I provide comprehensive, holistic and compassionate care for women of all ages who want to engage in a positive relationship with their pelvis, reproductive health, endocrine system and menstrual cycles. This includes:
Healing for irregular menstrual cycles
Learning how to be aware of and track fertility signs
Managing chronic pelvic pain, vaginal pain or hip/low back pain
Cesarean and birth recovery including nerve damage, anxiety and abdominal and pelvic floor strengthening
Working with symptoms associated with PMS (mood, bloating, headaches, etc.)
Alternative support for PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome)
Infertility, miscarriage and pregnancy loss support
Healthy menopause
Adrenal Fatigue
Anxiety, depression, anger and frustration in relationship to menstrual cycles, fertility, PMS, pelvic pain and infertility
WOMEN’S HEALTH CONSULTATION SERVICES
2-Hour Consultation and Evaluation
$200
50-Minute Sessions
$90
Package of Six Individual Sessions
$500
Package of Consultation and Six Individual Sessions
$675
HOW DO WE WORK TOGETHER?
If you live in Pittsburgh or surrounding suburbs, then we can meet together in person in a beautiful treatment room at Mookshi Wellness Center (401 Biddle Avenue, 2nd Floor above Biddle’s Escape Cafe in Regent Square).
If you live anywhere else in the world, then we can work together using the power of the internet making geographical location and distance irrelevant. You will need access to the internet and SKYPE or we can use Google to “hang-out.”
WHAT EXACTLY DO YOU COACH PEOPLE TO DO?
The mind and body are always aligned, but sometimes we start living as if this is not the case. In mind body therapy, I use a variety of techniques to help you feel more connected in mind and body. I choose the techniques that I think will be most helpful to you in meeting your goals: relaxation, mindful movement, breathing practices, mindful eating and meditation are common skills that I instruct my clients in using to support their own well-being. In addition, I offer instruction in planning menus, improving quality of sleep, using a basal thermometer to track menstrual cycles and other practical and specific lifestyle skills that support your goals.
HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO SEE RESULTS?
Most women see evidence of benefits to our work together within 6-sessions. In general, the lifestyle changes including diet, exercise and meditation have both immediate benefits and women find that they are able to meet their original goals that were identified during the initial consultation between 6-months to one year. This is an empowering process where you learn how to improve the quality of your life. Once you learn the skills, they are yours to keep and use forever.
DISCLAIMER
During our initial consultation, I will want to make sure that you have sought out appropriate medical care and diagnosis to rule out any medical conditions, illness or disease that can cause pain, irregular cycles, bloating and other symptoms as described above. I am not a doctor and offer holistic lifestyle consultations and support for women who have chronic reproductive organ and system health concerns that are not treatable through bio-medicine. While rare, there are serious conditions that can cause similar symptoms to PMS or PCOS, irregular cycles and infertility. My advice is not meant to replace professional medical care and I will never recommend that you stop taking any prescribed medication or treatment plan that has been prescribed by a doctor or mental health professional. If you have not already had an exam and evaluation by a medical professional regarding your condition, I will recommend that you do so as soon as possible in our initial consultation.
ABOUT ME
Sharon Rudyk is a yoga and meditation instructor and birth doula based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. If you are from the general Pittsburgh area, we can meet in a beautiful and private practice space that I use at Mookshi Wellness Center in Regent Square. If you live anywhere else in the world or it is more convenient for you to work with me using distance tools, I also work with phone sessions, Google Hangout and SKYPE. All you need for distance sessions is a quiet place, an internet connection and either a phone/computer or electronic notebook/iPad. Call me at 412.855.5692 for your FREE and absolutely no obligation phone session.
This Saturday I am so very excited to be a vendor at I Made it Healthy Market! Please come and see me while you are there. It would also be really great if you visited the event page on Facebook and RSVP’d that you were coming. That way, I can get even more excited knowing that I’ll see you there! FACEBOOK EVENT PAGE
EVENT: I Made it Market (both things for wee ones and also healthy home/body) PLACE: Bakery Square (both indoor and outdoor) DATE/TIME: Saturday, April 20, 2013 from noon to 4:00 pm
What am I selling?
