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Celebrating Freedom

Happy Independence Day

Aside from the the usual – bonfires, s’mores, roasting hotdogs, parades and fireworks – how will you celebrate 4th of July?  I will practice sun salutations on the beach and stand on my head and watch the waves move in and out.  I will also watch a parade and go to a bonfire.  But there is more to it than that.  I am called on this day to look deeper.  I am called to a moment of presence, an opportunity to set an intention and to honor the gift of freedom, given to me as a citizen of this fine country.

This American of American Holidays stands as a hallmark of our country’s commitment to freedom.  Freedom to be who you are, celebrate how you wish, pray as you believe and walk tall as an individual.  It also marks our country’s determination to choose our own alliances and set our own economic and political trails.  This is a heady list of choices to make at the personal and social level.

I can’t remember who said this, but “with choice/independence there  comes great responsibility.”  So it seems that on this day when were are celebrating our freedom, we should also be examining our own commitments and intentions.   So perhaps today is a day which can practice living  in the same way that we our start our yoga practice.  Today let us set our intentions for our practice of life.

Questions to consider

  • I am free to choose how I live – how do I want to live?
  • I am free to pray as I want – to what or whom do I want to dedicate my prayers?
  • I am free to associate with anyone – how shall I choose my friend and how can I support them?
  • I am free to vote and exercise my political will – what do I truly care about and how can I support that with my vote?
  • I am free to live each day as I wish – how can I live each moment of each day more fully?
  • I am free to celebrate as I wish – what is it I want to celebrate and bring light to?

Have a fantastic 4th. Enjoy the celebration of freedom.  Enjoy your freedom.

Shalom & Namaste,

Diana Bonyhadi

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Rainy Days Make Me Dig Deeper

Okay, I admit it.  I am a Californian.  I love the sun, I am not particularly fond of rain, and now that it is June in Seattle and still raining, I am having to dig a bit deeper to remain bright and energetic.

I started my practice today with Svasana – now that might seem a bit backwards, but it seemed the best place to begin.  Fully grounding myself to the earth and appreciating the deepness of that connection.  It also allowed me to accept that my energy is lower when the sun doesn’t shine.

From Svasana, I was able to begin slowly moving through leg stretches, hip rotations, supine twists, and even some core work.  Before I knew it, the wintery blues were gone and I was ready proceed with my regular practice.

Accepting where I was in the moment allowed me to create a practice that was nurturing and nourishing.

Things to ponder

  • How often do I deny where I am really am in the moment?
  • How often do I “power through” when it would be better to “ease on through?”
  • Is it harder to go slow or fast?

Shalom & Namaste,

Diana Bonyhadi

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Back Bends Workshop this Weekend

Urdhva Dhanurasana

Opening your Heart to Spring – Finding Safety and Comfort in Back Bend

Sunday 1:30 – 4:00

Urban Oasis Yoga & Wellness Center

3310 East Lake Sammamish Parkway

Sammamish, WA 98075

(425) 677-8403

This workshop is designed to help everyone experience the joy and healing benefits of back bends.  Students will be exposed to a variety of different back bends, and will learn important elements of alignment to ensure that their experience with back bends is both safe and rewarding.

Please join us as we open our hearts to the beauty of Spring and the beauty within.

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Abiding in Gratitude

Everyone once and a while I am called to notice how full my life is, how much I have to be thankful for.  I guess you could call it counting my blessings. Honoring our blessings is indeed a “practice that takes us beyond the mat,” for as we take a moment to express our gratitude, we open our hearts to blessings and are open to the energies of healing.

Last week was Yoga with a Purpose Week.  My classes were full, and we raised some much-needed funds for the African Village Survival Initiative. I am thankful we could all be part of helping others less fortunate develop means for economic sustainability.

This weekend I spent with my book club friends up on the Olympic Peninsula.  Wow, what a gorgeous spot: Snow-capped Mountains in the distance, water lapping at the deck, seals and eagles playing for our amusement, and sun!  Oh, I am so thankful to live near the Puget Sound.  If you haven’t given yourself a 24 vacation, do so soon and visit Kingston, WA, just an hour and a half (including ferry ride) north of Seattle.

No book club retreat could be complete without the book discussion.  This weekend we discussed the Help by Kathryn Stockett.  This book is so worth the read. The author deftly combines history of the 1960’s, race relations in the south, and explorations into the meaning of family and friendship.  This is a book that will keep you laughing and crying and glad to be alive.  I am thankful I can read,and thankful that such great books exist, and that I have a community of friends with whom i can share my love of reading.

Mother’s Day.  Okay, it’s a gimme, but I gotta tell you.  Those hand-made cards and poems from my family rock my world.  Thank you Hallmark for giving me a moment to revel in the love of my family.

I think that is enough for now.  I think I will add my list of thank yous to my daily meditation practice.  Perhaps you will join me.

