Inner Light Outer Peace Yoga Blog

Yogini Nancy at the Y asked me about today’s reading from Mary Oliver. Here it is and it also on the Yoga Readings page here.

Wild Geese

You do not have to be good.
You do not have to walk on your knees
for a hundred miles through the desert repenting.
You only have to let the soft animal of your body
love what it loves.

Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine.
Meanwhile the world goes on. Continue reading “Inspiration - Wild Geese”

Get Open Hips with Jen
Sunday, November 30, 2008
12 - 2pm

The hips are home to many vital organs as well as the seat of our creativity and sensuality. This post-Thanksgiving two hour session will get the creative juices flowing, and gently open the hips bringing liberation to the lumbar spine and often a release of toxic emotions.

What better time to get open in the hips than this season of thanks and giving.

$35.00/person, please pre-register, minimum 6/maximum 12 participants.

Meet Virginia.

Sharing a meal with her sisters, she is on the far right.

Virginia is such a light in my week, an eager student, a friendly smile and always a positive attitude. If there was need to exemplify the “beginner mind’ I would think of Virginia who welcomes each class as another opportunity to explore and broaden her horizons. Through difficult times she has held fast to her practice and enthusiasm for learning. As I have gotten to know her, it seems every conversation reveals another fascinating detail be it her immersion in Spanish, care and love of her family, her classes on Film Documentary, her genuine awareness and interest in community efforts and the list goes on. Chatting with Virginia always enriches my day.

I asked her the usual questions…

Q: How long have you been practicing Yoga?

A: I began practicing Birkam Yoga about 7 years ago at the behest of my Spanish teacher who had started practicing yoga. I found the Bikram extremely challenging but continued with it - determined to “be successful” - until early this year when I finally realized that I wasn’t finding joy in my practice. It was exhausting me. I was only able to take one class per week as the heat and the closed in feeling of the room wore me out. So, I started practicing at the Tully Center in Stamford where I found the classes less exhausting . . . enabling me to take more than one class per week and to begin to see some progress and improvement. My first exposure to Kripalu was a class I took on Lighthouse Beach in Chatham, MA (Cape Cod). A few years ago, a Kripalu trained teacher started offering classes every summer morning at 7:30. I fell in love with the classes immediately. I am sure that the early morning sunlight, the beautiful white sandy beach and the mighty North Atlantic are part of what seduced me. But, it was not all. The practice itself was so spiritual and fulfilling. Last summer I went to Lenox for a week of Kripalu yoga practice; that week convinced me. I realized that with the Bikram Yoga I had been fighting with my body and wearing myself out. With Kripalu yoga I had found a way to be at peace with myself.

Q:What fills your time off the mat? Continue reading “Dew Yogi of the Month - Virginia Atkins”

Ann Russell joins the schedule for a 4:00-5:30pm Thursday class. Drop in or add this class to your weekly practice schedule for a wonderful afternoon break in your day. Ann’s incredible presence, soothing voice and expert instruction will guide you through breath work, postures and a blissful relaxation.

Please join us in welcoming her to Dew!

Class begins Thursday, November 6, 2008. You can read Ann’s bio here.

Have you ever passed someone on the street who was apparently angered and then felt a sudden change in yourself? Have you ever walked into a room occupied by people who are happy and then felt a sense of calm and joy wash over you? I try to explain this phenomenon by using Peanuts character Pigpen as an example. He always has that cloud of dust and dirt around him. When we are in a negative internal state, we walk around like Pigpen, exposing others to our toxic energies.

Beautifully said, Babaji explains the idea of mantra and how we connect energetically to that outside of ourselves. Watch for yourself, it only takes a minute.

Meditation
for people who can’t sit still long enough to meditate.

Meditation Workshop at Harmony Yoga, 48 Union Street, Stamford
Thursday, November 20, 7:00 - 9:00 PM

So you think you can’t meditate because your mind is “chattering too much”? You’re not alone.
Come learn a few simple techniques in both pranayama (breathing) and meditation that can help
you find the soothing calm that exists inside. You’ll amaze yourself, and leave with a newfound
respect for the power of meditation. Ann Russell will lead this enlightening workshop.

Ann Russell is a certified 500-hour Kripalu Yoga Teacher.
She’s been teaching yoga and meditation in Fairfield County
for over eight years, you’ll love her unique energy.

