PILATES Workshop with Ashley Barenz

Workshop
with Ashley Barenz

SUNDAY SEPT 26, 3:30-5:00
YOGA PEOPLE, BKLYN



In this workshop we will focus on how to apply the fundamentals of Pilates to your yoga practice. You’ll come to know and understand the primary muscles of your stomach & back and how to properly engage them. Learning to move through your yoga practice with a focus on your center & spine will allow you to balance longer, stretch further, stand taller, and breath easier. Students at all levels are welcome and encouraged to attend!


EARLY BIRD $25, AT THE DOOR $30
ONLINE REGISTRATION: WWW.YOGA-PEOPLE.COM

My Love Affair With Yoga

Like many relationships, mine with yoga started for purely physical reasons. I’ve played competitive soccer my entire life, and at one point so many friends on my various teams were talking about yoga that I knew I needed to try it. I didn’t really want to because I was sure it would be extremely difficult. I’d never been flexible and couldn’t even touch my toes! But as an athlete I knew it would be good for me, so I finally decided to give it a try, promising myself I would attend five classes before I quit.

I was hooked after two.

At first my attraction was indeed just physical, but it was powerful, and I remember the exact moment I felt it. It was in the middle of that second class, during a seated forward fold. As I was breathing deeply, part of my lower back stretched and released in a way I’d never experienced before, and it felt healthful and nurturing and, well, GOOD. That night I honestly fell asleep thinking about that stretch. I was fascinated. And I wanted more.

I continued to attend classes because of the physical reaction my body was having, but then I unexpectedly developed emotional feelings as well. I also remember the exact moment this happened. It was a couple months later, at the very end of class after yet another taxing day at a job I truly hated. I was seated in cross-legged position with my eyes closed, and I remember breathing deeply, feeling relaxed, and thinking how I was looking at the inside of my eyelids. Then it suddenly dawned on me that this was the ONLY thing I was thinking. My head had been emptied of all the horrible, negative thoughts that had been stressing me out. How do you remove EVERY THOUGHT from your head? When I realized what had happened, I felt a sense of calm and peace wash over me that was simply indescribable.

I was in love.

I began to practice regularly, starting twice a week and eventually reaching three, four, even five days a week now when I can swing it. Over the years my feelings have only grown stronger, and my practice has become a major priority in my life. I do my best to treat it with the respect and commitment it deserves. In return yoga has strengthened my body, calmed my mind, made me more patient and understanding, and pushed me to believe in myself. It’s helped me find the courage to change my career, start a business, travel the world alone, write a novel, and most recently make a life-changing solo move from San Francisco to New York—which is what introduced me to the wonderful, supportive community that is Yoga People.

Yoga is always there for me when I need it, and it manages to make me smile even when I am sad. If I ever neglect it by skipping a week or by not focusing while in class, it lets me know—either through extreme hamstring soreness or the sheer inability to hold a simple balancing pose—that I’m not paying the attention it deserves. My practice gives selflessly but also holds me accountable, which is what I want and need out of my relationships with those I love, admire and respect.
Hmm. Now if only I could find all of that with a man… 

Happy Valentine’s Day!

-Maria Murnane, author of Perfect on Paper, to be released February 2010
www.mariamurnane.com
maria@mariamurnane.com

Aligning with the Season-Moving into Fall

by Julia K. Haramis, Certified Holistic Health Counselor

Last night was the first time I heard the familiar yet nearly forgotten hiss and grumble of the heat in my apartment, as it was the first night cool enough for it to be turned on this season. It squashed my hopes of an Indian Summer (ok, my fingers are still crossed since my neighbor told me true Indian Summer is when it warms up after the first frost of the year, this is an unconfirmed fact but it does give me hope) and assured me that Fall has in fact arrived here in NYC. Anyone who lives in the Northeast knows the familiar controversy October often brings up. There are those like me that are sad to let go of the heat of summer and refuse to banish the sandals and tank tops to the back of the closet, and there are those that cannot wait to get out their boots and sweaters out at the first sign of a temperature drop (I suppose it also helps if you are into football). Regardless of which side of the issue you stand on, I think we all can agree that Fall is truly one of the most glorious times in the Northeast with the plentiful harvests, spectacular foliage, crisp air and various seasonal traditions to eagerly look forward to.

