mindfulness | Paper Clay Nature

Beautiful and Sensual

May 3, 2018

Posted by Sharon

I have been using essential oils in my practice and for self-care for many years. It all started when I participated in some classes and workshops taught by Amy Galper and Schuyler Grant around yoga, acupressure, and aromatherapy about sixteen or so years ago.

A couple weeks ago, I received an offer from Utama Spice. They very generously sent me a complimentary nebulizing essential oil diffuser with a bottle of their own Cajeput essential oil in exchange for my honest review of their products on my blog. How could I say no? Also, I very much appreciated the genuinely personal communication I received from Utama. I made it clear that I would only write a completely honest review and they were in agreement with the conditions I presented to them. As soon as I opened the package from Utama, I knew I was in for a treat. The Danau Satu diffuser came in the most tasteful packaging with a floral decoration. As soon as I pulled it out of the box I was amazed at how beautiful it was. There is a wood base and a glass bowl and diffuser nozel. While it is small enough that it can blend into any environment, it is also classy and ornamental in its sensual shape and design. The instructions for putting it together were easy to follow and included just a few steps. It is glass and needs to be cared for and maintained. Replacement glass parts can be easily purchased on the Utama Spice website.

For me, like many parents, bedtime can be stressful as my children seem to resist putting the day down and their own exhaustion can be a barrier to welcoming nourishing sleep. I decided to give diffusing some relaxing lavender essential oil into their rooms as we put on pajamas and started the bedtime routine a try. The diffuser has a mellow LED light that provides almost perfect sleep light for children who may be afraid of the dark or resistant to complete darkness while they are falling asleep. It’s a really pleasant light. As soon as I turned on the diffuser, I noticed a very light “hum” of the motor, but it is a very quiet machine. At even the lowest level of diffusion, my daughter’s room was almost immediately filled with the lavender oil scent. This is very clearly explained in the instructions, but I must have missed it the first read through, so I thought that maybe the diffuser wasn’t working well when it just kind of stopped diffusing after the first minute. I kept turning it on and off again when this would happen. It turns out that it has an automatic cycle of diffusing for a while and then resting for a minute, then diffusing again. And then, a miracle happened……..this was the calmest and most peaceful night we have ever had! My daughter and I have been enjoying Kate Coombs mindfulness poems that are accompanied by the most magical of illustrations by Anna Emilia Latinen in the book, “Breathe and Be: A Book of Mindfulness Poems”. So, we enjoyed this scented air and lovely poems and…..she just fell asleep. No fighting, no complaints, no problems. And, I woke up alone in my bed in the morning having found that my daughter had a most peaceful night of sleep where she remained in her own bed the entire night without waking me up or asking to get into bed with me—not even once! After my daughter had fallen asleep, I unplugged the diffuser and put it in my son’s room and he immediately said that he liked the scent. He also fell asleep without problems and as soon as he was sleeping deeply, I snuck into his room and took the diffuser back to my own space.

I added about 15-drops of an essential oil blend by Aura Cacia called “Meditation” that includes sandalwood, cedarwood, patchouli, and myrtle to the remaining lavender oil and diffused for 10-minutes into my practice space. This is a really perfect diffuser for use in a meditation and yoga practice because it scents the air very quickly. I felt that my space was energetically clear and peaceful before I even started. I chose to turn the diffuser off during my practice, but depending on your personal preferences and choice of oils, there is no reason why you couldn’t leave it on for your entire practice. The motor is so quiet that I didn’t even notice it and the glow of the light in the glass bulb would have made for a very calming way to light a night practice.

The next morning, I decided to give the oil that was provided with the diffuser by Utama Spice a try. The cajeput essential oil is a very light herbal scent that has a hint of eucalyptus and tea tree oil refreshment, but is much less astringent or medicinal. I found it invigorating for the morning, but it also created a very peaceful energy in my space. I complimented this scented environment by drinking a cup of jasmine green tea and the floral and light green notes of the tea felt so joyful in that light and peaceful feeling space. The scent of cajeput is very clean and bright and I am so delighted to have been given this opportunity to try it.