Catnip toys for your kitty friends ($2 each)
Lavender sachets for your drawers, purse or to prevent moths in your yarn stash ($12 bundle of 3)
Wool lavender sachets to bring beauty to little corners of your world ($8 each)
Lunch box napkin sets for adults and kiddos ($12-18 each set)
Organic lavender and flax seed eye pillows with washable cover ($15 each)
I will also have treats including discounts on introductory packages and yoga spa sessions (hint, hint: Mother’s Day is coming up!). The other vendors look awesome and I hope you will come out to support crafty (and healthy!) goodness in Pittsburgh.
Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to SHARE this post and event information with at least five of your friends. Don’t know which five to choose? Well, you can always send it to more, but if you are going to send it to just five, then make them the five most creative, fun and fabulous friends you’ve got!
Posted by Sharon Fennimore Rudyk, a holistic health coach, yoga instructor and doula with a special interest in working with women, couples, children and families.www.sharonrudykyoga.com
I’m just about as committed, or perhaps even MORE committed, to the “Why?” as anyone. I think it’s a rather good question to be asked about anything from WHY is the Nobel peace prize winner suggesting that we increase our war activities to WHY do Pittsburghers call sprinkles, “jimmies”. Or, the yoga owner gasps, WHY should anyone do yoga? Just as committed as I am to the WHY, I’m simply frustrated at the infinite number of things that I can’t seem to comprehend or the number of WHY questions that I can’t get a satisfactory answer to. Will someone just give me the satisfaction of a BECAUSE… every once in a while?
If there is one thing that I know to be true and that is that YOGA WORKS. I mean, it works for EVERYONE—children, moms, men, women, older people, teens, injured and sick, athletic and healthy, flexible, idiots and genius alike (generally subjective measurements anyway!)—–yoga works in all cases and without exception. Why? I have no idea! I’m relatively convinced that any answer is only the beginning of an answer or even a fraction of the answer. I don’t care if you got this answer by measuring brain activity, hormone levels, blood chemicals, stress level, decrease in headaches, reported relationship satisfaction, increased fertility, etc. However you get your answer to the why of yoga, it’s only part of the story. The most terrifying thing about this kind of inquiry is that I wonder how many questions I have asked and found an answer to that I really only know the fraction of—maybe WHY just isn’t the right question and every BECAUSE is merely a PERHAPS in disguise?
I can think of two reasons why yoga decreases stress, makes us feel stronger and lighter and gives us energy and a feeling of bliss and joy:
1) We are moving in the most honest of ways and using our body to express, explore and respond to the environment around us instead of privileging the BRAIN and simply dragging the body around as a useful, but mostly frustrating appendage. So many people tell me that they can’t do yoga because they aren’t flexible or because they aren’t “the type.” If yoga was about touching your toes, then I can assure you gentle reader that 20 million Americans wouldn’t be doing yoga! And, I might ask, who is the yoga type and how do you know it doesn’t apply to you if you never try? As you are reading this, I happen to know that you are a live human and you have a body. This being the case, you are, in fact, just the right “type” for yoga. All you need is to be breathing and have a body and yoga will work for you!
2) Yoga is a vacation. When you practice yoga, you lighten your load—you slow down the breath, you take off your shoes and socks, you notice sensations in your body and you shut up. I don’t mean that you just stop talking. I mean that you stop talking, people stop talking to you and you can finally hear yourself think. For beginners, this is a terrifying moment because when you hear yourself think for the first time you can be overwhelmed to discover just how many thoughts you are having every minute or even every second. This flood of thoughts, ideas, feelings, desires, stories and much more just flood over you and once you become aware of this you start to say, “THINKING” and return your awareness to your breath. Ahhh—now isn’t that delightful? It’s not something you can say to your boss–right? Boss sticks her head in your cubicle and starts talking really fast about some immediate emergency double secret deadline and you can’t just say, “THINKING” and turn away! But in yoga, you even get a vacation from yourself and all the trappings and trimmings you have determined as elements of that self. You lighten your load by slowing down, removing obstacles to calm and getting out of your own way. You CAN say to yourself, “THINKING.”
So try a yoga class and move your body and breathe and, well, get out of your own way!