Namaste,

Diana

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Routine as the Touchstone to Deepening your Practice

Home again from vacation.  The bags are unpacked, the laundry clean and put away, meals planned for the week, and all of us have returned to the routine of school and work.

Routine which may become monotonous, does provide a stable ground upon which to rest.  We know what is expected of us, and how best to manage our strength and energies within it.  Routine, which can sometimes lead to boredom, also provides an opportunity for renewal and deeper introspection.

Take for example the sun salutations.  We know the routine:

  • Tadasana
  • Utanasana
  • Adho Mukha Svanasana
  • Plank
  • Bhujhangasana/Urdhva Mukha Svanasana
  • Utanasana
  • Tadasana

As we breath and move from asana to asana we gain strength and clarity.  Each asana is a meditation in and of itself.  And yet each asana leads to the next asana, deepening the meditation.  As the flow becomes more and more familiar, we begin to deepen our practice and our understanding of ourselves.

Sure, there is room for boredom.  All the room your are willing to allow yourself.  As soon as you mentally jump ship (so to speak) the asanas no longer provide the foundation for the meditation, and become no more than an aerobic exercise.   The true gift of the sun salutation lies in its ability to link our breath, movement and mind into a heart opening practice.  One in which we put aside all of our “to-do” lists, and allow ourselves to experience a greater sense of well-being and connectedness.

And there is great room for enhancement and variation.  All the other asanas can be incorporated into the sun salutations.  Routine becomes enhanced, and yet grounded in a deeper practice.

So, as we return again to the routine of daily living, I find myself embracing my sun salutation practice as a touchstone for renewal and re-entry.  May it be so for you as well.

Shalom & Namaste,

Diana

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2 Weeks with Anna Forrest

Breathe, Go Deeper, Breathe

I heard Anna Forrest was coming to town.  One of my favorite teachers has been one of Anna’s Teaching Assistants. I have heard about Anna Forrest for years, and have always wanted to study with her.  Not often she comes to Seattle.   I couldn’t miss this opportunity. I got on the phone and signed up.

I signed up for a series of early morning intensives; 6:00am to 9:00am.  That the studio was 45 minutes away, and that I would have to get up at 4:30 every morning to get there, didn’t register at the time I signed up.

Intensive is the perfect word to describe the series.  On my first day, there were over 80 people in the room and the room was at least 80 degrees.  In no time we were all pouring sweat.  We kept working harder and harder, getting ever closer to the core of our beings.  When that first session was over, I truly wondered what I had gotten myself into.  I was exhausted, sore, sweaty, shaking, tired, and I wondered how I would be able to keep this up, in addition to teaching my usual classes and remain a sane parent.

I guess I wasn’t the only one  that felt that they were being pushed to their limits.  The next day at least 15 people had dropped out.  As each day passed, the class size diminished.  It picked up again on the weekends, but never returned to ridiculously filled class of the first day.  Did I mention that our mats were only two inches apart from each other on all sides.  Yesterday was my last class, and I think there were only 35 of us left.

I am so glad that I took the series and stuck it out.  Anna is an amazing teacher.  Now I won’t recommend this series for everyone, but if you are the least bit interested in pushing your practice to the next level, challenging yourself to go deeper and deeper still, then definitely sign up.  But remember to check your ego at the door, take a break when you need one and have a strong foundation and understandings of alignment before you enter.

Anna Forest uses a sweat lodge mentality and Native American traditions to set the space.  She emphasizes Ujjayi breathing , and the breathing  room often sounds like  the wind were blowing through the trees.  Students are asked to set an intention for each class, an intention to bring healing to some part of their body or spirit.  As students move ever deeper in their practice, they are reminded to return to the place that needs healing and breath into it.  The intensity and pacing of the class calls to mind the EST seminars of the 70’s.  No time for a break, no time wipe the sweat from your bod or tears from your eyes,  keep going, dig deeper, release your inner demons.

Eka pada Koundinyasana I - but not me this time

I truly appreciate having had opportunity to study with Anna.  She brings an authenticity and vibrancy to her teaching.  She keeps the students on track and focused.  She is a master at helping people to go the extra step, and master asanas that may not have ever been available to them in the past.  I caught a very cool twisted, extended arm balance (Parsva Eka Pada Koundinyasana I)  and as well as a handstand with splits variation (Eka Pada Vrschikasana).  I loved the focus on breathing, and the heart opening that accompanies it.  I walked away from each session feeling stretched, strengthened and inspired.  And amazingly enough, those 4:30 mornings did not wear me out – in fact I was invigorated.

And for you my favorite students, I realized that  Anna and I share many similar approaches in our teaching methodology.  When she reminded us to set intentions, I thought of you When she reminded us to breathe, I thought of you. I think we both share an understanding of the healing benefits of yoga.  However,w I think we come at it from different places.  Don’t worry, my classes won’t turn into sweat lodges, and I won’t stand you on your head till your ready.  But seeing as this was a teacher training, I may slip one or two new things in for your next class.  Hint, Anna loves core work as much as I do.