yoga

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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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New Year Events and Commitments

Hey Everyone,

Hope you are enjoying 2011. Did you make any resolutions for the New Year? I did. I want to do more of the things that I know bring me joy. Instead of looking back and regretting what I didn’t do last year, I want to honor all that I did do that made me feel good. And I want to do more of all of those things that make me happy. I should probably be able to keep this resolution. That is as long as I remember to stay present.

I am hosting a workshop this weekend at Urban Oasis in Sammamish, WA. The workshop is entitled Ten Essential Poses and runs from 1:30 to 4:00pm on Sunday. Come and learn what 10 poses would make up your essential practice. We are all different, so not everyone needs the same ten poses, but all of us need to have a few posses we can do every day that will bring us back into the light and help to ground us, so we can move forward in peace in the moment.

Hope to see you Sunday, and Happy New year to Everyone.

Shalom & Namaste,
Diana Bonyhadi

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Halloween Thoughts & Patanjali’s 8-Fold Path

Happy Halloween.

Hey Yogis and Yoginis.  How is your Fall going?  Her in the Northwest, we have been blessed with the most amazing October.  Many sunny skies, some clouds, some wind and a couple of powerful storms.  And today, Halloween, it is sunny, crisp and the sky is filled with clouds of the most interesting patterns.

Today is a day for celebrating spirits that play in the night; Jack-O-Lanterns, trick or treating, parties, costumes, and masks.  As I was out raking leaves, I began thinking about the dress-up aspect of Halloween.  When we don our costumes, are we setting out to hide our true identities or are we taking the opportunity to show the hidden sides of ourselves.  Maybe we are exploring deeper aspects of ourselves we don’t have the chance to explore at other times of the year, those parts that we are perhaps to shy to share in normal circumstances?

And of course, I began to look at this from the yogic perspective. I began to explore the parallels between a deep yoga practice and the celebration of Halloween.  Yes, I know you are probably laughing right now.  But really, I think we can do this.  Look for example at how in yoga, we get the chance to go deeper into each pose, perhaps reaching into areas we don’t normally go.  Trying out poses that we have seen but never thought we could do.  Encouraging our breath and our bodies to reach out and explore the limits of that which we consider ourselves to be, and in doing so, find that the boundaries to our identities might be pushed just a bit further.

Maybe the most interesting question is ….  What masks do we wear everyday to shield ourselves from ourselves and the rest of the world?  How do we present ourselves to the world and how do we protect ourselves from the world.  Perhaps everyday is Halloween, and it is only during our yoga practice that we begin to shed the masks and explore our true selves.  Indeed Patanjali in laying out the eightfold path of yoga  states quite clearly that it is through our practice that we can learn to take off the masks and experience our Divine selves (see list of limbs cited below).  A scary and yet magnificent possibility.

So, as you play this Halloween and dress up yourself, your home, your children, and perhaps even your pets, take a moment to explore how your costume might indeed be a manifestation of a deeper part of your being.  Step into that space and enjoy it.

Shalom & Namaste & Happy Halloween

Diana Bonyhadi

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The core of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra is an eight-limbed path that forms the structural framework for yoga practice. Upon practicing all eight limbs of the path it becomes self-evident that no one element is elevated over another in a hierarchical order. Each is part of a holistic focus which eventually brings completeness to the individual as they find their connectivity to the divine. Because we are all uniquely individual a person can emphasize one branch and then move on to another as they round out their understanding.

In brief the eight limbs, or steps to yoga, are as follows:

1.      Yama : Universal morality

2.      Niyama : Personal observances

3.      Asanas : Body postures

4.      Pranayama : Breathing exercises, and control of prana

5.      Pratyahara : Control of the senses

6.      Dharana : Concentration and cultivating inner perceptual awareness

7.      Dhyana : Devotion, Meditation on the Divine

8.      Samadhi : Union with the Divine

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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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108 Sun Salutations

108 Sun Salutations, are you kidding?  All in a row? One right after the other?  Why?

There are a lot of good reasons, and I will give them to you in a minute, but for now, let me give you the details.

Yoga for Hope

Fundraiser for City of Hope

Cancer Research

July 10, 2010

Registration @ 9:00am

Salutations begin @ 10:00am

Memorial Stadium at the foot of the Space Needle

Seattle, WA

Nine of Seattle’s leading yoga instructors will teach an outdoor class focused on the sacred number 108-practicing 108 Sun Salutations underneath the Space Needle at Memorial Stadium in hopes of bringing the spirit of health and community together! The instructors have partnered with City of Hope, a leading biomedical research, treatment and education center, to help raise support and awareness for cancer and other life-threatening diseases.

Researchers at City of Hope understand the importance of complementary and integrative therapies like yoga. Their Integrative Medicine Program, by incorporating complementary modalities with state-of-the-art medical care, is seeking to understand the mind-body-spirit connection to assist those battling life-threatening diseases, such as cancer, diabetes and HIV/AIDS.

Click here to register, and support this fine project. It will be a great day, a great practice, a fantastic experience.

Tomorrow I will share with you about the wisdom and history of this amazing practice.

Shalom & Namaste,

Diana Bonyhadi

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Yet Another Official Endorsement of Yoga

Health magazine’s, June issue provided a list of the top 10 things you can do to improve your health.  And yes, Yoga made it on the list.  We all  know  how good yoga is for us, but every now and then it is nice to see the greater health community taking note.  And the more “clinical” studies that are conducted, the greater likelihood that yoga will move from the list of alternative therapies to the list of accepted and, dare I say it, medically approved therapies, even ones that are covered by insurance.  Perhaps I am dreaming, but I fully believe that the therapeutic benefits of yoga are so pervasive, that yoga should be covered by everyone’s insurance.

“When your back hurts, jackknifing into downward dog is probably the last thing you want to.  But a study in the journal “Spine” found that patients with chronic low-back pain who took two 90 minute Iyengar yoga classes a week for six months experienced less pain and depression, and were able to do more than those who followed conventional treatments.”  Health , June 2010.

Have a Great Day,

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