Tag: yoga Squirrel Hill

Day One, Week One: Attachment & Weakness

April 15, 2012
Posted by Sharon
Leave a comment

A few weeks ago I threatened to start Rodney Yee’s 8-week Home Yoga Practice program from his book, Moving Towards Balance: 8-Weeks of Yoga with Rodney Yee and blog about my experience.  Today, I’m making good on my threat.  It’s Day One of Week One.

Today’s practice involved practicing multiple versions of some standing poses.  Already, I’m kind of frustrated.  After twenty-years of practice, I like doing these poses the way I like doing these poses.  So, today, I met the beast of attachment head on and I did the poses the way Rodney wanted me to.  I’m still going to keep doing the poses my way, but once I got over my attachment issues, I did find that doing the poses in the variety of ways that the practice suggested, I was able to find different sensation in the poses.  It was really an invitation to feel the poses in a variety of different ways and this brought me into deeper awareness of sensation in my body and the alignment and use of my skeletal system.

I also discovered that I am weak.  Seriously W-E-A-K.  For each of the asana variations, we were instructed to hold the pose for 30-seconds.  I confidently came into Warrior II only to find that my whole body wanted to give in at around five seconds.  I have been holding poses for a mindful period of time, but only some poses that are a part of my regular Vajra Yoga practice.  Being forced to hold other poses took me out of my strength-zone and I was surprised to find out how weak I felt when holding poses.  In all fairness, I have been either pregnant or nursing a baby for the past 19-months and that is bound to exhaust a person and change strength and endurance in some ways and enhance it in others.

Finally, I should divulge that I did this practice in the center of my home’s family room with a sick five-year old sitting on the couch watching Pokemon videos and playing fruit ninja on my iPhone and my 9-month old dumping blocks out of a canvas bag near my head.  While in downward facing dog, my 9-month old crawled under me and pinched my boob.  Yes, you read this correctly—-she pinched my boob!  But, I have to say that I felt a whole lot more open, centered and, if not really relaxed, more prepared to continue with the day than I did before practice.  I mention this because so many adults feel that they can’t mke time for yoga because they keep waiting for the perfect moment, the perfect place or the time when they can have some peace and quiet.  Yes, ideally you can make your practice about taking some time for yourself, but if you can’t, then just push aside the crumbs and the toys—–roll out the mat over the chaos and make it happen.

Please feel free to join me in my 8-week program with Rodney Yee.  You can share your own experience by leaving comments on this blog.  It’s OK if you start on a different day or we get out of sync.  This is going to be fun!

Posted by Sharon Fennimore Rudyk, the fearless leader of Team Matrika.  Are you in Pittsburgh, PA?  Join us for a great class at Yoga Matrika in Squirrel Hill.

Practice What You Preach

March 18, 2012
Posted by Sharon
Leave a comment

For a couple of years now, the book I have used as a reference when planning Matrika Flow classes and that I consistently refer to my students that wish to develop their home practice is Rodney Yee’s text, Moving Toward Balance: 8-Weeks of Yoga with Rodney Yee.  I am very familiar with this book and feel that it has wonderful pictures, very clearly written instructions and well-conceived sequences.  I’ve always felt confident when I refer students and other teachers to this book.

But, if I’m going to be completely honest, I’ve never actually done the eight-week program.  So, it’s time for me to step up to the mat and practice what I preach.  My excuse has always been that I have a wonderful daily practice of yoga and meditation that I enjoy and I have never wanted to disrupt it.  Why would I change a good thing?  Well, there are LOTS of reasons why shaking things up a bit might be a good thing and I am going to make a commitment to this 8-week program.  My intention is to blog my experience and hope that you might join me on this two-month journey either by reading along or trying the program yourself and commenting on my blog entries with your own experience.Who knows, maybe I will read the Guide to Career Education
and get a start on writing my own book!

 

I am going to start my eight-week practice journey on Sunday, April 15th and end on Sunday, June 10th.  If you want to join me, please obtain a copy of the book before April 15th.  Want to let me know you are joining me?  Just comment on this post so I know I am not alone.  I’ll blog about my experiences and hope you will keep me company by posting about your experience with these practices or this 8-week program in general.

Meet you on the Mat!

Posted by Sharon Rudyk, the fearless juggler mamma at Yoga Matrika, an intimate space for the exploration of yoga, meditation and generosity of spirit in Squirrel Hill, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. 

Meditation Series

August 26, 2011
Posted by Sharon
Leave a comment

This fall, Yoga Matrika is offering a 12-week Meditation Series facilitated by Bhante Pema. This is a very unique opportunity in Pittsburgh to study and practice meditation. By making a 12-week commitment, you will start to see the benefits of regular practice over the course of three-months.

