New Year, New Classes

I've now included a gadget with a calendar of my classes.  If you have any questions, please do write me.

As the new year approached, I heard the word intention coming from everywhere.  Intention sounds powerful, almost intimidating, but it is a very simple way to be happy.  If every single day we put good intentions behind our every day deeds, every single thing we do becomes powerful.  A very little intention becomes HUGE.  Like a brick on a castle, each intention being the brick, the castle being you...

Have a good day ya'll!

Love,

Patricia

Leading your practice with your heart

Asana practice needs to be approached via the heart, both physically and spiritually.  

To approach your practice with an open heart spiritually can mean so many things.  One of them is to approach your practice as a means to stay present.  When one enters a room to practice, any judgements and emotions should be shed, thus opening your heart to an experience that will allow you to remain present and allow you to focus in the now.  This is why it is important not to look around the room to see what others are wearing, what the teacher looks like, etc this way you can stop the judgments and opinions.  When you enter a room to practice, immediately sit down and close your eyes on your mat.  Bring your focus on your breath and allow the emotions from the day to melt away.  This prepares you for a compassionate and personal experience, free of judgments and attachments.    

To approach the practice with an open heart anatomically means to lead the practice with your heart lifted and the chest and collarbones open, shoulders melting toward the center of your back.  On a daily basis, we slouch in front of our computers, on the train, as we eat, etc etc. This causes our pectoralis muscles to tighten and our upper back muscles to over stretch, resulting in bad posture and back pain.  A steady yoga practice can help release the chest so that the upper back can get properly aligned and get strong, thus making posture improve and back aches stop.  

Overall, we should think of having an open heart ALL the time. BE compassionate in and out of the mat. 

Love.

Patricia 

How do you pick a yoga retreat?

Margarita Island, Venezuela

Every studio and every teacher seem to host a yearly yoga retreat.  How do you choose the correct one for you?

-  Pick a location you'd love to explore. What activities will you be able to do besides hanging out with the people of the retreat?  This part in particular is very important, to me at least. I am not a fan of all inclusive vacations.  I prefer to do my own thing off the beaten path.  So, picking a location like an all inclusive resort in Jamaica is not for me.  A place like like Rio in Brazil or the Caribbean coast in Colombia (like I.AM.YOU's retreat)  is more up my alley.  If you want to lounge pool side with drinks all day, a place like Cancun or Jamaica is more for you.
-  Go with a friend that loves to do yoga.  This way, if the age range of the group is all over the place you have one buddy to be with.
-  Be open minded!  Your favorite teacher may be hosting one, but why not try a teacher you've heard is amazing?  Attend one or two of their classes and open yourself to a new experience.   See what their students are like..  
- Read the small print!  You should be able to get some of the money back if you can't go.

No matter which retreat you go, remember that this is a vacation!

More classes at Go Yoga!

Tomorrow I start teaching the GoBasics at 8:15 at Go Yoga in Williamsburg.  I am joining some of the best teachers at the best studio of the neighborhood, so every Thursday will be a celebration.  Join me!