For anyone who lives in a temperate climate like the Northeast, the transition between the warmer and cooler months is a key time to alter your nutrition and lifestyle practices to align yourself with the seasons. Shifts in weather or temperature are often the most common times of the year that we get sick because we are not adequately prepared. When we are aligned with the changes in nature around us, we are more easefully able to maintain our optimal health and sense of harmony with our environment. Summer can be a time of excessiveness and heat, just walk the streets of NYC and you will notice there are more people out and about than you ever even imagined lived here. The excitement to get out of the house and do things often leads to unrestrained behavior in areas such as diet and rest, we can get out of a set fitness routine quite easily and we are traveling more (we all know that all self-control goes out the window while on vacation, it doesn’t count right?). Fall is a great time to quiet down, undo any setbacks experienced in the summer, to go inward, to replenish ourselves mind and body and to create a clearing inside and out after the craze of summer. In the cooler months we tend to favor more indoor and quiet activities and that is just what nature intended!

The following are my top five tips for shifting yourself into the fall season:

1. Get to the root of things – instead of looking for the imported tropical fruits and the out of season vegetables at the supermarket, look for what is local and in season in your area. As the weather cools our diet should be comprised of heavier foods, more protein and more fiber than in the warmer months. Enjoy root vegetables like beets and sweet potatoes, the many varieties of squash such as spaghetti and butternut, apples and whole grains. Eating seasonally and locally aligns our bodies with our current climate, making us less susceptible to illness, it supports your local farmers and reduces the damage to the environment caused by transporting food from so far away. Tropical fruits, such as pineapples, grow in tropical regions because it is hot there and they are cooling to the body, which is needed in that climate. Squash and root vegetables grow in the Fall in temperate climates because they are warming to the body and give us the essential nutrients we need to keep us healthy for the season.

2. Heat things up – decrease the amount of raw foods you eat and increase the amount of cooked foods. It can be hard to get excited for a nice warm bowl of steel cut oats in the blistering heat of August but it does hit the spot on a crisp October morning. Switch up your cooking to incorporate more warming preparations for your meals. Fall is a great time to introduce warm breakfast porridges, soups, stews, baked vegetables and slow cooked meals straight from the oven. Get out your teapot and enjoy a nice warm cup of your favorite tea while you curl up on the couch with a good book or a favorite movie. Use warmth to relax and nurture yourself – light candles, take a warm bath, burn essential oils, use a hot water bottle or snuggle up with a loved one in bed.

3. Get moving – renew your fitness regime, try something new or get back to an old forgotten favorite. It is very easy to talk yourself into staying on the couch when the weather is cool but make sure you keep moving through all seasons. Pick the form of exercise which suites how you are feeling in this transitional time and be sure to notice how that may vary from day to day. If you are feeling cold and sluggish, try something energizing and warming like a dance or spin class. If you are feeling anxious and scattered, try something calming and centering like Yoga or Tai Chi. It is important to keep your exercise routine varied, interesting and customized to your personal fitness goals and abilities.

4. Hit the books – take a class and learn something new. As September sets in I always get that hankering to dust off my backpack and go to school. Maybe I am mentally programmed from going to school every September until my early twenties, but there is no denying that fall is great time to get back to learning. As adults this can take on so many interesting forms – learn a language, hone your sewing skills, learn a new craft, join a book club, take a continuing education class at your local university or college or embark on a more in depth stuff of a passion of yours such as yoga, meditation, dancing or cooking. It can also be a great way to bond with friends and stay out there and in the mix with other people, fighting off the cold weather blues or feelings of isolation that winter can bring.

