All posts tagged: yoga Pittsburgh

Tibetan Yoga Classes

Published by Sharon

Tibetan Yoga on Wednesday Mornings 10:00 am In my personal practice of yoga, in the past five-years, I have started to bring more and more of my meditation into my yoga and more of my yoga into my meditation. Essentially, it is now one practice. This is possible because the type of somatic meditation that I practice (somatic meaning “of the body”) is rooted in Vajrayana Buddhism. This is one of the major schools of Buddhist practice and thought that is based on the idea that we all already possess Buddha-nature in ourselves and that enlightenment is just the recognition of our true nature. The practice has more to do with learning techniques that access much more than the physical body and bring us into a state of open awareness to things as they are. It is in this “space” where all potential and opportunity exists. We don’t need to make anything, improve on anything, get more flexible or strong or change anything. Rather, we use our tools of somatic awareness to enter into an …

Forward Folds and Bending Over Backwards in Nature

Published by Sharon

The number one thing that adults say when I tell them that I am a yoga teacher is: “Oh, I can’t do yoga! I’m so inflexible and I can’t even get close to touching my toes.” For about twenty-years now, I have tried every socially acceptable way possible at these moments to try to explain that yoga isn’t about being flexible, that anyone and everyone can benefit, that one may or may not become more flexible through yoga, that flexibility is, truly….besides the point entirely. As soon as I start talking, I see the recipient’s eyes glaze over. They are no longer paying attention to me, mostly because they only asked what I did for a living as a social pleasantry in the first place. Now, they are filled with regret for having ever made eye contact in the first place. I can almost see the thoughts of escape to the cheese platter or, even better, the bar, cross their mind. A couple weeks ago I was on a walk with a friend when t …

Wisdom Body Yoga & Meditation

Published by Sharon

Have you ever witnessed a friend, family member or colleague at work create suffering or patterns of suffering for themself? It’s so hard to watch. It’s so easy to identify the pattern, the problem, the mistakes. It’s equally simple to see an obvious solution. On the other hand, you know that communicating your clarity and the obvious solution is unlikely to have the desired effect for the sufferer. Your suffering friend will likely defend their actions, their pattern and even fight to maintain their problem (or that there isn’t a problem at all) until their last breath. What you would witness, if you ever got the courage to approach your suffering person knowing that the friendship or relationship might be forever damaged, is the power of the ego. Your ego knows that suffering and the commitment to that pattern is comfortable and complete. The ego will jump in to defend itself and hear everything as a criticism. The ego will not be defeated. And, even worse, the truth for all of us is that we …

Yoga and Meditation Class Schedule

Published by Sharon

Here is Sharon Fennimore’s current group yoga and meditation class schedule WEEKLY CLASSES MONDAYS 7:00 to 8:15 pm RESTORATIVE YOGA @ Mookshi Wellness Center RESTORATIVE YOGA is a nourishing practice for all experience levels and physical abilities. A combination of mindful movements, supported asana, breathing and meditation practices that are designed to bring you into a deep state of relaxation. The movements bring your spine through a full range of motion in the most gentle way possible allowing you to release tension and access a state of well-being. Mookshi Wellness Center provides ALL the equipment you need (blankets, yoga mat, bolsters, and blocks). Just wear comfortable clothes and get prepared to be really, really relaxed. WEDNESDAYS 10:00 to 11:00 am WISDOM BODY YOGA and MEDITATION @Mookshi Wellness Center WISDOM BODY YOGA and MEDITATION is a combination of secular Tibetan Buddhist practices for movement, breathing and sounding. We practice some floor poses, a sequence of nine cleansing breaths and then groups of exercises to calm the mind, release tension in the body and create a state of …

