Dear Student,

I hope you are enjoying the Winter so far.

The Winter schedule of Yoga classes is well underway.

The Spring Series will begin the first week in April. The schedule is attached.

I invite you to look at the workshop schedule below for special events.

In particular, there is a special Egoscue posture alignment workshop in at the JCC in Woodbridge this Sunday, March 12^th and ongoing classes on Saturdays in Guilford at SCWH. Due to the continued positive response I hope to continue to highlight this very special approach to movement, function and chronic pain relief. From tender knees to fractured golf swings, bad backs to errant tennis serves; discovering and resolving the postural and functional imbalances within your body is the key to getting to most out of your body and life! This work can prepare the foundation for enhanced performance in all activity, especially Yoga!

Ana Brett and Ravi Singh are back for another exciting Kundalini yoga mini-retreat on Sunday, March 19^th form 1-4:00PM at Raven’s Wing Yoga. The response so far is terrific so please let us know ASAP if you wish to register. Dust off the winter cobwebs and be a part of this special “Spring Retreat for Vitality and Health”!

Yoga Therapy 

Making movement Yoga.

       As Yoga becomes more and more popular and there are so many varieties and brands of movement and exercises now being combined with Yoga or calling themselves Yoga without being steeped in any of the ancient traditions. The result can be confusing at least, and at worst the profound discipline of Yoga can become trivialized. Still, there is value in both ancient and modern interpretations of Yoga once we can get past our pre-conceived ideas. Understanding the purpose, intentions and uses of these disciplines can help inform our choices in this regard.

       The word “Yoga” means union, in this can be roughly seen as the integration of mind body and higher self(spirit) with the deep knowing that all sense of separation we experience is “Illusory’.  In the classical system the postures(poses) seen in Yoga classes are just one limb of the eight limbed path of  Ashtanga Yoga, the technology to prepare the body/mind to come to know and live in this unitive state of being. They are called “asana”(comfortable seat) and initially referred to the seated poses ancient yogi’s used as they sat still in long meditation sessions. Subsequently, as the discipline of Yoga expanded the word asana came to denote the reported 84,000 movements and poses at the core of the Hatha Yoga system. Combined with breathwork(Pranayama), mudra(gesture), bhanda(locks), early stages of the Yogic path was developed to prepare the total body/mind to be a vehicle strong and clear enough to attain to the highest stage of enlightenment. The asana and paranyama practices particularly were designed to bring the dis-eased physical, energetic and mental aspects of the self into health and are quite powerful tools in this regard.

Of course, for the purposes of the householder—one living in the world—the dilemma becomes how to incorporate a workable integration of these extraordinary practices into lives that are woven into the fabric of the world of family and work. Usually, students come to Yoga seeking relief…from mental stress, from physical pain and disease or to seek a deeper sense of connection to something inside themselves they have yet to identify. In our lives, compromise and balance with our life situation  and personal sensibilities becomes the prime concern.

Movement disciplines that begin and end with the physical alone are powerful and helpful in rebuilding health, bringing basic stress relief and well being to our lives. There is no fast and sure litmus test as to when these disciplines become Yoga. In my opinion, in the short period of time we have in our days to fashion our Yoga practice and study it is important to consider that understanding and practice of techniques of breath awareness and Pranayama, basic mental disciplines of concentration and meditation be incorporated on some level to remain true to the practice and spirit of Yoga. You will then be aligning yourself more completely with the many levels that yoga impacts the body/mind safely, allowing each aspect to working together, synergistically to expand the benefits we can attain as we navigate our lives “in the word”.

In any case, if the efforts you are making are transforming the sense of what is important and meaningful in ways that bring you a greater ongoing sense of peace and presence, if they are helping you to see and know others with greater perspective, love  and compassion it is likely you are on the right path! From here the journey continues… 

Practice:

Perhaps you have read or heard books with titles such as  “The Yoga of …., “The Zen of…” or the “Tao of …”. Books such as these are attempts to offer examples of ways we can extrapolate the truths of our Yoga and meditation practices to transform ourselves in our lives in general. Our practice of Yoga Asana can and should become a tool to heighten awareness in movement as it affords us the opportunity to grow and transform all aspects of our psyche on and off the Yoga mat. 

To support this aim. one powerful approach is to work with asana as the practice of mindfully and compassionately in holding our Yoga pose for increasing periods of time. Rather than putting on our bodies through the paces and unconsciously attaining some pose or level of effort, in Yoga we consciously move into, hold and transition through our asana sequence. The holding of the formal pose becomes an opportunity to confront stored trauma, tension and fear that we have unconsciously stored in our body/mind. When the challenge initially begins to deepen it is generally felt as growing tension, physical discomfort accompanied by self limiting thoughts and feelings. We are invited to relax and witness what comes. As we hold from an awareness that is more allowing than reactive we can continue to expand our capacity to contain our experience as we release the energy that has been wasted in holing on the these old patterns and fears in our body. Our healing and new state of balance is attained as we expand our physical and energetic strength in the performance of the pose as we simultaneously discover and transform self-limiting thought processes that inhibit us. As the boundary between our formal practice and our life dissolves these insights can help us utilize our relationships, work and other roles we play in our lives in the same conscious manner. 

