From 5/31/04

Dear student,

 Spring is out in full force and summer is close behind. I hope you have great plans for safe and satisfying summer fun! 

Classses and More

Yoga classes will continue and I hope to see you. I will not be teaching the studio class schedule from Saturday, 5/29/-6/5/04 but private sessions and workshops are happening as scheduled.  The Summer studio schedule will begin on Sunday, June 6th and continue for eleven weeks through August 25th. The schedule is attached in word document form. Registered students can take classes at any location, more than one time per week if needed to make up for vacation times. 

I have a new website url: www.creativeedgeyoga.com The old website, http://home.att.net/~ceyoga is still in place for the time being but please bookmark the new site for future reference The schedule, detailed class descriptions, workshop info. Wellness links and archives of past newsletters can be found there. 

The interest and feedback from the Yoga/Egoscue Method posture alignment classes and private work has been extraordinary. I am doing introductory workshops relating to this work, Align Your Posture = Ease Your Pain at the Shoreline Center in Guilford on Tuesday, June 1st and at the “Riverdog Yoga” Studio in Old Saybrook on June 19th. Further details are below.
I am also doing a Kundalini Yoga for Radiance Resilience and Peace at the Shoreline Center on Wednesday, June 2nd at the Shoreline Center

Cost is $26.50 including tax if pre-registered, 36’50 to pay at the door---space is limited so call to pre-register. 

Yoga Therapy

“The Edge”
“Yoga practice begins as chore, becomes and habit and transforms into a joy” Author unknown                                                  

"Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative and creation, there is one elementary truth the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one's favor all manner of unforeseen incidents, meetings and material assistance which no man could have dreamed would have come his way. Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it. Begin it now."  Goethe 

As great as Yoga generally makes us feel, maintaining consistent practice can often be a struggle. Energy level, moods, doubts,  going out for ice cream, guilt about taking time for oneself, conflicting activities and home life all seem to conspire to undermine our intentions to add Yoga to our lives. As a consequence, it is often hard to get ourselves to practice until we make a fundamental commitment to ourselves. Motivation and commitment to any practice is the basic challenge to be met in order to achieve any success, yet Yogis have long acknowledged that the degree of involvement is at least partially dependent upon your life stages, goals and need for ice cream. Authentic commitment can occur when the question you ask yourself is not whether you will do Yoga, but just how will the Yoga you do fit into the fabric of your life in a sustained way. As Goethe  infers above, at this point creative avenues open to help develop your yoga practice despite of or even utilizing the apparent obstacles the had blocked you before. Therefore the skilful approach to any discipline, Yoga included, involves developing ways to compassionately sustain involvement as better habits slowly replace lesser ones, until joys increasingly replace the moments of doubt, struggle and drudgery. 

Some suggestions to sustain a Yoga or meditation practice in your life include: 

  1. Decide to do it—commit by affirming the direct benefits Yoga has for yourself enumerating the indirect ways those benefits also impact those in your life—better health and mood, less stress, more overall energy, etc.
  2. Set short term and longer term practice goals that address what you want to get form Yoga. Let yourself be surprised and pleased if you get more good stuff than what you planned!
  3. Yogis have stated “The best and most powerful Yoga practice is the one that you will actually do.” so balance determination with compassionate acceptance of your present situation. Don’t over promise (length of time, frequency, etc) and set yourself up for failure, don’t underestimate your capacities and limit the benefits you can attain.
  4. Create a spot for yourself in your living space to practice and set consistent times to practice as best you can.  Acquire appropriate “tools of the trade”—mats, blocks, music, etc. that make the space comfortable and pleasant to be in.
  5. Keep inspired—read books, use videos and tapes to support practice, bring new ideas and re-invigorate your practice.
  6. Find a class; go to workshops, retreats, etc alone or with friends. The phrase “community over willpower” asserts that group energy can be reinforcing and fun in any endeavor. It can get you started and keep you going.
  7. Honor and communicate difficulties and resistances with a teacher or fellow student worthy of trust, every question or issue that comes up can be resolved. Often resistance undermines us at significant points of our unfolding and provide opportunities for healing to happen as they are resolved.
  8. Stay with it—when your enthusiasm wanes go back to step one and recalibrate your efforts and commitment to your present circumstance.

     

Yoga Practice—Transformation at the “Edge”
In my classes I often talk about the Edge of experience, whether in Yoga poses, meditative practice or in the movement we all make in life toward new experience and growth. According to Yoga, joy is an inner experience received as the existing desires, conflicts and struggles of mind and body are released and our limits are, for at least a moment dissolved.  In this space growth and transformation to higher consciousness can unfold. The fly in the ointment here seems to be the fact that we alternately hunger for novel experience and also resist the changes new insights present to our limited sense of who we are. Understanding this dynamic can help us understand who we are at a given time and sheds a great deal of insight into why Yoga practice can be so difficult to sustain. It is important to understand that the “edge” is elusive. Our physical and mental “limits” that make up the “Edges” in our lives can show up differently depending on a host of circumstances.

As a consequence, the conscious practice of Yoga postures is a perfect place to explore one’s approach to challenge and growth. Any single Yoga pose and our approach to Yoga practice itself can be accomplished the “usual way of the “ego”, often through physical force and mental coercion. Resistances, discomforts, pain and fear can be ignored or avoided and some semblance of a yoga pose and Yoga practice seems to happen. The drawback to practicing Yoga in this way is increased risk of injury; boredom and frustration with us or our “progress” in our practice. Yoga becomes mere exercise, unsatisfying and unsafe exercise at that.  Whatever reason we have for persevering, it is likely the same rationale used to accomplish the other much less rewarding things in life we feel obliged to do.  Most profoundly, bullying our way into our practice or avoiding challenge robs us of the deepest joys of our Yoga, the windows of “absorbsion” in the now, that precious moment that in which our lives actually happen. 

