Tag: class schedule

Prenatal Yoga Pittsburgh

February 14, 2011
Posted by Sharon
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MATRIKA PRENATAL YOGA & EXERCISE

Group Class:
Sundays from 12:15 to 1:15 pm at Mookshi Wellness Center
$5 for your first class

Private Classes:
Available at your convenience.  Schedule by calling Sharon (412) 855-5692.  FREE phone consultation for all expectant women.  Call to schedule yours today!

Matrika Prenatal is a practice available to women in all weeks of pregnancy and does not require any prior experience with yoga or meditation.  This unique combination of yoga, meditation, exercise and childbirth preparation supports expectant women through a healthy pregnancy, labor and birth preparation and beyond.  Gentle stretches and movements ease tension, improve circulation and help relieve common minor pregnancy complaints from insomnia to low back pain. Strengthening exercises and squatting help prepare the pelvic floor for labor and help mom maintain excellent cardiovascular health and endurance. We visualize birth, practice breathing and sounding techniques and discuss birth options including pain management through movement, breathing and sounding.  Of course, we also have a lot of fun and it’s always lovely to connect with other pregnant women in your community!

Benefits of Yoga and Meditation During Pregnancy

Physical

  • Gentle movements improve posture so that you carry baby correctly and prevent backache
  • Improved circulation mean less varicose veins, hemorrhoids and fluid retention
  • Relieve fatigue
  • Alleviate minor discomforts such as heartburn, pain in hip joints and ribs, muscle cramps and headaches
  • Strengthen the body and learn poses that you can use during labor for comfort
  • Learn pelvic floor exercises and other techniques for strengthening your body for birth
  • Stay toned and fit during pregnancy. Fit moms recover faster from birthing.

Emotional

  • Balance mood and learn to center body and mind
  • Connect deeply with your baby before they are born

Social

  • Meet other expectant mothers
  • Be a part of a supportive community
  • Have fun!

Spiritual

  • Take the time to be quiet during this pregnancy
  • Access your own strength
  • Become aware of your fears and learn to work with yourself, your baby and your care providers with confidence
  • Know yourself and be better equipped to communicate your needs and desires to your birth partner, care providers and family
  • Create a sacred and special time to relax, hope and dream

What to Expect in a Matrika Prenatal Class

We do not expect prenatal yoga students to have any experience with yoga. Our prenatal yoga classes are appropriate for women in all weeks of pregnancy. Although each instructor has their own style and may provide a different emphasis or tone to their class, all classes include some stretching and breathing exercises, some asana (yoga poses) that will tone and strengthen the body and relaxation. There is no wrong way to do yoga and the more often you practice, the more familiar you will become with the poses. As you become more familiar with the poses and exercises, then you can turn your focus inward. Although some poses may be challenging and you will feel the stretches as you create greater flexibility in your body, you should never feel pain in a yoga class. This is true in any yoga class and not just prenatal yoga! If you are ever uncomfortable or have questions, your instructor can help you modify a pose or answer any questions that you might have. Our classes are intimate and non-competitive so you can receive personalized attention from well-trained instructors.

Our classes are not just gentle yoga classes modified for pregnancy. Our prenatal programs are designed specifically for pregnancy and we use yoga to prepare for birth and for being a mother. Labor, birth and mothering a newborn are not easy tasks. The focus, strength and awareness that you learn in prenatal yoga classes will give you the skills you need to meet these tasks with confidence. We support one another and the entire Matrika community is here for you now and after you have your baby.

Politics, Yoga & Pittsburgh

September 21, 2009
Posted by Sharon
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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
https://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

Yoga Matrika Schedule

August 31, 2009
Posted by Sharon
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Creating a schedule of yoga classes for Yoga Matrika has always provided me with great illumination and inspiration.  When I first opened the little studio on South Negley, I was teaching the majority of classes myself and a number of very talented local instructors generously agreed to teach a few classes each week.  But, for the most part, it was me and there were less than 10-classes on the schedule each week.  The reality of finding talented instructors who were a good match for Yoga Matrika proved to be one of my earliest challenges in this business.

Then, what started to happen was that the Universe started to send me fabulous instructors and many of these teachers have shaped the path of Yoga Matrika.  For example, Heidi —–an angel who took over at the studio without any guidance when I needed to travel for my grandmother’s funeral.  And Julie who became one of the community’s favorite prenatal instructors after agreeing to take some of my own classes without very much guidance or support.  And Bethany, who inspired me to stay with my prenatal passions even when I was feeling open to letting go of these programs all together.  The list of instructors who have gently, and sometimes not so gently, shaped my experience and the growth of Yoga Matrika is long.

This autumn, the new schedule that starts on September 1st, is one that I am incredibly proud to offer to the community.  There are over 27-drop in class options each week including four prenatal yoga classes and three class options for postnatal moms.  Every single instructor on the schedule is accomplished and dedicated to the profession of yoga and sharing what they have to offer with the Yoga Matrika community.  It is the most comprehensive class schedule that Yoga Matrika has ever offered.

In addition to theese 27-drop in classes, Yoga Matrika offers series of classes that provide opportunities for deep study in an intimate setting with some of Pittsburgh’s most talented and diverse instructors.  Workshops are scheduled with Lisa Clark (EmbodiYoga) and KK Ledford (Anusara) and Yoga Matrika offers the only prenatal yoga teacher training program in Western Pennsylvania.

I’m delighted to start this new season and I hope that you will find a class or two (or three!) that work with your schedule and offer the style and pace of yoga or pilates that you desire so that you can join me in supporting this fabulous team and comprehensive schedule.