Wow. Yes, so there is was...and is... my declaration to write every Friday, written in August

...and now it is November and I have a beautiful baby boy and no blog entries.

I'm mulling that one over and will get back here to report on what I find...

just as soon as I change that diaper....

Bringing Yoga Home

This is simply an announcement, to motivate myself, and to be held accountable to the universe for such an endeavor. This blog will begin to be a weekly post about the before and after of giving birth... about all of the changes inside and out and about where the yoga is in all of it. Please stay tuned for more...

Greetings!

This week end I, uncharacteristically, did the uber-touristy thing and went to Rockefeller Center with some out-of-towners to see the big Christmas tree. I saw it. It was big. Actually, it was smaller than I would have imagined, but as far as trees go, it was a big one. And vibrating beneath it was all the holiday rituals: humans of all ages, photos, shopping bags, familial laughing and crying, ice-skating, bells ringing, lights, etc. I felt a little guilty that none of it really turned on my holiday spirit. There was definitely a charge in the air, and maybe that's what "holiday spirit" is, but to be honest, it didn't really turn on my heartlight*. But I can tell you what does turn on my heart light...my work. Really seeing people and really hearing people brings me so many things; one of which is fullness of spirit, the kind of feeling that I imagine one might call "holiday spirit." That warm feeling you get when you are filled with love and compassion. Whether its a simple yoga session where I guide movement and breath, or a PRYT session where I witness people tap into their own wisdom, it is in those moments that I can say I feel a kind of holiday spirit and my heartlight beams bright.

*FYI- In Mr. Neil Diamond's hit, "heartlight" is written as one word.

Among the holiday madness of planning, getting and doing, I hope you are taking time out to give to yourself, to become aware of what's happening now. Its well proven that we are better givers (and maybe even better gift-getters) when we are taking care of ourselves. Please let me know at the beginning of the week if you would like to take advantage of any of these offers so I can plan the time accordingly.

Here are ways I can support your self-care:

1) By offering a free optional 20 minute supported stretch session at the end of your schedule session time

2) By giving free optional 20 meditation session in lieu of yoga postures

3) And by having more office hours of availability to make sure you have more options to get your body-mind time in

Instead of filling up someone's small ny city space with more stuff, consider giving something that actually creates space. I have gift certificates available for purchase for one-on-one Yoga Sessions and Yoga Therapy sessions. . Not only is it super eco-friendly, but it is something that can initiate an important positive change in someone's life. That seems way better than new bath towels.

Gift certificates are available-

1) 70 Minute Yoga Sessions- $120

2) 90 Minute Yoga therapy Sessions- $150

3) Pack of 3 Yoga Sessions- $315 ($105 per session)

4) Pack of 3 Yoga Therapy Sessions- $405 ($135 per session)

Let me know via email if you would like to purchase a gift certificate. Orders need to be placed by December 22nd.

Another option- Individualized MP3s

If you want help keeping up with your practice over the holidays, I have individualized WP session audio recordings I can make you if you are familiar enough with my teaching style to follow without visuals. Recordings can be made at the length you decide, and prices vary accordingly.

So there it is! I am so happy to be working with such awesomeness (a word I heard used under the big tree). I learn so much from each of you and I count my blessings for your presence in my life. Thank you. I hope you can find your holiday spirit wherever you find it and nurture yourselves with the same love you give to those around you.

How do we listen? We practice.

In the New York Times there was article about runners listening to their bodies, see below-

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/25/health/nutrition/25best.html?ref=nutrition

I felt my heart rate go up as I read this article. I kept thinking, "Phoenix Rising! Phoenix Rising!" as I read it. Coming from a background in fairly extreme athletics and dancing, I can relate to much of what these runners talk about when the article says, "But sometimes even when you have a bad feeling about sudden pain, it can be hard to stop, especially during a race." Indeed! During a race, or a performance, or even a rehearsal it can be hard to stop. A lot of my athletic ability was based on how well I could handle the aches, pains and discomfort required to get stronger or to learn a new trick, or to come back the next day so sore it was painful to laugh, all so I could get better. I could hear all the messages my body was sending me, I just learned how to override the signals. If I heard, "ugh, I'm so tired, I need to stop" I could hear it and choose to ignore it. This is a typical dancer-ly response. We have been rehearsing for nine months and we have two performances. The pressure to make them the best, to excel, to fully rejoice in the culmination of so many hours of work and be recognized for it doesn't have a lot of room for backing off and slowing down in order to hear a tiny internal request for some tending.  