As much as I have enjoyed using essential oils for many years, this is the first time I have used a diffuser like this. I am absolutely amazed with what a big difference it makes to use this Danau Satu diffuser! Using a diffuser allows me to bring a significant scent into the environment in a short period of time and to either continue that level of diffusion or enjoy that shift in energy for a shorter period of time. Also, it truly is a beautiful object that complements my meditation and yoga space and home. In order to be thorough in my review, I did follow the instructions for a quick cleaning with alcohol that is recommended in the instructions. It was easy to do and since this is such a lovely and useful machine, it is absolutely worth it to take a few minutes a week to care for it so that it will last for a long, long, time. This diffuser was perfect for shifting energy in my home to promote restful sleep for my children, but was also ideal for scenting my practice space to prepare for a relaxing seated meditation with mindful movement. I also use insense for this purpose, but that can be smoky and I liked being able to scent the air and then turn the diffuser off so that there wasn’t any smoke or oils in the air while I was practicing pranayama (breathing exercises). It’s nice that I could choose to keep the diffuser on for up to two-hours so that I could also keep it on for an extended restorative yoga practice or yoga nidra practice.

I am so grateful to Utama Spice for this beautiful gift that has genuinely improved my quality of life. If you are looking to buy a diffuser, while I have never used any others and can’t “compare”, I can assure you that this one is lovely, works incredibly well, and has features like a low motor hum and graceful light that make it ideal for using to create peaceful sleep and practice space. I’m so pleased with this product that I’m hoping to try some of Utama Spice’s yoga mat sprays and other products very soon. To buy your very own Danau Satu nebulizing diffuser, please follow the links in this review or head right on over to : https://utamaspice.com/danau-satu-nebulizing-diffuser/

Attitude of Gratitude? Not so much.

November 23, 2016

Posted by Sharon

While we all know that cultivating an attitude of gratitude is a part of living our most joyful life, how can we authentically do this when we are less than grateful? Feeling ashamed or guilty about the “real” nature of our feelings, or pretending to be thankful for what we would have very much preferred to say “NO thank you” to in our lives gets in the way of happiness and creativity. What if your heart is broken? What if you are in terrible pain without relief in sight? What if you have received terrifying news that has changed your life in an even more awful way? Even with all the joyful self-help gurus and happy, shiny, advanced yogi specialists beaming at you from their glossy magazines promising peace and abundance for all your expressions of gratitude, and even as much as you wish to crawl into their tie-dyed yoga pants and bask in the bliss of all that they proclaim and stand for, the truth is that when your life is going to Hades in a hand basket…….well, no matter how thin you slice it, it’s still baloney.

But, if you are reading this, you DO have something to be grateful for. This something does not, in any way, diminish however awful things are for you right now. As the Buddha taught us, suffering is a part of the human existence. We suffer because we desire things to be anything other than what they are right now. We suffer because we are afraid, when things are wonderful, that we will lose that fabulous feeling. Therefore, we know that our suffering can exist at the same time as our one thing that we always have to be grateful for. What is this one thing that is ever-present? Breath. Yes, if you are reading this or even aware enough to listen to someone else who can read it to you, then you have this one thing that you can be grateful for in this moment.

You don’t have to pretend that all the suffering isn’t there. Well, at least, don’t pretend on my account! I don’t even own a single pair of tie-dyed yoga pants for you to covet or crawl into. (Although, if anyone reading this is inclined, I would absolutely LOVE a pair!) I’m suggesting that there is a way to cultivate gratitude even when all hope is lost. The beauty of observing the breath and being genuinely thankful that it is with you, of you, and through you, is that you create a little hope and space where there just didn’t seem like any could be found or made. No, all your problems aren’t solved. But, the subtle shift may be just the little miracle you need. If not, you were taking those breaths anyway and so nothing gets lost through your effort.

I was recently reading a book about the subtle body by Tias Little. I randomly opened it to a page with a breathing exercise that described the lungs as an upside down tree with the branches (lung tissue) towards the earth and the roots in the upper palate/roof of the mouth. I love this visualization because, in Chinese subtle body mapping, the color of the liver energy is green. In Hatha yoga chakras, green is the color of the heart-chakra. Therefore, when we breathe in, we can grow green leaves and fill the branches of our respiratory tree making it more and more lush with each in-breath. As you exhale, you can feel those roots reach towards the crown of your head and pull up on the roof of your mouth. There is actually a pleasure center of the brain that is located right above the upper palate of the mouth. When you exhale, the palate lifts and stimulates this center. Thinking about this tree helped me stay focused on the breath in a very powerful way. When I am very upset, using a strong visual tool like this helps me stay present with the breath. Otherwise, my mind tends to wander and feed my sadness, fear, or pain. Sure, when times are calm and good we can be aware of the in-breath, breathing in, and aware of the out-breath, breathing out. But, in times of chaos and confusion, using visualization can mean the difference between a nourishing and a frustrating practice.

