Yoga Your Way NY

As we settle into this enforced isolation and the pandemic worsens, I've started to realize that I've been somewhat cavalier about my possible exposure to the virus: taking numerous trips to the store, offering to run errands for people who are quarantined, walking in the park. So I've settled in to a more strict routine of staying home, washing, disinfecting, and going out as little as possible. I've "sat" with my meditation group virtually, started playing the piano again, ...practiced yoga, listened to e-courses that have been on my to-do list. Yesterday my son and I baked bread "together" (on the phone)! I hope you're all doing the same - keeping busy, staying calm. I recorded a short (under 13 minute) breathing practice which I'd like to share with you. It's a practice that focuses on the "central channel" of your body, an imaginary line reaching from the crown of the head to the base of the torso. This is a modification of a practice I learned from my teacher, Gary Kraftsow. It involves scanning down the front of the body, back up the back, and then down that center line. I have always found it to be a calming, focusing practice, and I hope you do, too. You can find it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mk4wWRRFp30

https://yogayourwayny.com/yoga-in-the-time-of-covid-19/

I just returned from a 4-day retreat in Austin, Texas, with my teacher, Gary Kraftsow. At this retreat, we explored different schools of thought that emerged from the Vedic period. The Veda-s, collections of hymns and mantra-s incorporating teachings about the great questions of life (for example: who am I? why am I here?), and commentaries on the meanings of these hymns and mantra-s, were written starting around 1500 BC. The schools of thought that we studied, Advaita Vednt...a, Viidvaita, and Dvaita, developed much later. All of these recognized that suffering is part of human experience, that suffering is caused by ignorance of the true nature of existence and consciousness, and that we can free ourselves from suffering by realizing our true nature. Our practices at this retreat included chanting of mantra-s from the Veda-s, guided meditations, and journaling. You may be wondering what this has to do with yoga. The truth is, it has everything to do with yoga. When I started my teacher training, back in 2004, I was interested in sana, the movement part of yoga. I loved how much better I felt when I practiced sana - not just physically but also mentally and emotionally - and wanted to learn how to help others achieve that sense of well-being. But in my yoga studies, I came to realize that sana is only the tip of the iceberg; a doorway in to a much larger and more important discipline. Although I mainly teach sana and prnmya (focused breathing) in my classes, yoga is really the whole package - a system of methods and practices leading ultimately to liberation. One of the main concepts of Advaita Vednta and Viidvaita is that ultimately, the consciousness that exists within us is not separate from the universal consciousness that pervades the universe. I find this concept to be especially comforting in this time of political, economic, and ecological uncertainty. Inspired by the practices that Gary led during this retreat, I'd like to offer you a short practice with a chant and meditation. Chanting can create a vibration in your core, helping to bring the focus inward, and thus facilitating meditation. The chant is "om so ham, ham sa ha." The meaning is - I am that (universal consciousness - om) - that I am." It is chanted on 3 tones (comprising 2 whole steps musically - like C-D-E) - the syllable with the horizontal line underneath is the lowest tone, the syllable with no extra mark is the middle tone, and the syllable with the vertical line above is the highest tone. Light is often used as a symbol of universal consciousness, and I have included a short meditation on light in the practice. I have also included chair versions of the poses. Enjoy the practice, and have a wonderful and serene holiday season.

Yoga and Aging - part II - the hip bone's connected to... As we get older, our bodies seem to forget how they're supposed to work: tendons, ligaments, muscles, and blood vessels should be supple, but they become less elastic; teeth and bones, which should be hard, soften or become brittle. So in order to remain healthy and strong, we have to pay extra attention to those wayward body parts. It's important to keep muscles toned so that they help to hold our bones and join...ts in proper alignment, to strengthen bones so they don't fracture, to cultivate awareness to help prevent falls, which are more dangerous to aging, fragile bones. And we have to do all of these things slowly and carefully, so as not to damage our already compromised tendons, muscles, cartilage, and ligaments. I've had a number of yoga clients who had been active in sports all their lives, but now suffer from back pain, shoulder pain, arthritis, and other similar ailments. This can happen due to repetitive stress (think, for example, about the golf swing - which tends to stress one shoulder and hip, or about the pounding a runner's feet and knees take). And there are others who've done little exercise but now realize, perhaps because of a physician's stern warning, that they need to get moving! It could be helpful for people in both categories to be physically active, but in a mindful way. The techniques we use in Viniyoga - using the breath as a guide, and repeating movements, perhaps going deeper into the movement with each successive repetition - can be very useful. I'd like to offer a short practice to help strengthen muscles and bones.

If You Have Arthritis, Get Moving! Part III - Hips and Low Back In this last of my arthritis series, I'd like to offer some gentle yoga poses for your hips and low back that you can do while sitting in a chair.... Remember that movement should be gentle - don't push it. Let the breath move you. And STOP before it becomes painful. If you have arthritis and are interested in attending a yoga-for-arthritis class, let me know! If I have enough interest, I’ll start one. In the meantime, my Tuesday 5:15 class is especially appropriate, but any of my classes at WESTMED or at the Irvington Presbyterian Church can work for you; the classes are small and I tailor each class to whatever the participants want and need.