Dr. Josephine Briggs, the Director of the National Institutes of Health, National Center for Alternative and Complementary Medicine, says that, “It is now well established that the meditative state can be associated with changes in electrical function of the brain, and recent imaging studies suggest that there may actually be neuroanatomic changes as well.”  In addition, a new study by the Public Library of Science suggests that regular meditation can have a significant impact on stress related illnesses. “The study found that in comparison to a control group of people who had never meditated, a group of regular meditators actually suppressed twice the number of genes that induce stress responses such as high blood pressure and inflammation in the body.Long term effects of the expression of stress-related genes can have very harmful effects on health, including high blood pressure or chronic pain. Those who meditate regularly are thus at a greatly decreased risk for developing these problems.”

According to NCCAM, over 20 million Americans practice meditation for a variety of health benefits. You can find out more about meditation and the types of research that are being conducted now regarding meditation and impact on specific health problems here.

Our course instructor, Bhante Pema, is a Buddhist monk and is currently the resident teacher and abbot of the Pittsburgh Buddhist Center.  He is also working on a Ph.D. in Religious Studies at the University of Pittsburgh.  While the instructor is a Buddhist monk, the meditation style and techniques that are taught in this course are secular and this is not a religious group and instruction in Buddhism is not provided.  Everyone is welcome to learn these techniques to benefit their health and well being.

REGISTER HERE: $130 for 12-week course

Ven. Soorakkulame Pemaratana (aka. Bhante Pema)

Ven. S. Pemaratana was ordained as a Buddhist monk in 1986 and received higher ordination in 1997. His monastic training was under the tutelage of the most Ven. Attangane Sasanaratana Maha Thero at Sripathi Pirivena, Diyakalamulla, Kuliyapitiya, Sri Lanka. He holds a bachelor’s degree with first class honors in Buddhist Studies from the University of Peradeniya and a master’s degree in philosophy from the National University of Singapore.

He has lectured at the University of Peradeniya and the Buddhist and Pali College of Singapore. He conducts regular lectures and workshops in Buddhist teachings and meditation.  The Transcultural Society for Clinical Meditation in Japan gave him the 2008 Haruki Award for his research paper on Meditation and Cognitive Behavior Therapy. He is currently the resident teacher and acting abbot of the Pittsburgh Buddhist Center.

Posted by Sharon Fennimore Rudyk, Owner and Director of Programs for Yoga Matrika, an intimate yoga studio located in Squirrel Hill, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.  Discover more about our unique programs that explore the incredible healing power of yoga, breath and meditation on our website.

Art of the Inhale

October 24, 2010
Posted by Sharon
Leave a comment

At Yoga Matrika, an intimate community-based yoga studio in Squirrel Hill, Pittsburgh, I offer a class three times a week called Body, Breath and Mind.  These are intermediate level yoga classes with a holistic approach to yoga practices including asana, pranayama, energy anatomy,philosophy and ethics and meditation.

This week, one of the pranayama exercises we will practice is Anuloma Krama.  This beautiful breathing practice starts with a complete exhale.  The empty lungs are then filled in two sips of breath with a pause between.  In this sweet ode to the in-breath, we pause to appreciate what it feels like to be full of potential, energy and life.  Then, we realize that we can open just a little bit more.  Then, we pause in this great state of expansion and life before returning to where we began, with a complete exhale.

While these instructions are given here for general use, it is important to note that:

  • Many people should not hold their breath, including women who are pregnant.  Please ask your doctor if you have any questions about whether or not this type of breathing exercise is appropriate for you.
  • If you are not a regular yoga student, the pause between breath might be too long for you.  Start with less than 5-seconds of pause and build your way up to 5-seconds over time.
  • While practicing pranayama, it is important to practice in a comfortable way.  If you experience discomfort on either the in-breath, out-breath or the pause, reduce your effort to a comfortable level.
  • It is best to have a competent pranayama instructor when you are first learning.  Please ask your instructor to work with you on this exercise.

ANULOMA KRAMA

Step 1: find a comfortable seat in a chair or on the floor.  Breathe in and out through your nose if you aren’t congested.  Let your belly fill with breath on the inhale and gently pull your navel towards your spine on the exhale.  Enjoy these deep and rhythmic breaths.

Step 2: Exhale completely

Step 3: Inhale the first 1/2 of your breath by filling from the pit of your throat to your sternum is about 5-seconds.

Step 4: Pause for 5-seconds

Step 5: Inhale the second 1/2 of your breath by filling from your sternum to your pubic bone in about 5-seconds.