Please do not feel that accessing these few moments of peace require that you deny the reality of your sufferings. Feel all your feelings, know what is true for you, and be authentic in your expression and communication! All the while, know that you can also create a sanctuary of peace and beauty through the practice of breath awareness. Although the in and out nature of the breath happens without your explicit effort, you can still find some gratitude in the presence of breath. How lovely to feel and hear the breath coming in! How amazing to be able to feel the release of the breath and all that is no longer needed! It is happening right now.

Posted by Sharon Fennimore, a yogini, teacher, and writer based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Find out more here.

No Time to Meditate

May 26, 2015

Posted by Sharon

I know. You don’t have time to meditate. I don’t have time to meditate either. No one has time to meditate and yet we all have all the time we are ever going to have. We strive for peace, beauty and happiness, but our hours, days, weeks and then years seem to slip away and we are just as behind on our “to do” lists as we ever were. While we are busy, it seems we are making things happen, being productive and that we are with purpose. Resting and calming are considered luxuries that we simply can’t afford.

Our failure to rest makes us prone to panic, anxiety and depression. Our unhappiness creates mental chaos and we find that even small decisions are hard to make with clarity. Our sleep is elusive and of poor quality and we can’t remember our last dream. Our health is “ok”, but we suffer headaches, digestive problems, chronic low back ache, exhaustion and most of the time we can function, but it always feels like just getting by. Barely. At times, our little aches and pains tip the scale towards illness and unease that makes us miss work, school and the activities we enjoy.

Why are we so willing to invest time and energy in creating conditions of unhappiness? We are terrified of what would happen if we tried to sit for five, ten or even fifteen minutes a day and check in with our bodies, ask our hearts their desire and to feel the breath moving in and out. Maybe you tried to meditate once and became overwhelmed by the flood of thoughts, ideas and fantasies that came to mind in a powerful and uncontrollable flow? Maybe you would like to meditate but you don’t know how and you have imagined that you need to sit somewhere quiet for an hour and “clear your mind” and you know that’s impossible for you?

Meditation is available to you and bringing acts of awareness and compassion into your daily life is a radical and transformative act. You don’t need special clothing, to be able to sit on the floor or to be able to “empty” your mind. All you need is what you have if you are reading this—your body and your breath. You don’t need to sit for an hour (wouldn’t THAT be nice!). You need to make a commitment to practice and there are infinite ways to practice.

I offer an online course called A Mindful Month that invites students to use their senses of taste, balance, touch, and smell to create a sensual state of mindfulness through the day. The course gives written guidance for twelve 5-minute meditations, four 10-minute audio guides that you can download as MP3 recordings and a bonus 20-minute audio guided deep relaxation. You can enroll here for INSTANT ACCESS. The benefits of meditation have been proven, but you must practice to receive those benefits. This is a perfect introduction to meditation or a lovely inspiration to re-inspire a dedicated meditation practice.

Written by Sharon Fennimore, a birth doula and yoga and meditation instructor based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Her Registered Yoga School (RYS™), Yoga Matrika, offers a variety of online yoga teacher training programs. Private sessions are available on SKYPE wherever you are in the world or in-person in Pittsburgh.

The Spirit of Imagination

September 27, 2014

Posted by Sharon

I love working with visualizations. Personally, I have recently been exploring the imagery of mermaids, unicorns, fairies and the bodhisatva Kuan Yin. In playful ways, thinking about the energies of these magical and powerful beings and looking at the imagery that humanity has developed around these ideas. I recently took an absolutely delicious yoga class with Brooke Smokelin here in Pittsburgh where she guided us through a considerable amount of stretching and opening in the feet and ankles. She suggested in the class that we simply don’t play enough, aren’t curious enough about what we can do and what our bodies can experience. I felt like this was in alignment with my recent play with visualization and magical beasts and beings and deities.

Imagination is an important element of working with the power of mind to heal and inspire. Yet, sometimes it can be so hard as adults to really let go and visualize the magic fully because we get all caught up in what is real vs. imaginary. We fear that if we really let go and get in touch with our capacity to imagine and play with magical ideas and concepts deeply that we might fall into a permanent state of illusion or delusion. How can we be responsible and functioning adults if we let ourselves play with nonsense like that? We give so much power to our thoughts that it can be terrifying to allow ourselves to think freely.