5. Fall cleaning – who said that springtime is the season for cleaning? Use the change in seasons to reorganize yourself – clean out the closets, pantry and refrigerator, rearrange the bookshelves, furniture or office and prepare your home for the weather and events coming in the fall and winter. Take on new indoor projects such as home repairs, repainting, organizing photographs or redecorating. I love to switch up simple things like bedding, table linens and towels each season so keep the colors and patterns around me that match the time of the year.

For further information on Julia and her businesses please visit her websites at www.nycnutritionista.com and www.brooklynyogini.com

Keeping Things Whole

The highest yogic results will come quickly to those who practice asana intensely on a daily basis. –Yoga Sutra I.21

I was born in Michigan, but grew up primarily in Israel. My Dad was Israeli and my Mom is Scottish, so there have been diverse influences on my life, my culture, and my accent.
Our family was atheist and we didn’t observe or celebrate Jewish holidays very much. From a young age, the word God was a loaded, foreign concept to me. I’ve always believed there’s a force of Good present in the world, with which you can align yourself. Nowadays, I like to replace the word God with Good in a sentence, and see how that shifts my response. I’ve always believed in reincarnation - I remember thinking this at a very young age.

I never considered myself an athletic person. In fact, I often dreaded gym class in school. I relied on intellect and creativity as my form of expression, and didn’t think about the body too much. In college, as I learned to draw the human form and design clothing, I became interested in the body and its sculptural potential. I moved to NYC in 1997, to work as a designer in the fashion industry.

While working in fashion, I started practicing yoga at the gym as a way to work out. I appreciated the stretching, the emphasis on breath and the introspective quality of yoga. But it wasn’t until attending a free class at Jivamukti Yoga School on Lafayette Street, that I started taking the yoga practice more seriously. At first I practiced yoga twice a week, but over time I increased the number of times I practiced. Instead of yoga being one more thing to fit into my schedule, I was able to weave my daily schedule around the time I set aside for practice.

I found a morning class that I could take every weekday at 8am before going to work. I loved the consistency of practicing every morning, at the same time, with the same teacher–Jeffrey Cohen. I loved starting the day with yoga! It changed my outlook on life; I was calmer and more able to deal with stress. My yoga practice got me through some challenging times–a difficult break up, graduate school and a career change.
The practice made me stronger, physically and mentally. It changed my posture and my walk. It made me feel beautiful. It made me want to smile more often. My skin and eyes glowed. People noticed the difference and commented on it.

“When the energy channels are purified, there are external symptoms. The body becomes thin and glows. Then one should feel certain of success”. –Hatha Yoga Pradipika II.19

The more I practiced Yoga, the more I wanted to learn. The Jivamukti method teaches about all aspects of Yoga, not just the physical postures. It goes deeply into the ethical practices, philosophy, scriptures, Sanskrit, chanting and meditation, as inseparable from the physical practice. As taught by Jivamukti, Yoga unfolded as an interconnected series of practices designed to spread happiness and freedom to all beings, a force of good.

I have been a vegetarian from age 18. It started when my sister had a disturbing experience while eating a McDonald’s hamburger. She took a bite and felt that it was living, moving flesh. She put the hamburger down and hasn’t eaten meat since. Inspired by her, I followed without really articulating why. It just felt right. Later, as part of my service in the Israeli army, I worked with cows. These loving, sweet, beautiful beings deserved my respect. I couldn’t eat them.

Jivamukti's association of ethical vegetarianism and environmentalism with the Yoga practice resonated with me deeply. Everything came together–ethics, yoga practice, and my personal philosophy. Inspired by the teachings I received at Jivamukti, in classes, retreats and at the Jivamukti teacher training in 2007, I changed my lifestyle completely.

Now,
I practice 5-7 times a week.
I practice the ethical yogic principles (yama and niyama).
I am vegan (I use no animal products in food, clothing or other products).
I reduce, reuse, recycle and compost, as much as possible.
This has changed my life.

