Busy schedule

Tomorrow at Quick Fitness 7:00 am
Viva Vinyasa in midtown at 7:30 pm

Wednesday at Quick Fitness 7:00 am
Thursday at noon at Sangha Yoga Shala
Friday at 7:00 pm, core-fusion yoga at Quick Fitness
Sunday at 10:00 am at Quick Fitness

I also start teaching teenagers in an after school program on Wednesdays.  I am looking forward to this week!  And midterms are done, phew!

Have a great week!

Practicing when you are sick

I love New York and all, but come the colder seasons and New York City becomes like a giant kindergarden class, where germs are exchanged through trains and public places, yuck!

If you feel slightly sick (like I have all week) do yourself and everyone around you a favor and stay home.  This also includes not practicing yoga at a studio.  Let your body rest and nourish your body with lots of healthy food and herbal teas.

Here are some great ayurvedic recipes to help with the stuffies of a cold:

-  Pepper and honey mixure in the morning.  Take a spoon of honey and grind 7 peppercorns on it.  Start your day with one right after breakfast.
-  If you already have a full-on chest cold, do the following: buy a jar of honey, a medium purple onion and about 2 lemons.  Grind or chop the purple onion, mix it with the honey (yes, I know), and then squeeze some lemons on top of the mixture, then mix it all together.   Eat the entire jar within three days. This is seriously good!   I used to do it when I first moved to the Northeast and I didn't have health insurance to help me pay for antibiotics.  My mom's recipe :)
- Alternate nose breathing is another good way to start your day.  This will help clear both nasal channels and bring some energy on the moon and sun nadis (left and right energy channels). Do this right before your meditation so your breath can stay steady during meditation.

bug hugs,

Patricia


P.S.  My schedule remains the same!  I teach tomorrow at 10:00 at Quick Fitness for those of you that skipped the halloween madness.  I am doing a series on the energy line starting with the root, the lowest part of the spine.   xoxo

I have been told I laugh way too much..

The Dalai Lama on laughter :)

Hamstrings hamstrings

Tight hamstrings not only limit out mobility and make forward bends difficult, but they also cause chaos on our lower back.  As a teacher, I like to dedicate a week to our hamstrings every two months or so.  The cherry on the top is when you are finally able to see the difference in a split.  It also reminds us to breathe into the poses, to be compassionate with ourselves, not to fold too fast or too hard.  Our hamstrings are a nice reminder of how to treat ourselves- gently and mindfully.

So this is my theme this week.   See you at the mat!

patricia

Learning Sanskrit Yo

I spent the whole weekend learning Sanskrit.  I actually spend an average of 50 hours per week either in class, doing homework or doing research, which is all good because I then get to share my knowledge with peeps either in my yoga classes or in school.
Here's a pic of me nerding it out, in true form.



As of my teaching schedule this week:

Monday, 7 am at Quick Fitness/ 8:30 pm Hot Yoga at Crunch Union Square, subbing for Ambyr
Wednesday, 7 am at Quick Fitness
Thursday, community class at Sangha Yoga Shala
Friday, core fusion yoga at 7 pm at Quick Fitness
Sunday at 10 am

I have been doing homework since I came out of class at 11:00 am and have not been able to come up with a theme for this week.  I am thinking Half moon with bow (as I did in my morning class today).  Will post later.

Hugs to all!

Conquering Lion Teacher Training, second term added!

More Retreats

The fabulous Joanna is also speaking to her friend in Italy (IN TUSCANY!) for an amazing deal for another yoga retreat.  Cooking classes, yoga everyday, private lessons, low season prices.  This is so exciting!

Bali and Italy retreats.  Double wowza!  Please stay posted.

LAMApalooza and schedule changes

It has been an overwhelming weekend with Lama Kimberly then with the Gita talks with Geshe Michael Roach and Lama Christie McNally.  The messages are many- Find your Gurus, see the Buddhas in all, find the Self via meditation..  Wowza.

What topped the weekend with Lama K was a class at Go Yoga with one of my favorite teachers, Matt Lombardo.  He is always able to successfully combine a challenging asana practice with the Tibetan Buddhist teachings.  I felt like I was taking a class with Lama K.   And what Matt does as a teacher (to combine the asana with the heart)  is what I aim to do as a teacher.  What is a strong body without a strong heart? 

This week, I am focusing on this heart opening theme.  We do not have to be into Buddhism to work on opening our heart.  We can simply focus on opening our front upper body, the pectorals,  our intercoastal muscles (the little muscles along the ribcage) even our triceps. This opening improves our posture and releases our back.  We sit in front of the computer for hours per day and our shoulders slouch forward, our front torso tightens.  So even if you don't believe in the heart opening (chakra) benefits of an asana practice,  you can just think of it as a release from the tightness we get from slouching forward all day and ultimately the area around the heart is freed.  

Schedule

I am subbing tonight for the lovely Jozelyn at Sangha Yoga Shala (9pm)

Tomorrow I start a community class at Sangha Yoga Shala (noon)

Friday class is subbed at Quick Fitness (7:00 pm) I will be back next week. 

Saturday class at Sangha is cancelled until further notice. 

Sunday at 10 am Quick Fitness continues.  

Hugs to all!

Patricia 

Bent On Learning

I also start with Bent on Learning in a Chinatown school on October 21st, teaching pre-school kids to yoga.   PS2 in Chinatown, pre-school kids with a teacher that has never left neverland- I'm thrilled! 

Changes in schedule

This rainy weather makes me want to live in a yoga studio.  It's only Tuesday and I've gotten 3 yoga classes in..  Trying to stay calm as the semester in school heats up.

Sooo, if you're planning on catching me this week, my focus is to bring lightness to every pose.  My inspiration comes from my upcoming weekend with Lama Kelly Morris and the Conquering Lion training in which we will be studying anatomy for asana.  The goal is to separate completely from the asana and letting the asana take you to the next level.  I'm in! 

• Tomorrow I'm at Quick Fitness bright and early for the 7:00 am 
• I am subbing on Thursday at noon at Sangha Yoga Shala
• I will not be teaching the core-fusion yoga on Friday at QF.  The awesome Catherine Helleux will sub. 
• Saturday I am at Sangha Yoga Shala at noon.  Please note that this class will be moved to 10:30 am come Saturday October 16 and it is for intermediate-advanced students. 
• Sunday at 10:00 am at QF. 

My Crunch schedule is still pending. 

My playlist this week is mellow since I am taking it up a notch on the asana practice side in order to continue with the detox plan.  I've got some Beach House, I just got the new Interpol and ending with some beautiful Krishna Das chants.  Yum yum! 

See you on the mat! 

Patricia 

Detoxing for Fall

In the last few weeks, I have been detoxing by doing lots of mental laundry (working on removing negativity from around me)  along with watching my diet (no more dairy, cutting down on bread, very little refined sugar), I am also drinking my daily vitamin b12  (good mood in a vitamin) and cutting out unhealthy habits- Phew!  I am doing all this in preparation for a positive and healthy winter.

In our asana practice, to detox is to twist.  When twisting, all your organs get a rush of fresh blood when you release a twist- oxygen rushes and energy releases onto the energy centers equally.  Twisting is also good for your nervous system, bringing it stimulation which is perfect for the cooling weather blues.  I have put together a lovely twist class for tomorrow's class at Sangha Yoga Shala with hopes that the students get a dosage of brand new energy and begin to prepare for winter as well.