dealing with change

Yoga Home Practice

Practicing Yoga in a Covid World – Welcome to your home practice

As a yoga teacher, I have always said that if I do my job correctly, you won’t need me or any other yoga teacher.  Essentially, my job is and always has been, to inspire you to want to practice yoga at any time and in any place and to feel safe doing so.  You don’t need me.  Your body holds all the wisdom you will ever need.

So, that being said, it appears that the current health situation of the world is inviting us to find our own practice.  To become our own teachers.  To trust ourselves and open to our own inner wisdom.

Take a seat.

Breath in, slowly

Breath out, slowly

Feel your breath

Gently turn your head from side to side

Slowly drop an ear to a shoulder, how does that feel?

Try the other side, how does that feel?

Gently move your arms up and down

Shrug your shoulders, do some windmills, how does that feel?

Notice your breath

Move your body

Stretch your sides

Rotate your torso

Move your legs

Bend your knees

Feel your hands, feel your feet,

Feel your breath

Begin to deepen the movements

Find what nourishes you, and repeat

If something hurts, stop

Notice your breath, keep it smooth, keep it steady, allow it to find your calm

Practice going deeper

Deeper in your movements

Deeper in your breath

Deeper in your awareness

Enjoy

Namaste,

Diana Bonyhadi

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Letting Go & Reclaiming Space

Dear Yogis

Happy Summer!  I hope everyone is enjoying this long stretch of sunshine we have had in the beautiful Pacific Northwest.  I know I have.  As  usual, summer finds me playing on the water, hiking in the woods, picking berries, and dancing to music in meadows.  Yep, life is good.

I wanted to let everyone know that after much consideration, I have decided to make some changes to my teaching schedule.  I have decided to reclaim weekends and evenings and spend less time on the road driving.  Its has been a hard decision to make, and even as I write this I feel a pang of loss.   I will miss our Wednesday evenings in the woods and weekends mornings when we all breath together and nourish our bodies and spirits.  We have all grown so much over the years, and I will miss each and everyone of you.  Truly, it has been an honor.

But in letting go of these teaching slots, I will open myself up for more opportunities to study, practice and travel. I look forward to deepening my understanding of yoga, philosophy and anatomy and meditation through retreats and workshops that frequently fall on weekends.  Let’s call this a mini-sabbatical.

What this means  in the short run is that I will no longer be teaching at River Tree Yoga on Wednesday evenings or on Saturday mornings.  It also means that I will no longer be teaching at Village Green Yoga on Sunday mornings.  

My last day at River Tree Yoga will Be Wednesday August 9th.  

My last Sunday at Village Green Yoga will be August 20th.

I will continue to teach my Tuesday & Thursday Mid-Day Bliss class at Village Green Yoga.

And I am still offering privates, scheduled at your convenience.

In the Fall, I will be adding a weekly evening class in West Seattle and a monthly advanced practice class at Village Green Yoga.  There is also the possibility of workshops at River Tree Yoga.  More details on all of these will be coming your way shortly.

 

Be Well, Breathe and have an amazing Summer.

Shalom & Namaste,

Diana Bonyhadi

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It Pays To Speak Your Mind

Thank You Everyone.

The response to my post and newsletter two weeks ago was incredibly supportive and affirming.  I guess I am not the only one who has been trying to figure out how to navigate these challenging times.  Thanks to all of you, I not only feel comforted but also inspired to continue to teach yoga from my space of satya (truth).  Now when I listen to the news, I realize that there is something more that I can do other than make phone calls, sign petitions and march.  And I have been doing it all along – teaching yoga and helping people to find a space of inner peace and strength to follow their own path of Dharma.

Announcements:
We have made a slight change to the schedule at River Tree Yoga.  On Wednesday evenings I will only be teaching one class at 6:30pm.  It will be a Hatha-Yin Fusion class.  We will go slowly and deeply into our poses, look to alignment and strength, and finish with some long luscious yin holds to restore and rebalance our energy.

Other news at River Tree Yoga, we have a Yoga Sound Bath with Daniella White scheduled for Tuesday February 28th at 7:30pm.  If you haven’t gone to a Sound bath yet, you really should.  Imagine a gentle yoga practice followed by a nice, long svasana and being lulled into a deep state of meditation by crystal singing bowls, vocal harmonics and gongs. Participants are bathed in powerful vibrations that help entrain their brain waves into Theta. It is in this deeply relaxed state that physical / mental / spiritual healing can take place, activating the parasympathetic nervous system, cellular regeneration, stress release, and emotional/physical healing. Click here to register.