Practice Notes: Rainbow Body

Published by Sharon

Each week, I teach a mindful yoga class on Tuesday nights at Mookshi Wellness Center. Recently, I have adapted a new preparation technique for teaching my classes and find the foundation theme for my class through daily prayer and meditation. I have always been guided to teach from the wisdom of my practice as I was encouraged to do so by my compassionate and insightful teacher and mentor, Jill Satterfield. But, for the past two-months I have been randomly choosing a sutra from Lorin Roche’s beautiful translation and commentary of the Vijnana Bhairava Tantra, The Radiance Sutras, and allowing the message of that particular sutra guide my choice of breathing, asana and visualization practices. This past spring I took a truly amazing distance learning course with Janet Conner called “Soul Vows” (also the title of her newest book, which is phenomenal) and was able to do so through a generous full scholarship that she offered to me. The truth is that I had a hard time with the course. I still haven’t come up with my soul …

Ode to Miss Joyce

Published by Sharon

Miss Joyce is the name that I gave, as a young child, to my teacher-ego. It was clear to me at a very young age that one of the greatest values of knowing anything was to be able to share that knowledge with as many people as possible. I forced my younger sister to take my reading classes. Having just learned to read myself, I was quite a passionate teacher. Whatever I lacked in experience, I made up for in my soul’s dedication to sharing. The journey continues as I am spilling over with renewed passion for sharing everything I know about yoga and meditation with you. Even as the news reports of savage pain, increasing violence, poverty and grief beyond measure, I know that we have the ability to gather as a community to embody and disperse healing energy and light. It is not selfish to make time for your practice. It is, perhaps, the most powerful thing you can do to make change in the world–one cell at a time. Yoga and meditation …

Meteor of Your Laughter

Published by Sharon

“…let the meteor of your laughter fly: electrify the natural names of things!” ~Pablo Neruda* There came a day recently when I realized that there wasn’t enough beauty in my life. Not because beauty did not exist–within me, around me, near me and within my reach. I was not opening my eyes to it, feeling it, seeking it out and making it a priority. When I came to this awareness of the separation I had created between myself and beauty, I decided to return to some of my favorites from the past: Shakespeare, novels, poetry, music, dancing and sitting in the library. It is within these things that I find the connective tissue in between my existence and beauty in the form of hints, reminders, clues, rhythm and creative inquiry. Although this is entirely taken out of context, I find this mantra to be brutal, sharp and instructive: Let the meteor of your laughter fly. Electrify the natural names of things. Today, I tune into my capacity for laughter. A laughter with velocity, speed and …

A Few of My Favorite Things

Published by Sharon

Right now, I’m trying some new to me books and products and want to share what I am loving right now with you: Body and Beauty Love Your Face Cream Original Formula by Indian Meadow Herbals I bought mine at the East End Food Co-op in Pittsburgh and you should ask for this amazing product at your local health food store. The cream is pretty thick and oily and a little goes a long way. The best is to put it on your face when it is still wet and then it absorbs really quickly leaving your face super duper soft and lovely. Yoga and Meditation Balm by Badger Balm I, again, bought mine at the East End Food Co-op in Pittsburgh, but Badger Balm is everywhere you look these days (yes, Walgreens…..). I’m not a big fan of orange scented anything. It’s supposed to lift your spirits, but it usually just smells too sweet for my taste and I feel kind of nauseated. But, this has orange and cedar and I love to rub …

Fertility

Published by Sharon

NOTE: this is a dated blog post that describes services and packages that are no longer available. If you are interested in my optimum fertility and reproductive health services, please follow this link to the current packages. Optimum Fertility Reproductive Health and Fertility Coaching Irregular Periods? PMS? Moody? Bloated? Doubled over and missing out on activities and work due to cramps, migraine headaches or back pain? Does your period just go on and on and on? Is “heavy” flow an understatement? PCOS? (Poly-cystic Ovarian Syndrome) Anovulation? Not ovulating due to low body fat, endocrine disruption or trying to regain fertility after being on birth control pills or other hormone based birth control? Trying to conceive for over 6-months without a pregnancy? Miscarriage? Unexplained infertility? Considering IVF or other medically assisted reproduction therapy? There is no reason to suffer! I offer personalized coaching services where we address your greatest concerns, create do-able action plans for addressing your needs and all the support and confidence you need to improve …