Step 6: Pause for 5-seconds.

Step 7: Exhale completely

[Return to step 3 and continue for 5-8 minutes.  Then, breathe in and out naturally for 2-minutes and just notice how you feel.]

Creative Thursdays at The Mat

September 23, 2010
Posted by Sharon
Leave a comment

Thursday is shaping up to be a very creative day at The Mat!  Located on Wilkins Avenue in Squirrel Hill, Pittsburgh, Yoga Matrika offers great yoga, pilates and mediation classes and now creative play, creative movement and a knitting group.  We are an inclusive community and all of our classes are offered on a contribution basis.  Come and play with us on Thursdays!

Each moment rushes from all sides rushes to us the call to love.
We are running to contemplate its vast green field.
Do you want to come with us?
This is not the time to stay at home,
But to go out and give yourself to the garden.
The dawn of joy has arisen,
And this is the moment of union, of vision. ~ Rumi

Creative Thursdays stars with a Creative Flow class for adults. Bobbi teaches this creative yoga class from 8:00 to 9:15 am that includes everything you love about yoga and also provides opportunity to move, sway, jump and roll by adding creative movement into the flow.  Absolutely no experience is required.  This is an especially great class if you ever find yourself worried about doing the asana “right” as it frees your mind and body to the potential of creativity in the poses.

Starting on October 14th, Malke Frank will be facilitating a Creative Movement class for toddlers ages 1-3 from 11:30 to 12:15 pm. Spontaneous movement is the dance of childhood.  Through creative movement, a child becomes aware of the various parts of the body. With this awareness comes both a sense of being comfortable with themselves and the security to explore more movement.  Another facet is the development of basic locomotor (walking, crawling, running, galloping, etc.) and non-locomotor movements (bouncing, swinging, pushing, stretching, etc.)  Beginning with these and progressing to concepts of space, tempo, and rhythm, the child has the opportunity to discover and explore her/his own uniqueness and creative possibilities.  Sounds, too, are an integral part of creative movement. The children have themselves – their hands and feet, fingers, elbows, tongues, voices, etc. – as accompaniment to their movement.  Percussion instruments and listening to the sounds of nature add another dimension to the exploration of sound.   In a non-judgmental atmosphere which encourages spontaneous and imaginative expression, a child can gain self-esteem and self-confidence.

The Matrika knitting group, which is open to everyone who loves to knit or crochet or embroider or any kind of project you can carry around in a tote meets to Sit & Knit on Thursdays from 11:30 to 12:45 in the Peace Room.  Yes, children and infants and any other person in your care are absolutely welcome.  We have tea service, but ask that you bring your own mug.

Starting on October 14th, Malke Frank will be facilitating an open-concept Creative Play group for all ages from 2:30 to 4:00pm. Just drop-in during this time and enjoy our open space for creative play.  Malke will provide scarves, bean bags, musical instruments and other materials for creative play.  We have books, puzzles, wooden animals and other games too.  If you would like a cup of tea, please bring a mug.  You are also welcome to bring peanut free snacks and we just ask that you not offer your child dried fruit (raisins especially) in the studio as they seem to be the only snack that is near impossible to remove from the floor.  Parents and caregivers will enjoy the great adult company too!

Carnegie Mellon Yoga Pittsburgh

September 3, 2010
Posted by Sharon
Leave a comment

Are you a Carnegie Mellon student or faculty member looking for a great yoga, meditation or pilates class close to campus?  Yoga Matrika is just a short trip up Wilkins Avenue from campus (5-minutes by bus or car, maybe 10-minutes on a bike).  We have a great introductory deal of $10 for 10-classes in 10-days so you can take a few different classes and see what works best for you in terms of schedule, style and level.  After that, full time college, graduate and professional students can purchase a discounted class card of 7-classes for $50.  These packages are valid for 6-months.  In addition, all of our weekend classes, starting with Friday night’s 5:30pm Happy Hour Yoga, are by donation.  Everyone is welcome to weekend classes regardless of ability to pay.

For faculty or students who are expecting or who have young children, Yoga Matrika offers the most comprehensive prenatal yoga, postnatal yoga, family yoga and childrens’ yoga class programs in the city.  Our Family Yoga class on Sundays at 10:45am is by donation and offers limited childcare so that everyone can have a good time.

Yoga Matrika welcomes Carnegie Mellon students and faculty to our beautiful yoga studio in Squirrel Hill, Pittsburgh.

Posted by Sharon Rudyk, owner of Yoga Matrika, an intimate yoga studio in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on Wilkins Avenue near Beechwood Boulevard: https://www.yogamatrika.com/.