 As we encounter the “Edge”, consciously encounter and release conflict and avoidance to what appears there, all dissatisfaction falls away. Paradoxically, in Yoga practice very often less effort and struggle at the “edge” is more. Here we can relax into  the “zone” in which we perform with the most clarity, grace and efficiency We can only willfully make physical bodies stretch so much, we will only get so strong and we can only try to relax to limited effect. When we  release all the things that come up in our poses while sustaining conscious awareness we can attain feats of mind and body that we have only dreamed about. The true joys of Yoga are experienced each time we transform our way of being in our Yoga poses. We move from struggle to acceptance, fear to clam, and from conflict to immersion. By bringing compassion to ourselves throughout the process we become more skillful in utilizing the growth and insights gained to help approach the fears and limits of our lives in new ways. Longstanding life struggles may dissolve, new perspectives gained and profound healing and transformation can now unfold at the “Edges” of our lives.

 

Special Events and opportunities:  

Workshop Series- Please contact me to pre-register at (203)488-1700
With Alan Franzi

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At: The Shoreline Center for Wholistic Health,

35 Boston St. Guilford
Tuesday, June 1st,  2004

6:30-8:30pm
$26.50 incl. tax pre-registered; $36.50 incl. tax at the door—Space is limited

 (all levels of experience)

Align Your Posture = Ease Your Pain

Yoga, Meditation and The Egoscue Method of Postural Alignment for Healing and Pain Relief
Chronic pain, and the limitations it creates in life are occurring in near epidemic proportions.  The management, mitigation and resolution of pain are best achieved with a comprehensive healing approach.
Explore the causal role of posture misalignment and muscular-skeletal imbalance in the cause of pain. Joint pain, back pain, tendonitis, bursitis, repetitive stress injuries; even conditions such a vertigo and TMJ  can often be linked to musculoskeletal dysfunctions that may be addressed simply, and efficiently.   Discover the principles and practices of the Egoscue Method of Postural Alignment for pain relief.  Based on the premise that any effective therapy treats the body as a unit; The Egoscue Method blends specific sequences or “menus” of Yoga posture, therapeutic movement and basic functional exercises designed to realign posture and remove imbalances throughout the whole body. Practice breath-work and meditation as additional tools to help rediscover lost comfort and joy in your body. Take time to introduce yourself to a practice that supports all you are doing in your quest to live the best, most active life you can!

 

At: The Shoreline Center for Wholistic Health,
35 Boston St. Guilford
Wednesday, June 2nd,  2004, 6:30-8:30pm
$26.50 incl. tax pre-registered; $36.50 incl. tax at the door, Space is limited
 (all levels of experience)
“Kundalini Yoga Radiance, Resilience and Peace” with Alan Franzi 

Yoga practitioners of all levels can supercharge your Yoga practice in this workshop series designed to explore the transformational possibilities of Kundalini Yoga. Discover basic and advanced breath, movement, Yoga posture and meditation practices intended to deepen the physical benefits any Yoga practice. Facilitate the release and healing of inner tension and stress as you enjoy the beneficial impact of this energizing and calming Yoga practice on mood and consciousness Empower  body, mind and spirit at once via these artfully sequenced Yoga Sets designed to fully animate illuminate and transform.    Anyone can practice Kundalini Yoga All seekers are welcome.

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At: Riverdog Yoga Studio
854 Middlesex Tpk 
Old Saybrook, CT
Align Your Posture = Ease Your Pain

Yoga, Meditation and The Egoscue Method of Postural Alignment for Healing and Pain Relief
Saturday, June 19th, 2004 
1:00-3:00pm

$26.50 incl. tax pre-registered; $36.50 incl. tax at the door 

Chronic pain, and the limitations it creates in life are occurring in near epidemic proportions.  The management, mitigation and resolution of pain are best achieved with a comprehensive healing approach.
Explore the causal role of posture misalignment and muscular-skeletal imbalance in the cause of pain. Joint pain, back pain, tendonitis, bursitis, repetitive stress injuries; even conditions such a vertigo and TMJ  can often be linked to musculoskeletal dysfunctions that may be addressed simply, and efficiently.   Discover the principles and practices of the Egoscue Method of Postural Alignment for pain relief.  Based on the premise that any effective therapy treats the body as a unit; The Egoscue Method blends specific sequences or “menus” of Yoga posture, therapeutic movement and basic functional exercises designed to realign posture and remove imbalances throughout the whole body. Practice breath-work and meditation as additional tools to help rediscover lost comfort and joy in your body. Take time to introduce yourself to a practice that supports all you are doing in your quest to live the best, most active life you can!

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 Private, semi private and small group Yoga Sessions 

Over the past several years I have worked with several students in private sessions in both brief and longer term scenarios. 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 am available for private Yoga instruction, Yoga Therapy, postural and alignment evaluation, and a newly developed session format consisting of an experience of Yogic balancing and healing techniques. 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)488-1700.

Please let me know your suggestions, feedback and questions.
Once again, thanked you for your ongoing support and I hope you continue to find a way to include Yoga and its related practices to support you in your life.

 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.

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