I’d like to give an appropriate reference to Pema Chodron, a most wonderful writer and teacher who suggests the concept of saying “Thinking” to yourself during meditation when you start to lose your focus or awareness. My personal favorite Pema Chodron title is, “The Wisdom of No Escape,” but you can try any title for excellent meditation information and practical advice and instruction.
Honestly, I am just delighted, amazed, honored and excited to host these fabulous workshop and special series facilitators—-certainly some of the BEST that Pittsburgh has to offer for yoga, movement and being creative, spiritual and juicy delicious! Some of these workshops are happening SOON—don’t miss a chance to pre-register and save $$$ and guarantee your space is saved.
Facilitated by Elsie Escobar
Sunday, December 6 from 12:30-2:30 pm
$25 pre-registration/$35 at the door (space allowing)
Set an intention for the holiday season and the approaching New Year and learn some techniques for setting priorities and making time for the beauty and grace available to us during this special time of year. This is a great way to start a stress free holiday season!
Meditation Session with Bhante Pemaratana
Monday, December 7, 2009
7:30-8:45 pm
Location: PEACE ROOM (use side door to YOGA MATRIKA)
Cost: by donation (suggested $5 per session)
Everyone is welcome. No experience with meditation required. Bhante Pema will lead the group through a guided meditation session and then will answer any questions that you may have about meditation.
No pre-registration. Just arrive about 10-minutes early to get settled.
Sharon’s Birthday & Holiday Celebration
Friday, December 18, 2009
Class: 6:00 to 7:15 pm (doors open at 5:30 so you find a good spot!)
Party: 7:30 until the cake is all gone!
NO CHARGE, BUT DONATIONS ACCEPTED with DEEP GRATITUDE
Donation class and community celebration of the most excellent instructors at Yoga Matrika.
All donations will be distributed to the entire team of instructors at Yoga Matrika as a holiday bonus!
The class is open to all yogis age 12 and up and the party is open to EVERYONE—bring the babes, babies and the whole family! I need all the help I can get to blow out all these candles!
Beginner’s Series
Absolute Beginner’s Series with Anna Gilbert
Fridays from 6:00 to 7:15pm
January 8, 15, 22, 29
$40 for series of 4-classes
This series is for adults who have either never done yoga before or took one or two classes long enough ago that you can’t really quite remember if you actually took those classes or just imagined it! Anna will provide an overview of what you can expect in a yoga class from the terms that are used, breathing patterns, physical postures and movements to ways to dress comfortably for class and common studio etiquette. Instructions will be basic, clear and organized in a way that you can build confidence through the series. After you ”graduate” you’ll be confident and ready to drop-in on any class at Yoga Matrika or any other studio and enjoy your class!
WILD THING
A Wild Practice to Chase Winter Blahs Away!
Facilitated by Linda Meacci, RYT
January 9, 2010 from 2:00 to 3:30 pm $20 pre-register/$25 door
March 27, 2010 from 2:00 to 3:30 pm $20 pre-register/$25 door
“Wild thing, you make my heart sing”: Amp up your practice with a soulful journey into the heart. Unleash your “wild” side with a cathartic, dynamic practice set to music. Change up the velocity and rhythm. Release endorphins. Renew the SPIRIT and GROOVE on your mat! This practice is recommended for students who have a minimum of 6-months of experience taking flow-style yoga classes or newer students with an athletic sense of adventure. We’re offering this fabulous class twice in the winter schedule so you can experiment with the wild side of your practice in January and prepare to let loose for spring in March.
Wild Thing Classes
YO GEEK!: Yoga for Cubicle Slaves and the Computer Weary
Facilitated by Elsie Escobar, Anusara Inspired Instructor
Sunday, January 10, 2010 from 12:30 to 2:30 pm
$25 pre-registration/$35 at the door (space allowing)
Sitting in front of your computer a tiny bit too long? Neck sore, eyes strained, hips tight, lower back achy, and stressed out? How about learning some:
SIMPLE
EASY
EFFECTIVE
tools you can apply anytime and anywhere to help your body and mind feel so much better! No prior knowledge of yoga required. Welcome the new year by learning ways to take care of yourself!