Keeping Cool with Yoga

Published by Sharon

Top Three Ways to Cool Down with Yoga and Meditation You might not think of yoga when you consider ways to cool down. As a matter of fact, with the proliferation of hot yoga, you may only think of yoga as an activity that is meant to generate heat. But, yoga and meditation offer a variety of ways to help balance your experience of heat. First, we should explore the concept of “heat” in the context of yoga. There are many different ways to look at heat and fire in energetic principles, asana/movement, and pranayama/breath. One approach to heat is to examine the “agni” or digestive fires located in the navel center. The heat produced during the effort of practicing yoga poses (asana) is designed to clear “energetic” impurities. An example of an “energetic” impurity might be an emotional block or a mental pattern that is no longer helpful. This allows energy to move more freely through the subtle body and creates potential where there may have not been any before the block was removed. …

Tension Relief for Pregnancy

Published by Sharon

Tension Relief for Pregnancy Tele-Workshop and Recording Tuition: $15 (Includes MP3 download so you can enjoy the relaxation as many times and as often as you like!) Thursday, August 1, 2013 10:30 to 11:30 am (USA, Eastern) Recording available a few hours after the event through August 7, 2013. Relieve tension in head, neck and shoulders Release water retention and discomfort in hands and wrists Learn a simple breathing exercise to help you relax at any time Experience a deep relaxation and yogic sleep that will refresh your body, mind and spirit even more than a nap (yes, really!) Traditional pregnancy yoga and meditation classes and workshops require you to set aside time to attend that single event. Unfortunately, this means that you only have one chance to attend and perhaps you are exhausted that day or childcare for your toddler or older children falls through. Matrika Tele-Workshops are simply fabulous because you can enjoy the workshop when it is most convenient for YOU and practice relaxation techniques with the guided recording as …

The Most Beautiful Bath

Published by Sharon

This has been going around Facebook for years now, but it is so beautiful and inspiring that I thought I would post it again just in case you missed it or want to see it again. Even more beautiful is this amazing montage of one of my yoga instructor’s home births. Posted by Sharon Fennimore Rudyk, facilitator of Matrika Prenatal Teacher Training programs, Matrika Prenatal Yoga and Exercise classes and a Pittsburgh doula and childbirth educator. For more information about doula services and prenatal yoga in Pittsburgh or my new e-book, please call 412-855-5692 or send me an e-mail: sharon@yogamatrika.com. Website: www.sharonrudykyoga.com

Health Coach for Women

Published by Sharon

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 …

About Me

Published by Sharon

A Pep Talk for You!

Published by Sharon

A Little Pep Talk Just for YOU How many flexible people do you know? Let’s be honest here—you don’t actually KNOW anyone who is flexible. If yoga required flexibility, then 15 million people in America wouldn’t have been practicing last year. But, they did. How many thin people do you know? If yoga required you to look fabulous in stretch pants, then 15 million people in America wouldn’t have been practicing last year. But, despite the fact that two-thirds of Americans are overweight, they did. And, by the way, I bet you look awesome just as you are. Don’t think you have enough money for yoga? Yes, studying yoga and meditation is an investment. But, in 2010 the cost of heart disease in the United States was $444 BILLION DOLLARS (source). This is a no brainer. Invest now in practices that immediately improve the quality of your life at a fraction of the cost that chronic illness and disease imposes on your life later. Stop making excuses. Making an investment in yoga and meditation will …

Wanting Mind

Published by Sharon

Love Letter Thursday 5.16.13 Pittsburgh, PA On this Thursday, I send you some ideas on the wanting mind. Rooted in desire, the wanting mind is constantly evaluating what we like, don’t like, wish for and don’t wish for. Although the world keeps changing right underneath our feet, we grasp with the wanting mind and hope (expect?) that somehow we can set the circumstances in place that will allow things to be “just so” and for as long as possible. This is, exactly, the idea behind the love note itself. Or is it? In Phillip Moffitt’s book, Emotional Chaos to Clarity (which, by the way, I can’t recommend highly enough), he explores the difference between expectation and possibility. And, I argue that, based on his explanation of the difference between the two, a love note is exciting because it is filled with possibility rather than expectation. Sure, you don’t expect to open my little note on Thursday and find something mean spirited, but the reason why you look forward to these notes is because anything is …

