asana

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Yoga can help Insomnia

Sleepless in Seattle

I don’t know if it is the change in the weather, or the shift from summer awareness to winter awareness, but either way, sleeplessness has been a recurring theme for many of my students of late.

Insomnia is a plague for many of us. For some it is the struggle to fall asleep, for others, it is the waking up in the middle of the night, but either way, all  insomniacs are desperate for more/enough sleep.

Can yoga help?  There is a definitive yes.  There are many asanas which you can do prior to bedtime to help relax the body.  Also, having a regular yoga practice, which includes asana, pranayama and meditation will help to reduce stress, and thereby lesson the likelihood of insomnia.

Here is a link to a an article published in Yoga Journal over a year ago, which I have found to be very helpful for many of my students and friends.

If getting to sleep is the issue, it is important to try to go to be at the same time every night.  Take a warm drink with you to the bedroom.  Here is a wonderful ayurvedic recipe for a bedtime drink which is very soothing and soporific.  On the asana front, do a few cat-cows, a couple of twists, and some forward bends. Shoulderstands are also very helpful but please make sure that you are both safe and comfortable in your shoulderstand before trying them at bedtime.

If the issue is waking up in the middle of the night (mine), I have found it useful to get up right away.  Don’t hang out in bed, haranguing yourself, it won’t help.  Go downstairs, make a cup of tea.  Try to avoid going any where near your computer or desk.  Chores are not allowed. So what to do with your wakeful self?

I have begun to look on these hours as a gift.  No one is around to bug me, or ask me to do something for them. The house is quiet. The street is quiet.  It’s like I have the world all to myself.  I curl up on the couch and read and write in my journal.  If after an hour, I find that I am still up, then I will deal with the things that are on my mind/to-do list.  If I am still up, well, then it is time for a hot bath with lavender.  But usually, the cup of tea and boring book do the job, and I am ready to go back to bed within the hour.

I hope this helps. If any of you have other hints and tips, please do add them as comments.
Shalom & Namaste,
Diana Bonyhadi

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Practicing Yoga and Forgiveness

In the Jewish Tradition, this past week and weekend were the holiest of Holy Days – the Days of Awe.  For 8 days, Jews the world over, participated in a period of reckoning. In preparation for the Jewish New Year, we have spent a week looking back over the year and doing a little personal housekeeping.  We our paid off our debts, reconciled our promises, and made amends.

We spend quite a bit of time focused on the following phrases.  They are simple and profound.  Just a couple of sentences which encompass just about everything.

For all the things I have said or done consciously or unconsciously which may have caused pain and suffering to others, I am sorry, please accept my apology.
For all the things I have said or done consciously or unconsciously which may have caused pain or suffering to myself, I am sorry, please accept my apology.

There you have it.  An acknowledgment that even when we don’t mean to, we can do things or says things that are hurtful.  I know this one pretty well.  I have a tendency to open mouth – insert foot.  I have the best of intentions, but sometimes things just don’t come out the way I envisioned and people get hurt.  I am sorry, I really didn’t mean to.  Or sometimes my commitment to honesty gets in the way.  I know, not everyone needs to know how I really feel or think about something.  I am sorry.

Then there are those time when I fail to speak up about the things that are really important – politics, the environment, community issues, etc.  Sometimes, I fail to say or do what needs doing/saying.  For those moments of omission, I am sorry.

Now for the big one.  For all those times when I hurled unjust judgments and recriminations at myself, I am sorry.  I know I must be willing to give myself a chance to be human, and therefor fallible.  I must let go of all those “would’ves and should’ves” and just let the past be the past.  This is so hard, I really want to be a better person. I hate screwing up.  But I have to be willing to forgive myself.  We all do.

In yoga, we strive to stay in the present moment and connect with the interconnectedness that we are.  We move and breath, hopefully linking our breath with the movement, to assist the brain in settling in to the present  We practice asana and pranayama so we can sit in mediation, focusing and releasing the thoughts, slipping into the eternity of the here and now.  And it is a challenge.  That is why Patanjali in Sutra 1:14 states that “the practice becomes fully grounded with we attend to it over time, without a break and with earnestness.”  In other words, keep trying, don’t give up, and do this practice with care, and effort.  Be serious about it.

So, yea, I know I make mistakes, we all make mistakes.  We are human.  The trick is to keep trying and  to pay attention to our thoughts and deeds.  Try to not to hurt others or ourselves.  This is the essential practice of Ahimsa.  And next year when Yom Kippur rolls around, maybe the sorry-list will be shorter, and maybe it won’t, but if we will keep trying to attend and be earnest in the effort, the world will be a better place.  And that’s what its all about, isn’t it?

