Tag: Family

Who Has the Potato Now

April 27, 2014
Posted by Sharon
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Adults, in general, are concerned about doing yoga “right”.  We want to become not only proficient, but good at the skills that we invest time, energy and money into.  This desire is fundamentally at odds with the true nature of yoga and meditation.  It is a practice.  You will never do it “right” as there is no “right” way to do it.

Children, on the other hand, have no concern at all about doing yoga or meditation correctly.  I imagine this may be because they are so newly proficient at almost every skill that they have and they daily are faced with the realities of their limitations—-all the things that they WISH they could do independently, but can’t.  Therefore, they can connect with the practice aspect of yoga and meditation on a much deeper and authentic level almost immediately.

I have found that between the ages of 5-8 that many children, including my own, start to have new anxieties and fears.  Many of these surface at the end of the day and around bedtime and some are illuminated through nightmares and sleep disruptions.  Without really understanding development, my best guess is that this is the time when most children start to feel more independent from their families of origin.  They have friends and teachers and coaches and a personality including a new portfolio of identity markers that are all their own.  In addition, the fact of mortality becomes more available.  That the stability of their life is based on circumstances that could potentially shift and change without notice and at any time is a new possibility that they are aware of.

When this anxiety started to happen in my house at night, I turned to my own yoga practice and offered my son a modified ritual that I use myself.  At night, right before bed, I would lead my son through this ritual:

1. Verbal instructions to relax body: from toes to head, relax body, let body be heavy, relax.
If you try this, be very patient!  Relaxation for a child looks and feels different from an adult.  They will squirm and fidget and toss and turn in bed as you verbally guide them in relaxation.  Do not insist that they stay still.  Allow your child to find their center in whatever way they need.  They are actually listening to their body and it seems to me that some, not all, children require movement to calm the body rather than stillness (adults too!).

2. Ring the bell
I ring a bell three times over my son’s body.  As I ring the bell, I say a prayer or intention that he be free of fear and invite a beautiful sleep.

3. Ask for protection and help from Ganesh
I invoke Ganesh and ask that Ganesh remove any obstacles to peaceful sleep.

4. Chant to Ganesh ten times
Om Gam Ganapataye Namaha

I have placed a small statue of Ganesh given to me as a special gift on my 30th birthday by my friend Tina on my son’s nightstand and some battery powered votive candles around it.

This ritual seemed to work wonders and not only relieved my son’s nighttime anxieties and fears, but also gave us something sweet to connect with at the end of the day.

Then, one day, I heard my son (who is 7) with his two year old sister ask her if she wanted a meditation.  She agreed that it was a good time for meditation and he told her to lie down on the floor and I could hear him leading her through the relaxation.  From the sound of it, my daughter must have been following his verbal instructions because he continued and I didn’t hear any other sounds.  He lead her through a relaxation of the whole body and then I started to hear him chant.  He was saying, “Who’s Got the Potato Now?  Who’s Got the Potato Now?”.  It seems that my chant of mantra to Ganesh sounds a lot like “Who’s Got the Potato Now” and this is how it was interpreted by my son.

Is he wrong?  Actually, no, he is not wrong.  While an adult would want to get the words right, my son found a deeper connection to the sound vibration and created a meaningful way to express that vibration through a mantra.  I did tell my son that the words he had chosen were not the actual mantra to Ganesh, but now we have a special phrase that we use when anyone feels overwhelmed and needs to calm down that is unique to us and our family “Who’s got the potato now?”.  And, really, I can almost feel Ganesha smiling on us as we invoke the spirit of liberation from fear and worry in our own special way.

Do you want to learn how to make yoga and mediation a part of your family’s culture and daily life?  Do you or your children experience anxiety or worry at night that interrupts the quality of your sleep? Please sign up for a FREE 20-minute consultation and consider a Matrika Strategy coaching program that will give you the ritual and skills you need to improve the quality of your life and your entire family’s well being.  While my personal ritual as described here does involve a chant to the Hindu deity Ganesh, I am happy to design a ritual for you that reflects your own spiritual and religious commitments and beliefs or a completely secular ritual.

Written by Sharon Fennimore Rudyk, MA, a Pittsburgh-based yoga and meditation instructor specializing in mindful meditation for women and families.

Mom & Baby Yoga

February 14, 2011
Posted by Sharon
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Mom & Baby Yoga

Thursdays 11:15 to noon 
$10 (exact cash, check or credit cards accepted on site)

This is a class for moms to share with babies up to 6-months or crawling (whichever comes first).  We start our practice with some gentle stretches for mom to relieve head, shoulder, neck and head tension and some exercises to prevent or support healing of carpal tunnel pain.  Then, we move on to yoga for baby.  Yes, you read that correctly—yoga for your baby!  Babies love being gently touched, singing songs and mindful movement.  Then, we close with some stretching and stretches for mom and a deep relaxation for everyone. No experience required!  Just pack some diapers, be prepared to feed your baby on demand during the class and bring a blanket for baby to lie on during class.

Doing Yoga Together: Preparations and Expectations

You love yoga and now you want to make it a part of your child’s life too. We are delighted that this is the case and we have a few things to keep in mind that will help you and your child enjoy the experience.