Workshops:
 
“Posture Alignment, Pain Relief and Enhanced Living;
                             ---- The Egoscue Method of Postural Alignment for Healing and Pain Relief”

 With Alan Franzi
At: The Jewish Community Center
360 Amity RD
Woodbridge, CT
Date: Sunday, March 12^th, @:00-4:00pm

Fee: $22.00 if pre-registered, $27.00 at the door.( Includes state taxes)

The epidemic of chronic pain threatens health, ruins careers and the limitations it creates can destroy any semblance of a well-lived life.  Repetitive Stress injury, Back pain, Tennis elbow, Bursitis, arthritis, low energy, dizziness and a full array of other chronic conditions can all have muscular skeletal misalignment their root cause.
  In this workshop we will:

v      Explore the ways postural misalignment is at the cause of so much muscular-skeletal pain and dysfunction.

v      Perform specific tests to discover the missing causal link to the symptoms of pain or limitation in your body.

v      Learn and practice simple, pleasant functional exercises and Yoga to restore muscle balance, and eliminate dysfunction at the root of so much chronic pain.

v      Enhance overall strength and flexibility as the pain in your body resolves

v      Understand once and for the possibility all that pain is not inevitable and that an active meaningful life is possible throughout the lifespan.

.      This experience provides an extraordinary opportunity to explore principles and practices of a tried and true non-medical intervention that empowers ourselves to restore the body to its design posture and function.  Finally take control over your body and mind for once and for all to transform what it means to be well and grow older! 

“Egoscue and Yoga:
Functional Movement for Posture Alignment, Pain Relief & Stress Management”
with Alan Franzi” 

On: Saturdays, Classes are ongoing, New series runs from March 25^th,- April 29th 2006, 10:00-11:30am—call for info.
        $84.00 for 6 weeks, $18.00 drop-in
At:  Shoreline Center for Wholistic Health
     35 Boston St
     Guilford, CT
      (On the Green in the Boston common next to the Whole in the Wall consignment shop)
 
Back by request! Use this special class as the springboard to greater freedom from musclulo-skeletal pain and limitation! Enjoy this creative and balanced experience designed to restore a functional, fit body, and a clear peaceful mind.
Directly and immediately experience the possibility of releasing pain and limits in your life as you begin to cultivate this deep experience of healing, inner peace and well-being l mind. Expand your understanding and ability to utilize the principles and practices of functional movement in your life and activities.
The Egoscue Method is an ingenious approach to posture and pain that considers and treats the body as a unit to expand movement and bring deep seated posture alignment. By recognizing that the site of pain or problems in the body is not usually the cause, we can finally address the true causes of our problems and bring about a more complete solution. The benefits of proper alignment and function include supporting the elimination of acute and chronic pain, bringing comfort and ease in your body, invigorating metabolism to support weight loss and immune system balance as well as balancing mind and emotion, as well as creating deep stress release. Special attention is place on position in each exercise and movement so long dormant capacities are awakened and problematic bodily compensations are overcome. The experience consists of a unique gentle and restorative blend of Yoga and Egoscue Method of functional exercise and movement integrated with breathwork, meditation and relaxation.  In addition, instruction in the principles of posture and function is included designed to deepen your understanding of why pain and imbalance exist and how to incorporate the insights gained into your life and activities.
Gentle to moderate level of challenge--great for all students. 

Kundalini Yoga: Spring Tune-Up for
Vitality & Youth"

With Ana Brett and Ravi Singh

On:     Sunday  March 19th 1:00—4:00  PM 
At:       "Raven's Wing Yoga" 
           869 West Main St, 2nd floor 
           Branford, CT
            (Take exit 54 of I95 exit 54, go 1.3 miles south on Rt. 1, next to Meyers Flowers on the "Hill" in Branford)
Fee:     $50.00 pre-registered, $55.00 at the door

"Shine like the sun with Kundalini Yoga’s special blend of breathing, movement, stretching, meditation, and more. Kundalini Yoga moves, breathes, stretches, and works.  It's a dynamic inner/outer workout for all levels of your Self. In addition to a who le body workout, this fascinating class will feature exercises and meditative techniques to help you shed the winter blues and give you an inner and outer makeover for new beginnings and new life.  Let the petrified wood of your deep self become green again in the eternal spring of your burgeoning!  This class, 85% physical and 15% meditative, is for all levels.  Also featured: a sonic heal-ing to the transcendent sounds of live gong music. "
 
Experience spirit and feel your soul. Each of these workshop we've sponsored has been is a unique and inspiring experience. A powerful energy dynamic is invariably created. We hope and believe you will leave refreshed and transformed.---Alan   
Pre-registration suggested for the workshop due to the demand 

Services:

Private, semi private and small group Yoga Sessions, Meditation Instruction, Corporate Yoga Classes
and the Egoscue Method Postural Therapy for Chronic Pain Relief and Enhanced Life Performance. 

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: 

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.  

As always, thank you for your ongoing support and participation in your work on your self.

 Sat Nam and Namaste,

Alan Franzi

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