Shalom & Namaste,
Diana Bonyhadi

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Living Sutra I:33 – Life with Joy and Balance

May I be happy. 


May I be peaceful. 


May I be safe from harm. 


May I enjoy happiness and the root of happiness. 


May I experience ease and well-being in body, mind, and spirit.

Today has been perfect, and I am only half way through.  I attribute it to my morning meditation on Pantajali’s Yoga Sutra 1.33.

maitri karuna muditopeksanam sukha duhkha punyapunya visayanam bhavanatas citta prasadanam
Tranquility of thought comes through the cultivation of friendship, compassion, joy, and impartiality in spheres of pleasure or pain, virtue or vice.

There are 4 words that stand out for me in this sutra, and they are:  Metta or maitri (lovingkindness); Karuna (compassion); Mudita (joy); and Upeksha (equanimity).  Patanjali places these words in balance with their opposition.  Yes, in difficult situations and with difficult people it is especially important to cultivate joy, compassion and equanimity.  But what really resonated for me today, was the importance of living fully in the moment, aware of the need to bring joy, compassion, kindness and balance into all aspects of my life.

 
Thus, I started today’s class with the prayer/chant above.  We then moved into a practice that allowed everyone to deepen and yes, sweat.  We did vinyasas, we did the sagital series, we did arm balances, head stands and more, but the best came at the end.

Because our focus was on staying happy, and peaceful, and practicing compassion, everyone slipped gracefully into Svasana.  I could feel the room melt.  The pranayama practice and the meditation happened effortlessly.  We were all breathing together.  Breathing in to a place of peace and joy.  There a a tangible sense of letting go and letting in.  It was truly a moment of blessing.

And then after class, I got to totally yoga-geek-out with my good friend Pat.  We played with hand-stands and arm-balances and jump-throughs.  I still have yet to master lifting up into a handstand with legs together but we got awfully close.  And again, I think it all worked so well, because I came to it from a place of Mudita/joy, and Upeksha/equanimity.  I left the need to “conquer/master” and just went to have fun with some cool and challenging asanas.  And it worked.

 
Later in the afternoon, I got to romp in the woods with my dog.  The air smelled so good, and the leaves were just changing colors.  because I didn’t stress out about my to-do list, I was able to get that one more thing in.

So, I just wanted to let you know that, yes, today it worked.  Starting off with a meditation on balance and joy and compassion, can and does make a difference.

Now it is off to feed kids, make dinner, run errands, drive kids and teach again.

Have a great day

Shalom & Namaste,
Diana Bonyhadi

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Changing Your Lifestyle and Yoga Practice to Match the Season

Balancing the Energies of Autumn

Changing your life style and yoga practice to match the season – does it make sense? Yes it does, and adding a few simple changes to your routine can make a world of difference in how you feel.

So, if you are currently feeling any of the following, here is some good news.

Sluggish?
Joints Creaky?
Skin dry and cracked?
Having trouble sleeping?
Harder to get up this morning?

What is going on?

Don”t worry you are not crazy.  Your body is adjusting to the change in seasons.  Ayurvedically speaking we are moving into the Vata season, known in the western world as Fall.  This is one of those times when you are reminded that, not only are we finely tuned instruments, but also that we are all interconnected beings.  Interconnected with each other, and the planet.

As we move from Summer to Fall, as the weather shifts from hot to cool, and as the air becomes wet and blustery, our bodies begin to adjust as well.  We slow down, and begin to let go of the collected heat of the summer.    And depending on our constitutions (doschas) and the balance of stress in our lives, the transitional period may go very smoothly or it may need a bit of fine tuning.

Here are a couple of things you can do to ease the transition from Summer to Fall.

  • Check-in and listen:  If you are tired get more sleep.  Go t bed earlier and maybe even take a short nap during the day. If  you are thirsty, drink more fluids.  I don’t mean to sound trite, but often the first thing we do is turn off the volume and ignore the signals being sent to us by our bodies.
  • Move the system along:  help your body adjust to the change in the season.  Add some cleansing and nourishing practices to your daily routine.  Here are a few things to help bring your body back into balance with the season.
  • Drink a glass of lemon juice and water to start your morning.
  • Brew yourself some ginger tea and drink it throughout the day.
  • Put more twists and longer holds in your asana practice.
  • Spend a few moments in meditation.
  • Take a long hot bath with salts in the evening before bed.
  •  Get a massage – go ahead, you deserve it and it will feel so good.
  • Add oils to your body – both internally (fish and vitamin E), and on the skin (Coconut & Sesame).

