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- About
you. Devoted to yoga or just getting started with a practice, you already know how good you feel
after a class: calmer, more at ease in your body, more focused. You may have found that your digestion is better and
that you sleep well after a class, and over time, you notice small, incremental, positive changes in your state of well-being.
What is happening within your body/mind during and after a yoga class is quite complex and
wonderful. In essence, you are deliberately cultivating 'prana' or the life force within you through a series of postures
and/or posture flows choreographed by your yoga instructor. Some instructors do the same series every time. Others
mixed it up, focusing on core strength for one class, balance in another. At a biochemical level, you are affecting
your own chemistry in a positive way through your yoga practice. So although hatha yoga (the postures) is often touted
as a way to become more flexible, strong and toned -- and a regular practice can do that -- it is working on a much more subtle
and powerful level.
As yogi master B.K.S. Iyengar puts it, "Yoga must be experienced." If
you're new to yoga, ask around your neighborhood for leads to a Yoga-Alliance certified yoga teacher (like me). Get
yourself a mat at least 1/4" thick, a comfortable pair of shorts or tights and t-shirt. More important than
these is the desire to explore something new and the willingness to be a beginner, as we all are at something every single
day of our lives.
- About me. Like a lot of people, I sampled yoga
in the 1970s when it first became better known in the West. For a variety of reasons, it didn't take hold then, but
I got another chance in my early 50s when a Kripalu teacher began to offer classes near my home. I discovered how good
I felt after a class, physically, mentally and spiritually. I began to notice that I was becoming more flexible, and
had fewer colds. Peri-menopause symptoms were more manageable. I was handling the challenges of my small business
as a public relations consultant and writer more calmly and creatively. In 1998, after I had been practicing Kripalu
yoga for three years, I decided I wanted to share this remarkable tool with others, so I took yoga teacher training at the
Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health in Stockbridge, Mass. I opened a small studio in Hoboken called 11th and Yoga and began teaching weekly group classes,
as well as prenatal yoga workshops. I launched a weekly class at Jersey City Medical Center and it was soon packed with
staffers in scrubs. From those beginnings, I branched out into other hospitals, churches and synagogues and a senior
center. In 2003, I moved to South Florida and have been teaching in a variety of private and public fitness facilities
since. Current venues/clients include Loggerhead Fitness (Juno Beach) St. Joseph's Assisted Living (Jupiter), Ocean
Trails (Jupiter, in season), Morse Life (Women's Group), the First Unitarian Universalist Congregation of the Palm Beaches.
I am certified also in Chair Yoga, Thai Yoga Bodywork and Laughter Yoga. I have an MA in English, and am a published
author and blogger. I am also grandmother of five potential yogis.
- About Kripalu Yoga. Called 'meditation in motion,' Kripalu Yoga helps you find your own yoga. You are always encouraged to practice a series of postures at your
own pace, respecting your strengths and limitations, making this a very easy way to take yoga into your life. Practiced regularly, it is nothing less than a revolutionary tool
for more conscious, healthy living. I teach students short routines they can practice on their own, upon waking, before
bedtime, or whenever they have 10 or 15 minutes during the day. My goal is to encourage students to establish a regular
practice beyond the classroom.
- Created
by a mentor and colleague of mine, Lakshmi Voelker, Chair Yoga
translates many familiar yoga postures to the seated position. This makes Chair Yoga ideal for anyone with compromised
mobility, including people who cannot easily use a mat on the floor, including those recovering from injury or illness.
A complete practice in and of itself.
- You can sample my group Kripalu classes at Loggerhead Fitness in Juno Beach, or make an appointment for a private class in your home. Phone: 561-625-8753
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Friday, October 31, 2008
Yoga in a Hospital SettingYoga is turning up in some surprising places, not the least of which
is the Beth Israel Medical Center in New York City, courtesy of a large grant from designer Donna Karan who has funded a year-long experiment in alternative
therapies including yoga in honor of her late husband and partner, Stephen Weiss, who died of the disease at age 61.
We'll see more of this in the future, which is good news for all of us, yoga students and teachers, and everyone who is
yet to be exposed to the wonderful tool for healing and skillful living.
5:49 pm edt
Monday, October 27, 2008
Symptoms of Inner Peace A tendency to think and act spontaneously rather than on fears
based on past experiences. An unmistakable ability to enjoy each moment.
A
loss of interest in judging other people. A loss of interest in judging self.
A loss of interest in interpreting the actions of others.
A
loss of interest in conflict. A loss of the ability to worry. (This is a very serious symptom.)
Frequent,
overwhelming episodes of appreciation.
Contented feelings of connectedness with others and nature.
Frequent
attacks of smiling.
An
increasing tendency to let things happen rather than make them happen.
An increased susceptibility to the love extended
by others as well as an uncontrollable urge to extend it.
11:18 am edt
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Stress: Can it be managed? This week, I'm preparing to do a workshop on managing stress in difficult
times, and I got to thinking about stress, just what it is (and isn't), and whether we can really manage it. I wanted
a good definition and found this from The American Institute of Stress: "because it is such a highly subjective phenomenon [stress] defies
definition." In other words, one person's stress could be another's interesting challenge.
What most people recognize is that our bodies respond in a predictable way to a change in our world, real
or imagined, with a flood of hormones that prepare us to fight or flee. Sometimes, this heightened state is just what we need to take appropriate action.
Indeed, we might not have survived as a species without it. But often, it is an over-reaction that takes a toll on our
bodies. We might call this distress and it can lead to all kinds of problems, premature aging among
them.
Practitioners of hatha yoga -- the postures that have become synonymous with yoga
in the West -- find that purposely stressing the muscles and skeletal system with weight-bearing postures actually
strengthens them, which is one reason yoga improves our bodies. Body builders work out with weights to the
same end. So clearly, stress has its uses.
The view I prefer is to accept stress
as part of life, a response to inevitable change. Reflecting on the circumstances that make you feel distressed -- racing
pulse, shallow breaths, sweating -- can be your best preparation in managing stress. A few deep, mindful breaths
into the belly can help you find a center, a space within, from which to consider the circumstances more calmly. If
action can be taken that could produce a desired result, you can alleviate stress by taking a first step.
If your are facing circumstances beyond your control, the best, most skillful way is to let it go and move on. As in
yoga itself, practice trumps theory any day.
11:04 pm edt
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Occasionally, I'll focus on a particular posture here or steer you
to some information that will nourish your practice of yoga. Whenever possible, I'll include links so you can explore
resources more deeply. I think of my yoga teaching as a two-way conversation between me and my students, so feel free
to email me (marika@2young2retire.com) with questions or comments. As Rodgers and Hammerstein put is so well, "As
a teacher I've been learning..."
Here
are a few links to get you started:
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Please get in touch with any questions or comments
on my site. Marika@2young2retire.com
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