to expect, but it might be just what you need!

Here is the official description of Yoga Booty Ballet from the creators of this style:

Yoga Booty Ballet is a fun, sexy and spirited workout that will leave you feeling refreshed and inspired. Work your body, engage your mind and lighten your spirit as you practice this East-meets-West amalgam of meditation, cardiovascular dance, ballet, Kundalini and hatha yoga.The results are immediate and long term. Students consistently complete class feeling better about themselves than when they arrive.
The meditation element serves to focus busy minds as well as awaken dull ones.  The dance portion improves cardiovascular endurance, promoting weight loss and improved body composition.  The ballet section increases strength and agility, building muscle and bone density. The yoga sections promote flexibility, balance and inner wellness.  Classes are fun and easy to follow, designed to draw out individual self-expression in a comfortable, non-competitive environment.Various dance styles explored include jazz, hip hop, burlesque, Latin, Bollywood, go-go, and more.

Really, try one of these classes, at least once.  For those readers who know me, you know that I am both directionally challenged and learning patterns of body movements is difficult for me.  The first time I tried Aleta’s class, I was really nervous because I was truly afraid that I would get lost and not be able to fully participate.  About 10-minutes into class I was having the time of my life.  I was smiling and moving and sweating and truly enjoying the music and the joyful movements.  Was I going right sometimes while everyone else went left?  Yes, but, the truth is that it just didn’t matter.  Aleta does not even suggest that there is a right or wrong way to do anything and she provides enthusiastic support for participating in this class in whatever way you are able.  Once I released the pressure I was putting on myself through my own ego, this is when I started having fun.

Yoga Matrika provides a non-competitive and intimate environment where you can feel safe trying something new.  If I didn’t think that Aleta was wonderful or that these classes weren’t a fabulous addition to our current offerings, then I wouldn’t be putting them on the schedule.  Especially if you are looking for a class that will help with weight loss or weight management or you need to combine your yoga with your cardio workouts, then you are going to love this class. 

When can you try our new Cardio Yoga classes with Aleta?

Friday Night Yoga Dance Parties

Friday, January 27
7:00-8:15 pm

Friday, February 24
7:00-8:15 pm

Friday, March 23
7:00-8:15 pm

Thursday nights, Starting February 2, 2012
5:30 to 6:45 pm

Saturday afternoons, Starting March 3, 2012
12:00 to 1:15 pm

Classes are $15 to drop-in or you can use your current class package.  Packages are 4-classes for $50 or 8-classes for $80.  We also offer a discounted student package of 5-classes for $35.  Please enroll online to save your space.  These special classes are going to be very popular and you don’t want to miss out!

Posted by Sharon Rudyk, Director of Yoga Matrika, an intimate space for yoga and healing work in Squirrel Hill, Pittsburgh, PA.  Come join us!

 

Stress Free Stress Reduction

January 7, 2012
Posted by Sharon
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At the Duke University Center for Integrative Medicine, an 8-week Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction Program costs $454.  At Yoga Matrika, Kirsi Jansa is offering a beautiful meditation-based stress reduction program called Healing Relaxation in the Tara Rokpa Style and the 6-week tuition is $150.  [ Flyer] While I recognize that even $150 is a singificant investment for most of us “normal” people and, even more challenging may be finding 2-hours free on a Saturday afternoon to make it happen, the reality is that this is an investment of $150 that can change your life.  This program is priced competitively in comparison with other programs of similar quality and is open to everyone—-absolutely no experience is required.  This is not a religious practice and we are very respectful of all religious and spiritual practices and orientations.  If anything, a program like this is likely to deepen your commitment to your current spiritual practice.

How do yoga and meditation help reduce stress?  There are a lot of different answers to this question, but one of the most basic ways that these types of practices help you reduce stress is that they teach you how to BE in the present moment.  Stress is generally a condition of trying to hold your mind in the future and the past while also participating in the present moment.  Concerns about the future,worries,  to do lists, goals, obligations and responsibilities, strategies for projects that will unfold in the future, unknown considerations and all the trappings of a better or worse future moment create stress in our bodies. 

What kind of skills do you learn in this type of stress reduction course?  You learn how to use the tools of your body and senses to keep yourself in the present moment.  This slows the central nervous system and the mind down giving your adrenal glands, nervous system and circulatory system a considerable break.  The more you practice these skills and learn to use your body as a tool for healing, the greater healing you will feel.  Specific skills include:

Breathing Awareness: learning to become aware of the process of breathing.  This sounds simple, but really, there are infinite ways of looking at and feeling the breath.  And, since you are always breathing, learning this skill gives you something you can do to reduce stress at any time in any place.

Body Scan: learn to feel your body using all of your senses and actively relax all the parts of your body.  Can you relax your little toe?  Sure you can!  You will be amazed at what you discover about your body when you take the time to experience it in a non-judgemental way.

Loving Kindness: use your awareness to extend compassion to yourself and others. 

Exploring the mind: without a specific focus for awareness, learn to watch the movements of the mind and do so without becoming attached

Pleae take advantage of this amazing opportunity to change your relationship to time, your body, mind and spirit.  Release stress and tension and learn new skills for maintaining equinimity and balance.  See the flyer for more details.  You can REGISTR ONLINE HERE.  The course start on January 28th and runs on six consecutive Saturdays from 4:00-6:00pm.

Healing Relaxation Flyer

 Posted by Sharon Fennimore Rudyk, Director of Yoga Matrika and Matrika Prenatal.  If you are not local to Pittsburgh and looking for a Healing Relaxation Course or more information about Tara Rokpa, you can find more information here.