 

As a child, I competed in gymnastics, played on several soccer teams and danced. I reveled in what my body could do. I still do. It wasn't until I became a dancer for STREB in 2000 that I mastered my ability to override my body's instincts and signals. Because STREB was so dangerous, I had new and different instincts to override. Deeper ones. I learned to tune out fear and my body's impulses to save me. This included simple bodily reactions such as catching myself with my hands while falling belly first so my organs could be protected from impact, or resisting the urge to sit on my butt when falling backwards so my skull and brain were saved from impact. I perfected these new techniques for curtailing impulse. Even though they went against impulse they actually made biomechanical sense and had value in protecting me from joint or muscle strain. My brain didn't care that I was falling on a padded surface, for my brain impact is impact and my body advised against it. Our bodies are programmed for survival, meaning our animalistic core is very interested in saving organs and brains and can let an arm get broken if it means saving a head from banging into the ground. All in all, its a good system and it usually works. But there is a cost to tinkering with and manipulating these deep core impulses that the body offers. It begins to pave over a sensitivity to the quieter messages. When all signals can be disregarded, when there is the ability to tune out or shut down and dissasociate from the body's instincts and wisdom, we lose touch with our center of self. 

Ok, I admit, that is a big statement, and what is the "center of self" anyway? Its hard to find anyone who tells us to trust what our bodies tell us. Usually we are told someone else has the answer. The body must be shaped and directed. We must control our instincts, impulses and urges because if we didn't, we would all be shoving mountains of donuts into our publicly fornicating bodies while surrounded by piles of mess and would only cease for moments of apathetic zoning in front of mindless entertainment. I actually believe that that is not true. I believe that that impulse for a donut is only the first part of the message, we don't bother listening after that because a donut is a really easy solution. The body gets your attention with the sweet smell of a donut, and then you stop listening and in minutes buy and eat. "Problem" solved.  First of all, there is not problem in wanting a donut. We humans like sweet things. However, we are also very complicated and layered beings. If you open up to hearing and listening to your body with an increased sensitivity, and with a genuine curiosity, underneath that impulse for a donut, is more- maybe an anxiety in your chest, a sadness in your gut, an emptiness in your belly. Much like a child who starts out with a scream, if you listen lovingly, the child begins to cry and eventually communicates not anger, but hurt. The emptiness, the longing... may not be for a donut, but you'd have to slow down and tune in enough to your own deep experience to hear the rest. Ok, somebody is saying, "yeah, well, what if I really just want a donut?" Well, then by all means (and make it a krispy kreme)! And when you eat it and after its done, you should feel a sweet, simple and uncomplicated joy and fulfillment.

  This kind of tuning in is what I call "listening to my body." And it has taken many years of practice inside sessions of PRYT and on my own to even begin to actually hear the subtlety of the wisdom my body offers. I struggle with it daily. It is not always a clear ringing out, and some days I don't want to listen. Those are the days I end up regretting missing another chance to practice being a kind listener. And it certainly comes with intellectual complications, the philisophical debates: What about the implication of this dualism of Me and Body, isn't that a kind of seperation?  Or is it that we use this dualistic language for the efficacy of communicating within experience, to develop a relationship between two identities? But, wait, I am my body! And furthermore, who is the listener and who is the body?  Well, maybe we can  save that for the next blog entry. Me, myself and my head hurts. Simply put, using this language of "my body" and "me" has served a very essential purpose for me, to cultivate a more connected experience of life in and around me. Maybe it is tool I can abandon when I've outgrown it's use. I would like that. But for now, it is a conversation I learn a lot from.