Once I started practicing Yoga daily and changed my diet, I experienced an immediate and radical shift on a physical level. Extra weight dropped off. My cholesterol levels, which had bordered on high, dropped from 215 to 175 within the space of 2 months of vegan eating.

On a mental and emotional level, I feel more peaceful and at ease. There’s a sense of wholeness and connectedness to the earth. It’s become easer to face challenging situations with equanimity. The practice has become a way of aligning myself with Good. And I’ve found a community of like-minded people, teachers and students, who have become great friends.

The Yoga practice continues to unfold and expand. I constantly learn and find connections between aspects of the practice and the natural world. This is so exciting to me!

If you’re interested in a daily yoga practice and its physical benefits, I highly recommend reading this short essay by my teacher, Sharon Gannon:
http://jivamuktiyoga.com/focus/focus.jsp?viewFocusID=4

Feel free to email me with comments or questions: tamar@mittengraphics.com

Namaste.
Tamar

One Year and 27 Pounds Later

Student of the Month: April Dechagas

A little over a year ago I was miserable. I was heavier than I’d ever been in my life, I’d just gone through a horrible corporate merger, and my diet consisted of whatever I had time to fit in my already busy schedule. I belonged to a gym, but God knows I never went. Going to the gym felt like work, and who needs more work when you are already working a minimum of 60 hours a week? I used to enjoy cooking, but then I’d have to wash my dishes (again, more work…)

I needed a vacation badly. Really badly. I grew up on the beach, and always wanted to learn how to surf, but never did, so I signed up for a surf camp in Costa Rica. I was a bit worried I was too out of shape, and didn’t want to make a fool of myself out on the water. All of the literature I received suggested yoga was a great way to get ready, so I figured I’d give it a try. It was September, and the camp wasn’t until December, so I figured I had a good 3 months to get ready, and “train.”

I signed up for an “Absolute Beginners” class at Yoga People and thought I’d give it a try. It was once a week for four weeks, and I figured afterwards I’d just take a few classes here and there. Once a week turned into twice a week, and then three or four times a week. I fell in love with it! Unlike the gym, yoga was something I couldn’t wait to get to, and I found myself at work counting down the hours until I could get to a class. And it was so much more than physical activity! It was calming and invigorating at the same time, and truly helped me deal with the everyday stresses of work, life, and just being a New Yorker! I even found myself doing yoga breathing at work when I was having a hard time getting through the day (or when there was someone walking waaaay too slow in front of me – you are in New York! Move faster!) How could I have lived without this for 29 years!

One year later, I am 27 pounds lighter, I’m eating better and I’m happier than I’ve ever been. I’m now doing yoga 7 days a week, and I truly miss it when I don’t get to go. Yoga People has become a home away from home, and in more ways than just a place where I go to do yoga every day. I’ve made some great friends, and look forward to seeing everyone at the studio. I’ve started to appreciate the little things in life, and notice what is going on around me, rather than just the bubble of personal space us New Yorkers tend to have (and I’ve slowed down ;o) I’ve even started cooking again and find it to be quite calming (but I still don’t enjoy doing the dishes…)

How Ashley Got Her Groove Back

I was born and raised in Centerville, Utah. One of the many quite sprawling suburbs of the beautiful Salt Lake Valley. I have three older sisters and one younger brother and we were raised by my amazing mother who taught at the local high school we all attended. Life was lovely in Centerville and packed with extra curricular activities: soccer, ballet, basketball, piano, volleyball, violin, sewing lessons, cooking classes… We were a busy bunch. Many of these activities revolved around the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, a religion that our young lives revolved around. My mother was raised Mormon and brought us up in the church.

Everyone I knew was Mormon as well. Everyone in the neighborhood, everyone I went to school with, everyone I played with. We went to church every Sunday, attended church activities during the week, and went to seminary at school. The LDS church was the center of my world and guided me through all the decisions I made in my young life. If I was ever plagued by problems in my schoolwork I could turn to prayer and Jesus Christ. If I felt overwhelmed by daily life I could turn to scripture to guide me through the stress. If I was sick I could turn to the power of the priesthood to bless me and make me feel well. The burdens of this life were never something I had to carry alone, I was a child of God and he walked with me, carried me when I needed him to.