Keep an Open Mind

We find that it takes a couple of visits to the studio for children (ok, it’s actually true for adults too!) to understand what the activity is and what is expected of them. You might find that your child acts bored or is not interested in doing yoga. The way that babies and children enjoy yoga classes may be different from the way that you enjoy them. What we know is that, over time, sharing yoga together with your child creates beautiful memories and is time that you will cherish forever.

Prepare for Class

As much as possible, make sure that you and baby have had a snack and are wearing comfortable clothing. Try to leave enough time to get the studio so that there isn’t a lot of stress before class. Bring your little ones favorite toy or comfort item and some snacks as appropriate. Bring a receiving blanket for newborns and pre-crawling infants and a change of clothing and more diapering supplies than you think you need. For young children, after the first class, make sure that you talk with them about it and start talking about it again a few days before class—–remind them of the teacher’s name, another child’s name or some feature of class that they remember (a story, a sound or ritual).

Enjoy the Moment

When we release our expectations, we can enjoy whatever is happening. This is yoga! Yoga together is very different from adult yoga, but it allows us to stay fit and take time to meet our own needs as adults while sharing something that is very important to us with our children. Sometimes it goes as planned and sometimes it is a bit of a disaster, but know that you and your child are never judged at Yoga Matrika. There isn’t one of us who haven’t had a child tantrum during a Mom & Baby class or who didn’t have a baby who cried through an entire class——we welcome you and your little one, even if you are having “one of those days.”

It’s Not About the Place

January 24, 2011
Posted by Sharon
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Dear Yoga Matrika Community:

At the end of April, almost four-years ago, I opened Yoga Matrika as a studio at 1406 S. Negley Avenue. At the time, my son was just an infant and I had newly returned to Pittsburgh after 17-years of roaming in various cities in the United States and countries in Asia. In these few years, Yoga Matrika has truly developed from a yoga studio into a beautiful community. This community has offered consistent support and encouragement both in the healing work that I am committed to doing and in my personal life. Since opening Yoga Matrika, I have experienced kindness and generosity and developed relationships that have enriched my life in ways that I could not have predicted. This work would not have been possible without the dedication and commitment of hundreds of students to this mindful and healing practice of yoga and meditation.

Although I may have opened Yoga Matrika, I have not acted alone. Our community has had the benefit of the dedication and the selfless efforts of so many teachers, both past and present, who gave their hearts and shared the wisdom of their own practice and training for the benefit of the physical and spiritual development of this community. These teachers have made many personal sacrifices over the years—the sacrifice of time with their own young children and, for many, the sacrifice of the financial income that would have come with teaching at a larger or more established studio. I would be remiss if I didn’t express incredible gratitude here for my husband who, only out of his love for me and commitment to my happiness, renovated both of the spaces that have been home to Yoga Matrika. He has shoveled, replaced light bulbs, taken out the garbage and completed hundreds of tasks on a daily basis to make sure that we all had a safe and comfortable place to practice. Not to mention the hundreds of hours of high quality solo-parenting he has done so that I could go to school, work and run this business over the past couple of years.

As many of you know, I am expecting and due to have a baby this summer. Knowing that it would be impossible to manage the studio and maintain the space over the summer and as I move forward as the mother of a newborn and another young child, I was forced to make the very difficult decision to close Yoga Matrika. The last classes held at Yoga Matrika, 6520 Wilkins Avenue, will be Saturday, February 26, 2011. This is the bad news. The good news is that Yoga Matrika ceased being “just a place” a long time ago. I will continue to teach group classes at a variety of locations through the city and hope that these will offer value and convenience so that we can continue to practice and work together. I am available for private, small group and corporate yoga by appointment and will continue with my childbirth education programs and teacher training programs. In addition, all of the teachers at Yoga Matrika teach at other locations in the city and I encourage you to support other studios and your favorite teachers and continue your practice. I will list all of the instructor information on the Yoga Matrika website so you can easily contact and locate your favorite teachers. Information about my classes moving forward from March 1, 2011 will continue to be available on this website. You will continue to be able to use the web scheduler to pay for classes with me with a credit card and to enroll in classes online. It is my intention to teach group classes at least until the beginning of June when I will most likely take 2-3 months off for maternity leave.

The financial aspects of the closure will be handled as responsibly as possible. I have outlined how class packages, memberships and registrations will be handled below. From now until the studio closes, we are not selling any additional packages and you can only purchase tuition for single classes. There is also a $50 unlimited pass that is valid for unlimited classes between January 18 and February 20 ONLY. It will remain available for purchase, but please make sure that you will be able to take a minimum of 4-classes before February 20th so that the fee is worth your while. Otherwise, please just pay for the drop-in fees. The cost for single classes is: $15 adults and $10 for full time students.

How can you continue to support this community and me personally through this transition?