 I share these thoughts and my reaction to this article because I enjoy feeling integrated. Meaning, I enjoy hearing, listening and living from my truths. It is deeply fulfilling. And I love witnessing this process in other people. As I continue to explore what fulfilling is for me, I strive to stay open to it changing into something else. Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy has been the place where I began to hear on a much deeper level, who I am- mind, body and heart. When I first layed down on the mat and was asked, "what's happening now?" I had a hard time answering. I didn't really know, it was like being in a room with very little visual variation. The path was covered with weeds and had detours and felt jungled over with misconceptions and judgments. I can say it is a clearer path now, and I love to answer that question "what's happening now?" It begins a journey, a very rich conversation. When I am listening clearly, I am connected to my own experience with the same brightness that I am with the world surrounding my body. And I experience a profound joy in that connectedness. 

So, the part of the article that says, “I never listened to my body,” he said. “Maybe I should have. So let’s get that clear right off: I think it’s an impossible task.” is kind of right on. It is hard to hear what your body is saying! But impossible it is not. That's why we need to practice it. You can't learn to speak a language if you don't practice it. And without nurturing that practice, it will be difficult to experience the depth, humor and poetry that that language offers.

Spring Promotional!

Its spring time and quickly becoming summer. Now is the time to adjust your practice to suit the season changing so that you have more energy, strength and flexibility to connect to the energy of new growth and vitality. Its time to put the coats in the closet, let your skin feel the sun's rays and play outside more!

Spring's changes can also surface a lot of emotional movement. It is important to recognize the unique effects of the season's shifts in your life. Understanding these effects and how they manifest in your daily life cultivates an awareness that brings you in touch with your body, mind and heart. Bringing these aspects of your experience into balance creates ease. While it is a time of higher energy, it can be just as important to find stillness and to quiet down enough to hear the subtle needs that call to you from your central self. It is by connecting to that central place of wisdom that we can expand outward more fully and open ourselves to the love and joy surrounding us. 

To encourage and support you in your pursuit of wellness, I am offering special spring discounts through the end of May:

10% OFF

Sign a friend up for a session and receive 10% off your next session and your friend receives 10% off their first session price.

TWICE AS NICE

Buy a 16 session package with a 2 month expiration (2 sessions a week) and receive 10% off your total.

FANTASTIC 15

Buy a 15 session package with a 4 month expiration and receive 5% off your total.

Happy Springing!

Hello and Welcome!

I am excited to announce the 650 hour completion of my certification as a Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy (PRYT) practitioner! This training was the most transformational education I have ever received. I have been a client of the work for over five years, so I was familiar with the power and depth of the work. But it wasn't until I committed to the PRYT program that I fully understood how much I stand behind this body-mind healing art. I deeply respect the way Elissa and Karen run the program and how fully they embody the principles and philosophies of PRYT. The learning was done by doing. Like I was telling a friend, I wasn't sitting in a classroom learning about the properties of water, I was going to the shore and taking one step at a time into the ocean and experiencing the properties of water. And this is how I learn best. 

Since I began the program last June, my life has shifted in dramatic and beautiful ways, and I am still feeling the rippling effects of those changes. I continue to adjust and ride the waves, but the difference is that I now have the grace of knowing I have a deep-seated wisdom within me and the very practical tools to access it. It makes surfing the variation in waves much easier and more fulfilling. PRYT is about developing an intimacy with yourself, with your body, your thoughts, your feelings, your truth. There doesn't seem to be a lot out there that provides loving support to discover your own truths, that tells you "You know!" What I see so much of is a dependency on the expert. We outsource everything and trust our own ability to be self-reliant less and less. We want expert opinions on what to eat, how to exercise, how to communicate, how to relax, how to love one another... but humans are so so beautifully complicated! How can someone else's answer be yours? Each person has their own body that moves and speaks and thinks differently, each one has a unique relationship to the smell of bread baking. And yes, beneath all of that uniqueness is a profound common denominator, but it takes a lot of unwrapping to be in touch with that center. That center holds our own answers. Its all right there, within us. It just takes the cultivation of an awareness and sensitivity of that center to be able to hear the wisdom it offers. It also takes practice. PRYT gives space, time and support for that practice. Being witnessed and heard, and having your experience reflected back to you brings a depth to your exploration that is powerful and dynamic. It is a collaborative process based on trust and responsibility. I am deeply fulfilled from the wisdom I experience in each session from each one of my clients. I am very grateful that this work to holds the center for my life to move around and to be able to offer it's benefits to my community.