meditation

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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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One – The Event

The tenth anniversary of the bombing of the World Trade Center in New York is this weekend.  September 11th changed the course of American history.  This was the first time we felt any physical effects of war upon our own soil.  We were struck by surprise; at the hatred and animosity that engendered the attack, and by our own fear and hatred in response.  Thousands of lives were lost in an instant and many thousands more have been lost over the years as we sought to assuage

our pain through war.

But war is not and never has been the answer.

And I am happy to announce that in Seattle this weekend, there will be an historic event of remembrance for September 11th.

This September 11, Choose Love and Unity.

Tens of thousands of people will be joining musicians, speakers, and celebrities, both live and on the web to intentionally send love, compassion and unity to all of humanity. Come to he Memorial Stadium at 3:46 PM Pacific Time on September 11th, and be a part of this monumental transformational event will be happening in Seattle at exactly 10 years and 10 hours after the 9/11 tragedy.

Click on the link in blue and learn more.

ONE: THE EVENT

WE ARE ONE
ONE with ourselves
ONE with each other
ONE with our planet
MAKE THE SHIFT

This is Karma Yoga, yoga of action.  This is living your yoga.  Make this September 11th truly a day of remembrance – remembering our interconnected with all beings.

Shalom & Namaste,

Diana Bonyhadi

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New Yoga Classes for the Fall in Issaquah

Hey Everyone,

School started today.  Both my kids were out the door before 7:ooam.  That seems an ungodly hour for teenagers to be up.  But both of them were up ahead of schedule and ready to go.  Good for them.  And the weather cooperated as well.  Who wants to go to school on a hot sunny day, better that is was gray and cold here.  But it is so quiet here, and I miss them already.

Now that we are back into the school routine, it is time to figure out how to spend all those uncluttered hours while the kids are gone.  And even if kids are not a part of your daily planning, Fall is a great time to establish or re-establish your routine for healing and exercise.

My teaching schedule for the Fall has changed quite a bit.  I will be offering more classes, in more locations, and with greater variety of styles.  As always, each class will be designed to meet the needs of the students, but I will incorporating more of the therapeutic trainings I have been doing as well as more of the Anusara studies I love so much.

It is with regret that I am announcing I will no longer be teaching at the Samena Club in Bellevue.  I will miss all my wonderful and dedicated students and it would be great to see some of you again at any one of my expanded teaching locations in Issaquah.

I will begin teaching on Monday and Wednesday mornings, (9:30 – 11:00am) at Village Green Yoga, in Gilman Village, starting Wednesday September 7th.  This would be a great class for all you Samena folks who want to stay on the same schedule we were before.

I am also pleased to announce that I will be teaching at the new Swedish Hospital in the Issaquah Highlands.  I am offering two classes:  7:45 – 8:45am on Mondays  and Wednesdays with a class therapeutic class focused on hips and backs.  I will also be teaching an hour of Hatha Integration yoga at noon on Tuesdays and Thursdays.  These classes should begin the second week of September, ut we are still working out some kinks in the system so I will let you know as soon as we have everything launched.
Finally, my hours at Urban Oasis Yoga & Wellness have also changed.  I will continue to teach my Tuesday and Thursday mornings Vinyassa Flow classs from 9:30 – 10:45, but my evening Vinyassa Flow class has been moved from Tuesdays & Thursdays to Mondays & Wednesdays  at 5:30 – 7:00.

So, that is all for scheduling.  I hope you have all had a wonderful summer, filled with  many moments of fun, play, and relaxation.  Perhaps even some travel, and time for family.

While I maintained a full teaching schedule, I was blessed with some great travel adventures.  I also got some well-deserved hammock time.  Lazing in a hammock is pretty close to a zen experience.  I mean once I get in, I find myself letting go completely.  I watch the clouds, feel the sun on my skin, and listen to the birds in the sky.    And I don’t do much more than that.  I think I may have to figure out a way to hang a hammock in my house. It seems that I drop  more quickly into meditation mode in the hammock then I do when sitting in my studio.  I do hope that many of you were also able to find time to let go and be present – with or without the hammock.

Speaking of hammock time, here is a great video.  This was a talk on TED which is one of my favorite web sites.  The guy’s name is Eoin Finn and he is a Yogi and Blissologist, and the founder of Hammock Enlightenment.   I think guy is on to something.  Enjoy!

See you all soon.

Shalom & Namaste,

Diana Bonyhadi

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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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Insight from a weekend with Sara Powers

Greetings,

I spent this past weekend with Sara Powers who is the founder of Insight Yoga.  Sara and her husband Ty have been leading yoga classes and workshop for many, many years, and although I had not yet had the opportunity to study with her in person, I had been familiar with her through her video “Insight Yoga.”  As the only yoga video with which I like to practice, it felt like re-meeting an old friend when I walked into to take her workshop.

Sara Powers has set her heart and mind to the integration of yoga, meditation and transpersonal psychology.  So to spend a weekend with her, was an experience focused within, on the prospect of “being in yoga”, rather than of “doing yoga.”  And what a pleasant prospect it was.