If you are interested in learning more about Ayurveda, your doscha, and more ways to stay in balance with the season, here are a few good links.  Also, I know there are many of you who read this blog that know way more than I do, so please chime in.

http://www.ayur.com/about.html

http://www.holisticonline.com/ayurveda/ayv-basis-harmony.htm

http://ayurvedaseattle.com/index.php?CID=28

Have a great day,

Shalom & Namaste,

Diana Bonyhadi

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Yoga Events in Seattle

Summer in Seattle and there is so much to do.

Sailing, hiking, biking, kayaking, dining al fresco, concerts in the park, and of course, YOGA.

Make sure you put the following on your calendar.

Saturday July 16th, 10:00 – City of Hope Fundraiser Class at Samena Club in Bellevue.  I will be leading this special two hour celebration class, and all proceeds go directly to City of Hope.  You may have thought you missed your only opportunity last weekend, but no, we have created one last chance to do yoga and support this superior program for cancer research and treatment.Click here to sign up and learn more.

If you have the time and wanter to go further afield, check out Wanderlust in Squaw Valley California for a weekend of music, yoga and beautiful scenery.  I think this sounds so cool.

Namaste,

Diana Bonyhadi

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Sunday Salutations

Thought for the day

“You’ve got to wake up every morning with a smile upon your face, and show the world all the love in your heart…”  Believing in the good is not naive, it is a recipe for wellness and profound change.

Believe in the good.  I know it sounds like all the platitudes of your childhood – but it is true.

When we begin to doubt others and ourselves, we quickly become stuck.  We soon find ourselves unable to move forward in almost any endeavor because we do not, cannot, believe that any good could come out of it.  You can almost hear Eyeore from Winnie the Pooh saying “why bother, nothing good will every happen to me…”

But when you least expect it, your belief in the innate goodness of humankind is restored.  A check for first and last month rent is returned, an event you dreaded turned into an amazing success, a friend calls and reminds you of the strength and determination of the human spirit, someone makes you a delicious dinner.

So, as sit upon your mat today, I encourage you to nourish the light within.  Blow upon that little spark and let it shine forth.  Your spirit is bathed in goodness and innate beauty.  Know this about yourself and others.  And now breath.  Breath into the beauty of your heart, into the beauty of your asana, into the beauty of the world.  Let your practice be a celebration.  Allow it to shimmer and shine and sparkle with all that is good in you.  The rest will follow.

And for a little encouragement dig up that old song by Carole King – Beautiful.

Have a great week.  Enjoy the sunshine.

Shalom & Namaste

Diana Bonyhadi

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Amazing Vinyassa Practice

Warrior Ii in the sun

Today we had the most wonderful vinyassa practice.  It built slowly, incrementally adding asana upon asana.  We moved and opened to deeper and deeper levels of our inner selves.  One pose after another, moving us to the edge of our fullness.  Our hearts were shimmering through our skin.  The room positively glowed with prana.

I am once again honored by the blessing of being a teacher to some of the most incredible students on the planet.

Namaste,

Diana

 

 

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Summer Update – Yoga for Hope

Summer in Seattle and it is still grey.  But we can do yoga anywhere and any time, and when we live our yoga beyond the mat, summer rain matters little.

Since last I wrote – a month ago? – I have seen my oldest son graduate from college, have driven across the country and sent my youngest off to New York City to study with the Joffrey Ballet.  So much has happened and yet so few posts.  I guess I had better learn to write more often.

Newsflash:

Yoga for Hope  I will be hosting a benefit class at Samena Swim & Tennis Club to benefit Yoga for Hope on July 16th at 10:00am.  Come join us as we nourish our minds and bodies, and support the wonderful work of the folks at City of Hope.  City of Hope is a leading research, treatment center dedicated to the prevention, treatment and cure of cancer and other life threatening illnesses guided by a compassionate patient-centered philosophy.

Register now to sign up and support this amazing program. Click Here

Here is a photo from my recent adventures. The beauty of this country is inspiring.  This was taken at Yellowstone Lake.

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Yoga, Passover and Easter; Connecting the Paths of Faith

I am practicing asana but at a level where the quality is meditative. The totality of being, from the core to the skin, is experienced.  Mind is unruffled, intelligence is awake in the heart rather than in the head, self is quiescent, and conscious life is in every cell of the body.  That is what I mean when I say asana opens the whole spectrum of yoga’s possibilities.
– B.K.S. Iyengar

Fuse the powers of the sacred heart with the energies of the body and you transform everything.
– Pierre Teilhard De Chardin.