And yet, we create fantasy thoughts all the time that are just as non-real as unicorns and mermaids! For example, you get a voicemail at the end of the day on a Friday from your boss—-Please come to see them first thing on Monday morning. All weekend long you can’t sleep, nothing tastes good, you can’t pay attention to your child’s softball game. You are worried about this meeting. Why would your boss call you? Are you going to be fired? Was it that typo in the report you filed? Did someone else complain? Maybe a client saw that inappropriate meme you posted on your personal Facebook page? No matter what you do, for two days you are completely consumed with worry and fear about what is going to happen on Monday. Then, Monday morning comes and you go to your boss’ office and there are some of your colleagues from an account that you work on and everyone is having doughnuts. Your boss said that she was especially proud of this team and the work that they did on the account and wanted to have a little surprise celebratory gathering to acknowledge the work and a new contract that was being signed that day. You are relieved, but the tension and worry you experienced all weekend make it near impossible to actually enjoy the surprise party and acknowledgment of your work. Basically, your made-up negative narratives made it hard for you to enjoy the present moment.

Our thoughts are just thoughts. No more. No less. Thoughts. When we explore a regular meditation practice, we find that we can connect with the fact of the flood of ideas, feelings, thoughts, narratives, fantasies and more that come and go, one after the other with no end through our mind movement. The mind thinks. Our task in meditation is to relieve ourselves of the illusion that any one of those thoughts is more “real” or more “important” than any other. Just as we can “color” our experiences in this moment with thinking that poisons the well of our experience, as in the example I provided above, we can also “color” our experiences in this moment with visualizations that are positive and magical. What if we only focused on magical and positive things all weekend? Showing up and finding doughnuts would merely support our vision of good. But, if our boss did fire us, we would not have wasted two days getting sick about it and we could respond to the reality of that news with all our energy and an open mind.

I invite you to think about the ways that you may have convinced yourself that being negative or creating fear or worry in your mental mind space movement is the “adult” thing to do or the “realistic” way to think about the world. How can you play a little bit and find some space to be present in this moment? Maybe take a walk in a beautiful natural setting and listen to the sounds of wind and crickets and your own footsteps on the earth. Maybe go and look at some art or dance or listen to music or play some music. Maybe buy a new box of Crayons and see what happens when you sit down and give yourself time to color and draw without judgement. Maybe close your eyes and daydream about unicorns playing and rainbows and mermaids and fairies and compassionate deities bestowing great wishes upon you. There is nothing more real than this present moment and doing what you can to make sure you show up for it 100% with all of your being is an act of courage and authenticity.

Have fun!

Written by Sharon Fennimore, MA a spiritual teacher and healer specializing in working with women around transformation and change, pregnancy, birth and beyond. She offers teacher training programs, meditation instruction and coaching programs for women all over the world.

What Does Matrika Mean?

November 12, 2012

Posted by Sharon

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What does ‘Matrika’ Mean?

What’s In a Name?

There are many different styles of yoga and new traditions are being created each and every day. If you are new to yoga, all of the different names for yoga classes, different studios and teachers can seem confusing at worst and unclear at best. If you have practiced yoga for some time, you may only be familiar with one style or perhaps you have a teacher or studio that you loved in a different city and can’t seem to find what you are looking for. As we grow in our practice and as the circumstances of our lifestyle and our bodily realities shift and change, our yoga practice changes. Therefore, the best advice that I would give anyone is to be open to new styles and new teachers and trying new things—-you never know when you might find the perfect fit for where you are right now. If you take a yoga class that you don’t like or with a teacher you weren’t particularly fond of, try not to be discouraged! Just roll up your mat, mark it up to experience and try a different class or a different teacher.

What is Yoga Matrika’s Style?

While yoga is great for your body and you will see and feel a positive difference in your body shape, level of flexibility and skin clarity with regular practice, yoga is not primarily an exercise program. The primary goal of yoga offered by Sharon through Matrika Yoga (Matrika Calm, Matrika Flow, Matrika Prenatal, Matrika Mom & Baby) is to enhance the mind-body connection. When we move and breathe mindfully, there is a therapeutic response from every system of the body. For more athletic students, this idea that “less is more,” can feel quite strange and the practice may even feel frustrating or boring at first. Learning to balance effort and ease, to breathe with full expansion and release, to move with clarity and excellent alignment and to stretch and open the body by giving permission instead of a push are all part of developing a yoga practice.