As everyone knows who reads this sporadic blog, my focus has always been on “living yoga,” whether it occurs on the mat or hopefully even beyond the mat.  Thus to spend a weekend focused inward, breathing our way into the deepest parts of ourselves, was a great blessing.  I will admit however, that I am not so adept at being still for such long periods of time.  Not only did my body shout out its discomfort, but my brain was also busy, sending me all sorts of messages.

And yet that was what we were there to do.  Become aware of the ramblings of the brain.  We sat meditation before and after asana practice.  We practiced meditation in the asana practice.  In fact, yoga with Sara is meditation in stillness and in motion.  Our work in meditation was not to shunt away the messages of the brain but rather to become “mindful” of them.  Instead of noting a thought and saying “I see you now go away,” we were to acknowledge the thought and follow it. By allowing ourselves to follow a thought, we engage in a process of self-acknowledgement, and self-affirmation.  It becomes liberating to enter this process, and a bit entertaining.  For example, here is just one of the thought trains that I followed…

“Breathe in to the hara. Awareness of breathing into the hara. Am I thinking my breath?  Am I focusing on my breath? Am I focusing too much on my breath? Am I distracting myself from my breath? Am I really meditating?  Mindfulness… What happens if I spend the whole time analyzing the focus of my breath?  Will I no longer be practicing mindfulness? Follow a thought … There are no thoughts … How did I do that?  Oops, there is a thought.  My thighs are beginning to hurt … Should pay more attention to hip openers, or maybe I should pay more attention to closed hip positions … how to teach this balance …  Are my students getting it?  How can I serve them better”

Okay, you get the idea.  Not only did my mind search around for things to latch onto, but under it all, was a common thread of “am I good enough?”  And I doubt I am the only one out there who is constantly filled with self-doubt.  But that is the power of a mindfulness practice.  We can see how often we go to these places, and by doing so disempower those voices of self-doubt.  Recognizing our communal need for love and affirmation, and the collective tendency towards self-doubt, we in turn become more accepting and nurturing as individuals and as community.

Now that is pretty darn cool.

So, take some time (ten minutes) to sit in contemplation of your thoughts.  Acknowledge them  for what they are.  Enjoy the process.  Enjoy letting go.  Live your yoga.

Shalom & Namaste,

Diana Bonyhadi

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Why I Went To College

Why I went to College

If you ask someone who is about 17 why they are going to apply to college, in most cases, the honest answer would be…because my parents and my college counselor told me to.  In some instances you will hear that the person wanted to learn as much as they could from the best institution possible.  Or they might say they are going to college to play for the best college team in the country.  I highly doubt they will tell you that they are going to college to accrue debt, learn how to party, make friends that last a life time, oh, and maybe learn some accounting, biology, or how to write an essay.

I went to college because it was expected of me, not because I knew what I wanted to do with my life.  I ended up studying international affairs and psychology, becoming captain of my sailing team.  The dual degree led to a fascinating career in mediation and international collaborative problem solving, the sailing led to a great opportunities to crew on some excellent boats.  But, most importantly, because I went to college, I made friends that have supported and nurtured me for ever so many years.

Okay, how is this related to yoga???  Well, today I am flying to Palm Springs to help three of these friends celebrate their birthdays.  My plane was to leave at 1:00.  I got to the airport at noon, I boarded the plane at 12:30.  I sat on the plane till 2:30, I got off the plane – still in Seattle at 3:00.  I got back on a plane at 3:30, and now I am finally heading to Palm Springs. But…  never did I let this get to me.  In fact, it didn’t even occur to me to stress out.  I am thankful they figured out the plane shouldn’t fly while it was still on the ground.  I am thankful there was a fresh plane to take us to our destination.  I am thankful I have friends from 20 years ago I can go hang out with.  And…

I am thankful to my morning practice and my students for giving me the opportunity to deepen our practice together.  I am pretty certain that without the yoga, at this point my body would be complaining, my mind would be complaining and my energy would be all whacked-out.  But as it is, I am calm, happy and centered.

It’s all about staying present.

Letting go of expectations for the future.

Letting go of expectations for the past.

And rejoicing in the moment.

So, when someone asks you why you went to college,  or why you should go to college,  remember, the correct answer is… the parties, the friends, and the ability to write a good essay.

Shalom & Namaste,

Diana Bonyhadi

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A Week of Enlightenment

A Week of Divine Enlightenment

Well no, I can’t say that I have become an enlightened being this week, but I did set the intention for the week to open myself up to the possibility of experiencing the divine fully in each and every moment. And what a great week it has been.

It started as a simple question; “If I were truly an enlightened being, how would my actions in the moment change?”  The first thing I noticed was a shift of awareness.  My internal critical self took a step back.  Enlightened beings are not so judgmental – wow what a relief that was.  In my practice, I found it easier to open more fully to each asana, delighting in the postures for their own sake.  My breath flowed more gently and my meditations were longer and deeper.  In my daily life, I discovered that the traffic was less annoying and chores became vehicles for nurturing my family – not dreaded tasks.  In short, I found myself more open to the positive in every situation and more supportive of everyone around me – even those teenagers with whom I share space.