Got arthritis? Keep Moving! (Part 2 - feet, ankles, knees) I recently posted a few reasons to move if you have arthritis: ... Movement: increases circulation which can help decrease inflammation improves range of motion strengthens muscles improves one’s feeling of well-being I offered a short, gentle practice that could be useful for the upper body. Now I'd like to give you some poses that can help with arthritis pain in the feet, ankles, and knees. Next time, on to the hips and low back! Remember that movement should be gentle - don't push it. Let the breath move you. And STOP before it becomes painful.

Got Arthritis? Get Moving! Part I Upper Body You’ve all probably heard the modern saying that sitting is the new smoking. Ya gotta move! I do a lot of walking, and, of course, yoga, but the rest of the time I’m usually sitting and I can feel the effects my low back starts screaming, my shoulders whine. It’s quite the cacophony of pain!... And if you have arthritis, it’s even more important to move. But, paradoxically, if you have arthritis, it’s often more difficult and painful to keep moving. The idea that movement can help may seem counter-intuitive when your joints are inflamed and you’re in pain. There are a lot of reasons to get moving. Here are a few: Movement - increases circulation which can help decrease inflammation - improves range of motion - strengthens muscles - improves one’s feeling of well-being A key is to move gently, in all directions, and only to the point BEFORE it becomes painful. With each repetition of a movement, you may find you can move just a little bit further. And with a regular yoga practice, flexibility and strength will improve and you may find you can move more easily and with less pain. At the bottom of this post you’ll find some gentle yoga poses for the upper body. I’ll tackle the lower body next time. If you have arthritis and are interested in attending a yoga-for-arthritis class, let me know! If I have enough interest, I’ll start one. In the meantime, any of my classes at WESTMED or at the Irvington Presbyterian Church would be appropriate: the classes are small and I tailor each class to whatever the participants want and need. See more

Is there a science behind the anecdotal evidence that yoga is good for what ails you? Click here to read about my experiences at a conference on yoga and science. https://yogayourwayny.com/yoga-and-science/

You probably know that the word "January" derives from the name of Janus, the Roman god with two heads, one looking back to the past and one looking forward to the future. Almost every culture has a tradition of pausing at the transition from one year to another to reflect on one's past behavior and to resolve to make improvements in the year to come. In yoga philosophy, there is a concept called sankalpa, which could be translated as determination, or setting an intention. S...ankalpa can be used at any time, not just at the end of the year, but this is a perfect time to set some positive changes in motion! There are several parts to sankalpa: 1. You might start with some self-examination - What is my state of mind? What are my current issues? What do I want to change? What are the obstacles in my path to be overcome? Our habits, good and bad, can be ingrained. To change them, we need to first identify and examine the obstacles. 2. Then you might ask for help - and I don't mean asking someone else - ask yourself. Look inside yourself - the answers are there, waiting for you to discover them. 3. Finally, make a commitment to change, but commit without necessarily expecting a result. We delude ourselves if we think we can control results - we can take control of our actions, but not the result of the action. Here is a meditative practice for the New Year. I plan to offer a longer version of this practice on New Year's Eve so if you're around, join me!.

Many people think of yoga as a pursuit for the young picturing lithe elastic bodies twisting into seemingly impossible configurations. But yoga is not just about strengthening muscles and increasing flexibility. In fact, asana practice (i.e. the physical movements and poses) is only preparation for the harder, inner work of yoga. One of the consistent themes in yoga is opposition. For example, in asana, while one part of your body is moving in one direction, another part ...Continue reading

Yoga Winter Warmup When I was a kid, in Kingston, New York, where winters are serious business, I had a fairly long walk to school. In an attempt to keep myself warm, or at least distract myself from the cold, I came up with an elaborate visualization: I imagined a self-propelled flying machine that I could fold up into a small case the size of a laptop (bear in mind that this was well before pc’s, let alone laptops!). So when I left the house, I’d pull out the case and sta...rt unfolding. The assembly process was complex and lengthy and lasted a good part of the walk. I remember many intricate details of the interior, including big, wide windows, a comfortable swiveling seat, a control panel worthy of the Star Trek Enterprise, and a small stove with a pot of hot cocoa bubbling away. As I approached school, I’d land and start the slightly less laborious process of folding it and packing it back up. Once that was done, I nonchalantly walked into the building as though nothing magical had just happened.. When it’s cold outside, it helps to call upon your imagination and inner reserves to warm you up. A good parka keeps you warm but not because it is a source of heat itself, rather, it warms you by trapping your own body heat. With that thought in mind, here’s a grown-up version of my flying machine: try imagining that your body is like a cylinder, with a vertical pipe running from your head to your toes at your core, and that inside that pipe is your body’s furnace. As you inhale, feel the breath drawing downward and inward, the breath becoming warmed as it moves past that inner furnace. Then hold the breath within, imagining the warmed breath spreading throughout your body. Exhale the warmed breath out so you make room for another warming inhale. Once you come in from the cold, or before you go out in the cold, here are some poses to try which incorporate that breath and visualization. You should start sitting, taking several smooth breaths as described above, and end with a resting pose.