What exactly IS a MATRIKA?

Yoga Matrika Traditions and Inspiration

The Matrikas: aka “Little Mothers”

The MATRIKAS are the “little mothers” and they inspire us to an intelligent, compassionate, fierce and delicious practice. Sharon Rudyk was inspired to open Yoga Matrika after the birth of her son. His birthing was a struggle that required incredible strength, passion and violence that resulted in the most spectacular transformation from pregnancy to motherhood. This struggle is embodied in the Matrika goddesses who are both soft and maternal and violent destructors and warriors. These Matrika goddesses inspire all of us, men and women, to accept both the creative and destructive sides of ourselves so that we can be whole. We stop battling ourselves and become centered in our own strength and warrior spirit. With practice, we start to know that we are on our own side. Stepping off our mat and into the world, we are strong, confident and compassionate as we recognize that we and all of the living things around us are most beautiful in complexity. What we have to offer humanity is most fabulous because it is unique and not because it is perfect.

MATRIKA SHAKTI is also the powerful energy vibrations of the sounds that make up our internal truth.

In Hindu mythology, Brahma the creator, first showed himself as a golden embryo of sound. He was a vowel, vibrating outward, the sound echoed back upon itself and became water and wind. In Sanskrit, this power is called Matrika Shakti, the inherent creative energy behind the letters that make up words. It is said that each letter of the Sanskrit alphabet has a corresponding sound vibration both in the subtle energy channels of our bodies and in the cosmos. When these sound vibrations resonate with a corresponding vibration within us they create thoughts, then these thoughts gradually manifest the grosser forms of feelings and then speech. The Matrika Shakti resides in our energy body and rises of its own volition into consciousness, manifesting as our thoughts. [Original Reference HERE]

Through our practice of meditation, yoga asanas and mantra, we create a new kind of matrika that transforms our experience of life itself. We are purified, relieved and open to the fullest expression of our most genuine selves. We create greater potential for relationship by cultivating compassion for all living beings. This is not about being perfect or adhering to a strict regimen of diet or rules. Rather, it is about tuning our instruments of life to the matrika shakti that travels the energy channels of the body. It is about opening to the darkness so that the light may shine through.

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.

Meditation in Motion

February 14, 2011

Posted by Sharon

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Read here on basic instructions for mindfulness meditation.

Meditation in Motion: 4-class Series
Mondays 6:00-7:30 pm, 3/14 through 4/4
Facilitated by: Sharon Rudyk
Cost for 4-class series: $65 (Online Registration HERE)

Research indicates that the benefits of mindful breathing, gentle physical movements and a variety of techniques including visualization and meditation are powerful tools for health and healing. From reversing heart disease to changing the expression of your genes, a regular meditation practice has a significant impact on your quality of life. In this small group series, we will specifically explore a variety of meditation techniques that can be used by anyone regardless of your previous experience with yoga or meditation. We will do some physical movements, but these types of movements are very natural and can be accomplished by any adult regardless of your physical shape or abilities (they can even be done while sitting in a chair!). Relieve stress, relax the body and learn quick and simple ways to improve your quality of life every single day.

Here is a video about walking meditation

Football, Swimsuits and the Yoga of Feminism

January 18, 2011

Posted by Sharon

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As I teach two prenatal yoga classes every week, I have the honor and joy of watching incredibly strong women embody the true spirit of Warrior poses. I can actually see the energy rising up through the soles of their feet and into their core to support the amazing act of creation they carry within them. There is a courage, a dignity and strength of force there that is palpable in the room. It is, for me, an experience and one that brings me, each class, into a new appreciation for the beauty and strength that is woman. The energy of these movements is the embodiment of grace. Grace representing the fact that each one of these women has opened their hearts to the potential for immense joy and immeasurable loss and grief. No words are required. Through movement and intention, the expression of strength and grace is clear and concise.

Last weekend, I was able to catch the very end of the playoff game between the Steelers and the Ravens. While I can’t say that I am a fan of football in general, there is something so very beautiful about watching the Steelers right now. The coordination combined with strength and expression of sheer will as well as the skill combined with brutality and violence is something to behold. Not only are these men amazing athletes, but they have the courage to take a flying leap into a pile of men and to throw their bodies with incredible force and at high speeds into one another. As anyone who knows me can appreciate, if a ball (or anything else for that matter) is coming my way, my only instinct is to duck and cover. Therefore, I have this incredible awe and appreciation for what is being required of these men in this game.