Seven Stress Related Health Problems

Published by Sharon

Here are seven stress-related health problems you can do something about with gentle yoga and meditation. Remember, stress isn’t a “feeling”–it is a physiologic response to perceived (or real) danger. It isn’t in “your head” and yoga and meditation provide release of deeply held tensions, fears and anxieties through physical, mental and spiritual exercises. Heart Disease and Diabetes Stress raises your glucose levels making it harder to manage Type 2 diabetes. Mindfulness-based meditation programs have been proven to reverse heart disease. Asthma Chronic stress makes asthma worse and children with stressed-out parents are more likely to have asthma. Obesity Stress causes higher levels of the hormone cortisol which makes you collect fat around your middle. Headaches Migraines and tension headaches. Enough said. Depression and Anxiety Adults who report having stressful jobs (like having a lot of work and very few rewards) have an 80% higher chance of developing depression than adults who do not report a stressful work environment. It’s unlikely that you can change your work situation overnight, but you can change your response …

Love Letter Thursday 2.28.13

Published by Sharon

28.2.13 Pittsburgh, PA I want to live in a world where everyone believes that each new day represents a completely new opportunity. It really breaks my heart when I talk with my friends, family or students and they feel as though their future has been determined by the mistakes, adversity or experiences of their past. I see so many of us feeling stuck and in the feeling place of lacking the velocity to bring ourselves out of a trajectory that has us on the wrong track, but we feel like we just aren’t the “type of person” that makes changes “like that” or perhaps we feel doomed to be just like ______________(fill in the blank with the name of some relative). Sometimes, it is just so hard to see around the obstacles and challenges in our life. I want you to feel powerful in the face of change and adversity. So, I’ve created, just for you, a sweet meditation practice where you take a little bit of time (an hour and fifteen minutes to …

Closing the Studio

Published by Sharon

This past summer, with just 90-days notice, OM Yoga in New York City closed after 15-years of providing leadership in New York’s yoga scene because they lost their lease. Cyndi Lee’s response was incredibly graceful and resonates deeply with my own feelings right now: “Also, it sounds cheesy but I’m just super grateful that the causes and conditions arose for me to build that yoga studio and that the community grew and developed, and it’s been beautiful. I feel really proud because there has been no badness, only goodness, and I think it’s time to celebrate that.” (Original Source/Full Interview) When my baby boy was just six-months old, my dear husband agreed to help me renovate the space at 1406 S. Negley Avenue so that I could start a yoga studio business. I knew absolutely nothing about running a yoga studio, marketing, websites, etc. What I knew was that yoga was the most significant force in my life and brought me great peace no matter what was going on. I felt so strongly about it …

Matrika on the Go

Published by Sharon

I’m taking matrika style on the go and you can find me offering yoga and meditation classes on Sundays and Mondays at mookshi wellness center! Save your space in a series today. I’m also offering a workshop for women and one for meditators. I hope to see you at mookshi soon! GROUP CLASSES Mindful Flow Join me for this esoteric bliss mission! In this yoga series open to all levels, we move with the breath creating joy in open awareness. As our practice is a moving meditation, we use a variety of poses, breathing exercises and visualization techniques from Chinese, Tibetan and Indian yoga traditions to create flexibility and strength in body, mind and spirit. This healing practice will help you feel centered, relaxed and inspired. Enjoy a stronger and more flexible body as you build a foundation for profound happiness and tranquility. SERIES I: Mondays, March 4, 11, 18 and April 1 from 10:00-11:15 am SERIES II: Mondays, April 8, 15, 22, 29 from 10:00-11:15 am Tuition: $60 for each series of 4-classes …