All my other classes are on schedule as planned:

River Tree Yoga, Fall City

  • Wednesday, 6:30 – 8:00pm:                             Hatha/Yin Fusion
  • Saturday, 9:00 – 10:30am (alternating):              Hatha Flow

Village Green Yoga, Issaquah

  • Tuesday & Thursday, Noon – 1:00pm:          Mid-Day Bliss/Gentle
  • Sunday, 9:45-11:15am:                                       Hatha Vinyasa Flow

BendnMove, Seattle

  • Wednesday, Noon – 1:00pm:                           Mid-Day Bliss/Gentle

 

Thank you again for your continued support.

Shalom & Namaste

Diana Bonyhadi

 

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Happy New Year

Happy New Year Yogis

2017 is already set up to be a year of dramatic change.   Not only will we be shifting gears in the geo-political arena, but we will also be seeing many shifts in our own personal space.  And for most of us, change is something we tend to approach with trepidation. Its unsettling. We don’t know where we will be going and what it will look like.  What we know, the current situation, while possibility uncomfortable and painful, is at least familiar.  So how do we prepare ourselves to step into change with an open heart and internal vitality?

One way, is to take time to know what our own internal landscape looks like and feels like. Once we know where we are, it is easier to move forward. This is most easily accomplished through meditation.  Taking time each day, to sit quietly with ourselves and simply observe.  Its best to do this first thing in the morning, before the busyness of life takes over.  But of course you can do it at any time.  Just set a timer (I like to use the app Insight Meditation Timer) and sit.  It doesn’t have to be for very long, 5-10 minutes will give you plenty of time to observe your breath, thoughts and feelings.  Don’t make it complicated, just be with yourself as you would be if you were sitting listening to your best friend.

Sometimes, its hard to just sit.  That’s where yoga comes in.  Moving our bodies, stretching our muscles, aligning our spine; all of these help to make it easier to sit in comfort. Take your time, again it doesn’t have to be very long, to move, strengthen and flex your body.  If you don’t have time to take a yoga class, there are a ton of options online.  A few times a week, and you will feel amazing results.

Also, it is very helpful to challenge yourself.  Do something you haven’t done before. Be it taking a class, volunteering for a cause about which you feel passionately, or pushing yourself in your yoga practice to explore a new pose or taking your postures a little further than you have done before.

I particularly like inversions.  They really do turn your world upside down.  Not only is there is that element of going upside down, but there is also the opportunity to see your world from a whole new perspective.  Not to mention a moment or two of fear. Will I get this?  Am I going to fall? And the moment of exultation.  I did it!  Maybe just a little bit, but I actually got a foot off the ground, or both feet, who knew?

So, whatever changes you may be facing, whatever challenges you are stepping into, I wish you  ease and comfort as you approach them.  Go gently on yourselves.  Give your self time.  Cut yourself some slack.  And at the same time, believe in yourself and your ability to move through change with strength and flexibility and love.

I will be offering a workshop on Inversions at River Tree Yoga.

February  12th, 2:00-5:00pm

Class size is limited, so we will have plenty of space and time to explore, ask questions and move.  The workshop will help you strengthen your inversion practice (headstands, handstands & arm balances) if you already have one, and help you get ready to start exploring inversions if you have never been upside down. Do sign up early if you are interested through the River Tree Yoga Website.

Also, many of you have been asking when will I ever start teaching on the West Side.  Wait no longer, as I will be launching a Mid-Day Bliss class at BendnMove in West Seattle.  This will be a gentle therapeutic yoga class appropriate for all ages and bodies.

12:00-1:15pm, Wednesdays, BendnMove

All my regular classes are back on schedule.  Its good to be back.

See you on the mat or out & about.

Shalom & Namaste

Diana Bonyhadi

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Attachment and Letting Go

Good Afternoon Everyone,

I’m sad to announce, that this is my last week teaching at Village Green Yoga and River Tree Yoga until June. Truly, I will miss teaching and my community. You guys bring such light to my life through your dedication, compassion and humor. But it is only a month and I will be back to my regular schedule very soon. In the interim, I have arranged for some excellent subs. So keep doing your yoga and your practice will grow from the wisdom of others.

As I prepare to spend the next month in Berkeley helping my father downsize to a small apartment in a continuing care community, I reflect on what this might mean for him, as well as for myself.