Good Morning

Here we are at the end of the week of Passover and the eve of Easter.  In the Northwest the sun is finally shining, and everywhere flowers are bursting forth.  It is no wonder that  there are major religious holidays at this time.  Clearly this is a time to celebrate.  We have hopefully seen the last of the dark cold days of winter, and can now  begin our planting and playing in the sun.

From the Jewish perspective, we have spent this past week reliving our journey from enslavement to freedom.  A metaphysical journey from dark to light.  I know that there are many ways in which we are all still enslaved, so as i crunch on my matzah, i am reminded to continue to keep my heart open, and to seek ways to help others escape slavery – both physical and mental

Yes slavery is still alive and kicking the world, think child labor and sex trade, coal mining and diamond mining.

And while I am not a member of the Christian community, I know many who have spent the last 39 days trying to give up something for Lent.  Chocolate, coffee, sugar, anything that they really liked, so that they can in some small way, experience the suffering that Jesus experienced.  Sunday, they will be released from their vows of abstinence and will be free to celebrate and consume as they wish.

But for more than a month, every time they almost ate/drank their favorite substance, they were reminded of others who have suffered or who are still suffering.  They brought the darkness of limitations to the forefront of their consciousness through a personal act of abstinence.

And now here we are, about to be set free from the restrictions we have set upon ourselves.  We are about to be free from the physical reminders of the suffering of others.  We are about to enter into the light and fullness of spring and summer.  I think perhaps our spiritual forefathers had something here.  They knew that there needed to be a “right of passage” a “moment of awakening”  “a space of rememberance”  at this moment of transition as we move from the cold days of winter into the warmth of summer.  We need to stop and pause and celebrate the cycle of birth, death and rebirth.  We need to remember that even in the best of times there is suffering, and, even in the darkest moments of suffering, there is room for birth and growth.

Okay, so what does this have to do with yoga?  Everything.  As yogis we come from many traditions.  Being a yogi does not mean you are no longer a Jew, Buddhist, Muslim, or Christian.  You are all that and more.  Let your yoga practice be a celebration of your spiritual practice.  Allow your breath to flow from the deepest recesses of your being.  Step into your asana practice with deliberation, awareness, and rememberance.  Your body is more than just a physical entity, allow it to be a vehicle for helping you to connect with the divine, and to live in greater connection with all beings.  Allow your meditations to be full of connection and wonder.

Shalom & Namaste,
Diana Bonyhadi

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Yoga Studies: Iyengar & Sacred Activism

I  have spent the last three days immersed in yoga.  Not that I am not always immersed in yoga, it is just that I amped that up three-fold.  I spent Friday and Saturday studying Iyengar yoga with JinSung, my former teacher from the Bay Area, and today I spent all day with Andrew Harvey and Karuna Erickson studying Heart Yoga,  the yoga of Sacred Activism.

JinSung speaks deeply and clearly about the structural alignment of the body in yoga.  He presents fundamentals of alignment and links them through all poses.  Actions which seems to contradict one another become clear and greater space is found within.  And, he is a master of the use of belts and props.  I definitely learned new ways to strap and wrap the body.  Students beware:  time for more yogi bondage.

Today, I was fortunate enough to be able to join Wisdom University for the first day of a five-day Intensive on Heart Yoga.  Andrew Harvey, one of the our great modern mystics spoke with fire and passion, encouraging us to  examine our own inner obstacles to living vibrantly in the moment.  Karuna, a yogini of deep wisdom, led us in a compassionate and restorative practice, opening our hearts and nurturing our spirits.

So here is a little truth about me:  I consider myself a peacenik.  I hope that every step I place upon this earth is one of creating peace.  In a previous incarnation (e.g. my other professional career) I was a mediator, working to help individuals and groups resolve conflicts and  find opportunities for collaboration.  Living and teaching yoga, while not as”sexy” as  being “international mediation consultant” is also all about resolving conflict and teaching peace.  So maybe I am no longer out there doing dramatic things to negotiate and reduce some of the more public conflicts of our times, but I hope and believe  that by teaching and sharing yoga, I am helping to creating spaces of peace within individuals who will then share that energy with their friends, families and communities.

This is the path of the Sacred Activist.  The path, that given the current state of the world, most of us are treading.  The path to which we must give our hearts fully in order to find the strength to address the grave issues confronting all of us.

So, my fellow yogis, know that in every practice you are creating a better world.  By moving your bodies, removing the stress, finding alignment, and opening your hearts, you are creating peace, not just on your mats, but beyond.  You are all Sacred Activists. Everything thing you do matters.

Thank you,

Shalom & Namaste,

Diana Bonyhadi