PRESCHOOL YOGA
AGES 2-6 with ADULT
Join your delightful instructor, Cathie Sunderman in this age-appropriate introduction to yoga including creative movment, breathing and relaxation. Cathie weaves story telling, music and movement into thematic classes for young children that provide a joyful and fun introduction to yoga. While this is not a Baby and Me class (yoga for adults that children are welcome to attend), adults are asked to participate with their child and facilitate the experience for their little one. We find that, while not a yoga class for adults, most of the parents and guardians that attend have a wonderful time! There is an emphasis on learning tools for easing stress and anxiety and finding happiness through movement and being mindful. Children love acting out the movements of beloved animals and using their imagination to create mood and move with grace, strength and joy.
These classes run in SIX WEEK SERIES and NO DROP IN STUDENTS ARE PERMITTED. You must pre-register and pre-pay for the entire series. Due to the nature of these classes, space is limited to ten children. One missed class per series may be made up as an adult drop-in class that can be taken before the series concludes. Absolutely no payments are accepted at the studio. Each series is $60 for one adult and one child or $90 for one adult and two children. Early bird pricing ($50 for one adult/one child and $80 for one adult/two children) applies to Series I registration BEFORE DECEMBER 20th and Series II registration BEFORE JANUARY 20th.
SERIES I: January 12, 19, 26, February 2, 9, 16 ($60 one child/$90 two children)
SERIES II: February 23, March 2, 9, 16, 23, 30 ($60 one child/$90 two children)
Preschool Registration
Tending the Root of Life: The Fluid Dynamics of the Kidneys
Facilitated by Mark C. Taylor
Sunday, January 17, 2010
1:00 to 3:00 pm $30 pre-register/$40 at the door
Your kidney is called the “Root of Life” in Chinese anatomy, and is regarded as the body’s most important reservoir of essential energy. In addition to the functions of fluid filtration and metabolic balance, your kidneys control the growth and development of your bones and nourish the marrow, which is your body’s source of red and white blood cells. Impaired kidney function and deficient kidney energy are prime causes of low energy (anemia) and immune deficiency as well as poor memory, inability to think clearly, and backache. In Tending the Root of Life you will embody ease in your kidneys through meditation, breath exercises, movement, and asana practice, enhancing and supporting their positive attributes: wisdom, rationality, clear perception, gentleness, and self-understanding.
Movement & Memoir
Facilitated by Dana Killmeyer
January 30, 2010
2:00 to 4:30 pm
$25 pre-registration, $35 at the door (space allowing)
Movement and Memoir is a hybrid class blending elements of yoga and somatics with creative expression, primarily autobiographical writing or journaling. We will focus on observing our environments, both internal and external, as a catalyst for releasing tension and broadening our awareness. Finding inspiration in our senses and perceptions, anatomy, literature, performance, music, art, meditation,and social critique, we will explore various aspects of observation and expression, stillness and animation. Expect a gentler, more introspective yoga practice with an emphasis on breathing, as well as wrists, shoulders, and lower back–areas that tend to get overused and neglected after long periods of sitting. Please bring a notebook and an open mind.
Dana Killmeyer is a Pittsburgh-native and University of Pittsburgh graduate. She has written two books: Paradise, or the Part that Dies and Pendulums of Euphoria, both published by Six Gallery Press. Currently pursuing training as a yoga teacher with Joanne VandenHengel (3rd Street Yoga) and as a Somatic Movement Educator with Mark Taylor (BodyMindMovement), Dana draws from a well of experience as a teacher, researcher, writer, and organic farm apprentice.
ANUSARA THERAPEUTICS: UPPER BODY
Facilitated by Elsie Escobar
Sunday, January 31st from 12:30 to 2:30 pm
$25 pre-registration/$35 at the door (space allowing)
Have you been suffering from shoulder, neck, jaw, elbow or wrist pain? Come learn how to get out of pain through the Anusara™ Principles of Alignment™, an elegant system based on the biomechanics of the body. Get ready to uncover the possibilities to feel GOOD! No prior knowledge of yoga is required.
ELSIE’S BIRTHDAY BASH
Friday night, February 5, 2010
6:00 to 8:00pm, BY DONATION
PARTY after class!
What better way to celebrate life than to give the best of ourselves to the community? An up-tempo and mixed-level class taguth by Elsie Escobar—-full of ENERGY and FUN to raise money for a local Pittsburgh charity! Plus, share some birthday cake with Elsie after class.