As a yoga teacher, this has turned into a deep blessing.  Opening each class with an invitation to honor the divine within, allowed all my students to reach deeper into their practices.  As a result the room became a sanctuary, and each student a manifestation of the divine.  Literally, all of us were glowing.  The asanas shimmered and the meditations were nurturing and affirming.

When we invite the divine into our lives, we are making the choice to fully acknowledge the grace, beauty and sacredness of our world. If my experience this week is any indication, creating space for the divine is a pathway for creating greater possibilities for peace in our lives and the world.

Finally, a comment on the numerous articles in the press about the perceived conflict between yoga and religions.  First, yoga is not a religion, it is a philosophy.  It is best viewed as a road map for our intrapersonal and interpersonal interactions.  Yoga – which literally mean yoking or union – strengthens the connections between the individual and their own religious commitments. In my practice this week, I found support and clarification of my Jewish faith, particularly as expressed through the Sh’ma: “Listen Israel, Adonai is holy, Adonai is one.”  By embracing the divine, I embraced the concept of the holiness of all beings and the interconnectedness of everything.  I mean, if I am divine, then you are too, and he is, and she is and he is, and so forth.  What a beautiful sparkling world of divine beings we are.

Shalom & Namaste,

Diana Bonyhadi

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New Classes for Fall

Hey Everyone,
I am expanding my teaching schedule. Come check out the new classes.

 

Village Green Yoga
Tuesdays & Thursdays: Noon to 1:00
Lunch Express – Specifically designed to help you re-energize and re-focus. And get you back to work on time. Come spend your lunch hour doing yoga, and feel great all over for the rest of your day.

Village Green Yoga

Alternating Saturdays: 8:00 – 9:15am

All Levels Yoga. Start your weekend right.  Come join us as we move through asana, pranayama, and mediation, Opening our hearts to the beauty within and around us.  Clarifying our minds to see our own paths, and strengthening our bodies to enable us to fully realize our dreams.  Sounds too deep?  Okay, just come, and stretch and laugh your way into morning.

 

Urban Oasis

Wednesday 7:00pm – 8:15pm

Level I Alignment Yoga

Ready to move out of the beginner class?  Not quite ready to jump into the all levels classes?  Want to learn more about the fundamentals of the asanas, as well as a bit about pranayama.  This is the class for you.  If you have taken the beginner series and want more, join us for Wednesday evening classes.

Shalom & Namaste,

Diana Bonyhadi

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L’Shana Tova & Patanjali Sutra II.5

Anitya asuci duhkha anatmasu nitya suci sukha atma khyatih avidya

Sutra 2-5

The need for pleasures and the source of suffering comes from identifying with
that which is not eternal. True self is pure and eternal.

`L’Shana Tova

Happy New Year.  I spent most of yesterday and the evening before in synagogue.  It’s Jewish New Year and so a time for deep reflection.  We are called to reach deeply into that reflective space and ponder where we have been and where we want to be in the future.  This is the time when we take stock.

Traditionally, we call this the time of repentance.  The ten days of awe, when the book of life is opened and we get to re-write ourselves into the book of life.  It is the time when we look back at the past year and hold ourselves accountable for all that we have done.  For many it is a time of self-flagellation.  Our minds fill with the “I should’ves, Why didn’t I, Why did I?” And we ask for forgiveness.  Some of us even write the difficult letters, or make the phone calls to those we love and have hurt during the year.  But most importantly, it is a time of letting go.

I belong to a unique synagogue.  We practice an integrative form of Judaism which is draws upon ancient Jewish practices of mysticism, meditation and chanting. It also draws upon the wisdom teachings of Buddhism and Daoism.  I find that the combination of song, prayer and meditation allows me to go deeper into myself and to nurture the divine spark that lives within.

According to our Rabbis, the real work to be done during this week is the work of self-love.  Yes, look inside, take stalk, but also forgive yourself and let go. I don’t know about you, but I certainly am my own worst critic.  So to be presented with the task of looking inside and practicing self-forgiveness is a deep spiritual challenge.

This is a time of catharsis.

And I find that my yoga practice is deepened by my Jewish faith and vice versa.  We meditate on the mat and we meditate in synagogue.  We honor the divine that lives within in our yoga practice, and we honor the One that is Universal Being in our Jewish faith.  Patanjali reminds us that our attachments to what has been and what could be, keep us from living fully in the moment, and thus lead to pain.  The days of awe remind us to look back, take stalk and then let go, and embrace the New Year with an open heart and a clean slate.

So to all my fellow yogis and yoginis, and to all my Jewish brothers and Sisters, may I wish you a sweet New Year.  I encourage you to open yourselves up to yourselves.  Take time for silence and meditation. Listen quietly to the clear voice that lives within.  Know that we are all manifestations of goodness.  And celebrate your unique unfolding, on the mat and in your life.

Shalom & Namaste

Diana Bonyhadi