RSVP by contacting Carol Shwidock
962-4672 or carol @ harmonyogastudio . com

Register in advance: $35
Day of workshop: $40

Now I have seen it all.

Today’s Yoga news, tells the story of a Yogi living in flood plains, inventing and perfecting water Yoga. The man says he is happy with the success of becoming famous in his village as people come to spectate his water Yoga performances. He hope to someday be world famous through his Yoga practice. Fans hope one day he will walk on water. Read it here, if you dare.

The West is often criticized for capitalizing on Yoga and turning it into another business machine with chain studios popping up coast to coast, materializing a spiritual practice. Instructors now get quickie certifications and teach asana (postures) as fitness with little regard to the sutras (scriptures) much less breath awareness as a result more students than ever are suffering injuries on their path to not enlightenment but the perfect butt clad in the hottest Lulu Yoga pant. Criticism and concern is valid in this regard.

Meanwhile, some bizarre Yoga news comes out of India more and more frequently. Last year, famed cricket player, Sachin Tendulkar was caught on camera being forced into dangerous positions by his personal ‘guru’ (an ‘expert’ from Thailand) after his team trainings.

Or even Bikram Choudhury, native of India, placing patent on his posture flows and birthing Yoga competitions, awarding prizes for ‘perfection’.

The lesson here? A lesson I learned at Kripalu during teacher training. Practice and maintain discernment. If it is Eastern it is not necessarily ‘authentic’ and if it is Western it is not necessarily driven by capitalism. Take your Yoga with eye’s, heart and mind open on every part of the planet.

p.s. Aqua Yoga has also been developed in the U.S. with the intent to offer therapeutics for various ailments. It should be noted that for some practitioners with respiratory or heart ailments that the added pressure of water on the body makes this a questionable practice.

If the body is our temple, treat is wisely and lovingly, keep your eyes and mind open, do a little research before blindly diving in to any practice.

Yogini Virginia shined some light on NPR for me last week. She mentioned a radio program called “Speaking of Faith” that airs on Sunday mornings 7-8am.

Check out their page to listen to interviews with Matt Sanford and Seane Corn.

Click here to listen to NPR, Speaking of Faith, Yoga with Seane Corn as well as read and watch more in-depth.

Thanks Virginia for sharing this goodie with us!

Meet Les!

In whatever studio or space - indoor and out - Les brings his Yoga communities a ready and warm smile. Sometimes attending class along with sister, Christine, their Yoga can be a beautiful family affair. He usually has interesting stories to share whether focused on family, work or fun adventures fishing or doing Yoga on the beach - one trip he practiced seven days in a row!

All around he adds color and depth to our community and we are glad to have him! He is the Dew Yogi of the month for September. I asked him the usual questions about Yoga…

Q: How long have you been practicing Yoga?

A: I have been practicing yoga for about 8 years.

Q: What fills your time off the mat?

A: Off the mat I am a master carpenter, co-developed, and run the service department for a high end custom builder in Greenwich and Manhattan. Continue reading “Dew Yogi of the Month - Les Melich”

Ann Russell is leading a 3-part Workshop!
Sundays:
October 5, November 2 & December 7, 2008
4:00 - 5:30pm

Ann Russell, RYT-500hr, will lead this series exploring three advanced Yoga practices.

Bandhas – utilizing psychomuscular locks
Pranayama – breath control & retention
Kriyas – cleansing practices including neti

This is a great opportunity over a three month period to learn new skills to use in your weekly practice. A month’s pause is given between classes in order to integrate the experiences before taking them deeper in the next class.

Ann received her 500-hr certification from the Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health. She has also studied extensively with extraordinary teachers coast to coast.

This workshop is for experienced students. Please call Elysa, Jen or Ann if you have any questions about participation. Cost: $105.00/person. Pre-registration for all 3 classes is required. Sorry, no make-ups will be offered for this very special series. Contact us to reserve your space. Minimum 6 students required. Please bring your own Neti pot to the third class, ask us if you have any question, they are available at Mrs. Greens or CVS for less than $20 and should last a lifetime.

Dew Yoga at Bobby Valentine’s Sports Academy, 72 Camp Avenue, Stamford, CT 06907
www.dewyoga.net ~ info@dewyoga.net ~ (203) 524-2919 or (203) 246-6163