LOVE YOGA
Facilitated by Elsie Escobar
Friday night, February 12, 2010
6:00 to 8:00 pm
$25 pre-register or $35 at the door (space allowing)
As Valentine’s Day approaches, we receive a lot of messages about expressing love through exchanging gifts, sweets and flowers to our romantic loves. This approach to matters of the heart put pressure on those in relationships to express love through material gifts and those who are not in relationships to feel lonely. We advise a NEW approach to Valentine’s Day where we honor the energy of our hearts through a delicious workshop with a focus on heart openers and back-bending—YUMMY! Join Elsie for some Love Yoga and experience the bliss, joy and contentment of your heart center.
CIRCLES of STRENGTH
A Workshop for Women
Facilitated by Linda Meacci, RYT
February 20, 2010
2:00 to 4:00 pm
$25 in advance/$35 at the door
Does a fog of unworthiness shroud your spirit? Does courage elude you when the going gets tough? Do you see life as a timeline that is full of obligations and pressures? Do you struggle to be fully present in this moment?
This workshop, designed just for women, will guide you to:
* Learn safe ways to build overall body strength
* Integrate the dance of stability and freedom
* Channel emotional energy in healthy ways
* Increase self-confidence
* Tap into your creative source
* Appreciate the circular nature of life experiences on and off the mat
This well-balanced practice will blend the yin and the yang–flexibility and strength. Proper alignment will be emphasized in strength poses such as Caturanga-Dandasana (half plank), and Vasisthasana (side plank) and also in flexibility poses such as Setu-Bandhasana (bridge) and Urdhva-Dhanarasana (wheel). We will move through sun salutes and warrior postures with stira (steadiness) and sukham (ease). Backbends will be explored with a focus on stability. Hip openers will coax the emotional body to release. We will quiet ourselves with a restorative Savasana. Find what supports YOUR practice and frees your spirit. Step into courage. Bring what you discover into all circles of Life.
SPRING CLEANING YOGA PRACTICE
DETOX & RENEW w/Linda Meacci, RYT
March 6, 2010 from 2:00 to 4:00 pm
$25 pre-register/$35 at the door (space allowing)
Balancing out body, mind and spirit through the seasons is an important step in maintaining homeostasis. In this modern age of twitter, texting, blackberrys and IPhones, it is often forgotten that human beings reflect cycles of nature. As we move from winter, a time of conservation, rest, storage and reflection, and into early spring, a time to shed and renew, the spirit begins to lift and fly again. Springtime is a season to detox and rejuvenate!
In Chinese medicine, winter works with the balancing energy in the kidneys, bladder, adrenals, ears and bones. In the springtime, the attention shifts to liver, gallbladder, nervous system, ligaments, tendons and eyes. The movement continues season to season with the intention of finding homeostasis, or balance. Yoga is one tool to aid in this cyclical process.
In this workshop, we will first unwind and then invigorate our practice by:
* tuning into the eyes–the sense organs of springtime
* mobilizing our skeletal and muscular structure with fluid slow movements
* stabilizing and moving into Sun Salutes and Warrior postures
* vigorously twisting in lying, seated and standing postures
* toning the kidneys with backbends and the liver with forward bends
* opening the hips to encourage movement of the emotional body
* practicing long holds in inversions (such as sarvangasana) to facilitate drainage of the lymphatic system.
Our practice will come full-circle and close with a restorative savasana. Join us for this rejuvenating practice!
Calming the Core: Finding the Space Between
Facilitated by Mark C. Taylor
Sunday, March 14, 2010
1:00 to 3:00 pm
$30 pre-register/$40 at the door
Many of us carry excess tension in our backs or in our frontal organs as a result of inefficient weight flow through the torso. In Calming the Core you will embody your quiet central spine as a way to allow your core to expand, allowing space for a joyful heart, easy breath, and an unencumbered digestive tract. As your core releases you will find a more intimate relationshiop with the earth, greater access to sensory awareness, and increased pleasure of movement through your body. You will strategize ways to sustain an expansive core in your personal practice and in daily life.
Posted by Sharon Fennimore Rudyk, Owner and Director of Yoga Matrika located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 15217. https://www.yogamatrika.com/
(space allowing)