The summer after I graduated high school was not the smooth transition to adulthood I had been anticipating. I spent my senior year of high school dancing hours everyday, and without the high school dance department I was left without the release that dance gave me. I moved out of my circle friends in Centerville as I started working and going to school in Salt Lake. I was exposed to a new way of life that debunked my perception of the evils of alcohol and coffee*,the centerpieces of most activities involving my new found college freshmen friends.

My never wavering faith in the church was cracking under the weight of living a life that on paper contradicted the way a proper Mormon should behave. I spent a year racked with guilt over making choices that my Bishop would certainly disapprove, but I still identified myself as a Mormon and turned to prayer when life became too much to shoulder alone. I was half in and half out. It was around this time I found out that one of my sisters was gay. Something the Mormon Church believes is wrong, and that a person afflicted with such an ailment must work hard to overcome. This straw broke the camels back and I knew in my heart that I was not and would never identify myself as a Mormon again.

So, now what? My entire life up to that point had been guided by the LDS religion and anytime I felt stressed I could turn to it to find comfort and guidance. Though I knew without a trace of doubt that I no longer believed the church to be true, I still felt alone.

I graduated college with my BFA in Dance and felt like I was right back where I had been when I graduated high school. Still working in retail hell and miserable. On a whim I enrolled in Dana Baptiste's Yoga Teacher Training. I had always practiced yoga on and off as a part of my dance training and becoming a yoga teacher made sense. However, I entered the training skeptical of any mention of spirituality or transformation. I approached my personal practice and teaching with the intention to build muscle, stretch out, and feel better. I attended yoga classes daily, but was skeptical of the idea that yoga could do more than help me stay in shape. I was not open to anything that felt like more dogma.

Part of the teacher training was a four-day yoga retreat in Altamont, UT. We stayed in a huge lodge in the middle of nowhere, it was perfect. The lodge had a large balcony and every morning we would practice Pranayama facing the sunrise. There were also two three-hour yoga classes a day, meditation, and classes for us teachers in training to continue our study. All yoga, all day, for four days. It was perfect. In the beginning I didn’t think so. I arrived panicked to be away from friends, family, work, and teaching. I was a person who needed my routine to feel like things were okay. Plopping me in the middle of this retreat and completely out of my comfort zone with relative strangers scared the hell out of me.

The first yoga class when we arrived was a Gentle/Restorative class and we were challenged to keep our eyes closed the whole time. Dana Baptiste, the leader of the retreat and teacher training, spoke about letting everything else but right then, in that moment go. Whatever stress, fear, or weight that we carried with us from our daily lives: let it all go. And for the first time in my entire life, I did. I took a deep breath, told my inner skeptic to shut up, and exhaled.

I’m still a work in progress. But yoga helps help me to recognize that I can let go of the things I cannot control. Whether it be the grand themes of life that will always be a challenge, or the simple things like long lines at Costco and local N trains. I can take a deep breath and let it go. My yoga practice changed my life.



*The Word of Wisdom is a set of rules for healthy living set out in the Doctrine and Covenants, another testament of Jesus Christ that is read along with the Book of Mormon. It stipulates that Mormons abstain from “Strong Drinks.” Including alcohol, coffee, and tea.

Yoga Tip

Committing to practicing yoga three times a week can be difficult. Make it a little easier by scheduling your classes ahead of time. You can pre-register for drop-in classes on our website.

Take a moment at the beginning of your week to schedule your yoga into your life. Sign-in for the classes you plan to take that week to help you commit to class. If you pre-register and don't make the class, you will not lose that class. But by pre-registering you will have already made the decision to go to class, so then it's one less thing to think about. Keep it simple.

www.yoga-people.com
Go to "Register Now"