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

Taking Care of Yourself

Taking Care of Mind and Body & Helpful Online Resources

It’s been a long time since last I wrote….

I have had many requests of late. Friends, family, students, all asking for what they can do to nourish themselves in this time of Covid 19. I am honored to be asked, and humbly offer you the following:

There is a glut of information online about how to stay healthy in mind, body and spirit. By this point, we all know to maintain physical distance from one another, keep our bodies and living spaces as clean as we can, eat well, exercise and get fresh air and plenty of rest. To this, I am going to add, that we really don’t need to check the news every hour. I worry that the tendency to do this will only feed our fears and further stress our bodies. Sure, check your news feed in the morning or once some time during the day, but you probably don’t need to do it all day long and especially not right before bed. If you frequent social media sites, check-in with yourself, notice if the time spent there is making you feel calmer and more present, or if it is making you more anxious and stressed. If it is the later, maybe it is time to pick up a book, work on a puzzle, make some art or music or practice yoga or meditation.

I know many of you have asked me to make you a video. I might just do that, but in the interim, there are so many very good offerings out there, I encourage you to explore them.

If you don’t have a home practice, and just want some coaching and guidance and want to feel like you are part of a class, there are numerous online yoga and meditation resources that have been around for years and provide a deep well of information and teachings. Many of these require a paid membership, but in these times, that may be a worthwhile expense. Some of these are free and offer super high quality accessible classes (Veterans Yoga Project and Insight Timer).

These are the ones I tend to return to again and again. Just click on the links to check them out:

Yoga:

YogaInternational.com, yogajournal.com, YogaGlo.com, gaia.com, Yoga with ADRIENNE,

Veterans Yoga Project

Meditation:

Meditation Insight Timer, Waking UP, calm.com, Sounds True, Shambala

Zoom Classes:

In addition, most studios in our area and across the country are now live streaming their classes, as are many master yoga teachers who would normally be hosting large group teacher trainings. Some of these classes are free for the next week or so, some are already fee-based. Most yoga studios and teachers operate on very narrow margins, and as a result of the mandatory closures, they are finding it hard to make ends meet. So taking their classes online enables them to pay their teachers and hopefully re-open their doors once this virus has run its course.

In order to take these live-streamed streamed classes, (practicing with the teacher in real time with the teacher), you will need to click on a link that will take you to a Zoom window in your browser. The process is pretty self-explanatory, but it does require a bit of computer savvy, so do give yourself some time to figure out the technology or you will miss the start of class.

Here are the links for a few of local studios that have been posting classes. I only post these, as I have taken the classes and know the teachers. However, there are many more out there to explore.

Home Practice Essentials:

Before you get started, make sure you have everything you might need near by. Choose how long you want to practice and make a commitment to that. Even 10 minutes a day will make a difference. Get a drink of water or tea. Turn off your phone, ask housemates to join you or at least not interrupt you. Sit down and center yourself before you begin. Remember svasana at the end.

Props:

Yes, one of the benefits of going to the studio or gym is that they will have all these wonderful props. Of course you can order your own online, but you can also make do with some common household items.

Yoga Mat – or anything that will keep your feet from sliding out from under you

Straight backed chair – for support and chair-based practice

Yoga Blocks – or books or anything that raises the floor a bit will support your hands

Yoga Straps – or belts, or scarves

Yoga Bolsters – rolled up blankets/towels or pillows or sofa cushions

Yoga Blankets – firm blanket that is not slippery to provide support and comfort

That’s it for now. More to follow soon. If you have online resources you’d like to recommend, please do share. Seems I have and abundance of time these days to practice yoga and meditation.

January 19, 2019 by Diana Gould Bonyhadi

New Year, New Beginnings

Happy New Year

I am just back from 3 weeks in Mexico feeling refreshed and ready to embark on the New Year. I admit to being a sun-aholic. I love hanging out on the beach, playing in the water and living practically full-time out of doors and being warm the entire time.

I believe it is incredibly important to determine what nourishes you spiritually and physically and to make a commitment to setting aside time to recharge yourself. Vacationing is certainly one way to do that, but we don’t always have the time or the resources to wander off to the retreat of our choosing. But we can set aside time each week, and even each day to nourish our bodies and spirit.

Take some time to figure out what makes you feel good. When do you find yourself smiling, both inside and out? When do you experience a sense of contentment and well-being? What gives you joy? Make a list, put it some place you can return to easily. And then you have your own handy pick-me-up protocol. Here are some of the things I do regularly that keep me happy, grounded and smiling.

Daily yoga & meditation
Walks in the woods and along the beach
Listening to music and having my own private dance party
Sipping tea, wrapped in a warm blanket and reading a book
Hanging out with my friends – perhaps with a glass of wine in hand
Spending time with my husband and kids
Cooking and gardening
Teaching and studying yoga

Okay, so there you have it, you know my list of nourishments. I wonder what you will put on your list.

Good News – I am starting a new Tuesday Evening Slow Flow yoga class in West Seattle at Limber Yoga on February 5th at 4:30pm.

Come Check it out. I am super excited to finally be teaching in West Seattle, and Limber Yoga has a great open light filled space, fully equipped with all my favorite props.

Happy New Year, may it be a year of joy and blessing and good health for you and all those you hold dear.

Shalom & Namaste

Diana Bonyhadi

November 28, 2018 by Diana Gould Bonyhadi

Back Bend Workshop

Sunday December 16, 2018

1:30-4:00pm

Village Green Yoga, Issaquah, WA

Welcome to the Holidays,

The Holiday Season is upon us. Up here in the Pacific Northwest, the rains have set in, coloring the skies grey and generally making things cold and damp. Daylight hours are still waning, and many of us wake-up in the dark and don’t get back home till the sun has set.

To balance this, we light candles, make/eat cookies, decorate our homes with lights, and host/attend numerous celebrations bringing the light of friendship and family into our homes and hearts.

But sometimes that is just plain hard. Maybe we are tired, worn-out, over-stimulated, already feeling the effects of the darker days, or we are dealing with difficult personal stuff; but whatever the reason, the “Season of Joy” might be our “Season of Challenge”. And this is where yoga can once again support us. In order to connect with others, we need to be able to open our hearts and connect with ourselves. Backbends do just that, through physical forms we touch down into emotional spaces.

Yoga is full of backbends. Some are super dramatic, like urdhva dhanurasana (full wheel), ekapada rajakopatanasana 4 (full pigeon), others are more subtle, like Warrior I or cow pose. Regardless of the depth of the pose, backbends are incredibly nourishing. Not only do they bring healing to the spine, but also they re-engergize the body as we open up the spaces around the heart. They help us to breath more deeply, and with greater ease, allowing us to more fully oxygenate all the organs in the body. At a deeper level, backbends ask us to expose our hearts, open to vulnerability, and explore the edges of our fragility. And in doing so, we find the spaces within, from which we can draw the strength to love more deeply and give more freely, and not just to other, but also to ourselves.

In order to derive the greatest benefit from backbends, it is essential to know how to do them safely.

This workshop will help you to understand the dynamics of the backward bending poses enabling you to make the best choices for your body about which poses will nourish and heal, and which poses could problematic or hazardous. We will look at some anatomy, appropriate warm-ups, sequencing and counterposes, so you will always be able to practice backbends safely on your own, whenever and wherever you may want/need them

Join me for an afternoon that is certain to inspire and nourish.

Click here to sign up

Shalom & Namaste

Diana Bonyhadi

September 30, 2015 by Diana Gould Bonyhadi

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