From
4/28/04
Dear
Student;
I hope
this letter finds you well. Spring classes are underway and going well. The
schedule is at http://home.att.net/~ceyoga . The summer series will begin in
early June. More information will follow.
There
are openings coming up for the summer in an existing small in-home class held
in
Thanks
to all who attended the Spring Retreat on April 3rd. At this time I
am formulating some ideas for workshops over the next few months. Please let
me know of any thoughts and input about what you may wish to have presented.
Your input is valued and appreciated.
This
Saturday, May 1st, I will be at the Metabolic Syndrome Symposium at
The Waters Edge Retreat in Westbrook from
Spring
and summer are times when many of us dust off creaky unused bodes and ask that
they go boating, gardening water skiing etc. If our “weekend warrioring”
isn’t supplemented with the proper awareness, exercise and self care we risk
injury, aches and pains and exacerbating ongoing health limitations.
Supplementing any activity with the practice of Yoga and conscious movement
can improve physical performance as well as reduce or resolve physical or
psychological limitations fostered by our sedentary lives to enhance enjoyment
of all we do.
The
Infinite Power of Awareness
The
operating definition of stress from the Yogic point of view is “the
resistance to what is”. Whatever the situation is in the moment, pleasurable
or unpleasurable, desired or not, our struggle with the facts and
circumstances is what creates disturbance in our body mind and the experience
of separation which Yoga sees as the root cause of our suffering.
The
awareness practices of Yoga and mediation allow us to re-inhabit our bodies
and re-discover the full range of psychological experience that stress
responses of tension, pain, armoring and numbing may have stolen form us.
Truly, the element that transforms physical culture into Yoga is awareness,
specifically the “choiceless” awareness that sees what is within without
judging or otherwise reinforcing conditioned habits of mind and body.
In Yoga
practice and Yoga Therapy, healing occurs as a result of the process of the
three “A”’s; Awareness, Acknowledgement and Adjustment. Healing unfolds
as we consciously response to, rather than react from insights gained in the
conscious practice of Yoga asana, pranayama and mediation. In our practice,
spontaneous, “prana driven” awarenesses and adjustments occur in postures,
movements, thoughts and feelings. By letting our “ego” step aside, this
deeper intuitive integration unfolds as we become more skillful in allowing
ourselves to see and feel what we may have been resisting and open ourselves
to transform old patterns and evolve toward wellness.
Over
time our Yoga and Mediation practice allows us to regain trust in our innate
ability to heal and guide ourselves on and off the Yoga mat in this journey to
wholeness. Those who practice Yoga and mediation for even a short while
realize at least some of the mechanisms by which this evolution toward
wellness can occur.
Joseph Lepage, in his self published Yoga Therapy Manual recounts some of
theses mechanisms by which awareness can inform our self care and stimulate
healing below:
v
Relieving stress created muscular tension by awareness and acknowledgement of
the role of stress in creating discomfort and pain within. This is accentuated
in Yoga posture and movement as deeper stress patterns and buried tensions and
emotions are brought to the light of awareness and release of their hold on
the body/mind..
v
By including the full range of pleasure and pain to our awareness we
skillfully acknowledge and resolve the patterns of resistance and fears that
magnify pain and transform it to suffering.
v
By allowing the release of the patterns of muscular or other types of pain
that has remained in neuromuscular memory after the original cause has gone
v
Bringing an understanding of the physical, energetic and emotional patterns at
the root of energetic blocks in the body/mind that can often be the precursors
of physical and mental dis-ease.
v
Open an array of resources that weren’t available before. Awareness can open
us to and allow us to skillfully utilize the ultimate innate healing energy,
Prana. According to eastern thought working with energy is as important as
working with its physical counterpart in the body to resolve disease, create
and sustain true wellness
v
According to Yoga, awareness is intelligence and therefore infinite and not
subject to the physical laws of entropy and aging. Therefore, healing and
transformation that may seem miraculous is possible and attainable through
application of the principles and practices of higher consciousness.
v
Restore the peace that comes from living simply in the “now” as the
fantasies, ruminations and memory of past and future events take a back seat
to the direct experience of the moment.
From
the perspective of Yoga, within our wounds are messages from the body/mind to
be listened to, not to be ignored or feared. On the deepest level, according
to Yoga, physical or mental pain signifies our movement away from the
integration of our mental and physical selves with the deepest part of us. I
encourage you to utilize the practice of Yoga to use each day support your
ongoing wellness and more fully experience and enjoy all you do.
Yoga
Therapy
Of the
many Yogic practices utilized for stress relief, perhaps the most fundamental
is the “Body Scan”. This is a systematic exploration of the physical body
utilizing the faculty of choice less awareness to bring the one into the
direct experience of the moment.
To begin, sit comfortably, in a chair, eyes closed, feet flat in contact with
the floor. Let breathing normalize over time and throughout the practice make
no attempts to manipulate the breath or change what is experienced. Acceptance
of your experience is key. From this point all that is done is to guide your
awareness to the feet on the floor and receive the sensations present. Allow
the awareness to move slowly up the ankles, through the shins, calves and
further up the legs sensing all the feelings that inhabit each part of the
body. Move slowly and consciously, bringing the mind to back sensation it
wanders. Continue moving your awareness up the legs and proceed through the
entire body, part by part in a slow pace, exploring sensation as you go. Allow
the exercise to complete itself at the top of the head. Then take a minute or
so to receive the pattern of feeling of the entire body all at once to
re-integrate your experience. To end, open your eyes slowly return to your
normal activities.
Private,
semi private and small group Yoga Sessions are available:
The sessions have served different
purposes for each individual depending on specific needs and intentions.
Students have utilized this time to:
Evaluate and modify postural issues and imbalances that
may be at the root of injury as well as more chronic discomfort and pain
Enhance skill, comfort and commitment to Yoga practice in class and at
home
Explore higher breath work and meditation practices to further grow in
yoga
Support transitions to create healthier, more self supportive lifestyles.
Discover and utilize healing principles and practices designed to support your
ongoing wellness and personal growth
Serve as a powerful compliment to other recovery and healing
practices…and more!
I also
can work in individuals and groups in the Egoscue Method of movement therapy
for Postural alignment for pain relief and athletic enhancement, Sessions can
be held in your home or at my teaching studio locations. For details and to
answer questions about how you may benefit from one of these modalities please
contact me at (203)488-170o.
I
hope to see you soon.
Sat Nam
and Namaste,
Alan
**To be placed on an email list for the newsletter and other event info please email me at: ceyoga@att.net.