After the game, we were flipping through channels and found the Miss America pagent. It was already the swimsuit competition and about 40-women in identical black bikinis and heals were walking accross the stage in various choreographed formations. Each one beautiful, young, in great shape, smiling and basically, half naked on national television. I don’t have a problem with naked and these women were easy on the eyes to say the least. But, let’s be honest here– a bikini is really underpants and bra made for swimming and, well, you can’t swim in heels and I didn’t see a pool anywhere nearby. Immediately, I thought of the national news stories of the past year that involved mothers being asked to leave airplanes and coffee shops because they were breastfeeding. These mothers were offending those around them by, horror of horrors, exposing some of their breast! The NERVE! Even more GROSS—they were using this breast to, yuck, feed their baby. Did I mention, in PUBLIC? And yet, here before my eyes were lots of breasts and bellies and butts on display all balancing on top of high heels for maximum effect.

And what was the effect? I felt that the effect was that these intelligent, athletic and beautiful women were weakened. After the bikini competition, they all ran off frantically to get on their ballgowns and then they raced around preparing for the talent competition and then they were given the time to answer one significant political or ethical question with a maximum of one sentence. The whole experience gave the image of the ideal American woman as one who is perfect in every way, but frantic and weak as they rush mindlessly around trying to look good and irish dance and talk about globalism all while trying to balance on the tip of a heel on national tv in their underwear. I felt none of the awe that I do in a room full of women doing prenatal yoga or the immense respect for the football players.

The more that I considered the issue, I continued to return to the idea of mindfulness. The weakness of the Miss America contestants really had nothing to do with their dress or the different aspects of the competition, it was due to the frantic nature of the timing. It wasn’t just whether or not they could meet the tasks required, it was about how fast they could meet each task. The pregnant women are focused, the football players are focused, but the contestants were both naked and engaged in a process that took away their ability to be mindful. It made them seem silly and took away from the actual value of their talents and accomplishments. It made the winner seem arbitrary and, most likely, set all of the contestants up for some level of trauma. How long must it take to process that experience when they didn’t even have a chance to experience it?

My conclusion is that there is great strength in mindfulness. My analysis has shown me clearly that frantic behavior weakens even the strongest, most talented and intelligent. The way that our culture supports the idea that multi-tasking is a virtue leads us to weakness and creates a kind of deep seated stress and trauma. Making a commitment in the moment, centering through the intention of that commitment and then following through with grace is the only path to the result that we honestly desire. Yoga and meditation provide us with the means for learning and practicing these skills in a safe environment. No matter how frantic our rush to class was, how crazy our day, how stressed we feel, once we put out the mat and start to breathe we re-gain our strength. We are no longer the young woman in her underwear and heels on tv trying to sing an opera while mentally preparing to answer a question about world peace.

Posted by Sharon Rudyk. https://www.yogamatrika.com/ and http://www.matrikaprenatal.com

What is Restorative Yoga?

December 17, 2010

Posted by Sharon

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Restorative yoga is a practice that brings the energy of the body into balance, releases deeply held tension and calms the nervous system. In this yoga practice, there are gentle movements, breathing exercises and physical poses that are held for five-minutes or longer with the support of blankets, pillows and other props. These longer held poses allow the body to release into the pose with support so there is no physical strain or effort. In this way, the practitioner receives the full benefit of the pose without creating any additional stress in the body or on the nervous system.

This type of practice is counter-intuitive to adults who have come to think that more effort, more work, more sweat and more pain means more and better results. One of the greatest challenges of restorative yoga is accepting the fact that doing less brings the most significant transformation in the body and mind. This is not a gentle, wimpy or easy practice! Restorative yoga is a gentle unfolding of the damage we do to our bodies each and every day through emotional stress, through our repetitive actions and by ignoring the signs of exhaustion, un-ease and chronic pain. Athletes will find that restorative yoga is the most excellent compliment to their activity as it eases the joints and can help heal chronic and minor injuries that would otherwise prevent a quick return to a favorite sport or activity. If you tend to enjoy a more athletic yoga practice, such as Ashtanga Vinyasa or power flow practices, then restorative yoga can help deepen your practice. Yogis of all styles will find that their endurance and strength actually improves through a regular practice of restorative yoga.