Moving is difficult for everyone. I have read that it is one of the top five stressors in life. I can’t even begin to imagine what it will be like for my father who is 95 and has lived in his current home for the majority of his adult life. He has not only lived in this house for over 50 years, he also designed it himself. It is perhaps his finest work as an architect and is truly a masterpiece of contemporary architecture. It sits on a wooded lot in the Berkeley hills with sweeping views across the San Francisco Bay. Floor to ceiling windows and doors on all sides, beautifully decorated with antiques from Europe and Asia; it is simultaneously inspiring and comforting. He is deeply attached to his home and the separation will be difficult for him. I think perhaps it is part of his identity, and so the stress of moving will be compounded by the separation from a part of his self.

I must also recognize that this is the home in which I grew up, so I am not only dealing with his loss, but I am also dealing with my own. Once he is moved, I will need to sell most of his/our belongings and let go of the security of having a place to land in the Bay Area; a place to share with family and friends, a place which I have always referred to as home. It is a home that is much loved and will be deeply missed.

And yet I am reminded of the yoga teachings concerning attachment. Our attachment to the past, to things being as they were; our attachment to the desire for things to be different from how they are now; and our attachment to material things in general can all lead to pain and suffering as well as distracting us from our ability to reside in the direct experience of the present moment. At this point I will spare you a full dissertation on all of Patanjali’s Sutras which discuss non-attachment, and only lead you in their direction.

  • Sutras I.12,I.15, I.16 – explains that through non-attachment we consciously realize that attachment can create short and long term negative effects.
  • Sutra II.3 – notes that the causes of suffering include ignorance, egoism, attachment, repulsion and  fear.
  • Sutra II.7, II.8 – suggests that attachment is the consequence of pleasure as aversion is the consequence of pain.
  • Sutra II.39 – reminds us that persevering on the path non-covetousness leads to a deeper understanding of the meaning of life.

So, as I get myself ready for this seemingly Herculean task, I will hold fast to my yoga, the practice and the principles. I will remind myself that this too shall all pass. And that this is simply another step in the trajectory of my life. I am grateful to have lived in such a lovely home, grateful that my father has lived such a long and healthy life, and grateful that I have the flexibility to be able to help him in this difficult time.

I thank you in advance for your support and understanding. I look forward to seeing many of you this week, and send you wishes for a happy May.

Shalom & Namaste

Diana Bonyhadi

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Tips for Healthy LIving in Times of Change

Full Moon, Red Moon, Super Close Moon
End of the Summer
Beginning of School
Season of Change
Returning to You

Dear Yogis,

If you haven’t felt it yet, be prepared.  This is a time of big transitions.  A time in which you may find yourself feeling restless, untethered, slightly at odds.  You may have just experienced some major changes in your life (I sure did) or be about to step into a whole new era of your life.  Truly this can be unsettling. But the good news is that you are not alone, and you are most likely  moving into such wonderful goodness it will make the all the flux worth it. And there is much you can do to weather these transitions more smoothly.

Here are some suggestions to help you sail the seas of transitions with greater equanimity.  These come from the scientific/medical limb of yoga known as Ayurveda.  You can choose to adopt some or all of these practices. You can even consult with an ayurvedic doctor near you to help you design a program specifically for your doscha.  The most important thing to remember is to take care of and nourish your self, and to honor your body’s need to cleanse, and your spirit/mind’s need to reflect.

Recipe for self-care in times of transition:

Get more sleep – go to bed earlier, but don’t sleep in too late.

Take naps – yes a 20 minute nap can make a huge difference in how you feel.
Take warm baths – they warm you up and give you time for reflection.
Walk at least 20 minutes 3-4 times a week (daily is best) – its good for your heart.
Practice yoga – hold poses longer and add restorative poses to your practice.
Meditate – even just 10 minutes a day will make a huge difference.
Drink less caffeine – when you feel tired, try that 5-10 minute meditation.
Reduce or eliminate alcohol.
Reduce or eliminate sugar, dairy.
Drink more warm fluids or soup.
Add Ghee (clarified butter) to your diet – it lubricates the digestive system and helps to rid the body of toxins.
Avoid spicy foods.
Eat your big meal at mid-day.
Get a massage or two.
Give yourself a massage – rubbing your hands, feet arms and legs with massage oil.

I hope you find this helpful.  For more information, refer to Guru-Google and search ayurveda, doscha, fall equinox, etc.

Speaking of changes, by now many of you know I have moved to West Seattle.  Its a big change and I am incredibly happy. Don’t worry, I will  continue to teach all my classes this Fall at Village Green Yoga and at River Tree Yoga. Unfortunately, I no longer have my home studio, but will be happy to offer private sessions to all of my clients in their homes or at a local studio on the east side.  And if you want to practice with a view of the water, I welcome you here in my home.

Warm Wishes for a healthy Autumn.

Shalom & Namaste

Diana Bonyhadi