  • First, it is always meaningful to receive feedback on what Yoga Matrika has meant to you personally. I cherish all of the positive messages I have already received and assure you that I save these and they are a part of the permanent record of the studio.
  • Second, if you are open to offering some testimonials that I can use on the website and in promotional materials, please send me those. These are incredibly valuable and help potential students and private clients make their decisions about teachers. Please make sure that you label anything you send me as private communication or as a statement or story that you are willing to share.
  • Third, please continue to practice yoga with me and other teachers that you have met through Yoga Matrika. Even if it means going a little out of your way or discovering a new neighborhood, your efforts to continue your practice with us will be greatly appreciated.
  • Finally, there is a Paypal donation button at the very bottom of this page. If you feel generous and inclined, your donations will go towards the costs related to the closure of this studio and towards the deposits required to rent space moving forward. As we are not a non-profit organization, your donations are not deductible, but they will be very helpful and greatly appreciated.

I look forward to continuing to serve this community wherever we may roam.

With gratitude,

Sharon

The Business Aspects of the Closure

  1. Please note that all personal property left at the studio after February 20, 2011 will be considered abandoned. Please take your mats home and be sure to leave each time with your water bottles, clothing, etc.
  2. If you purchased a class package in 2010, it most likely should have expired before February 26, 2011. If you received any kind of personal extension or exception, please note that there will be no way to honor any package purchased in 2010 after February 26, 2011. Please take as many of these classes as possible while the studio is open. There are a few student accounts that will be an exception to this: 1) prenatal packages purchased in 2010 AND 2) students who registered for a winter series that was to run through March. I will personally contact anyone who requires an exception and make arrangements.
  3. If you purchased a class package in 2011, it will remain valid to its expiration date. In a few cases, this will mean using the package for payment of classes at other locations. There will be NO refunds or extensions on these packages for any reason. If you are not able to attend any of the classes that are offered at other locations in March, then any classes remaining after February 26th will be forfeited.
  4. If you purchased a one-time payment, unlimited SALE membership (student or adult) in August 2010, these will be cancelled as of February 26, 2011. Please take as many classes as you can while these memberships are still valid. In most cases, the few holders of these discount memberships have already received excellent value for them.
  5. If you are an unlimited member and are having auto-payments made on your credit card, your final payment will either be in January or in the first 7-days of February depending on your anniversary date. I will cancel all future membership payments. If, for any reason, you are incorrectly charged, you should contact me by phone or e-mail and I will immediately remedy the issue to your benefit.
  6. If you have a Living Social voucher ($10 for 5-classes), you can exchange it at any time before February 26, 2011 for as many classes as you can take before the studio closes or 5-classes, whichever is greater. After February 26, 2011 you should contact Sharon at: sharon@yogamatrika.com to find out how to use the cash value ($10) of your voucher towards currently available yoga services.

MAKING A DONATION

New Location

March 31, 2009
Posted by Sharon
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Yoga Matrika will be opening a second location at 6520 Wilkins Avenue in mid-May.  For some of you, this is a very welcome change.  For many others, you might be concerned that the warm feeling of the current studio as a home for your practice might be lost in the move.  I have complete confidence that this second location will just bring you more of what you love about Yoga Matrika and less of what you could do without (unpredictable schedule, crowded classes and tripping over that metal plate in the doorway to the back hall—-I know, I stubb my toe on it weekly too!).

Yoga Matrika is a community-based studio.  What does this mean?  It means that the space isn’t as important as the people who gather there—wherever “there” happens to be.   This is not a community defined by the neighborhood you live in.  We welcome everyone at Yoga Matrika!  This is a community defined by intention.  What do we intend?  We intend to practice with our full hearts, safely and intelligently.  We intend to be inclusive and offer support and kindness to everyone we share our practice with.  We intend to acknowledge that sharing the energy of our practice with one another is a gift that we give to one another.  We intend to learn more and expand our practice so that, in good times and bad, our practice becomes a source of calm and an oasis in these challenging times. 

A community studio also provides opportunities to support everyone in that community—families with young children, older adults, mothers, fathers, adults and children with special needs—everyone!  We must recognize that we are all connected through our humanity and acknowledge that our yoga practice has profound power in our own bodies and lives, but also in the lives of everyone we meet and those we may never meet.  This type of power needs to be created and supported by community. Sure, you can grab a class at your gym or drop-in and have an anonymous experience–but when you actively participate in a yoga community then you are really taking responsibility for the power of your yoga.   It’s not just a class you take–it’s a choice that you make!

The current location will become “The Annex.”  The Matrika Annex will be used for small-group classes, private sessions, children’s yoga classes, prenatal and postnatal classes and meditation.  In addition to a full schedule of drop-in yoga and pilates classes, Yoga Matrika will also start to offer advanced yoga training (advanced meaning anyone who has practiced yoga for 6-months or more) and a variety of teacher training programs.  Yoga Matrika instructors are some of the best trained in the city and continuing education keeps us creative and safe.  Yoga Matrika will also continue to offer regular Karmic Salon events so that we can have an opportunity to enjoy the creative efforts of our community and gather together “off mat.” 

Pittsburgh has many wonderful yoga studios and instructors.  We are so fortunate to have these resources here in the city and I am honored to be a part of this team of people and communities that support great yoga in Pittsburgh.