At Yoga Matrika, our restorative yoga classes are a combination of mindfulness meditation, healing movement and stretching. No experience with yoga or meditation in any tradition or style is required. Beginners are always welcome to this safe, supportive and non-competitive environment. This is a practice that is equally as wonderful for students with injuries or chronic illness as it is for the healthiest and most robust athlete. The “results” of a regular practice can’t be predicted, but they will be positive and significant. It may be that you have had shoulder pain for most of your adult life and, after two months of restorative yoga practices, you find that your pain is diminished and your range of motion increased. Or, you may genuinely believe that you are a very balanced person without pain, but slowly realize that, with a regular restorative yoga practice, that you lose your temper less often and feel more compassionate towards others—-you might just find that you are happier!

We provide all of the equipment that you need for your practice, but encourage all students in all classes to bring their own yoga mat. We have mats for you to use if you need one, but mats are really a personal use item. Try not to practice yoga on a full stomach, but it is fine to have a small snack (banana and yogurt, a bowl of cereal, etc.) an hour or so before practice if you are very hungry. Wear comfortable, stretchy clothing in layers so that you can wear less when you are moving and put on a layer or two when you are going to relax into a pose for a longer period of time. You may want to bring a water bottle with you.

Join us at 6:00pm on Mondays, starting January 10, 2011, at Yoga Matrika for this unique yoga practice for all levels. Your instructor is Sharon Fennimore Rudyk. If you have questions about this practice or would like more information, please call Sharon directly at (412) 855-5692 or see our New Student FAQ.

This post was written by Sharon Fennimore Rudyk, the owner and director of Yoga Matrika, an intimate, community-based yoga studio in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: https://www.yogamatrika.com/. For information on prenatal and postnatal programs, please see: http://www.matrikaprenatal.com.

The McRib is Back

November 3, 2010

Posted by Sharon

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Nestled in between some of the most idiotic political advertisements I have ever seen was a clean and simple advertising campaign from the Mc family of restaurants announcing the “great news” that the McRib was back. Seriously? Did anyone miss the McRib? Obviously, someone did.

For me, the idiotic campaigns of both politicians and this questionably edible treat are both a clear sign that it is time for everyone to do more yoga. Doing yoga provides us with a clear connection to our deepest intelligence and relieves us of fear and anxiety about the future. Over time, grounding ourselves in the present moment, with a deep connection to what is most true for ourselves and to our universal nature through breath and mindful movement prevents us from attachment to the forms of suffering that are implicated in these advertisements.

These advertisements indicate to me that these politicians and corporations are appealing to an un-centered population, one that is filled with desires, angers and fears that they can not even name. Or, perhaps, even more dangerous, they have placed a false name on these deep emotions. If you can point the finger at a “baby-killer” it releases you from being forced to see the “baby-killer” in yourself. Of course, I do not mean this literally, but figuratively, placing blame of any kind on someone else or something else is a form of denial of the ways that each and every one of us suffer at the hands of our own desires, judgments and violence.

Yoga does not have to mean putting on a pair of stretch pants and sitting on a plastic mat in some peaceful room. It’s a great place to start, but maybe your starting point needs to be somewhere different. Patanjali’s yoga sutras define yoga as the calming of the mental movements of the mind (1.2 yogas citta-vrtti-nirodhah). No special clothing or props are mentioned. What do you do that calms the mental movements of your mind? Is it your work, spending time with your children, your volunteer work, through creativity, playing music, swimming/running/hiking, your prayer, your community work? Whatever it is that brings you to a place that is in this moment is your yoga. You probably already do a lot of yoga and just don’t know it!

Yoga brings you in touch with the present moment. This moment is real. Fear, blame, anxiety, desire and everything else implied by these advertising campaigns are all about some different moment—-either a moment from the past that you can’t get back or a moment in the future that is just conjecture. The more you can be present in the reality of this very moment, the less you are at the mercy of campaigns that appeal to the worst, most suffering and fearful place in yourself.

If yoga isn’t for you, I still have some advice that may be of great import now that the McRib is back: Stay away from processed meat in the shape of bones. In the words of Hans and Frans, listen to me now and hear me later, there just has to be something better to eat. Really.

This entry was written by Sharon Rudyk, Owner and Director of Yoga Matrika in Squirrel Hill, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. www.yogamatrika.com